Christmas in Uganda 2009

It starts very early. SMS from 2 of the 4 networks are free from midnight to 6:00am. So the cellphone starts ringing shortly after midnight. Close friends or distant acquintances, it doesn't matter send them a greeting.

Then the day starts at 5:00am as the staff begins pulling all the benches out of the church and putting them in the tent we had set up on Wednesday to hold the overflow on Christmas. That done it then starts to rain. Because of the holes in the tent all the benches have to be moved and turned upside down so the water pouring through the holes in the tent doesn't soak the padding on the benches.
Meanwhile the ladies are trying to begin cooking lunch but Julie's rooster is missing. So the search begins and continues until the first hint of light when the missing bird crows from his perch on top of the fence in the thornbush. The thornbush hedge is planted around the outside of the fence to keep the thieves from stealing the fence or any rooster that might be inside the fence when it gets stolen. (But that was last month's saga.) Anyway the rooster turns out to be very wise in that he has hidden 7 feet up in the thorns and Julie is only 4 feet nothing so he is spared from being a main part of the feast.

Now that it is raining you have to take poles and lift the tent up so the water runs off and does not collapse the tent. Just don't get too near the edge as you push off the water or you get really wet! Richard thought I looked very good wet and decided to help me get that way. At least he was having a good laugh before 7:00 am.

Finally people start to arrive at 9:30 for the 9:00 service and by 10:00 we begin. One problem, the program starts with 2 Sunday school classes singing but the teachers and the kids have not arrived. Schedule of service is changed to compensate and the missing teachers and kids instantly appear so the schedule is changed back and service begins. By now we have about 200 people with dry seating for 150 so people sit on the wet benches but at least it has quit raining as the tent space for 300 can't cover the crowd.

The music, drama and dance went well and there where so many former students(now all grown up) in the crowd doing the moves and singing the songs that people didn't know wether to look forward or back. They had a truly fun and joyous celebration.

JB's teaching was a great encouragement to us to live a daily life of joy and not just on Christmas. If we lived joyful lives everyday how much farther and faster would the good news of Jesus our Savior spread.

The celebration ended at 12:15 but the fellowship lasted another hour. Then everybody either went home to eat or walking in town. That is Christmas here at Calvary Chapel Jinja. Here's hoping your day may be drier but just as filled with joy and love.

Hail the heaven born Prince of peace, Hail the Son of righteousness!

Jesse

The lost wallet and the joy of Christmas

This week I and the rest of the staff of CCJinja have had the blessing of bringing the message of the birth of Jesus to the men and women in the Jinja prisons. It has been a fun, spiritually blessed three days of music, drama and preaching. The blessing for me this year has been in giving over the leadership role to either Steven or Simon at the prisons the serve. They did a fantastic job as well as Julie and Richard and all the young people who take part.

Today was our last presentation for remand and women's prison but after bringing all the equipment in setting it up I left to go load up 650 lbs. of rice back at the church. When I arrived I noticed my wallet was missing. My pocket had been picked or I had been careless and lost it. How foolish I felt and then came the anger at the man who stole it and the embarassment of having to tell the Officer in Charge. The only solution was to physically search all 600 men. It was going to ruin The Christmas Program.

Then I realized that my wallet can't ruin the joy of the sharing of the gospel. It is a minor incovenience to lose a driving permit. But it is loss of tragic proportions to keep others from coming to Jesus. And that is what I was in danger of doing to others because of myselfishness and desire to get that wallet back. I asked God to forget about the wallet and just bring peace, joy hope and love to the men. God changed my outlook and the day was a success! The inmates responded with enthusiasm people got saved and the prisoners were happy.

God was going to do that anyway but He let me see the joy that I was losing. He Knew what was true worth and He brought it! Salvation through His son, Jesus!

I hope you have a joyful Christmas with Jesus in your heart. For true joy is only found in Him!

Jesse

By the way, I did get my wallet back. The chief of boma (ranking officer in the barracks) was told where to find it and the OC gave it to me before I left the prison. Seems it was my heart that was harder to find than my wallet.