Greetings from Uganda! It has been an outrageously long time since I have blogged. So many incredible things happen in one day’s time here that I am overwhelmed every time I go to blog.
I want to share with y’all a story about a man named Jaspher. A few weeks ago some friends and I were out ministering in a part of town called Teso Bar that is also known as place of the drunkards. It is a very impoverished area of town filled with lots of hungry bellies, AIDS, and overworked women. The area is full of hundreds of mud huts piled very closely together and you can find men sitting around drinking alcohol from small bags at any point during the day.
So one particular Thursday a few weeks ago we were prayerfully walking around. We went to visit a friend’s home and there was no one home so we took it as a closed door and proceeded on. Soon after a man in his early 30’s walks up to us and says: “what are you people doing here? Can you tell me how my life can be different? I’m tired of boozing every day.” He was so matter of fact we thought it was a dream.
The 4 of us are filled with joy and the “we live for this” kind of excitement as we walk to the bar area to sit down with him. We talk with him and ask him more questions to get to know him a bit and then we share with him why we are here. Anytime I get to share the most glorious news in the world with someone its awesome but sharing the gospel with Jaspher is something I won’t ever forget. Ah it was so great!
So then he asks us few questions and then he very decisively tells us that he wants to be a part of the kingdom of God. He shared with us that he had heard the gospel before but he just wasn’t in a place to receive it. He knew it was different this time. We talked a bit more about some foundational truths and prayed with him and he shared with us the struggles that he anticipated facing in his new pursuit of Christ. He asked us if we could come by his home another day to meet his wife named Reyma. He told us that his wife was from a Muslim family and that his prayer was that she would become a Christian.
So fast forward a few days to Sunday—we went to find him at his home to bring him to church with us. Well we get to his home and he isnt there but we were greeted by his wife Reyma who was very flustered. She was talking to us very fast and in broken English but we thought we were picking up something about Jaspher being arrested for preaching to the drunkards at the bar. My friends and I laughed at the thought of that and went onto church a little discouraged that he had been arrested.
The following Tuesday we decided that we wanted to go visit Jaspher at prison to find out more. We were familiar with the prison because we had been there to minister a few Sunday’s before so we rode there on a few motorcycle Boda’s and once we arrived we asked the guard if we could speak to a man named Jaspher.
Soon after Jaspher comes out with a grin on his face very excited to see us. He proceeds to tell us that the police arrested him for “loitering”. We have learned from different people here that basically if men are out past dark the police arrest them. Then the men have to pay a high fee that most of them can’t afford and during the day the men work in the field digging for hours for different wealthy people in the community. He told us that he was sitting with his drunkard friends “preaching” to them and telling them to not waste their lives drinking etc. He seemed very joyful despite his circumstances and it was awesome to be able to encourage him with some of Paul’s life and experiences in Acts chapter 16. It was cool to be able to share with him from the word the different ways that God can work through difficult circumstances and injustices to accomplish his purposes. He seemed strengthened and built up and we prayed together.
Soon after Jaspher comes out with a grin on his face very excited to see us. He proceeds to tell us that the police arrested him for “loitering”. We have learned from different people here that basically if men are out past dark the police arrest them. Then the men have to pay a high fee that most of them can’t afford and during the day the men work in the field digging for hours for different wealthy people in the community. He told us that he was sitting with his drunkard friends “preaching” to them and telling them to not waste their lives drinking etc. He seemed very joyful despite his circumstances and it was awesome to be able to encourage him with some of Paul’s life and experiences in Acts chapter 16. It was cool to be able to share with him from the word the different ways that God can work through difficult circumstances and injustices to accomplish his purposes. He seemed strengthened and built up and we prayed together.
Jaspher asked us to come on the next Sunday for the prison church service to share the gospel with his cell mates. He told us he had been telling his friends about us. We were feeling the pressure a bit but still excited for the open door.
So this past Sunday a few of us went and worshipped with the prisoners and shared the Word. There is something really indescribable about 40 men in a Ugandan prison worshipping God in their local language. They are always so thankful to receive encouragement and love from people.
Anyways…. Some really important news to this story is that Sunday afternoon I received a delivery of 40 Bibles!!!!! (Thank you to all of my friends from back home that gave money…these people are really hungry for God’s word) And this blessing ties into this story because Jaspher was in serious need of a Bible…especially since he has hours where he is sitting in prison with nothing to do! So Monday we went to the prison to give him a new Bible and some juice. The head guard called him to come into a small room and we got about 20 minutes to share some verses with him and pray together before he goes back into the cell. Tuesday is the day that they have their court hearing and we prayed that God would give him favor with the judge and that he would be released. And guess what… The judge released him from prison! The testimony of God intervening in Jaspher’s life has been a great encouragement to me and the team.
So this past Sunday a few of us went and worshipped with the prisoners and shared the Word. There is something really indescribable about 40 men in a Ugandan prison worshipping God in their local language. They are always so thankful to receive encouragement and love from people.
Anyways…. Some really important news to this story is that Sunday afternoon I received a delivery of 40 Bibles!!!!! (Thank you to all of my friends from back home that gave money…these people are really hungry for God’s word) And this blessing ties into this story because Jaspher was in serious need of a Bible…especially since he has hours where he is sitting in prison with nothing to do! So Monday we went to the prison to give him a new Bible and some juice. The head guard called him to come into a small room and we got about 20 minutes to share some verses with him and pray together before he goes back into the cell. Tuesday is the day that they have their court hearing and we prayed that God would give him favor with the judge and that he would be released. And guess what… The judge released him from prison! The testimony of God intervening in Jaspher’s life has been a great encouragement to me and the team.
Please lift up Jaspher and Reyma in prayer and pray that God would bless the time that we spend together in these last 2 weeks here in Uganda.
Also pray for me and the team in our last week’s here that we would finish well. Check out their blogs to read more about the other happens of the last weeks.
Thank you so much for all of the love and support. I appreciate the prayers a lot and they have definitely been felt. And a special shout out to my college community for the prayer and Bibles..y’all are the best!!!
This is Reyma and me with a new Bible from my CBC family!
Prisoner dude with matching sunglasses!
Carrie, Jaspher, John and me at prison
