The discipleship retreat at Camp Saaka was great! We had wonderful time with the leaders from Mbarara. I have been actively discipling and mentor a small group of men for many years. Three of them are now doing the same with others.
The leaders from Mbarara wanted me teach them how to disciple and mentor others as well. Three days is just a nibble when it comes to true discipleship.

Derrick said, "My life will never be the same again!"

Ronald shared, "I was truly before the throne of God!"



They will know you are my disciples if you love one another.



I forgot to take my camera to the retreat but I remembered the last morning that my cell phone has a camera on it. These three pictures were taken with my phone.

Discipleship Retreat

My friend Doug who is a pastor for Calvary Chapel heard I was having another discipleship retreat. "You sure do a lot of discipleship things."
He and I both know that true discipleship is a key to the future of the kingdom of God in Fort Portal.

There are ten church leaders on their way from the Mbarara church of Christ. We will spend the next three days at Camp Saaka. I have been asked to teach their leaders how to disciple others. There will be 20 of us out there.

Ronald just arrived so we need to go buy food.
Pray for us.

Thanks
Jeff

Minority Report

You __Muzungui__________, You must pay double because you are white!

It's ok to cheat a Muzungu.

Muzungu can mean white person, European person, rich person that I don't like,
half white/ half black, or someone who is buzy like a bee running here and there but never getting anything done, a colonial white master or a white priest. There are so many meanings and ways that this term is used. In Fort Portal it is the catch all word for foreigners.
It can be said by children smiling and laughing or by a thief who wants to rob you blind.
"Muzungu give me money" is one of the first English sentences learned by most.
Muzungu
"That's just what you call those kind of people." I have been told.
"Those kind of people?"
I fit into a category that includes British colonial masters, the great white Fathers, Russians, Jews, Bulgarian gun runners, and all UN troops.
I don't like the catch all terms. Even if it is not said with a snear it means you are different.

Have you ever had a hundred people laugh at you at the same time because your skin color is different then theirs?
Have you been cheated just because you are different?
Being a minority can be hard.

I have a whole new appreciation for those who are different in any way from the majority culture.
When I was in the states I remember hearing one man make fun of a man who was from the Great country of China.
"You are in America...speak English!" he half laugh half yelled at this old gentle grandfather.

Be kind to those who are different.
As a church don't send them over there somewhere to worship but go out of your way to make them want to be with you.
Love them into the body of Christ because that is what Christ would do.
But the lanuage is different...
in the Fort Portal church we sing in Lingala, French, Swahili, Runyankoli, Rutoro and English and that is with 30 adults.
It is rich. Church is where we go to encourage others as we worship the Lord.

One of the challenges I see in many churches is the fact that we are all the same.
We all speak the same language, have similiar economics, etc...
We all view God the same.
If we don't agree our history has shown that we divide into groups that do.

When we gather only with those who are like us we miss out on so much.
The Body of Christ is diverse. It is made of people with different world views from all kinds of tribes, tongues and nations.

When you see someone from a different race, economic background or lanuage just think he may already be a brother in Christ or he could be.

Church with people from all backgrounds...that would be heaven to me.

Where is your citizenship?


Be kind to those who "are different."

Way to go Samuel!

Derrick and Samuel

Ronald called and asked if I had heard the announcement on the radio about Samuel Balinda?
What announcement? I asked.
His test scores were in the top five in the district!
They announced his name last night and this morning on the Voice of Tooro radio station.
He was the top student in his school and one of the best in Kabarole district!
Ronald brought me a copy of the national newspaper with the test results. Samuels name was there. He is listed as one of the brightest in Uganda.
We are so proud of him.
After church we had a party.



That was the same day that Besisa left for Congo and Switizas wife was baptized.



Cheryl looking good.

We took Samuel to Mbarara and met with the headmaster and Deputy Headmaster of Ntare School. We had a tough interview but Samuel was accepted.
This is considered one of the best schools in the country!
President Museveni and President Kagame of Rwanda both went to this school.
In the future students are going to be asking which dorm did Dr. Samuel Balinda live in?
To see Sam's new school go to: http://www.ntareschool.sc.ug/
Congratulations Samuel!

Daddy the power is on!

Whenever I turn on the generator Silas says "Thank you Daddy!"
I just love that.
If we had power all of the time I would miss him saying that.
I'm going to get to hear Silas say that quite a bit.
Uganda was informed yesterday that the electricity will be off twelve hours a day because of low water levels in Lake Victoria.
That doesn't include the daily brown outs,power shortage or black outs from line problems and other local reasons for the power not working.
So for the few hours a day that we will be having power we can be thankful.
We will have more consistant electricity when the Lord gives us rain.
Hey! The power just came. Praise the Lord.
We have so many reasons to praise His name.

We're Rich!!!!

I was studying Romans 16:7 and looking closely at Andronicus and Junias (most likely feminine) Paul writes that they were outstanding among the apostles. Hmm?
I was up late into the night studying about women as servants in God's kingdom.
A few lines early Paul greets Priscilla and Aquilla my fellow workers in Christ Jesus. It was interesting to note that Priscilla was mentioned first.
As I was trying to study.
The children got louder and louder. "WE ARE RICH!!! We're rich, rich rich. They had pulled the leaves off of one of the bushes and were pretending that the leaves were money.
I listened as they played their game.
Alex ran in with a handful of leaves. Dad we are playing a game that we are rich.

What are you going to with all of that money?

We are going to give it to the orphans and the poor!
I just love MKs!
Some of my favorite lessons are taught by children.

We're Rich!!!!


We are so rich!!!

If we get to visit America...

I asked the kids, "If we get to visit America this year what do you want to do or who do you want to see?"
They all shouted "Nana and Papa!" "Grammy and Grandad!" "The rest of our family!"
They shot out those answers in less than three seconds.
I can't wait to also see my friends in Texas and the North West.

Ok what do you want to do? "Dad, we want you to take us to a movie with popcorn and M&Ms!"
(Apparently they had already discussed this as they were in complete agreement. This is the top thing on their list.)
Isaac added I want us to see Sponge Bob Squarepants.
Isaac said, "I want to go on a submarine that I can drive!"
Alex wanted to know if we weren't able to go to a movie could we go to Disney World and the beach instead?

Then Alex asked is there ice on the mountains in America?
There is snow.
"Then I want to go skating on the ice in the mountains."

Kinley interjected I would rather go skating at the mall!

Kinley asked, "would you take me to a ballet?"

Isaac wanted his turn. He said, "I want to go see somebody who knows me!"
What's funny is I completely understand that.
Isaac is there someone in particular that knows you that you want to see in America?
Ya! He has lots of glasses. He has red ones and black ones. I want to pick Red ones. And we can talk because he knows me.
You want to visit the eye doctor. Ya.
cool

Alex said, "I want to go to Sea World!" Who do you know at SeaWorld?
If We go to Seaworld then I'll know you!

Kinley said, "I want to go to an amusement park."

Isaac cut in and said, "I want to go on a lolipop and sea ride. A submarine would be fun."
I could tell he was thinking hard by the look on his face. "I know what I want...I want to go on a honeymoon!"

A little scare

As we were driving back from Mbarara I noticed that the spare tire light was on. It had not been shut all the way. It swings into place on the back of the Land Cruiser.
I stopped at the next town when we slowed down to go over the speed bumps. One of the bumps was so big that the LandCruiser drives up one side, across the top and down the other side of the speed bump. In some places this would qualify as a mountain range.
I pulled off the road and jumped out. There was a man who crossed the road walking straight towards the car. He probably thought I was going in the shop. I quickly shut the tire and jumped back in the LandCruiser.
The man was holding the front bull bar looking in the truck. He came to Cheryl's side and opened her door. This all happened pretty quickly.
Cheryl fought him with the door.
I jumped out and ran around to the guy so he couldn't hurt Cheryl.
He backed away from the truck and Cheryl shut her door and locked the car. I had the man cornered against a building and a wall.
What should I do?
I asked for help and the young men there said they would only help if I would pay them a lot of money. They would not help me.
The guy who had gotten into our car put his hands up and tried to hit me.
I could tell that if I wanted to fight him that I could easily take this guy.
What should I do?
I wanted to take him to the police not beat him up.
He was given a free sermon while he was cornered.
So no one would help. I could fight him or let him go.
What should I do?
I added a few more points to my sermon. Maybe I should have offered an invitation..
I let him go.
A large crowd gathered and I told them what had happened and how these four youth refused to help me when I needed help.
Some elders of the town came and I told them how I am not a tourist and I have lived in Uganda for over ten years. When I visit their village this is the welcome I received!
The police came and we shared what had happened.
As all of this was happening I looked around at the large crowd of people and I felt very comfortable.
The police thought the man must have wanted to steal the cell phone in the center console.
The police apoligized for what had happened. The old men were so sorry that Cheryl was upset. They were all very sorry and embarrased. They felt terrible that no one would help when we needed it.
I have replayed that incident over in my head several times and tried to decide if I should have done something differently.
I told Cheryl that I will protect her everytime.
My struggle lies between that and turning the other cheek.
What do you think?

Wow! I just love these stories that you wrote in the comments! In one of recent leaders meetings we talked about what they thought was the most effect way to evangelize people. Some of them said, "Crusades". (I personally do not use that term because of how that muslims view it.) Anyway, there was mention of Bible courses through the mail. And a few other "One size fits all" methods.They each answered Questions about their conversion to Christ and not one of them had actually come through a crusade. Non of them actually made their decision because of a tract, course or booklet sent in the mail.
The cookie cutter approach to evangelism where one method is used for all people in all settings has not had good results or produces any of our leaders.

Several years ago the church of Christ received "the green weenie" award for the worst evengelism method in the U.S.
We were given that award because some of our well intentioned brothers
sent a Christian comic book to each home in America.
We put so much energy into our methods.

Maybe I am way out here in left field because I don't approach the New Testament to find or invent laws. Some attack scriptures like a lawyer looking for a loophole or a precedent. We have perfected our skill to point that we infer and bind laws where non were given or intended by the original writers. Then we have a way to judge and condemn others. They have broken the law!
The "lawyers approach" to scripture is what the Pharisees were rebuked by Jesus for doing.
If our religion boils down to a written code or an unwritten creed then by all means that is what we need to print and get into everyones hands. We could even include a spiritual score card to see how we are doing!
Then we could try and get everyone to wear a "Hello my name is... badge" With the score of how many laws they have kept written next to their name. We could even have a chart to determine "who is my brother" based on how many points they have.
Then we could divide up even smaller based on our numbers.
That would be silly wouldn't it?

I hope you can tell that I completely joking as I write this!

What the men discovered was that each of them came to Christ through the example and encouragement of a friend or family member.
It was not the big programs or the flashy industry of ministry.
It was not the building, the carpet or how the church worshipped.
Their conversion to Christ had nothing to do with instruments or accapella, kitchens or praise teams, overheads or powerpoint it had to do with relationship.
Each person is different there is not one method that works for all.
It is not that we need them to say some magic words like "Open sesame"
Or just convince them to get into the water.
They need us to show them Christ. ...Then we need to live as Christ.
They need us to be the body of Christ. We need to act like Christ.
They need to see the good work that He began in you.