It was just 1 year ago today that I left my home country. I can't believe that I've been officially independent and all by myself for one full year. Or was I independent all along? It definitely feels like it because my family and friends are not around. Recently I've been reminded more and more that though I am living alone, God is always there. Wherever I go and wherever He takes me, He will always be there. I need to be constantly reminded day-by-day that He is there with me, to support me and walking alongside me. Really, I'm by myself but I'm not really independent, but instead everyday I'm dependent on my Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him, I cannot do anything!
A verse that encourages me a lot when I do feel isolated and alone comes straight from the time when Jesus was on the cross.
Mark 15:34
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Many times, whether I am at home by myself, or out on the field training young leaders and not seeing the fruits, I've felt like God is not there.
Just a reminder to myself: Jesus said it so that I do not have to say it.
9/22/11
7/1/11
Canada Day!
It's Canada Day today! Though it is Canada Day, it does not mean much here when you are half way across the world and thousands of kilometres away from home. 
I will be going down to Kampala with the Diocesan Youth Worker tomorrow to pick up the short-term missionary who will be staying with us and doing some ministry work for the month of July until the beginning of August. Though I have not blogged much lately, with the short-term missionary, I'm going to be falling behind on blog entries. Please pray for strength and also guidance as I will be the only AIM personnel in Arua since the AIM team leaders of Uganda-North will be on home assignment the entire time.
I will be going down to Kampala with the Diocesan Youth Worker tomorrow to pick up the short-term missionary who will be staying with us and doing some ministry work for the month of July until the beginning of August. Though I have not blogged much lately, with the short-term missionary, I'm going to be falling behind on blog entries. Please pray for strength and also guidance as I will be the only AIM personnel in Arua since the AIM team leaders of Uganda-North will be on home assignment the entire time.
6/25/11
Discipleship Training
It was not easy thinking to yourself what may happen in the coming days as
you travel to a religiously restricted area. This was my first thought to myself as I traveled up to a religious district of Uganda, North of Arua. I was quite nervous and did not know what to expect, but on the very first day, God granted me peace I needed.
By the second day, I was already pumped and began to see a light in my heart that I need to reach out to these people, or at least empower the youths to reach out to the people. 
After the third day being here, I was very much pumped and expressed my concern to the youths we were training of how important it is to reach out to them. I tell you, my fear was completely gone.
It was honestly a tiring week and today was the final session that I had to teach. It's not easy when you look at how crammed the schedule is and knowing that everyday, you are requested to do two lessons, one-two hours each.
At the end of the teaching, we commissioned the youths to be the light of this dark dark area. It was not only an encouragement to them, but for myself, personally it was a great encouragement.
I would like to encourage you about a comment that a friend of mine made while I reported to him of the things I witnessed. These were his exact words:
"My friend, your calling is much greater than your fear." --Isaac ______. Due to security reasons, I will not give the full name. When he said that to me, boy did my heart jump and once again, it was another reminder from God that I should not fear in these circumstances.
Now that the door is opened partially, it's time to think of how we can push the door so that it is fully open. Only time will tell, only time will tell......
you travel to a religiously restricted area. This was my first thought to myself as I traveled up to a religious district of Uganda, North of Arua. I was quite nervous and did not know what to expect, but on the very first day, God granted me peace I needed.
By the second day, I was already pumped and began to see a light in my heart that I need to reach out to these people, or at least empower the youths to reach out to the people. 
After the third day being here, I was very much pumped and expressed my concern to the youths we were training of how important it is to reach out to them. I tell you, my fear was completely gone.
It was honestly a tiring week and today was the final session that I had to teach. It's not easy when you look at how crammed the schedule is and knowing that everyday, you are requested to do two lessons, one-two hours each.
At the end of the teaching, we commissioned the youths to be the light of this dark dark area. It was not only an encouragement to them, but for myself, personally it was a great encouragement.
I would like to encourage you about a comment that a friend of mine made while I reported to him of the things I witnessed. These were his exact words:
"My friend, your calling is much greater than your fear." --Isaac ______. Due to security reasons, I will not give the full name. When he said that to me, boy did my heart jump and once again, it was another reminder from God that I should not fear in these circumstances.
Now that the door is opened partially, it's time to think of how we can push the door so that it is fully open. Only time will tell, only time will tell......
6/17/11
Discipleship--->Missions
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
It makes perfect sense. Isn't that the mission Jesus left behind for us as His disciples? If you read the Great Commission carefully, you make disciples that those you make would obey the words of Christ, and one of the commandments is to make disciples. Neat!
And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
It makes perfect sense. Isn't that the mission Jesus left behind for us as His disciples? If you read the Great Commission carefully, you make disciples that those you make would obey the words of Christ, and one of the commandments is to make disciples. Neat!
Mission Rises Out Of Discipleship.
6/11/11
Finish The Mission
I just wanted to share this graphic with you. Keep looking and tell God what you believe that He's been saying to you as of late.
6/4/11
Can You Dig It?
Have you dug before? Well yesterday I had a very tiring day digging. What do I mean by digging? Basically farming and digging out the bad from the soil and keeping the good. The good in this case was maize. 
On Thursday, a good friend of mine, Dennis, asked if I was available for Martyrs' Day (June 3) and that he wanted to bring me to go digging. It was already an adventure walking to his village/garden to dig because you would have many Ugandans ask in Lugbara "Can the white man manage?" or "Is the white man serious about digging?" or "What's the white man doing with a hoe?"
We were at the garden, began digging at 9:00am and ended around 1:00pm.
The last time I dug was using a pick-axe to dig a septic tank in Bolivia. Even that, you cannot consider it digging compared to the farming type of digging. For us in Canada, we are too used to convenience and used to having only the farmers do the work with their tractors, not with a hoe. Here in Africa, everybody digs! The young ones are trained early in their age and continue on until they can no longer pick up a hoe.
I tell you, it's one tiring yet fun experience since I had a group of individuals to talk, laugh and joke around. 
Would I do it again? DEFINITELY! I would do it every weekend if there's something for me to dig.
On Thursday, a good friend of mine, Dennis, asked if I was available for Martyrs' Day (June 3) and that he wanted to bring me to go digging. It was already an adventure walking to his village/garden to dig because you would have many Ugandans ask in Lugbara "Can the white man manage?" or "Is the white man serious about digging?" or "What's the white man doing with a hoe?"We were at the garden, began digging at 9:00am and ended around 1:00pm.
The last time I dug was using a pick-axe to dig a septic tank in Bolivia. Even that, you cannot consider it digging compared to the farming type of digging. For us in Canada, we are too used to convenience and used to having only the farmers do the work with their tractors, not with a hoe. Here in Africa, everybody digs! The young ones are trained early in their age and continue on until they can no longer pick up a hoe.
I tell you, it's one tiring yet fun experience since I had a group of individuals to talk, laugh and joke around. 
Would I do it again? DEFINITELY! I would do it every weekend if there's something for me to dig.5/28/11
Return; Life Resumes
After a long month being away from Arua, I am finally back! Let's do a review of where I've been for the past month: April 27 - May 2 I was in a town that's maybe 20-30 kms away from Kampala (Uganda) for a Young Leaders' Conference; 
May 4 - May 6 I was in Machakos (Kenya) for the Scott Theological College graduation; 
May 7 - 13 I was in Naivasha (Kenya) visiting a good friend of mine that I met at the Africa Based Orientation;
May 13 - May 16 I was in Eldoret (Kenya) visiting friends that just graduated from Scott Theological College; 
May 20 - May 22 I was in Mukono (Uganda) for a Youth Seminar. After a few days of rest, I got back to Arua. Yes, I know, a lot of traveling and not by air, but by road!
I had hoped that during my leave, there would be rain in Arua but as I read last week in the papers that the rivers were dried and people had to wait for hours by the borehole to fetch water. Good thing that the day I read about the drought, it actually rained and as the locals explained, it actually rained for quite a long time. It was good to hear this because there was water shortage. Not only was there water shortage but there was also a time where there was no power for three weeks during my time away from Arua. Many went through a rough time because now they are lacking water when they already lack electricity. Ever thought about how you would be able to survive in this situation? This is a norm to most families living in this country.
May 4 - May 6 I was in Machakos (Kenya) for the Scott Theological College graduation; 
May 7 - 13 I was in Naivasha (Kenya) visiting a good friend of mine that I met at the Africa Based Orientation;
May 13 - May 16 I was in Eldoret (Kenya) visiting friends that just graduated from Scott Theological College; 
May 20 - May 22 I was in Mukono (Uganda) for a Youth Seminar. After a few days of rest, I got back to Arua. Yes, I know, a lot of traveling and not by air, but by road!I had hoped that during my leave, there would be rain in Arua but as I read last week in the papers that the rivers were dried and people had to wait for hours by the borehole to fetch water. Good thing that the day I read about the drought, it actually rained and as the locals explained, it actually rained for quite a long time. It was good to hear this because there was water shortage. Not only was there water shortage but there was also a time where there was no power for three weeks during my time away from Arua. Many went through a rough time because now they are lacking water when they already lack electricity. Ever thought about how you would be able to survive in this situation? This is a norm to most families living in this country.
5/19/11
Youth Seminar
It was not an easy task as I was asked to put a youth seminar together in another diocese, but God pulled me through it. The theme was called 'The Lost Church: Ephesians 5:22-23, 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12, 1 John 2:15-17'. We talked about many things but the topics that I handled included relationships amongst the youth and the explanation that our belief is more of a relationship than religion. It was definitely not easy tackling these two topics because there were many things I could have said.
Recently, I've been preaching to many churches about being lukewarm Christians, and that is what God has laid on my heart. It seems like many people know about John 3:16 but many forget/don't know about Jesus' harsh words in Revelation 3:16. After the youth seminar was over, I preached on this topic and can only hope and pray that God will use this topic to speak to many in Uganda and let it spread like wildfire.
Recently, I've been preaching to many churches about being lukewarm Christians, and that is what God has laid on my heart. It seems like many people know about John 3:16 but many forget/don't know about Jesus' harsh words in Revelation 3:16. After the youth seminar was over, I preached on this topic and can only hope and pray that God will use this topic to speak to many in Uganda and let it spread like wildfire.
5/14/11
Graduation
Last week I attended a graduation from the 4th to the 6th of May. To be honest, it's my first time attending a graduation, other than the one for my own high school, but you wouldn't really consider that a proper graduation. If you're wondering if I did graduate from college, I did, just that I decided to go to Bolivia for a 6-month mission trip instead of attending my own graduation.
Not only was it my first time to witness this, but to me, it was a big deal because a few of the friends I made in September were graduating. I never thought that I would be there to attend their graduation.
To me, I felt joyful at the fact that they are now moving on to bigger things, though not in the same location, but on the same field as I am.
At the graduation, there were many who attended but just so you know, maybe half of those attending were there because the vice president of Kenya was there! 
It was also history in the making in my opinion. Not only was this the year with the most graduates but they were also changing the name from Scott Theological College to Scott Christian University. A friend of mine was graduating from his diploma program and will be going back for his degree. To me, this is unique because he graduated on the year that Scott Theological College is changing their name and later on, he will graduate with the new name, Scott Christian University. Two graduating papers with different names but same institution.
Since it was my first time attending a graduation like this, it was an eye-opener to me. I thought that the students would all gather together and eat, have reception in a dining hall while the visitors would be there as well but I was wrong. All the graduates would break off into their own groups and celebrate with their community that they have invited. 
I had a huge dilemma because I could not choose which "community group" to attend for their "reception." By the way, when I say reception, it's not fancy tables set up with a 3-4 course meal. It's really loaves of bread, possibly chapati's, soda and cake. Interesting!
Not only was it my first time to witness this, but to me, it was a big deal because a few of the friends I made in September were graduating. I never thought that I would be there to attend their graduation.
To me, I felt joyful at the fact that they are now moving on to bigger things, though not in the same location, but on the same field as I am.
At the graduation, there were many who attended but just so you know, maybe half of those attending were there because the vice president of Kenya was there! 
It was also history in the making in my opinion. Not only was this the year with the most graduates but they were also changing the name from Scott Theological College to Scott Christian University. A friend of mine was graduating from his diploma program and will be going back for his degree. To me, this is unique because he graduated on the year that Scott Theological College is changing their name and later on, he will graduate with the new name, Scott Christian University. Two graduating papers with different names but same institution.
Since it was my first time attending a graduation like this, it was an eye-opener to me. I thought that the students would all gather together and eat, have reception in a dining hall while the visitors would be there as well but I was wrong. All the graduates would break off into their own groups and celebrate with their community that they have invited. 
I had a huge dilemma because I could not choose which "community group" to attend for their "reception." By the way, when I say reception, it's not fancy tables set up with a 3-4 course meal. It's really loaves of bread, possibly chapati's, soda and cake. Interesting!
5/5/11
Holidays
So my time off has begun and now, I am in Machakos (Kenya) as I speak. After spending some time in Kampala (Uganda), my first stop was Machakos, where I will be spending time with my friends that are graduating from Scott Theological College. I'll blog more about my experience in my next entry.
Since I've been here, the two missionaries that are hosting me and allowing me to sleep at their place (Jack and Karen Mitchell) have been very hospitable and kind.
Since I've been here, the two missionaries that are hosting me and allowing me to sleep at their place (Jack and Karen Mitchell) have been very hospitable and kind.
4/30/11
6 Months Later...
Wow.
Time sure does fly...
Those were my exact words in my first blog entry '6 Months Left...'
A lot of things have happened over the first 6 months of being here in Uganda, specifically in Arua. Some good times, some bad times, some alone times, some fellowship times, some joyful times, some sad times. There's this term that missionaries usually call as the "honeymoon" stage, and I believe that I have gone past that stage. What do I mean? Well basically when you look back at the photos that you've taken over the past several months, you start to notice that the number of pictures you take, it decreases by the month. You also begin to call the place your home and you can relate to your colleagues and neighbors.
The first few weeks were quite slow when I got here, but now, time flies by quickly! Can you believe that I've been in Arua for 6 months already? Next thing you know, I'm at the one year mark!
I must admit, I do miss my actual home with my family and friends. I can list out a lot of things that I miss from home but I will not or else you will get bored of this blog.
Here's a collage of pictures I've taken for the past 6 months:
Time sure does fly...
Those were my exact words in my first blog entry '6 Months Left...'
A lot of things have happened over the first 6 months of being here in Uganda, specifically in Arua. Some good times, some bad times, some alone times, some fellowship times, some joyful times, some sad times. There's this term that missionaries usually call as the "honeymoon" stage, and I believe that I have gone past that stage. What do I mean? Well basically when you look back at the photos that you've taken over the past several months, you start to notice that the number of pictures you take, it decreases by the month. You also begin to call the place your home and you can relate to your colleagues and neighbors.
The first few weeks were quite slow when I got here, but now, time flies by quickly! Can you believe that I've been in Arua for 6 months already? Next thing you know, I'm at the one year mark!
I must admit, I do miss my actual home with my family and friends. I can list out a lot of things that I miss from home but I will not or else you will get bored of this blog.
Here's a collage of pictures I've taken for the past 6 months:
4/19/11
Safari Action!
I got a chance to go to one of the national parks in Uganda, Murchison Falls National Park.
After being here for some time, I finally got a chance to take a break to go and enjoy seeing some of God's wonderful creations in Uganda. It's pretty amazing when you drive around in a Landcruiser, watching these animals sit/stand/play/make noises. Especially when you are driving by and they stand there partly frozen and then after a few minutes of looking at each other, they move along. 
Many times when I travel to Kampala from Arua or vice versa, I would have a sneak peek at this park because it's a bit like an open area where they can relax. The times I've gone by the park, I would see a bunch of elephants as well as hippos. Elephants are not rare to see because they are never hidden since they are so huge. Hippos are huge as well, but they would be in the waters all the time and as we drive by, you can only see their ears. This time, in the park, we are able to spot one out in the open. One thing that I have not seen or taken a picture of yet is a yawning hippo. Go ahead, search up yawning hippo and you'll know what I mean and why I would love to take a picture of one.
Fact: The running speed of hippos vary from 30-50km/h!
If you are ever close to one, remember to be ultra cautious and quiet. You don't want one of these big ones come charging at you!
To be honest, I sometimes find God quite humorous in His infinite wisdom to create such beautiful, yet odd looking animals. Giraffe, long neck? Really? God, You have to be kidding right?
I had one of those Kodak moments. I find this picture quite a beauty. Doesn't this picture make you smile? If it doesn't, look closely at the face of the elephant and tell me if you see the smile. The elephant is probably telling you to smile at the picture that is being taken of it smiling.
Though the national park was amazing, but there was another part that I feel is even more amazing, the falls!
The Nile off on a wide path and then once it reaches the falls, it suddenly becomes narrow and the waters come crashing down onto these massive rocks and then the Nile becomes wide.
If you ever get a chance to come up here to Northern Uganda, I would bring you here and you would know what I mean. Being a Canadian, you would think that Niagara Falls is quite powerful, but to be honest, even though this may not be on a large scale as Niagara Falls, I like Murchison Falls more!
After being here for some time, I finally got a chance to take a break to go and enjoy seeing some of God's wonderful creations in Uganda. It's pretty amazing when you drive around in a Landcruiser, watching these animals sit/stand/play/make noises. Especially when you are driving by and they stand there partly frozen and then after a few minutes of looking at each other, they move along. 
Many times when I travel to Kampala from Arua or vice versa, I would have a sneak peek at this park because it's a bit like an open area where they can relax. The times I've gone by the park, I would see a bunch of elephants as well as hippos. Elephants are not rare to see because they are never hidden since they are so huge. Hippos are huge as well, but they would be in the waters all the time and as we drive by, you can only see their ears. This time, in the park, we are able to spot one out in the open. One thing that I have not seen or taken a picture of yet is a yawning hippo. Go ahead, search up yawning hippo and you'll know what I mean and why I would love to take a picture of one.
Fact: The running speed of hippos vary from 30-50km/h!If you are ever close to one, remember to be ultra cautious and quiet. You don't want one of these big ones come charging at you!
To be honest, I sometimes find God quite humorous in His infinite wisdom to create such beautiful, yet odd looking animals. Giraffe, long neck? Really? God, You have to be kidding right?
I had one of those Kodak moments. I find this picture quite a beauty. Doesn't this picture make you smile? If it doesn't, look closely at the face of the elephant and tell me if you see the smile. The elephant is probably telling you to smile at the picture that is being taken of it smiling.
Though the national park was amazing, but there was another part that I feel is even more amazing, the falls!
The Nile off on a wide path and then once it reaches the falls, it suddenly becomes narrow and the waters come crashing down onto these massive rocks and then the Nile becomes wide.If you ever get a chance to come up here to Northern Uganda, I would bring you here and you would know what I mean. Being a Canadian, you would think that Niagara Falls is quite powerful, but to be honest, even though this may not be on a large scale as Niagara Falls, I like Murchison Falls more!
4/11/11
Experiencing The Sovereignty Of God [Part 2]
As some/many of you know by now, I decided to do a 40-day journey on a devotional book during the Lent Period. Instead of literally fasting from food for the 40 days, I decided to fast from something that was distracting me from connecting with God: Internet Communication/Connection. As you know, I've been using a lot of Facebook and chatting with many of you back in Canada. I had to reflect whether this was spiritually healthy for me as well as if it was a distraction in the ministry I'm in. I knew one thing was that I had spent less time with the Lord, connecting with Him, and instead replaced Him with connecting with those at home. I knew that there was a major problem in this so I left my 'post' for some time and currently half way through the 40-day journey. Well as you read this, you may ask yourself 'Where is Stephen getting to? The title of his blog states Experiencing The Sovereignty of God but he's not getting to the point.' I just wanted to give you a brief background of what's been going on.
So back to the sovereignty of God. A friend of mine went to a gathering called Teens Conference that is held once a year during the high school March Break period. As I was on my 40-day journey, I also forgot that Teens Conference was happening. After a few days that the conference had ended, one of the students that I was leading last year mentioned how great of a conference it was. That's where I remembered that my friend mentioned that she was one of the student leaders for her group.
She sent me a long email, telling me about her experience. There's a lot of details into it, but she was one of the individuals that I cared a lot in terms of her spiritual life since she was almost like a little sister to me. Before leaving Canada to come here, I had a hard time thinking to myself of how things will turn out if I leave to come out to the mission field, especially when I was in the middle of the process in doing discipleship with her. One thing that God reminded me from this email was that HE IS SOVEREIGN! That's pretty much been the major theme for me ever since coming out here. In all that He's doing with His infinite power and wisdom, things will work out not according to how I believe it should work out, but according to His plans. I tell you, it was a really encouraging email hearing/reading/seeing what God is doing with His children, transforming them.
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
So back to the sovereignty of God. A friend of mine went to a gathering called Teens Conference that is held once a year during the high school March Break period. As I was on my 40-day journey, I also forgot that Teens Conference was happening. After a few days that the conference had ended, one of the students that I was leading last year mentioned how great of a conference it was. That's where I remembered that my friend mentioned that she was one of the student leaders for her group.
She sent me a long email, telling me about her experience. There's a lot of details into it, but she was one of the individuals that I cared a lot in terms of her spiritual life since she was almost like a little sister to me. Before leaving Canada to come here, I had a hard time thinking to myself of how things will turn out if I leave to come out to the mission field, especially when I was in the middle of the process in doing discipleship with her. One thing that God reminded me from this email was that HE IS SOVEREIGN! That's pretty much been the major theme for me ever since coming out here. In all that He's doing with His infinite power and wisdom, things will work out not according to how I believe it should work out, but according to His plans. I tell you, it was a really encouraging email hearing/reading/seeing what God is doing with His children, transforming them.
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
4/4/11
Experiencing The Sovereignty Of God [Part 1]
For the past month, I've expressed to many of you how I've been feeling lately. The way I've illustrated it is that my borehole is running empty in this dry season of my life. My relationship with the Lord began to feel empty and dry. One thing that I noticed was that I did not have the same type of fellowship/community here as I did with my church back at home. Almost every Sunday, the congregation back at home would enjoy times of fellowship, chatting and catching up on each others' lives. Everyone knew more than just one each others name but we knew each other well enough that we can share, joke around and know how to pray for one another. This fellowship was not available here. I finally came to a realization that being part of a mega/large congregational church is not what I feel comfortable being in. Since I had a tough time being in a large congregational church, I decided that I needed to find a fellowship among a few of the believers. I came up with the idea that I should have a Saturday Morning Prayer Breakfast with a few of my brothers from this large church. It began well and the test came when I took a break going to Kampala from what I stated in my last post. I was a little concerned because I would be t a few days in Kampala and would miss the Prayer Breakfast. I decided to text my fellow brothers to notify them in advance. This really meant that I had to trust God on this one, that even if I am not around, the Prayer Breakfast would still happen. Very selfish of me to think about this isn't it? Even I believed that it was selfish of myself to have these thoughts, but I knew that the Devil wanted to play games with me and bring doubts into my mind.
While you read this, maybe you can reflect on a situation where you had the same type of doubt because I am sure many of us have a small feeling and would be concerned that an event would not happen because we are not there.
After returning from Kampala after preaching on Lukewarm, I asked one of the brothers that goes to the Prayer Breakfast on how it went. He mentioned that it was a good time and even told me that they are changing it to begin at 8:00am instead of 8:30am because others have prior commitments. I was blown away when he told me this! Not only did the Prayer Breakfast happen with the three of them, but that they made a decision without my consent! I'm not saying they need my permission, but it goes to show of a few things:
1) God started this, not me. I am not the one that is considered the leader of the Prayer Breakfast since I came up with the idea. Others should not ask for my permission to move on.
2) God will continue to do His work amongst His people even if I am not available/around.
3) God is in control and there is no doubt about that. He is at the centre of all this, not me.
Talk about experiencing the Sovereignty of God!
While you read this, maybe you can reflect on a situation where you had the same type of doubt because I am sure many of us have a small feeling and would be concerned that an event would not happen because we are not there.
After returning from Kampala after preaching on Lukewarm, I asked one of the brothers that goes to the Prayer Breakfast on how it went. He mentioned that it was a good time and even told me that they are changing it to begin at 8:00am instead of 8:30am because others have prior commitments. I was blown away when he told me this! Not only did the Prayer Breakfast happen with the three of them, but that they made a decision without my consent! I'm not saying they need my permission, but it goes to show of a few things:
1) God started this, not me. I am not the one that is considered the leader of the Prayer Breakfast since I came up with the idea. Others should not ask for my permission to move on.
2) God will continue to do His work amongst His people even if I am not available/around.
3) God is in control and there is no doubt about that. He is at the centre of all this, not me.
Talk about experiencing the Sovereignty of God!
3/31/11
Taking A Break
I finally got a chance to travel down to Kampala. I did plan to travel down at the end of February, but it did not work out because my co-worker was on his annual leave so I had to stick around and attend meetings that he would usually attend. Of course, being around is not always a bad thing because I sometimes get to spend some good quality time with close friends of mine in Arua, having a cup of tea/coffee along with some bananas and bread.
Now when I mention in the title of this blog entry "Taking A Break" I do intend to mention about my time in Kampala, but please do not be deceived that it is my only intention. The picture posted above is what you can also call as the African Tea Time, but again, anytime is Tea Time in Africa. The picture was taken after Sunday Service and this is where I can tell you that many people here would take breaks between morning and midday/noon.
It was certainly refreshing to get down to Kampala. I'm not so much of a city person but right now, I believe that sometimes getting away for a few days to get to the city is fine as long as I do not stay there for too long. The reason why I enjoy is not because of the city full of people nor the various restaurants there, but the amount of AIM members I can relate to and share with. Sometimes it can get repetitive to see the same people but unable to share on a personal basis on the struggles/challenges you are facing because they cannot relate to your situation. It was definitely worth it having to take a break in Kampala after the intensive training.
Now when I mention in the title of this blog entry "Taking A Break" I do intend to mention about my time in Kampala, but please do not be deceived that it is my only intention. The picture posted above is what you can also call as the African Tea Time, but again, anytime is Tea Time in Africa. The picture was taken after Sunday Service and this is where I can tell you that many people here would take breaks between morning and midday/noon.It was certainly refreshing to get down to Kampala. I'm not so much of a city person but right now, I believe that sometimes getting away for a few days to get to the city is fine as long as I do not stay there for too long. The reason why I enjoy is not because of the city full of people nor the various restaurants there, but the amount of AIM members I can relate to and share with. Sometimes it can get repetitive to see the same people but unable to share on a personal basis on the struggles/challenges you are facing because they cannot relate to your situation. It was definitely worth it having to take a break in Kampala after the intensive training.
3/26/11
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
I'm not sure about you but I use to enjoy Hip Hop/R&B a lot when I was young, or at least I would say 7-10 years ago. Doesn't the title sound a little familiar to you? If you've guessed P.Diddy, you're wrong, but if you guessed Puff Daddy, you're right! This entry isn't so much about the song, not P.Diddy/Puff Daddy himself, but it's what has nearly discouraged me that I would like to share about.
Just last weekend, I got a chance to attend a service at one of the urban churches (since I am still seeking a local community church to call 'home') in Arua. Since my last post about my first speaking engagement and hearing of how well it went, I suddenly had the Holy Spirit prompting me to speak to Ugandans about the topic of Lukewarm. After attending the service at the local church, I spoke with the pastor about possibly getting the opportunity to speak in one of their services in the coming weeks. As I spoke to him about what God has placed in my heart, another pastor questioned my desire to preach on Lukewarm because I mentioned John 3:16 and the Gospel in Africa being 'a mile wide and an inch deep'. It was the way the pastor spoke that discouraged me, but after giving it a few minutes of thought, I had to move on because I knew it would be unhealthy for myself. As the title of this blog states, Can't Nobody Hold Me Down.
I would like to ask you for your prayers, that the Holy Spirit would continue to speak to me about the upcoming speaking engagements. Pray that He will enable and strengthen me as I go to the local churches to speak about Lukewarm and for receptive ears. Pray that the words coming out of my mouth are not of my own, but from Him.
As I preach, let me remind you of the two passages that I am speaking on:
- Revelation 3:14-22
- Matthew 25:14-30
Just last weekend, I got a chance to attend a service at one of the urban churches (since I am still seeking a local community church to call 'home') in Arua. Since my last post about my first speaking engagement and hearing of how well it went, I suddenly had the Holy Spirit prompting me to speak to Ugandans about the topic of Lukewarm. After attending the service at the local church, I spoke with the pastor about possibly getting the opportunity to speak in one of their services in the coming weeks. As I spoke to him about what God has placed in my heart, another pastor questioned my desire to preach on Lukewarm because I mentioned John 3:16 and the Gospel in Africa being 'a mile wide and an inch deep'. It was the way the pastor spoke that discouraged me, but after giving it a few minutes of thought, I had to move on because I knew it would be unhealthy for myself. As the title of this blog states, Can't Nobody Hold Me Down.
I would like to ask you for your prayers, that the Holy Spirit would continue to speak to me about the upcoming speaking engagements. Pray that He will enable and strengthen me as I go to the local churches to speak about Lukewarm and for receptive ears. Pray that the words coming out of my mouth are not of my own, but from Him.
As I preach, let me remind you of the two passages that I am speaking on:
- Revelation 3:14-22
- Matthew 25:14-30
3/18/11
First Preaching Engagement: Lukewarm
After a long week of doing Discipleship Training, I had another major task, and that was to get ready and preach the next day after I finished the training. Something that troubled me a bit was that the youth that invited me told me only a few days in advance about this speaking engagement. I had to ask the individual of the age group that I will be speaking to. I first thought about speaking on relationships, but the Holy Spirit "nudged" me to speak on the topic of Lukewarm. I was thinking if it would be wise and that it might be too strong to speak on Lukewarm, but that was a thing that Satan wanted to assure of me and that was to not speak on something that is piercing to the heart.
Funny to know that as I preached, I remember how tired I was to begin with but later on as the time came for me to preach, I was not tired at all. Instead I was quite pumped and felt refreshed.
After preaching, I got a chance to reflect whether or not it would be a good idea to also reach out to the local churches. I really felt that preaching on Lukewarm is very important and that every one that is in the Church should hear this message. It definitely is not an easy message and I can even say that those who were in the service did not enjoy the message because it pierced their hearts. May we continue to pray that God will soften their hearts. The hardest thing about hearing this sermon is that it questions the congregation, whether they are going to say that John 3:16 is their ticket to Heaven, or maybe something else may happen in the end.
- Revelation 3:14-22
- Matthew 25:14-30
Funny to know that as I preached, I remember how tired I was to begin with but later on as the time came for me to preach, I was not tired at all. Instead I was quite pumped and felt refreshed.After preaching, I got a chance to reflect whether or not it would be a good idea to also reach out to the local churches. I really felt that preaching on Lukewarm is very important and that every one that is in the Church should hear this message. It definitely is not an easy message and I can even say that those who were in the service did not enjoy the message because it pierced their hearts. May we continue to pray that God will soften their hearts. The hardest thing about hearing this sermon is that it questions the congregation, whether they are going to say that John 3:16 is their ticket to Heaven, or maybe something else may happen in the end.
- Revelation 3:14-22
- Matthew 25:14-30
3/12/11
Pray With Me
I would like to first apologize for not updating my blog as often as I thought I would. Who ever knew that I would be as busy as this. For the past two weeks, I've been busy putting together a workshop on discipleship/leadership for the youth.
It was an 8-day intensive training where the youths attending would begin in the mornings doing door-to-door evangelism in specific areas. Once the afternoon came around, I then held the discipleship/leadership training for a couple of hours until evening hours where they now go back into the areas and display the Jesus Film Show.
There were times where I felt discouraged but it was a matter of frustration and things not going as planned. There would be some days where only 7-8 youths would show up for the training. There would be some days where the photocopy machine to get the handouts would not be working. Even though it was amazing to know that the projector is available to be used, throughout the 8 days, there was 7 days without power. You can just imagine how things were not going as planned. I was discouraged, but a few things encouraged me when I was told of the result for door-to-door evangelism.
A teenager was expressing interest to attend Sunday service and get involved with the activities. One of the youths told me that he is interested in using what he has learned from the training and to lead this individual. After the long training with many discouragements, this one encouragement lifted me up. I was beginning to worry a lot and doubt that the training was getting anywhere, but God reassured me that it is Him that determines whether He makes things happen, not me.
Please continue to pray with me and for me that the devil may not snatch this teenager away and that God will continue to be most glorified in the things that I do and trust Him to be the one who does great wonders.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
It was an 8-day intensive training where the youths attending would begin in the mornings doing door-to-door evangelism in specific areas. Once the afternoon came around, I then held the discipleship/leadership training for a couple of hours until evening hours where they now go back into the areas and display the Jesus Film Show.
There were times where I felt discouraged but it was a matter of frustration and things not going as planned. There would be some days where only 7-8 youths would show up for the training. There would be some days where the photocopy machine to get the handouts would not be working. Even though it was amazing to know that the projector is available to be used, throughout the 8 days, there was 7 days without power. You can just imagine how things were not going as planned. I was discouraged, but a few things encouraged me when I was told of the result for door-to-door evangelism.A teenager was expressing interest to attend Sunday service and get involved with the activities. One of the youths told me that he is interested in using what he has learned from the training and to lead this individual. After the long training with many discouragements, this one encouragement lifted me up. I was beginning to worry a lot and doubt that the training was getting anywhere, but God reassured me that it is Him that determines whether He makes things happen, not me.
Please continue to pray with me and for me that the devil may not snatch this teenager away and that God will continue to be most glorified in the things that I do and trust Him to be the one who does great wonders.
Romans 8:28
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
3/4/11
Message To Missionaries
Missions is not about sending missionaries. Missions is about sending truth--God's Truth, the Truth of the Gospel-through missionaries. Missions is not about you giving your life away. Ministry is not about you just going out helping people. Missions is about a proclamation of who God is. It is a proclamation of who man is. It is a proclamation of what God has done for men in Jesus Christ. It's about proclaiming what men must do to be saved.--Paul Washer
Instead of updating you in this blog entry about what I've been doing, I felt a burden on my heart to spread this message to my fellow missionary partners in Christ. Please remember that God called us out to the field, not so that our supporters back at home can see that we're doing a great job and should "feel" for us, but so that He can get the glory and that His Name is proclaimed, not yours. Proclaim His Name, not yours.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Instead of updating you in this blog entry about what I've been doing, I felt a burden on my heart to spread this message to my fellow missionary partners in Christ. Please remember that God called us out to the field, not so that our supporters back at home can see that we're doing a great job and should "feel" for us, but so that He can get the glory and that His Name is proclaimed, not yours. Proclaim His Name, not yours.
Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
2/24/11
Uncontacted Tribal Group
Did the video you just watched alarm you? Did you know that there are still unreached people groups in this world that has never heard of Jesus Christ before? Did you know that these unreached people groups are like the ones seen in the video, completely unreached and even unheard of? Did you know that there are unreached people groups within your community?
There are many mission opportunities, not just abroad, but locally as well. I advise you to do your research around your community and focus hard on targeting the group of people you would like to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to them.
If God is speaking to you in reaching an unreached people group or praying for these people, please visit the Joshua Project. You will be amazed at how many people still do not know the Good News.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power
There are many mission opportunities, not just abroad, but locally as well. I advise you to do your research around your community and focus hard on targeting the group of people you would like to share the Good News of Jesus Christ to them.
If God is speaking to you in reaching an unreached people group or praying for these people, please visit the Joshua Project. You will be amazed at how many people still do not know the Good News.
2 Thessalonians 1:11
To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power
2/16/11
Trained Leaders International
Recently I've been thinking of how I can support a local missionary/pastor from here in Uganda. Not only do we, Westerners, have a mindset of sending missionaries over to places in South America, Africa and Asia, but we then to forget how we can train the locals to work with their own people instead. We can enter into the culture with a goal to assist them, but we also forget that we cannot always continue to bring in our perspective and mentality that we can change everything and show them "how it's done". As you watch this video, may God speak to you about the opportunity to sponsor a local missionary. Please pray with me about this as you watch this video. Please visit the following website if you are interested in doing something about training Church leaders today of tomorrow: GBI Uganda
2/7/11
Promoting Missions
I would like to thank you for your continuous support, whether through prayers, finances or even promoting my website. I was recently browsing around the Desiring God blog and found a very good resource/blog entry by John Piper. Since you've been holding the rope for me as I am currently down the well, another way to take part in being the sender/supporter of God's global mission is to read through the following article:
30 Ways to Awaken Your Congregation for the Cause of Global Engagement
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said , "Here am I. Send me!"
30 Ways to Awaken Your Congregation for the Cause of Global Engagement
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said , "Here am I. Send me!"
1/28/11
New Home + New Challenges
Many of you heard about my travel plans down to Kampala for six days of AIM language orientation. Not only was I in Kampala for this reason, but I was there to purchase a few household items since AIM has found a place for me to stay permanently in Arua. I must say, that it is quite a nice home, but now the challenging thing is living alone and to do many things in the house independently. Many of you experienced that kind of independence when you were in University or College, but I never did. Not only was this a challenge but the biggest challenge that I faced was my trip back to Arua. As many of you know, my experience of traveling alone to Africa was rough when I was stuck in the UK for an extra two days due to my foolishness. I went through a rough time as well since there were many things that went wrong in this trip back up to Arua.
I had purchased a lot of household items for the new house, excited to return to Arua and setup the place. It's too bad I did not take a picture of my loaded vehicle, but I'll post a picture of my vehicle now to have you imagine how loaded the vehicle was:
So basically, not only did I have appliances in the vehicle, but I had furniture on top of my vehicle. If you can imagine for a second, that the amount of furniture that was strapped to the top of the vehicle made it look like there was another vehicle on top of the Landcruiser. As you can imagine now, there was a lot of things in my vehicle, and actually I also had two 70Kgs of batteries for the house, so it was definitely overload. The challenge began when officers started to stop me because of my attempt to travel all the way back to Arua. Of course, if I did this in North America, this would not have happened because they would not allow it, and the purchase of furniture/appliances usually comes with some sort of shipping option. As many of you know, that when you go through something and you know there's something wrong, the snowball effect would apply and the trouble keeps on coming. As we finally came to a stage where there wouldn't be anymore officers, my friend and I noticed that the fuel was running very low so we decided to add some to the vehicle. Only driving about 10kms, did we notice that it was happening again so we decided to add some more. About 10 minutes later, the vehicle completely ran out of fuel for some reason. After waiting for almost an hour to get fuel, we found out that the tire was flat but there was no jack to be found in the vehicle to put on the spare tire. We decided to drive slowly to the next area where we can borrow a jack, but within 2KMs of driving, the tire blew out! It was definitely not the best day to travel for me. Long story short, we brought the vehicle back to town around 3:00am.
I've told this story many times, and there are many times where I've sat there thinking to myself of how foolish it was for me to get all the furniture in one shot. It definitely was a defeating time for myself, but one thing I kept in mind during the rough times: God is still sovereign and He continues to work in others' lives even in the hardest times of your life. I had some good times of reflection during my alone times while my friend went to get fuel. One thing that I knew was the promise that God will not abandon me nor forsake me. He is faithful!
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
I had purchased a lot of household items for the new house, excited to return to Arua and setup the place. It's too bad I did not take a picture of my loaded vehicle, but I'll post a picture of my vehicle now to have you imagine how loaded the vehicle was:
So basically, not only did I have appliances in the vehicle, but I had furniture on top of my vehicle. If you can imagine for a second, that the amount of furniture that was strapped to the top of the vehicle made it look like there was another vehicle on top of the Landcruiser. As you can imagine now, there was a lot of things in my vehicle, and actually I also had two 70Kgs of batteries for the house, so it was definitely overload. The challenge began when officers started to stop me because of my attempt to travel all the way back to Arua. Of course, if I did this in North America, this would not have happened because they would not allow it, and the purchase of furniture/appliances usually comes with some sort of shipping option. As many of you know, that when you go through something and you know there's something wrong, the snowball effect would apply and the trouble keeps on coming. As we finally came to a stage where there wouldn't be anymore officers, my friend and I noticed that the fuel was running very low so we decided to add some to the vehicle. Only driving about 10kms, did we notice that it was happening again so we decided to add some more. About 10 minutes later, the vehicle completely ran out of fuel for some reason. After waiting for almost an hour to get fuel, we found out that the tire was flat but there was no jack to be found in the vehicle to put on the spare tire. We decided to drive slowly to the next area where we can borrow a jack, but within 2KMs of driving, the tire blew out! It was definitely not the best day to travel for me. Long story short, we brought the vehicle back to town around 3:00am.I've told this story many times, and there are many times where I've sat there thinking to myself of how foolish it was for me to get all the furniture in one shot. It definitely was a defeating time for myself, but one thing I kept in mind during the rough times: God is still sovereign and He continues to work in others' lives even in the hardest times of your life. I had some good times of reflection during my alone times while my friend went to get fuel. One thing that I knew was the promise that God will not abandon me nor forsake me. He is faithful!
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
1/19/11
Reinforcing Missions
Before you watch the video below, I would like you to answer these questions and reflect: Do you love Jesus Christ? Do you follow Christ? Are you willing to sacrifice anything for Him? Are you willing to leave your friends, family, social life, status, employment, education for Him? Better yet, are you willing to give up a few months of your many years in life for His greater purpose and not yours? Do you desire what He desires? Do you want to give glory to Him and not yourself? Do you want His will to be done and not yours?
The thought should not be "I will do missions and see where God can take me from there ONLY IF it means that I will benefit from it." Instead it should be "I will do missions and see where God can take me from there EVEN IF it causes me to suffer from it."
Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
Malachi 1:11
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
1/11/11
Land With A Thousand Hills
"Land Of A Thousand Hills" is where the AIM Central Region Conference was held from January 4-9. This conference hosted AIM missionaries from Chad, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. This was an exciting time for me since I just finished the Youth Camp in Arua and now I was ready to journey on with the next item on my list.I felt very blessed to attend this conference, not only with other AIM family members but also having to go to Rwanda. The first place that I visited on my first day in Rwanda before the conference was the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
I'm not sure if you've seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, but I have. It honestly broke my heart when I was watching the movie. Now that I was actually in Rwanda and at the Genocide Memorial Centre, the only things that came to my mind were some of the scenes from the movie. Other than the scenes, the thought I had was 'How can this happen?'.When traveling on the bus to our final destination in Kibuye, you can only think to yourself 'With a beautiful country and being known as the Land With A Thousand Hills, why?'
Even though there are many questions that are unanswered in our lifetime here on earth, God continued to reveal to me His sovereignty at this conference. God had planned this well for me to be constantly reminded of His sovereignty since the conference was held in Rwanda.Throughout the conference, God spoke in many different ways, as the theme for the conference was 'Wrestling With God'. We took a look at Jacob's life, but the main thing that stuck out to me the most was one of Jacob's sons, Joseph. The preacher emphasized on the passage Genesis 50:20. When we talk about God's sovereignty and our suffering, the first person from the Bible that usually comes to mind is Job, and how he recognized that even through his suffering, God is still sovereign and in control. Well this time it wasn't Job, but it was Joseph.
Genesis 50:20
You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
I would like for you to reflect on this passage. Maybe you're experiencing something that you've never experienced before. Maybe you're in trouble. Maybe you were abandoned or betrayed by someone. Maybe you loss a friend or family member. Remember that He is sovereign in all your circumstances.
I want to encourage you, that even though you are suffering right now, remember that these events are only for a short period of time. When you are going through a rough time, remember the picture posted above. Will you bless others even in your times of trouble? Will you serve Him even in your times of trouble? Will you show others God's grace even if you are going through a rough time?Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
1/3/11
Youth Camp
I attended a Youth Camp that was held from December 27 - January 2. I would like to say that it was a very hectic and busy end to 2010 and beginning of 2011, but all in all, I want to say that God began to open doors for me to serve Him when I was beginning to doubt that His will for me is to serve Him in Uganda. The reason why I had these thoughts was that I began to feel as if I was not doing anything that's ministry related. Things changed right away when the Youth Camp committee asked me to be a photographer/videographer for the camp. Basically it was God reminding me that I am here to serve Him and there will be times where I'll be doubting, and when it happens, He will show me that I am here to serve Him.
The Youth Camp went well and it reminded me a lot of the years served at the AFC Teens Conference. Now I know how the AFC Teens Conference photographer/videographer feels for those 2-4 days. Even though the Youth Camp has been around since 1997, there is still room for improvement. It is still going through its maturing stage at this moment and ideas came to my mind on what needs to be done. I am very excited for how it will look like in the years to come and how I can implement some ideas from AFC Teens Conference into this Youth Camp. I hope that you will enjoy this video even though it is 15 minutes long. It wasn't easy putting this video together and to shorten it because it was a summary of what went on.
The Youth Camp went well and it reminded me a lot of the years served at the AFC Teens Conference. Now I know how the AFC Teens Conference photographer/videographer feels for those 2-4 days. Even though the Youth Camp has been around since 1997, there is still room for improvement. It is still going through its maturing stage at this moment and ideas came to my mind on what needs to be done. I am very excited for how it will look like in the years to come and how I can implement some ideas from AFC Teens Conference into this Youth Camp. I hope that you will enjoy this video even though it is 15 minutes long. It wasn't easy putting this video together and to shorten it because it was a summary of what went on.
I pray and hope that this video will spark something in your heart, to come and work alongside for this Youth Camp and especially for those of you that attended AFC Teens Conference before. This Youth Camp is held at the end of every year and ends in the new year. What better way to close your year by serving Him in Uganda and to celebrate the new year with a bunch of Ugandans. Imagine if you served at this Youth Camp, and when you have completed your time here in Uganda, you can go home and tell everyone of how great it was to serve the Lord in Uganda at a Youth Camp that reminded you of AFC Teens Conference.
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