Restless Nights

These two men are our fearless night guards, Bonny and Francis.  They protect our compound in Lira from potential intruders, as well as the occasional bush rat, snake, bee's nest, lizard, and/or monkey.  They tirelessly and faithfully work hard every night, most of the time completely unnoticed in the dark as they stealthily make their rounds, patrolling the walls of the compound.  Much of the time, they are hiding out in the trees, unseen to the naked eye.  In fact, most of the time I only hear them.  They are warriors, courageous, undaunted.  And just in case they need it, they carry with them every warrior's choice of weapon...a bow and arrow!

Apoyo tech (thank you for your work) Bonny and Francis!  We can all rest easy knowing you are there.  

Wes

A New Beginning for 'Be Faithful'!

This past week marked the culmination of the men’s Be Faithful program that I have been running with Jolene’s assistance for the past two months. Be Faithful is aimed at those who are married to encourage them to practice biblical guidelines regarding sex and marriage. It picks up on the second thrust of the Ugandan government’s ABC strategy for HIV/AIDS prevention. The other purposes of Be Faithful, besides encouraging marital faithfulness, were to simply get people talking about HIV/AIDS so that the stigma that exists may be reduced, and also to educate men about the medical side of the disease. The program got off to a difficult start, with some miscommunication with field staff and low turnout for the first couple of sessions, but, praise God, it picked up from there! With the help of the Field Medical Representatives, we met once in each village with married men to discuss the issues surro

unding HIV, marriage, and sex. It was conducted as a discussion group with a Bible study element. One of the core Bible passages that we incorporated was Deuteronomy 30:11-20, which is an exhortation to choose that which leads to life and blessing, instead of the path to death and destruction.

Be Faithful has, to this point, been run by ‘munos.’ However, because I will soon be leaving Uganda, and in an effort to create a self-sustaining program, last week I organized and conducted a training workshop for village leaders to equip them to carry on the program themselves. Bonny, who is the staff member who manages all of the FMRs, did an incredible job of co-leading with me. He is a godly man and a very engaging and dynamic speaker, and the leaders had a lot of fun laughing at his crazy antics! Three leaders (one pastor, one youth representative, and one opinion leader) attended from each of the nine villages where GRI works. They were specifically invited because they had been identified by the FMRs as people of influence and integrity. The leaders learned about the disease, how it is spread and what it does inside a body, and also teaching techniques to use in their communities. Not only is this method more sustainable, but it is also more appropriate because these village leaders understand their culture and know their people better than I (or any muno) could. The FMRs did an amazing job of mobilizing and all who were invited were present, despite many of them having to travel long distances by bicycle to reach the training venue! These leaders were so enthusiastic about learning and spreading the news of HIV and its prevention, and had some amazing and creative ideas for sharing with their people. Yeah!! Please pray for the continuation of their enthusiasm and commitment to making a difference in their communities.

A Quiet Passion

Meet Pastor Walter (far right above). He has been GRI's Spiritual Health Ministry Director in northern Uganda for the last year and a half. Most of his days are spent preparing for evangelistic events, Jesus film presentations, conferences, and Bible studies that take place in the 9 villages where GRI is operating. He must coordinate with over 40 pastors from many denominations to conduct these ministry events. It is a challenging role and one that requires he spend much time with God in prayer and meditation. Despite his young age, Pastor Walter is very mature, grounded in God's Word, and has a genuine heart for serving his people and proclaiming the gospel. Although quiet and reserved one-on-one, his passionate fire for the Lord is apparent when he begins to preach. He loves Jesus, is a great speaker, and isn't afraid to proclaim the truth in love. It is great to see how God uses this man's gentle spirit to bring people to Him. We are so blessed to have Pastor Walter on our team and look forward to many more great days serving together as the Lord provides.

Wes