“Yes, I am coming soon!”   (Rev.22:20 Tyndale) –

          

            Mission to shorten 3000 years of His Coming:

 

        Uganda  Mission  Report – 3 :     The North Uganda Mission (Lira)

 

 

Uganda is the most God blessed country in Africa.

To begin with, it has a most suitable natural environment for life of human; it lies up and down from equator and thus no natural disaster. Big Victoria Lake in the south of equator, in the west, lakes like “Albert”, “Edward”, and “George” share borders with Congo DR, and numerous small lakes such as “Kyoga” make Uganda as water resource rich country. Naturally, Uganda is one of the most water engineering developed country in Africa with abundance of water bore hole related parts and supplies.  All soils are so rich; rain falls so adequate for 2-3 times of harvest per year. Serious famine during 2008-2009 for almost a year that hit Tanzania and Kenya did not affect much to Uganda.

Mountains make ranges and protect Uganda; north east and east bordering Kenya, then west, south west with Congo DR. In between these protective mountains lie flat lands of Uganda. British during their colonial days have developed a paradise city, “Fort Portal” famous for its tea growing at the foot of Lake Edward. Unless weather is ideal and air is clean with much sunshine, it is a common sense tea does not grow well.

Unlike Congo DR, Uganda has electricity in most of the country, and especially most of the roads are paved. No wonder Ugandans are good hearted people. In addition to this, Uganda is very proud to have numerous fine educational institutions such as Makerere  and Kyambogo University.

Then why is Uganda’s GDP per capita is only about $350.- per annum?

(compare Kenya $3,200 and Congo DR $150.-)

Only recently she met a good political leader and she is doing well. Until then, Uganda did not have a good leader who shows a direction and hope for people. Leader like “Idi Amin” has demolished and demoralized good people in Uganda. Therefore, it is only a matter of time before Uganda will surely become a very well to do country, once it has a good leader.

Uganda is also a country that has received Christianity graciously. In the north due to influence of Sudan, there are Muslims.  Among denominations including Catholic, there is frequent effort to coordinate peaceful coexistence of Christianity.

What about Adventists?

In a country of 29 million populations, 230,000 square km land, there are 190,000 Adventists, 806 churches with 252 pastors. This is not bad compared with Korea. But the problem is most of them are concentrated in the central region of the country. Therefore, even in Uganda there exists urgent need of “Ends of the Earth” and “every tribe” mission motif.

Maha Mission has earlier reported 2 times on Kasese, and now we are coming to northern region where somewhat most termed a difficult place. My colleague and co-worker Kim, Minha, a Korean lady missionary, has written the following on Lira;

“Early morning ride to Lira was comfortable than any other mission trips because of good road condition. After about 4 hours, we were able to arrive at Lira. Pastor John Kamiza welcomed us as we needed some cool fresh air.

On our way to 2nd trip to Lira, places were not so strange but somewhat familiar; we were light hearted to Lira. Today we were to meet with all pastors from the field. As we were listening to them, Lira Mission field and its office were more serious than expected. As reports went on all districts of Lira, we realized financial difficulties were there. Because of this, Gospel works were getting difficult and thus being delayed. Repeated mention of financial needs at times was hard to be understood…how serious would it be!

They were not paid for two months…their income is similar to those amounts I could have spent in a week or even in a day in Korea, I was embarrassed; how shameful am I even to think that way while these pastors were ceaselessly working to save even one more soul spreading Gospel! I could not raise my head. My portrait kept coming up, rarely thankful on small matters, complaining it is so difficult if not impossible to spread Gospel in Korea…I could not sit around anymore. In front of these dedicated pastors, I realized I am not able to keep complaining any more. What excuses do I have in front of these pastors of devotion who perseveres even to save one more souls…and I was able to peer through their hearts aching for those souls who do not know God, seeking Him for them.

I had to kneel down again. Although situations around these pastors are so severe and things are so hard, prayed to God to be with them and give consolation to them to be able to finish their mandate to preach Gospel in un-entered areas and people until Jesus comes again. Prayed to help me to get out of my past self portrait of full of complaints and grumblings instead to help me to help souls who did not hear Gospel. In rather short period of time, I thank God for helping me to realize and understand what tremendous blessings He gave me and our family…it was time for re-affirmation that now I should share with others  all these blessings, and return to heart and mind of Jesus to lead souls to come to Him.

How and what could we do to help Lira region for evangelization? Many dialogue with pastors, to give us wisdom and courage He promised when we trust and seek, and prayed how I could be of small help to these pastors…these were my thoughts on our way back.

 

Lira Mission is located in 18 political districts of Uganda (see map attached), re-divided into 13 church districts, to where only one district pastor is dispatched to serve. April 21 was their monthly report meeting, thus we took advantage of visiting them to say Hello.

Lira Mission has done well from 4,000 members in 2004 to 10,000 in 2009.

During 1999-2003 a missionary called Pedersen (?) has helped to start ministerial school but afterwards no one was hired for service, then well trained 16 lay evangelists are still waiting. Due to insufficient financial situation of Lira Mission, that finds difficult even to look after existing pastors (most of them get paid $75.- per month), it is not possible for the Mission to hire them.

Naturally one single most challenge of lira Mission is finance;

In such a vast territory, pastors do not have means of transportation, no budget for cell phones.  Lack of funds to print Bible study guides in several local languages, no “Spirit of Prophecy” books either in English nor translated versions. Muslim influence is growing in this region. A lone district pastor has too wide territory to cover, etc.

However, we have witnessed these pastors are full of motivation for mission.

A day before we were scheduled to visit Lira, an email came from Elder Koh from “Mukdong Jeil SDA Church” (my home church) in Seoul, that he committed himself to sponsor 3 lay evangelists for one year.  Our foot steps were going to be very heavy visiting Lira with empty hand, now on the following day, very early in the morning, on our way to bus station, our minds and hearts were already in Lira. We are not anymore empty handed. We are going with realistic commitments to help Lira. Who has blessed Elder Koh?

We as missionaries experience such quite frequently. We people of little faith just could not wait long enough God’s prepared blessings to a point of fainting. Would I be able to sacrifice like Abraham who was obedient to knife his only son Isaac on the Mount Moriah?

Lira to me was “Jehovah-jireh”.    God has provided.

Maha Mission currently has mission offices in Nairobi, Kenya and also at Kampala, Uganda with courtesy of the Union. At the same time, Maha Mission is in the middle of moving 3 and half year old mission office from ”Butembo” to “ARU”, a far northeastern part of Congo DR where Gospel has not been heard much.

We may not have any reason to stay in comfortable living of Kampala. We wonder if we should not move to further northern part of Uganda where we can breathe and feel “the Ends of the Earth” and “every tribe”. 

We missionaries are like birds migrating according to seasons.

We would like to move wherever Jehovah has prepared for us.  We need to reduce 3,000 years. 

 

“…Yes, I am coming soon!”  Amen!  Come,  Lord Jesus!”  (Rev.22:20 Tyndale)

 

Maha Mission

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