Update from David

Greetings from Karamoja!

            I know that, as with the past, I am again guilty of missionary update negligence. It has been far too long. And now I break the silence by trying your patience with this long one. If you can endure it, you’ll see at the end that I hope to “turn over a new leaf” in this regard. 

            I would like to begin by sharing an experience which touched me last week. On Tuesday some men came to our gate asking for help. A man had died. The family was lacking the money to pay for hired help to dig the grave. They hoped that I would donate some shillings to the cause. It so happened that our regular Tuesday afternoon teaching ministry in Namalu had just been canceled. I decided that this was the Lord providing an opportunity for ministry to this grieving family. I told them that I would prefer to help with the physical labor rather than give cash. A few of our Mission workers and I grabbed some tools and headed out to this village home in Nakaale.

            I was especially interested in helping when I learned the identity of the deceased. Though I had not interacted much with him recently and had no idea that he had become sick unto death, Logit Paloriano was a man whom I had known for many years. I remember first meeting Logit when we were fresh on the scene back in 2001. That first year we provided some help to his family when a fire burnt down their compound. Over the years we gave him temporary work from time to time. He participated in our farm project and did other seasonal work for us. Logit was a very animated individual, always friendly as he spoke in his very deep voice. I would guess that he was about my age, though the family was not sure.

            Logit was now gone and there I was helping dig his grave. We have just come through the long dry season so the ground was very hard making for especially grueling work. (In God’s providence, the first ground-softening heavy rain of the season came the day after this burial.) I was struck with a sense of how profoundly we were being touched by the curse. To carry out the long arduous task of digging a hole only for the unsatisfying reward of at last lowering down into it our friend’s lifeless corpse. So very sad! I thought about my years in Karamoja. How many friends and acquaintances, my own age or even much younger, had passed away? Just off the top of my head I was able to count a dozen. What a reminder of why we are here. Men and women, lost and in bondage to sin and death, have no hope save Jesus Christ. During the chatter I several times cited a verse which I have memorized in Karimojong. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

            I wondered about the state of Logit’s soul. He was at least a nominal Roman Catholic. I recalled the time I was leading a Bible study in the village as he was passing by. Logit walked up, fell on his knees and made the sign of the cross. He then sat down with us for about five minutes before he got up and continued on his way. Only the Lord knows a man’s heart. It did bring me peace to think that I had proclaimed the gospel to Logit. And Tuesday, at his burial, when his family asked me to say a prayer, I again took the opportunity to speak about the hope that is in Jesus Christ.

         Yes, we continue to proclaim this precious gospel in Karamoja. Much of that proclamation takes place through the ongoing regular teaching of Bible stories chronologically out in several villages in and around Nakaale. In some villages, such as Kopetatum (East and West), Akuyam and Atedeoi, we have reached the conquest of Canaan under the leadership of Joshua. Other village studies, such as in Nakathian, Naminyit and Nakaale, began later and are currently studying the life of Jacob. Also, a Bible study began in a new village recently. Folks in Nariko are learning about Adam and Eve in the garden.

            I am delighted to report that this last study was begun on the initiative of our translator and partner in ministry, Lokwii David. These days, our Karimojong brothers are doing most of the teaching and we are focusing on mentoring and training them while praying for their continued growth in grace. And we are asking our Lord to raise up others as well. We have been very pleased with the developing abilities of both Lokwii David and Lokwii Paul. I was so blessed a few weeks back when we were leading a study in a church in Namalu. The good Christ-centered teaching as well as the interaction among those attending made for one of the most rich and uplifting Bible studies I could remember since coming to Karamoja. And the best part was that I hardly spoke a word. Lokwii Paul was the teacher. We are thankful for some of the fruit we are seeing in the ministry while longing for much more.

            Right now practically the entire Mission is away on furlough. Our Missionary Associate, Miss Leah Hopp is here with us. Apart from her, we are the only permanent missionaries on the field. My ministerial colleague, Pastor Al Tricarico, and his family are on furlough for the rest of the year. Dr. and Mrs. Knox are on furlough until October. And the Wrights are also on furlough until the end of June. We are thankful to have a Missionary Associate Nurse, Mrs. Heather Foss, here serving as the Clinic administrator while the Knoxes are away. We are also thankful for Mr. Mick Knierim who is here for a couple months to handle the maintenance, filling Bob Wright’s shoes. In fact, a couple days ago, a big storm came through. Lightning struck our house and ruined our power system leaving us in the dark that night. What would we have done without Mick? With Bob Wright giving him advice over the phone, Mick and I (mostly Mick) were able to install a new inverter the next day.

             Yes, it is a very challenging time with the added responsibilities on our shoulders. But we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We trust that he will do so and that he will do so in answer to your prayers for us, for which we are thankful. As for that new leaf which I would like to turn over, I want to follow the excellent example of Al Tricarico and begin writing very short but frequent (weekly or at least by-weekly) updates. So, look for them and be free to hold me accountable on these. And pray for me in this regard as well.

Wish all of you every blessing in Jesus!

Dave, for the Okkens