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Shawn's
2003 Journal Letters
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2002, 2004,
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New
Year’s Resolutions – 2003
Journal letter #298
from Uganda
1 January, 2003
I always sit down and write out some resolutions for each new year because I
tend to reflect on the past year and pray about the coming one. However, in
such a fast-paced world and so much good that needs to be done, I struggled
this year with my resolutions. Let me share them with you.
-
I will spend one
hour a day reading my Bible.
-
I will spend one
hour a day praying.
-
I will spend two
hours a day learning the six languages that are spoken around Mbale.
-
I will spend at
least two hours a day of “quality time” with my family.
-
I will spend one
hour a day exercising and stretching.
-
I will spend one
hour a day meditating.
-
I will spend one
hour a day writing to my family, friends, supporters, and sponsoring
church.
-
I will spend more
time each week in village visits than I did last year.
-
I will spend one
hour a day of quality time with my wife – listening, communicating,
responding, encouraging.
-
I will set aside
one day a week to do honey-do jobs. If this is not enough, I will add more
days a week in order to be helpful around the house.
-
To be
environmentally sensitive, I will walk instead of drive whenever possible.
-
I will spend on
hour a day reading – classics, devotionals, biographies, historical novels
- to enrich myself.
-
I will spend one
hour a day practicing the piano – to energize my artistic self and not
lose the talent and hours spent in childhood practice.
-
I will spend one
hour a day in Bible study – writing lessons, sermons, and Bible courses (I
am currently working on a New Testament Survey to teach January 21-23).
-
I will endeavor to
make every visitor feel special. I will ask questions, listen, and be
genuinely interested in every guest’s life and activities.
-
I will spend one
hour a day listening to and reading about the news so that I may become a
more responsible and informed citizen – to be able to vote and participate
in my country’s political events in a wise manner.
-
I will not rush
through meals. I will spend one hour for each meal in a sit-down, quality
family togetherness.
-
I will spend one
hour a day to properly bathe, groom, and dress myself. I will respect
others by first respecting myself.
-
Knowing that I
need a good night’s sleep to keep a healthy outlook on life, I resolve to
sleep eight hours a night.
-
I will increase my
tithes to 15% while still being financially responsible in all my bills,
taxes, family needs, insurance, travel expenses, retirement planning and
enough extra cash to do fun activities with the family.
-
I will spend more
time in Scripture memorization.
-
I will make a
greater effort to keep all receipts and records of all financial dealings.
This will enable me to make wiser decisions for me and the mission work.
-
I will go on a
diet to reach my “ideal” weight according to health charts.
-
I will keep a
record of all anniversaries, birthdays, and special events for my circle
of friends and acquaintances, and then I will send encouraging notes to
them at the proper time.
Now let me see, I have just committed 26 hours of each day to improving
myself in specific, very good, activities – not to mention the entire days I
have already committed to special chores and work (did someone say work?).
Perhaps such an extensive checklist of resolutions that contain good,
spiritual, self-fulfilling and healthy activities may give me a nervous
breakdown because I am unable to achieve them all. Can I possibly leave a
part of my life undone or unimproved and only concentrate on a smaller
number of resolutions? Would that not make me feel guilty that I could be
doing more? Which is better - to work myself into a breakdown or feel guilty
about not doing more? Neither seems ideal. Perhaps I should follow what many
people choose to do – just ignore resolutions because they know they will
fail to improve themselves during the coming year. Surely there is a better
way!
I seriously thought about ending the letter here and leave you wondering if
I decided upon a course of action. Of course some of you may have decided
that your new year’s resolution is to delete these journal letters as soon
as you get them. So you would never have reached this far anyway.
Perhaps I should start on the inside instead of the outside. Let me start
over. I resolve:
1. To seek peace with God.
2. To seek peace with myself.
3. To seek peace with others.
I understand that seeking these goals will cause me to actively change some
of my values, priorities and actions. I pray for wisdom to notice the areas
I need to change and the strength to do so.
Shawn
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God
Works in Mysterious Ways
Journal Letter #297 from Uganda
13 January, 2003
The last few months have provided us with an unusual look into how God may
use people “outside” our circle of friends and coworkers to advance the
kingdom. Let me give two examples of our mission work increasing by the
efforts of others.
First, let me mention the Crystal Palace Church in Kampala. I would guess
from their name that they are some kind of offshoot of Pentecostalism, but
in Uganda that does not mean specific doctrinal lines have been drawn as we
think of from our past American heritage (a phenomenon that seems to be
changing). The Crystal Palace Church held a crusade in Mbale about ten
months ago, and on their way back to Kampala their bus broke down at a small
village called Jaluko (some 35 miles from Mbale). They decided to make the
best of their wait for help, so they organized an impromptu worship service
in the market area. The response was favorable enough for the Kampala church
to send out two young evangelists to stay and work in Jaluko. Some of those
who entered this fellowship were friends and relatives of Christians we have
been working with in Pallisa district just a few miles away. About two
months ago, I was invited to visit Jaluko (not knowing any of this
background) as an extension of the work we were already doing. When I
arrived, I found a lively group headed by two very young men who were
obviously from Kampala. They asked me to speak to a large crowd and I
accepted. I carry many sermons with me for first time visits, and I pulled
out one on salvation with an expanded emphasis on baptism. I gave seven
reasons for being baptized based upon Scriptures and taught hand signs for
each reason. The group loved it and responded very favorably to the lesson.
In fact, one of the young men stood up to inform me that during their eight
months of work in Jaluko, they had never held a baptismal service. I was
surprised but did not comment on it. (I have learned not to be too reactive
on my first visits to a new village.) The following Tuesday, the two young
evangelists surprised me again by coming to our office in Mbale and
requesting another visit by us for baptisms. They presented a list of 93
people who wanted to be baptized. I was amazed at the large number and a bit
skeptical, but not enough to keep me from giving them January 11th as a
return date. Two days ago, I returned with James Luchivya and two men from
Pallisa district for a worship service and baptisms. James and I speculated
on the number of people that would be there. Would there be 20? 40? 93? I
must confess our faith was small because of our past experiences. When we
arrived a large crowd was already singing. As soon as we sat down, the two
evangelists handed the program over to us. James preached from Luke 15 tying
his message into preparation for baptisms. I spoke a little before
confessions were organized. I ferried people 3 miles to the water as our two
men from Pallisa baptized and recorded names. In all we baptized 100 people
– including the two young evangelists. After we finished and ate lunch, the
evangelists told me they wanted to attend our leadership courses in Mbale
(21-25 January). They expressed keen interest in our teaching program since
neither had received any formal Bible training prior to becoming
evangelists. Additionally, they may want to return to Kampala and are
looking for a way to leave the new Jaluko church in the hands of someone
local – that would be us. It seems to me that God began a work in Jaluko
before we got there, and then gave us the blessing of baptizing a huge
number of people including the evangelists who are open to more instruction.
Second, concerns our Muslim friend Ali Muniafu. If you remember, he
approached us about a year ago after hearing Ian preach at a funeral not far
from his place. He requested us to visit his home and start a church. He
told us from the beginning that he would remain a Muslim, but he wanted us
to baptize his children and neighbors and begin a church. He was impressed
by the love he saw in Christianity and how we cared for one another. He
openly confessed that such was not the case in the Islam practiced in his
village. I visited his home several times and we began a church. A few
months ago, we baptized over 40 people from his village. Today, his home
area, Nabisolo, receives a preacher from the town church who comes and holds
services every Sunday. The town church has also helped them purchase a plot
and construct a small mud building with a tin roof, but this is not the end
of the story. About two months back, Ali came to our weekly Tuesday office
with two men from a place called Bubentsia, a small village further up the
mountain from Nabisolo. He informed us that these men wanted us to come and
visit them as well. I have gone to Bubentsia twice and feel that these
people are genuinely interested in working with us in establishing a church.
Last week another surprise came. Ali came again to the office with three men
from another village higher up the mountain. Even though Ali doesn’t speak
English, he brought three school teachers who spoke articulately in English
about a desire to do church work in their home area of Budwale. They said
there were more than 300 people in their village with no church work going
on. I discussed with them about our program of church work, gave them 50
correspondence courses, and invited them to attend our leadership courses
21-25 January in Mbale. They said they would come and left with big smiles
on their faces. Ali, who always smiles, left with a little hint that he
might become a Christian in the future. Right now I would have to say that
Ali, a Muslim, is the hottest evangelist we have working for us. If all goes
well, he will have started three churches in a year’s time – and there is
talk of another place a little farther south. Ali evidently carries great
influence in his area, and he looks as though he is planning some kind of
strategic move. He appears to be evangelizing the area so that he will have
an emotional and spiritual support base for his own conversion – a very
important concern for Muslims who turn away from Islam. In a way, Ali is
building his own spiritual nest - and what a nest!
If I have learned anything during my mission experience, it is that no one
formula exists for doing evangelism. God seems to delight in using varied
and intriguing ways to bring people into his kingdom – all to show his power
and majesty to those who would see. He can use young, unlearned, and
unbaptized evangelists, or an uneducated Muslim with many friends. Sometimes
he can even use a foreigner who doesn’t speak the local language very well.
What better way is there to show that God can use the foolishness of
preaching to save souls. Whatever the method, praise be to God who always
expands his kingdom.
The neatest thing about all of this is that I get to be here and witness
such wonderful workings.
Shawn
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