Muslim Convert and Radio Respondent Building Churches

When LHM – Uganda office conducted our recent ETS workshop for in Bugir, attended by 7 churches, we cought up with Buddallah Mugoya and Wilberforce Batabaire both LHM referrals to the Lutharan Church in the past.

We found out that Mugoya Abudallah born in 1973 at Nakavule – Bigiri District into a Muslim family of 43, came to faith after attending the Equipping the Saints Workshop organized by LHM – Uganda in February 2009. Mugoya Abudalla (now Samuel) is married to Namukose Gorreti with 3 children. and is a teacher d at Nakavule Primary school where the workshop was conducted.

After the ETS workshop in February this year, Abdallah enrolled for the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC) and was referred to Evangelist Moses Kyaterekera for follow-up and connection. He was connected to Nakavule Lutheran Church and stated attending worship at the congregation. He was enrolled into the Catechism Class that very month. Abudallah continued with his BCC studies offered by LHM – Uganda as well as the Luther’s Small Catechism for the next six months. He was baptized in August 2009 as Mugoya Samuel by Rev. Jacob Gillard an LCMS missionary in Uganda.

Bugiri – Nakavule Lutheran Church was started as a result of LHM – Uganda office programming through the “Lutheran Hour” – a family Based Radio program on NBS 89.4 FM Radio, based in Jinja, 50 km west of Bugiri. The congregation was started in 2006 by Mr. Wilberforce Batabaire, a resident of Nakavule village. When the LHM _ Uganda office Director Charles I. Bameka talked to Mr. Wilberforce Batabaire during the ETS workshop in December 2009, he told him that, “….after listening to the ‘Lutehran Hour’ talk-show for a number of months, and examining the Bible based teachings on the program, I concluded that this was the right Christian message and I requested that your LMMU activities be extended to my village and a church be opened in Nakavule. I am happy that you responded and referred me to Nakabango Lutheran Church, where I met Pastor AaronBamuwamye, who visited our community and worked with me under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to start the Lutheran Church here. Over the past three years, our church has been able to reach out to five other villages, and as we speak today, we have established two more Churches – Izira Lutheran Church and Itakaibolu Lutheran Church and three more mission stations of Naigoma, Namuganza and Buwembula Lutheran Stations, I thank God for all that.happened”

In December, Mr. Wilberforce Batabaire and Mr. ‘Samuel’ (former Abudallah) Mugoya were offering their time and skills in building Nakavule Lutheran Church Building. The two were happy and looked fulfilled men, serving God and serving their community. They were also involved in building temporary worship structures for Izira and Itakaibolu Lutheran Churches As the LHM – Director, I see these two men a living testimony of how the Gospel message transforms life and gives meaning to the ministry we are involved in. Thank you Jesus for making me part of this ministry. Amen

When Jesus sets you free

November normally sets in the Christmas season and many families are together at home with their children returning from school for holidays. The Mukono District visitation team led by Vicar Nkoyoyo Daniel, were on their visitation calls to homes, sharing with very many people about the love of Christ, when they came in contact with Gloria Namigadde.
Gloria, who stays in Kyewanise- Mukono district, was born 40 years ago in a Christian home but had fallen out of the Christian faith 8 years ago after she was leered by pals into traditional witchcraft practice. She was told that witchcraft could make her “VERYRICH” within the shortest time possible. At the age of 32, Gloria was had set up a small shop in her village which had greatly improved her life earning her a small income to support her and her family members. She was happy and a practicing Christian.

In 2001 Gloria became sickly, lost her husband suddenly and every one concluded that he had died of HIV/AIDs and that she was a “sick woman”, though the doctors postmortem diagnosed hypertension. This situation left her devastated, with the responsibility of taking care of the orphans on her own. Gloria started having nightmares, claiming to be seeing visions of ghost at night chasing her in her dreams.

Her friends used this problem to tell her that she was being be-witched by her creditors who did not want to pay her back. The introduce her to a witch doctor who demanded a lot of money claiming he would slove all her problems in a very short time, making all her creditors pay, blessing her business and she would become super rich. She sold everything she owned including the house her husband left her with in a bid to satisfy the demands of the witch doctor and by the time he was done with her, she was living in the kitchen with no money or land to till to feed her family.
Most people thought that she had a psychological problem so her in-laws took the children away from her this worsened her because she was not responsible for any one.
She moved from place to place looking for friends, peace, love, care, hope and comfort. All she could get was some food and a sending away.

By the time the LMMU visitation team reached her, she was in a sorrowful state crying bitterly, she felt “god” did not love and had resolved that living was useless resorting to drunkenness. Many sympathize with her while others judged her speaking ill of her.
The visitation team shared with her about the love of Christ, his forgiveness, acceptance and care. She listened carefully but felt that she was not worth forgiveness because she had abandoned the faith and trusted witchcraft which did not work.

however later on they found her in the bar and led her to Christ. From then onwards she has come to appreciate the Church and reading the Bible.
It took the team three follow-up visit to convince her to join Kateete Lutheran Church where she worshipping and receiving care and counseling.
There are many people like Gloria whom our ministry is set to touch. We thank you for your prayers and support. To alone Christ be the Glory Amen.

New Ministry in a New country – An Opportunity for LHM

The Chairman of the Executive Council and General Secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan (ELCS), Rev. Edward Nzeme, twice visited LHM Uganda offices in the month of October 2009. He heard about the LHM work in Uganda on 8th October 2009, when he had travelled to attend the ordination of three Pastors for the Lutheran Church of Uganda. He heard about the impact of LHM in Uganda and how it has led the growth of Lutheranism and the local Lutheran Church in the country.

Rev. Nzema returned to Uganda on 20th October and talking to Mr. Charles I. Bameka the LHM- Uganda office Director, said, “I have returned so early to acquaint myself with LHM’s outreach Programs in Uganda and personally hand deliver a request letter for the extension of Lutheran Hour Ministries in the Sudan.” In his letter he requested for the LHM Ministry to be extended to ELCS and help the growth of the young Lutheran Church in the proclamation of the Gospel.

He expressed specific interest in extending the Radio program and Bible Correspondence Courses to his people, promising to work with his Church Executive Committee to ensure that the church supports air Time for a one-hour Radio Program – The Lutheran Hour on a weekly basis.

Rev. Edward Nzema (Right) with
Charles I. Bameka (Directors LMMU)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan (ELCS) Started November in 1993 in Juba Southern Sudan under the leadership of the Late Bishop Andrew E. Mbungo. By 1994 young church had moved to Katuorm due to insecurity in southern Sudan. The church currently has 75 congregation including mission centers, 5 deaneries including; Northern deanery, Upper Nile deanery, Central & Eastern Equatorial deanery, Central Equatorial deanery and Bahr-el-garzel
deanery.

There are 11 ordained Lutheran Ministers, 44 Deaconess and 19 commissioned Evangelists serving under ELCS. The church has 3 Mission Training Centers used for training evangelists, located at Nuba Mountains, North Deanery and Yambyo in Western Equatorial. The church also has a young seminary at Yambyo – Concordia Lutheran Institute for the Holy Ministry. There are an estimated 10,000 Lutherans in Sudan.

ELCS churches are mainly concentrated in southern Sudan, a region adversely affected by the North South conflict for 21 years, which left many people of Southern Sudan with large numbers of widows, 2.5 Million orphans, 4 millions internally displaced people and 2 million refugees all over the world with big number distributed in Uganda, Kenya, D. Congo and Central Africa Republic.

The war affected the development of infrastructure, left many uneducated with a very high illiteracy level – 90% especially among women and girls and an almost non-existence of Health service, no road networks and many other social amenities.

In relation to Sudan demographics, June 2009; Population: there are estimated 41,087,825 people; 0-14years 40.7%, 15-64 years 56.8% and over 64 years 2.5%. Ethnic groups: black Africans 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%. Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%. Languages: Arabic (official), English (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages with 61.1% age 15 and over can read – 71.8% of male and 50.5% of female: note program of “Arabization” in process (Source: CIA World Factbook).

The unemployment levels in S. Sudan stands at 90% with many individuals working as pastoralist and some involved in subsistence agriculture. The Lutheran Church in S. Sudan is governed by the Executive Council and will be electing a Bishop by mid next year following the death of Bishop Andrew in December 2008 who was the presiding Bishop.

The Lord has opened an opportunity for the Lutheran Hour Ministries programming to be extended to the people of Sudan especially in the Southern part of that country.
My recommendation is that we all join in prayers and support for this opportunity of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Sudan with a big number of Muslims and only 5% Christians.

SUDAN
The Sudan government and rebels from the south were at war for over 21 years, in what is termed as Africa’s longest-running civil war, pitted the Muslim north against animists and Christians in the south, leaving some 1.5m people dead.
Apart from an 11-year period from 1972-1983, Sudan has been at war continuously since independence in 1956. In 1983, the government dominated by northern Arabs tried to impose Islamic Sharia law across Sudan, even in areas where the majority is not Muslim. This exacerbated a rebellion that begun in the south, which is inhabited by African animist – who practice traditional religions and Christian groups.
The south opposed the moves to introduce Islamic law and formed a rebel group – Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). They accused the government of favouring the ruling Arab elites. The SPLA never stated whether they were fighting for autonomy for the south within Sudan, or outright dependence. .

The Sudan peace deal, signed by the north and south in January 2005, heralded a period of relative calm and stability. The agreement making up a peace deal to end the fighting includes a permanent ceasefire, and protocols on sharing power and wealth.
About two million displaced people have returned to southern Sudan, hoping to rebuild their lives and play a part in creating a new country.
Map Showing Sudan – Africa’s largest Nation
Neighboring Uganda – South of Juba
A referendum on independence set for 2011, in the now semi-autonomous oil-rich south was part of the 2005 deal that ended decades of civil war. Over 90% of the people of southern Sudan favor independence and self determination when a referendum.

At the end of October 2009, southern Sudanese leader, also Vice President of Sudan, Dr. Salva Kiir urged the south to split; saying a vote for unity with northern Sudan would make southerners “second class citizens” in their own land.

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said that peace in the south may pave the way for an end to the conflict in the western region of Darfur. Rebels in Darfur who are Muslim, say that as non-Arabs, they too suffer discrimination.

SMS Ministry has Great Potential

Mobile phone usage is the largest growing avenue of communication for people in Uganda between the age of 13 and 35 years. With 5 companies operating in the country and connecting more than 6 million people, young people in Uganda use cell phones to share pictures, listen to music and audio, send and receive text messages  or SMS, send and receive email, a few surf the Internet while others receive Radio broadcasts on their phones.  Recognizing this importance, we started developing strategies for utilizing this new avenue of communication by reaching especially young people to increase our outreach in every community. 

LMMU is focused on Creating successful campaigns by recognizing and harnessing the unique properties of the medium. Text messaging is not a mass medium as TV, radio or press advertising and we are careful not to treat it as such as it would befall the same fate as email. However, we are focused at implementing the SMS ministry through the use of our database of interested respondents or potential referrals that want to receive information from our ministry.  This database is the key! Its our direct route to our audience and  important we do not abuse it. We are to target our campaigns as much as possible to young people between the age of 13 – 35 so that they are relevant to our recipients.  
The immediacy of text messaging coupled with its direct nature permits spontaneous campaigns that no other medium can offer. This ministry has the potential of saving our ministry funds and ensure that our respondents view this as a value-added ministry rather than a nuisance.
Text messaging is a great way of enhancing response from recipients as its less intrusive than a phone call, plus by using web-based SMS interface we have a detailed record of our SMS ministry.

LMMU Visitation Team brings Hope to Areny

It is hard to believe but it is true. Uganda, a country hailed for Christian revival, still has people who have never heard of salvation through Christ. Aged forty, Areny grew up in a traditional family, in Teso region in Eastern Uganda, whose knowledge about God was nothing more than just his name. Messages about heaven or hell did not mean a thing.  The second born out of six children, Areny and her siblings grew up as orphans.  Areny’s mother died when she was 10yrs old, and she was left in the hands of her pagan father Mr. Tukei who died shortly afterwards.  She lived in ignorance and opposition to the word of God. “I did not believe in God at all…I had no use of him since my hands could give me whatever I wanted. Whenever I became ill, the traditional healers could help me out.”
Areny shifting from teso twenty-one years ago, with the aim of establishing an agricultural business in Kituuba Village – Mukono District.  This was after loosing her two children, which she interpreted as the actions of her ancestors punishing her for the mistakes of her dead parents. She reasoned that Central Uganda was far away from her ancestral land and a suitable place to hide from the misery inflicted on her by the spirits of her ancestors.

On the contrary, she became lonely, and the memories of her children and parents depressed her oftenly. “The gap between East and Central Uganda was bridged by tormenting dreams and disappointing flashbacks.” She was desperate for peace.
“I have visited traditional shrines uncountable times,” she confessed. All this was in search for a child since she had lost the only two. The more she did this, the harder it became for her to live, as she gave her harvest, and domestic animals for sacrifice to appease the spirits so that they could give her another child. Consequently, the hope she had was striped away when she got into menopause. By November 2008, she had realized life was worsening and that she needed an urgent solution to her problems. She needed something that would bring to an end the battles in her soul. However, her hopelessness was God’s pathway to her heart.

On November 1 2008, Mukono visitation team visited Areny at her home in the evening when she had retired from the farm.  “It was not just a visit; God reached out his hand from heaven to get her from the devil’s chains” said Mrs. Nanyonjo, the area District Facilitators.  The visitation team shared the Word of God with her and introduced her to the gift of salvation offered in and through Jesus Christ. God worked through this time to create in her faith in the only true God, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. “But I am not baptized, yet you say that those who believe should be baptized and received as children of God?.
It was just a perfect hour of grace when she prayed with the visitation team and was referred to Kateete Lutheran church for nurturing and fellowship. Presently she is undergoing confirmation lessons and hopes to be Baptized and confirmed soon at Zion Lutheran church Kateete. Her life is a testimony to work of Christ in our lives. 

ETS Bringing out the Best in Participants

Since 2001, ‘Equipping The Saints’ (ETS) workshops have equipped many men and women, including Board Members for both the Lutheran Media Ministry Uganda (LMMU) the local LHM office and the Lutheran Church Mission in Uganda (LCMU).  Over the last 7 years, more than 350 men and women have been equipped and are out their in the field proclaiming the Gospel in their communities and serving as LMMU’s ambassadors.  ETS is a worldwide initiative of the Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) that aims at Equipping, empowering and getting Lutheran laymen engaged in serving the church. Each fiscal year, LMMU holds four ETS workshops regionally on a quarterly basis, to empower Lutherans in Uganda with the skills and Knowledge to enable them to extend LHM ministry allover the country starting with their congregations and communities. During the Equipping The saints workshops, seven module reflecting three LHM’s major initiatives of; “Equip, Engage and Proclaim” are shared.  

In the last quarter, LMMU’s Equipping the Saints workshop took us to Amudat, Nakapiripirit District – Northeastern Uganda boarder with Kenya close to 500 km from Kampala.   The trip started at 8:00 am and after 8 hours of driving, we arrived at Amudat Lutheran Parish to a welcome songs and ‘up-and-down jump dance’ by a group of twelve comprising of five men and what a group of ‘what seemed like young girls carrying their mothers’ children’.  Learning how to greet in Pokot language since most of the people could not speak English. A while later we learnt that the ‘girls’ were ‘real’ mothers carrying their own children. 

As we went through the program for the trip, we leant from Rev. Moses Lokong that the non resident participants would arrive for the ETS workshop the next morning at 10:00 am. When the Director LMMU, Charles Bameka inquired why participants would arrive later than the usual 8:00 am for the workshop, our team was told by Boaz Kapyen that;  “the Pokot as well as Karimajong women act as role models to their households. They are required by culture to perform all the household work, including grazing and tethering goats, tilling the land, cooking the day’s meal before they can move out of their homes. Failure to perform these duties, their husbands who spend most of their day at the drinking places will bit them up.” The following day all participant did not gather not until 11:30 am when the workshop started.

According to Kapyen, the participants had to foot at least 4 kilometers to reach the workshop venue. In Amudat, Nakapiripirit District, the road network is not yet developed, there are no buses or taxis for quick travel most of the travel is by foot through the many winding bush paths. Nevertheless, the facilitators utilized the five hours, which were left to teach, since the participants had to retire by 5:00pm to be able to walk the long distances back to their huts home.
 
When it came to lunch time, the facilitators expected the meal to be ready, however, they were reliably informed that due to food scarcity, the Pokot people normally eat one meal between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm.  At 3:00 pm, meal time, men sat in a group separately on wooden benches and stools while the women, youths and children sat under the trees on the grass.  Some of the women were singing before they could join their friends.  Meals were served at 3:30 pm serving men first and when it came to the distribution of sodas only men received a bottle. The Director LMMU realized that women and children were not taking drinks and when he inquired, he was told that it was normal a normal practice that only men take sodas as it was expensive to buy sodas for all family members. The Director requested the LMMU facilitators to work with him to distribute the remaining soft drinks in the store to all the women including kids who had followed their mothers, some of the men were surprised by this action.

Women emancipation is not yet in practice in this region. The female sex is greatly marginalized. In Amudat region and Karamoja as a whole, it is normal for the women to go hungry as long as the men have had their share. Girls in this region marry when they are as young as 13 years and are kept in subordination to men.  The women of Amudat are very energetic and active both in their homes and in the church.  They have embraced the gospel, are active in evangelism, and only need a platform to give them a voice to speak and be heard by their male counterparts.

There is a high level of illiteracy and out of the 58 participants only 7 could speak English, while only a few could write the Pokot local language. Thanks to Rev. Lokong Moses and Mr. Kiralem Elijah, a teacher by profession and a member of the Pokot language translation team at the Ministry of Education and a member of the Lutheran Church in Amudat, who were the interpreters throughout the entire workshop.

Faced with such other hindrances as traditional beliefs as divination, in their homes or neighborhood, yet they must carry on the gospel of Christ. Mr. Joel Lowoyan of Alapat Lutheran church reported that several times he was chased away from peoples homes while on visitation in his village.  He was later accused before the elders of Alapat villager for bringing into the community a foreign God who apposed their traditional faith and practices and he was flogged.  The people of Northeastern Uganda, especially Amudat parish, need God’s intervention.  We need to be zealous when reaching these people though with hardship and challenge.

The workshops focused at helping the participants understand and interpret the LHM’s Mission and outreach programs and activities in Uganda, working in partnership with the Lutheran church Mission in Uganda.  More training is badly needed to equip more volunteers to carry out the works of evangelism in Amudat region among the 8 Lutheran Churches in the region.  However, it is hard to find educated people to implement the ministry programs such as BCC and make evaluative reports. Fortunately, the Pokot live in clustered settlements, which will simplify the visitation exercise.

Over the last two quarters, 106 participated in our ETS workshops and 79 graduated.  These are expected to be joining hands with our District facilitators to distribute BCC, carry out visitations, follow-up and connecting respondents to the local churches.   Over the last two quarters, ETS graduates have witnessed to 575 individuals.  We thank God for their volunteer service to LMMU.

Lutheran Radio Program Back on Air

	When the ‘Lutheran Hour’ went off air in 2007, I received many calls and requests from the growing listenership that the program had generated among the over 2,000,000 listeners of the NBS 89.4 FM Kodheyo radio station, based in Jinja and reaching the entire Eastern Region of Uganda.
I always made promises to those who inquired about the radio program that we would revump the program. We mean well when we make promises but its not as easy to keep them, but God in His mercy gives us the opportunityto begin a new. ‘Lutheran Hour’ is back on air every Sunday with a 15 minutes program addressing social challenges in our families and communities. I would like to encourage you to tune in every Sunday at 8:00pm – family time, and take a moment each week as a family,for God to speak to you and your loved ones through our Radio programs. For those living in the Eastern Region of Uganda,introduce your neighbors and friends to this family–this family–centered program.I look forward to answering any questions that you may have in relation to our aired programs or related topics.

JESUS LOVES THE POKOT WOMEN TOO!

Abiita Rhoda is a Nurse, working at Amudat Hospital among the Pokot, this is the only hospital serving over 300 families in her community. Rhoda was first invited to the Lutheran family during the ETS workshop organized by LMMU between 24th through 27th October 2008. As one of the less than four (4) educated women in her community, Rhoda was invited to be able to translate the ETS Modules and teaching to the Lutheran Women coming from 4 churches attending ETS then.

Rhoda was present at the recent ETS workshop which took place from 16th through 20th July 2009 at Amudat. The ETS was coloured by Singing, storytelling, and decorative arts, especially bodily adornment, which are highly valued. Singing and dancing welcomed the arrival of the LHM Uganda staff and Missionary Jacob Gillard from LCMS. The following three days of ETS and worship saw many Pokot women Bodily adorned with beadwork, hairstyling, scarification, and colourful dresses similar to that worn by the Maasai of Kenya.

The Pokot, who, a pastoral community in northeastern Uganda and western Kenya that straddle the two country’s borders, also perform mutilations. Rhoda shared with the Director LHM Uganda office that “The Pokots straddle the Uganda-Kenya border and live in Nakapiripirit District in small villages of about 30-40 people farming corn, sheep and cattle, neighboring the Karimajongs.”

Rhoda explained that she has been touched by the ETS teachings during the 2008 training and decided to Join Amudat Lutheran Church the week that followed. Her concern this time around was the state of women at Amudat. She shared that “the women of our community normally have no formal education and only attend to sheep and Goats and do farming. The traditional practice of cutting a girl’s genitalia still marks the transition to womanhood, despite growing fears that the ritual is fuelling the spread of HIV/AIDS. It is a very crude operation – there’s no sterilization of equipment and one knife will be used to cut more than 20 girls at a time.”

Rhoda, a nurse by profession request Rev. Charles Bameka that “as a Christian leaders, you can work through the church to address and condemned as a violation of a woman’s rights Female circumcision – commonly referred to as female genital mutilation (FGM) which causes long-term physiological effects including septicaemia, genital malformation and even death while predisposing the victims to HIV infection. Adding that the Lutheran Media Ministry and the Lutheran church should also address other abusive cultural practices of wife beating, early child forced marriages (Often girls 15 years old or younger are forced to marry 50 or 60 year old men. They are essentially sold for a dowry), alcohol abuse (Home neglect and alcohol abuse is a major community problem, contributed to child neglect), and idolatry. Its only the church that can change our communities with the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.” The Director LHM Uganda confirmed to Rhoda that “Jesus Loves the Pokot women too and through His Word – the Bible, he can change their situation.”

The Pokot are mostly cattle herders/farmers, but about a quarter are cultivators, mostly growing corn. However, whether a cultivator or pastoralist, believe that the universe has two realms, the above and the below. The above, remote and unknowable, is the abode of the most powerful deities—Tororot, Asis (sun), and llat (rain); the below is the abode of humans, animals, and plants. Men and women are considered responsible for the peace and prosperity of the realm that they inhabit, but they must rely upon divine vitality and knowledge to achieve and maintain these conditions. The Pokot communicate with their deities through prayer and sacrifice: Tororot is said to listen to his creatures below, Asis to witness their activities, and llat to serve as a messenger between the two realms. Deities, in turn, communicate with humans, warning and rebuking them about their misconduct.

Through strengthening the ETS workshop to empower the believer to reach their tribes men, Christianity will continue to reshaped Pokot cosmology, by primarily reducing the number of deities, while augmenting their attributes.

A total of 60 participant from 10 Lutheran Churches attended the ETS workshop, 276 attended the film show after the workshop of which 12 people were enrolled for BCC and over 35 attended worship at Amudat Lutheran Church both men and women.

Amudat region is by far the most desolate and remote place I’ve ever been, but GOD is there and loves His people the Pokot.

Student Receives No Inheritance… Here on Earth

“The death of my father on March 19th, 2004 was the turning point in my life,” Tony shared with Lutheran Hour Ministries (LHM) staff in Uganda. He vividly remembers one Tuesday morning that year, when his entire family was called together for the apportionment of his father’s properties. Tony, being the first-born son, expected to inherit a reasonable portion of that sizable estate. He listened, patiently, as the will was read to the entire family.

When several commercial buildings were given to a close relative of his father’s, Tony was sure at least one of the five residential homes would be given to him. Instead, each home was assigned to a different relative, leaving Tony, his mother and siblings, with none of the inheritance. Sadly, this is not an uncommon occurrence in Uganda and other parts of Africa, where widows have few rights over their husbands’ property.

Tony, a student at the time, was set to return to the college for the start of a new semester, but with no money for tuition, he decided to pull out of school for a while. His mother had made the decision to spend what money they had left on educating his younger siblings. The realization that his father’s death had left them with nothing for their future was too much to bear. He loudly cursed his late father and blamed God for not caring about their situation. The next four years would be filled with disappointment, frustration and tears.

Soon after dropping out of school, Tony joined a local gang which introduced him to drugs and alcohol. He was even arrested on several occasions. Eventually, Tony was able to leave the gang-life and return to his education. He remained in the grip of alcoholism.

In August 2008, Tony wandered into the LHM—Uganda ministry center in search of Christian counseling. After speaking with a staff member, Tony signed up for a Bible Correspondence Course (BCC) that included a topical booklet titled, I Am an Alcoholic.

“From reading the booklet, I came to understand and accept the negative effects of alcoholism,” Tony explained. “I also found myself getting closer and closer to God after practicing the principles laid in that book.”

This became apparent to those around him when Tony began attending Sunday morning church services, following a six-year absence. With the help of the BCC, Tony says he has learned that salvation and the strength to face life’s disappointments is only found in Jesus Christ.

Tony graduated from college earlier this year. It is our prayer that God will use him to reach out to other people, especially college students, who have had similar experiences.

Your continued prayers and support for LHM allow outreach programs to have an impact all around the world. We ask that you prayerfully consider a gift to our International Ministries today.