news from uganda
KABERAMAIDO
A rebel group known as LRA
(Lord’s Resistance Army) come from a tribe called Acholi people. They began
fighting people, using pangus (swords) as their main weapons. As they continued,
they learnt to use guns and still use them to kill people. Their aim is to kill
civilians, burn houses, steal cows, goats, clothes, food, money. They don’t want
to take over government or even to fight with Government soldiers, but they are
after civilians; they are just robbers and killers. Their activities affect
Northern Uganda only and that is the very place we live. Now people
are in camps everywhere with no proper food or shelter, clean water etc. Some
people rent houses. This situation causes many diseases. I am just happy that
many people are crying to God for help, so we are able to preach the word of God
every Sunday morning to those who are in camps. In the evening we preach the
Gospel news of Jesus Christ and God’s Kingdom. So I have learnt that sufferings
bring us near to God; it is a good lesson for us all when we have sufferings
(Heb. 12:5-11). Thank you again for your help in spreading the gospel news of
Jesus Christ and God’s Kingdom all over the world through the Magazine and
books.
Bro. Opio Bosco
KIGANDALO
Many people feel that
provided they change their life for the better there is no need to submit to
baptism. How wrong they are; how ineffective all their efforts to do right.
Consider the case of Naaman the Syrian (2 Kings 5). Elisha the prophet, a man of
God, told him to wash in the river Jordan to cure his leprosy. At first he
refused, but when his servant persuaded him to obey this specific detail given
by God, he was cured at once. If we obey the word of God as closely as we can,
we, too, can be cured and start afresh. But we may wonder about subsequent
mistakes and sins, that is, those committed after baptism. As we know, by
baptism we are associated with the death of Jesus Christ, and this event was a
once-and-for-all sacrifice for sin, and those things which we do wrong in our
new life in Christ are forgiven by prayer through our new-found Saviour. When we
repent and ask for God’s forgiveness, all our sins and errors are blotted out
from the record and therefore we can go forward daily confident that, if we try
to do right, God has promised to mercifully forgive us. God has offered us this
wonderful opportunity through His word. Do we yet feel the need to start our
life again? With our experience of the mistakes we have made and the desire to
erase some of the dark patches of our previous life, here is a unique
opportunity to start again – not this time on a life that leads to the grave,
but on the road to immortality and the glorious Kingdom of God. God’s way is the
only way by which we can be reconciled to Him. This is the importance of
baptism. It is an essential act of obedience, an essential part of God’s way of
salvation.
Bro. Colin Bwire
Photo: Bro. Colin Bwire
KISINGA
I wish to extend my sincere
thanks to Sis. Janet Shemeld for her wonderful efforts which helped me find the
truth through sending the Bible lessons. I was baptised in the Name of our Lord
on June 21, 2003, by Bro. Godwin Mugasi of Mbarara. I have continued to receive
Glad Tidings and Gospel News and am still continuing with Bible
studies. The preaching work is progressing steadily. We now have over 100
contacts – students taking either the 40-Lesson course or Bible Basics
Introductory Course. Please send me more copies of Bible Basics and any
book to help me in preparing public talks. I keep moving to help the contacts
and teaching them what God really wants from us, although this task is not easy
– going without food, walking long distances etc. I request fellow Brothers and
Sisters to remember me and keep praying for this work.
Bro. Baluku Nicodemus
Photo: Bro. Baluku
Nicodemus
LUGAZI
A believer’s life is
joyful, as an expression of obedience to God’s call and such obedience, followed
by walking and living according to God’s principles, yields salvation. I am
pleased with the work being carried out to redeem people all over the world, and
especially in Uganda. The glorious message of the word has reached, and is
reaching, many parts of the world. God is calling believers to arise and do
exploits for Him (Luke 10:2), therefore as co-labourers we have a great task
before us to sow God’s word generously to help rescue people and set the
captives free.
A Brother
MBARARA
Sister Jane, my wife, and
Sis. Savana, my daughter, join hands in sending greetings to everyone. We are
very much lacking Bible Basics. We are going ahead with the translation
of Bible Basics in our indigenous language (Runyankore) for our
non-English-speaking converts. Endeavour always to write to me as I feel
bothered when time goes without hearing from you.
Bro. Godwin Mugasi
MT. ELGON
I thank God for the work
you do in sending Gospel News which encourages us in reading the Bible.
We must encourage each other and pray for everyone (read Lam. 3:25-26; Luke
15:10). Jesus said we are his friends if we do whatever he commands (John
15:14).
Hariet Wekeye
Photo: Mt. Elgon Sunday
School
DOKOLO BROTHERS AND THEIR FAMILIES
Update on our
brothers in Uganda who are refugees in their own country after being driven from
their homes by the Lord's Resistance Army. The BBC has recently shown horrific
scenes of carnage caused by the LRA.
The brothers are very
thankful for the help that we have been able to send to them, they were safe at
the end of February and we pray that they still are. The brothers wrote:
"Thank God we are
still alive up to now. We would like to express our appreciation to you for the
assistance of money you gave us by bro Kevin and Paul (Paul Boyd and Kevin
Rawlings saw the brothers during their visit in
October 2003) . We
pray that God may bless you… We also are very thankful for the welfare you are
doing. The rebel activities is still going on. No means of going back to our
farm lands until the rebel leader Joseph Kony is arrested or dead. He is
fighting civilians but not the Government that is why he is in control of the
villages hunting to kill innocent people like wild animals in the bush. And all
people must stay in camps without digging. On the 4th Feb 2004 they
attacked and kill many peoples living in Abia Camps, Apala sub city, 20 miles
north of Dokolo and was reported on BBC radio, we think you might have heard.
And many which are not reported. So we are like orphans and homeless wanderers,
without farm land. We are not able to get food, soap, salt, clothings, pay
school fees for our children in Secondary Schools, taking patients to be treated
in clinics. Many of our relatives have died by rebels and diseases. We really
praise God for joining us to you instead many of us would have died. Because of
you we are able to buy food, soup, salt and take our children to clinics for
treatment."
We have been able to
get sufficient help through to our brothers and we have encouraged them to be
sparing with the resources that we have been able to get through. God has helped
them to stay faithful and they have been responsible with the money we have
sent. They continue by writing:
"10th
February we came back from Lira (where they had been staying) to Dokolo Township
Camp because of lack of water and firewood and because the rent for houses is
very expensive and also because transport from Lira to Kaberamaido Post Office
is very high (Kaberamaido is where they actually lived - they travel back here
during the day to get any post). So we are now living in Dokolo camp."
The brothers have
asked if we can again assist them, this we will try to do. They also need our
prayers, for strength, for safety and that they will be able to return to their
homes. We (John and Sue Mathias) are hoping, God willing to see them at the
Bible School in April, so please also pray that they can travel safely to see
us.
The brothers conclude
their letter by writing:
"Thank you for your
Spiritual exhortations. What we are doing is reading the Bible and prayer. Our
main prayer is that Jesus coming back should be soon to release us from this
suffering which is a very strange war, even to the life of our grandfathers. Now
during this dry season, the fire is burning night and day through. And all grass
house are burnt (rebels burnt the villages). So pray for us without ceasing. We
hope to hear from you. In love bros Selestino, Bosco and Tom."
John and Sue Mathias
