Spiritual Health Ministry Update

Praise be to the Lord for the things he is doing in Oyam. Of recent we had an evangelism mission in three nearby centers that is Barrio, Achokara and Abok. GRI was working in coalition with a team from a non-denominational Christian organization called Children of the Nation which is based in Lira, Uganda. The strategy used in the mission was to start by open air campaign followed by the Jesus Film. We had a team of nine matured people from COTN joining us for the mission.

On the 20th we arrived in Barrio which had stayed for some time without rain to water their land and the people started by asking us to pray for rain. Miraculously before we even started the campaign, there was a sign of a heavy rainfall which then started falling immediately we started the campaign. Speaking to over a thousand people, 18 adults and 64 children confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.

The 21st was a clear day and the move was scheduled for Achokara. Some new believers who had followed us at our camping site for follow-up were given Bibles when they requested for. We had pastors from other centers coming to witness what the Lord was doing. There was a session of speaking to the Pastors in the morning, then evangelism in the evening. It was such a blessing to have over two thousand people hearing the gospel and watching the Jesus film which ended at around 10:00pm in the night. At the end 29 adults and 92 Children confessed Christ as their Lord and Savior. So many people were prayed for, for healings and deliverance.

The 22nd was the last day for the mission and the team was to first go to Achokara for follow-up of the new believers then in the evening go to Abok for the last campaign. Just before the team left for Achokara, there came a woman carrying a baby plus a kid of a bout three years and she asked us for a lift. This is her story:

Stella Apio had taken her child to the hospital in Lalogi which is in Gulu district and she was discharged on the 22nd of May but she had no transport means to go back home (their home is in a village in Otwal, Oyam districk). Her husband had left the hospital a day before. We gave her a lift up to Achokara which was still some distance away from their home. She was counseled by one of the team members (Rose). Stella said she had been praying all the way for the Lord to send somebody to help her and indeed the Lord was faithful to her. Stella renewed her faith in the Lord and the team paid for her transport back home.

“The Lord has not forgotten or left His people, no matter whatever situation or circumstance we are engulfed in”

After the follow-up, we headed to Abok for the last crusade which was attended by around 2200 people. At the end of the crusade, 43 adults and 76 children gave their lives to Christ.
I give praise and glory to The Lord for what he did during the mission. Thanks go to GRI prayer team and everybody praying for us every time, may the Lord bless you abundantly. We are still praying for the Lord’s direction for where to have the next mission and we request you to continue praying for us.

May the Lord God Almighty bless everyone reading this testimony,
Walter Oyo, GRI Spiritual Health Ministry Director.

The Cows Come Home

Thanks to the generosity of Rock Creek Church in Colorado, we were able to donate oxen and bicycles to pastors in need from the villages where we work.  At GRI, we partner with pastors from various denominations and villages to assist us in evangelistic and outreach events, including open air teachings, Bible studies, and Jesus Film presentations.  A total of 40 pastors benefited from the distribution, which included 10 pair of oxen and 30 bicycles.  The gifts were given as a ministry so that those who received would also be able to help their church members when certain situations arise.  Oxen are used to plow the fields and are a significant asset in this agricultural society.

The day was one of rejoicing and thanking God for his many blessings.  Pastor Walter, the head of our GRI ministry department in Uganda, led the meeting and many church leaders had the opportunity to speak, sharing encouraging words from Scripture.  Members of local government were also there to show their support of the work 

GRI is doing throughout the district.  I was honored to be able to address the group.  I shared from Genesis 12:1-3 where Abram (later  changed to Abraham) was called by God and given a promise:  "I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  God was referring to Israel, and ultimately to Christ.  Through Abraham, God blessed the entire world through Christ's death and resurrection so that in Christ we could inherit eternal life.  When God blesses his children, he does it so that we may then be a blessing to others.  The blessing should never stop with us.  It is a "pay it forward" system of kindness, love and grace, and it is all possible because God first loved us.  "In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."  "We love because he first loved us."  (I John 4:10,19)

We praise God for his goodness, faithfulness, and unfailing love!  These pastors were overwhelmed with gratitude and greatly encouraged to continue laboring in the Lord as they serve the flocks God has entrusted to them.  Apoyo ma tek (thank you so much) Rock Creek!  God has blessed us through you.  And thank you to all of you who support and pray for the work here in northern Uganda.  It does not go unnoticed in the Kingdom!

-Wes

Continuing the Be Faithful Program

From Jolene (sorry, no pictures):
Our first 2 planned meetings with men flopped. We had our first gathering last Friday in Barrio. There were between 40 and 50 men with something like 20 children sitting in on the side.

I have no idea what to think of how the meeting went, so I’m just going to describe it for you. We started out asking the men what they already know about HIV so we wouldn’t insult them by telling them things they already know. It turns out that they know just as much information as I do about HIV - so how there are still 20+ new people registering with the HIV group every month really is beyond me. If you know how the disease is passed and have seen what it does to people, how are you allowing yourself to be exposed?!?!

One man said that it is a curse from God intended to punish prostitutes and adulterers (oh, and the ones that don’t get it are the ones God is protecting because He wants them to know Him). He even had scripture to back it up. They call HIV “the wasting disease” or “the thin disease.” Read Isaiah 10:16 and tell me what you think. Jen was mortified by the idea, but I personally was ok enough with it not to feel the need to argue it. We addressed it only briefly by saying that, if it is punishment for some people for adultery, but not others, the only sure way to keep from being punished in that way is to avoid the behavior that might get you punished. If you’re not committing adultery, is God going to punish you (and possibly the children you have after contracting it) with HIV? There are some issues with that argument since sex isn’t the ONLY way you can get it, but no one brought that up, so we left it there :-/

After learning that they already have all the info about HIV that we’d prepared, Jen had the wisdom to direct the conversation to fidelity. As we were discussing whether or not it is difficult to not sleep around, the men kept shifting the blame to the women for sleeping around. At first it was annoying, but a few of the men said things like “they are just so beautiful we can’t help but want to sleep with them” and “they do such a good job of making themselves desireable” which I found to be rather sweet somehow.

We wanted the men to take more responsibility than that, so we turned to Scripture. “What if the women ARE that enticing?!?! Is it more difficult to resist them or is it more difficult to deal with having HIV?” We read Proverbs 7 to illustrate that the temptation of an enticing woman is NOT anything new. For fear that the Ugandan way of “interpretting” scripture would get in the way of what the verses actually say, we had them act it out which was hilarious and disturbing at the same time. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or blush. Anyway, it seemed to get the point across.

What was very strange to me, though, was that when we tried to make the point about it being possible and necessary to resist temptation according to these verses, the men all changed their story and said that it was easy to do. After some amount of incredulousness and questioning, we got out of it that previously, it was difficult, but now, because of what we had taught them, it would be easy. I … I don’t know how we taught them anything. I’m so confused.

Some of the men (ok, maybe just 1) still tried to say that they would just use condoms or have the women they want to sleep with get blood tests before they have sex. We didn’t address the 2nd one, but if that comes up again, we’ll have to remind them that you don’t get a positive blood test for at least 2 weeks after contracting HIV. Are you SURE she hasn’t been exposed in that time??

To address the first, we illustrated the risks of an 85% effectivity of condoms. I made the man who was insisting that condoms were the only way come up to be part of the illustration. I’m pretty sure that he’d already been drinking and he was contrary enough to even be proclaiming that he doesn’t bother to use condoms all the time anyway. Makes me doubt a bit his abilities to use condoms appropriately enough to have even an 85% chance of having sex without getting HIV.

I’ll be honest. I’m skeptical about the men's responses to the meeting. They thought it was so great and helpful and wanted us to come back. The change in response was just too easy, so I don’t trust it. Also, if they already knew all of the information and that wasn’t making a difference before, why would it suddenly matter now? So, I don’t know what to do with that. I enjoyed the meeting. We’ll continue them in the hopes that somehow, some people who need the education might truly be learning something new.

Training and Equipping

Here is a recent, as of last week, photo of GRI's Field Medical Representatives. These representatives serve in 9 villages as facilitators and experts in our HIV Vulnerable Groups. Last week we conducted another HIV training session in Otwal. 15 FMRs were trained to a higher level in HIV/AIDS education. Everyone was excited to once again acquire the most up to date HIV facts and Uganda protocols. Our heart at GRI is to continuously train and equip Ugandans to better aide their families and neighbors. Education is empowerment!

Thanks for all your continued support to make all of this possible!
Shaunessy

We are now Ugandans..

Jolene and I realized that we were truly Ugandan the other day when riding the public bus aka "piece of cardboard" to Kampala. Please observe the attached photo for proper instructions on how to eat cassava:

Buy cassava (potato like food) from yelling men through window of bus. Then ask him to give you the small bag of salt and dump some on right leg. Return bag to him before bus speeds off. (You will have approx. 30 seconds for that entire interaction.) Then hold steaming roasted cassava in left hand and dip into salt with right hand. ENJOY!

It is a lovely treat and we actually look forward to the bus rides just for the cassava. I hope you all took good notes for when you come to visit!

Shaunessy

PRAYERS ANSWERED!

Whoa, our God is a God of huge miracles!! Earlier this week I had the great privilege of being a witness to God answering prayer. There is a wonderful ministry starting up here in Lira called Saving Grace Uganda. It was created by an American couple from Florida. I first met Alon and Valerie over a year ago and they have been such a blessing to our lives. They felt God's leading to sell all they had and come to northern Uganda and help children. After months of assessment, they saw that they could help with the many street children, mostly young boys, here in Lira. No other organization was helping these children, many of whom were previously abducted child soldiers. So now, many months later they house, feed, school and love 25 boys who previously lived on the streets. It is just amazing! Valerie had asked me a few months ago if I would educate these boys about HIV/AIDS and offer them testing if they desired. So a few days ago I took them to a wonderful place here in town to give them some education and to get them tested. One teenage boy had been tested positive previously. So before joining them at this testing center; Jennifer, Wes, Jolene and I prayed for them that God would have them all be found negative. After hours of education and answering questions the boys were called in individually to a room. I witnessed as each one entered, one by one, and heard the results; results that could change their lives forever. We all laughed and cried and praised God as He answered our prayers...ALL 25 BOYS were negative for HIV!!! This testing center has the most accurate testing kits so we can trust the results. That afternoon all 25 boys began the remainder of their lives with a clean slate and much education about how to make wise choices in the future. It was so exciting!! Praise God for protecting these young boys through all of their difficulties!


Amazed,

Shaunessy

Brothers and Sisters..

Greetings to all of you from Uganda. As I am sure many of you have heard, there was a very large cyclone that hit Burma a few days ago. Eventhough we are on a completely different continent and immersed in a completely different culture, those people suffering in Burma are our brothers and sisters. Many of us serving here in Uganda have also served in Thailand and Burma and feel a deep connection with those people there. Please join with us in praying that hope and healing will come to the multitudes who are suffering in that country and that many will come to know the love of Christ through this difficulty. I am so encouraged today that Christ's love is for all people, no matter the color of our skin or the language we speak!

Love,

Shaunessy