July Happenings
I have allowed too much time to go by without an update,
particularly since I asked for prayers for Loumo Gabriel. Truthfully, too much
time passed without visiting him. When I and others were with him twice this
week, we were shocked to see how quickly he is declining. It seems that Gabriel
is very near death. We have prayed for him and shared the gospel with him. He
has not spoken for weeks so it is difficult to know how well he understands. If
death is to come at this time, please pray that Gabriel will die trusting in
Jesus. Even in this dark hour, God is full of grace and powerful to save!
Another tragic event took place some weeks back. “Enemies”
came to raid cows nearby. The army became involved quickly enough to stop them.
Sadly, one man was shot and killed. Since Karimojong don’t consider an enemy
worth burying, they took the body up a hill and just tossed it aside, leaving
it to rot out in the open. Interestingly, in God’s providence, this is the
second time that I can remember this happening and both times it has occurred on
Saturday night. As I did years ago, in church I challenged our congregation to
go and bury this “enemy” who was, after all, created in God’s image and, as
such, should be treated with dignity and honor in honor of our God. I was happy
to see such a large crowd of us climb the hill with picks and shovels in hand
and, as a testimony of our faith in Jesus, do something so contrary to Karimojong
culture.
In addition to the many African brothers with us on that
hill, Pastor Mick Knierim was there. This 75 year-old OP pastor has been with
us since April 3rd but flies home the very evening on which I write
this. Not only an associate pastor in Michigan, Mick is an excellent handy man.
He graciously took leave of his church and home and, besides blessing us with
his word ministry, filled Bob Wright’s big shoes during the Wrights’ furlough.
I can’t imagine what we would have done without Mick. As Sunshine already
mentioned on Facebook, Mick also did something never before done on our
Mission. A poisonous snake, a black mamba over 8 feet long, was killed on our
Mission compound. Mick cooked up and ate some of the meat. Several others also
tried it. The Okkens passed.
I am enjoying working with an intern. A seminary student
from Pennsylvania, David Landow, is here for ten weeks. We have been greatly
blessed by his fellowship and ministry to our Mission as well as to the
Karimojong. He was with me ministering to Gabriel this week. I know that the Lord
is using David greatly during his time here and I pray that He will use this
time to help prepare him for future ministry, wherever that may be. If
interested, you can check out his Karamoja blog at www.davidlandow.com.
We are excited about the arrival of new teammates. This
week, the Tuininga family is arriving to begin their labors down in Mbale.
Then, next week, Christopher and Chloe Verdick, from our home church in San
Diego, arrive to begin their work with us in Karamoja. For all of these
servants, please pray for safe travels and smooth transitions into life and
ministry in Africa. Safe travel is never to be taken for granted. And, as some
of our teammates experienced yesterday, the roads in Karamoja are terrible due
to recent heavy rains. The Wrights almost did not make it out of here as they
were traveling down country to take to the airport Mick Knierim and Leah Hopp
(who returns to Canada for a brief furlough.)
There are always plenty of challenges, but God is big.
Thanks for your prayers!
Dave
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