Team Building African style

So there I am in a dark 20 foot storage container trying to enlarge an 8mm hole on a piece of steel plate with a round rat tail file. It's 11:00 ast night, my hand hurts from the incision I made while cutting the sidewall out a used truck tire to mount bull horns on an old landrover. That's when Dr. Jean starts to tell me how we're the intelligent ones on this crew. The humor of it all gets us to laughing and soon the entire team is cutting up and it is just another gorgeous full moon night in Africa.

Dr. Jean and her hubby Tom are setting out on Sunday, the next morning, along with Ryan to scope out their new ministry location in Karamoja. As a precaution we are mounting Ankole cattle horns on the front of the landrover to assure the people of the area that this is the vet who can heal their cattle. That explains the bull horns. The filing is to enlarge the hole on the steel mounting plate that supports the horns. As hard headed as the bull's skull may be it seems that when you drill into it, it may wander a bit, the hole not the bull. Although the bull would probably wonder what you're doing. Anyway the filing works and we get the bolts in place.

Now comes the rubber from the tire. I had sliced my hand about 2 inches long and 3/16 inch deep cutting the sidewall to make a mounting cushion for the horns. I must admit that this was the sharpest I had ever gotten a knife blade to be and when I sliced it I felt no pain. Kelli started to worry about the amount of blood seeping out of the wound and went and got a rag from Bev to wipe up the spill before someone slipped on the slick spot. However Bev picked up on the implications of Kelli's question and asked "How badly did my husband cut himself?" That's when Bev came outside to join Ryan, Jean, Tom, Kelli and I in this team building moonlight adventure. We had already decided to use the soles of Ryan's sandals instead of the tire rubber since the smell of the shoes might be greater than the smell of the bull horns, so I had cut myself for nothing but it still was funny.

Anyway we finally finished about midnight and the horns look great! Not very loud but they do make a statement.

It is hard for all of us to think about Ryan not being here in Jinja full time but God has opened a great door of opportunity for the team to minister in an unreached area. The mood is a bit somber at the thought of Ryan, Tom and Jean leaving but we are resilient in Christ and He makes changes as He sees fit. The travelers will be back for Ryan's farewell party on Saturday the 3rd.

Lord give us strength to rejoice in what You will accomplish through our friends even though we will miss them so much.

And thanks Lord for healing my hand.

Tearing down and building up

What an awesome difficult week it has been! The Lord has had alot to say to us here in Jinja. Neil Ortiz, Sandy Dunn, Mark and Deanna Pilcher and James and Priscilla Clovis arrived last Friday and Saturday to serve here for three weeks. They have been a real blessing.
Monday was the start of a three day Pastor's Conference and it was painful. As Neil and the others shared, the Lord convicted me, and I hope others, that there are still many areas where I need His touch to change me. I feel like the clay in the potter's hand in Jeremiah 18:4, that was formed yet was marred so the potter reformed it, shaping it as it seemed best to him. That reforming is uncomfortable but necessary so that we grow in Jesus and not become set in our ways. Then we can continue serving our Lord.

Sandy's presentation of the Gospel is truly unique. He is a drummer who takes cast off items and beats out the rhythm of messages from God's word. Anger, worry, being broken and being used in a new way with others in the body of Christ. Truly amazing inspired messages.

So that is how the conference went. God using one message to tear us down and then using the next to build us up. Painful blessings! It is one of those things that only God can do which is good as that kind of power left in the hands of man could be very dangerous and debilitating. But in God's hand it is humbling and exhilarating. Every message was impacting, convicting and life changing. Neil, JB, James, Mark, Doug Calhoon (senior pastor CC Fort Portal) all brought the word with great power and authority.

It was truly painful but it has reminded us to never settle for anything less than Jesus. Let Him be the potter tearing down what was marred and building us up in Him.

The Stress Factor

What is stress? To me it is that pressure behind the eyeballs when you're not quite sure what's about to take place or even what has just happened. I am lucky as I have a built in stressometer. My left hand! When I'm stressing it flaps around like a free range chicken that's been hit by a truck. Sort of like now. Actually anytime I have to speak or write something it stresses me. At least that's what my hand tells me! But the amazing thing is when I get my words right on paper or in speech it stops shaking completely. So I know when to shut up or what not to say. I still get my foot stuck in my mouth alot but thats more stupidity than stress.

Others exhibit stress in their own way. Some cry, others get beligerent. Some get sarcastic while others get apologetic. Some get hyper and can't sleep but others become lethargic and can't wake up.

So what do we do with stress? My solution is to STRESS. Stop Taking Relatively Everything So Seriously! When I stress its because I don't think I can say the right things at the right time. And you know what, I'm right. I'll never be good enough by myself to say the right things but if I just let Jesus have control of my mind and heart the right words will come from him. And then the arm grows blissfully still.

If I follow the STRESS principle I won't have to control everything or worry about every detail becase Jesus wants me looking at Him work through me. When I don't follow the STRESS principle Jesus has to work in spite of me.

If I follow the STRESS principle I won't have to know everything since Jesus wants me to take every thought captive to Him. And since He knows everything I don't have to. Then I can live by faith being sure of the outcome I hope for.

If I follow the STRESS principle I will get the needed things accomplished for they will be a joy for me to complete. I'll have a smile on my face doing every task because Jesus is letting me help! Ever watch a child help his Dad? He can be serious but still have so much fun. That's what Jesus desires for us. To be serious but to also enjoy the work.

Next time you are stressed take a deep breath and take a close look at yourself. How funny we must look to God when we are so serious and God is saying "Lighten up already!" Sorry that's my paraphrase. God says be "Joyful Always".

Hey the arm stopped flapping!

The highs and lows in life

Life is filled with high points and low points. You never know which is going to come or when they will come. But both will come. The Bible makes it clear that we will struggle in life to understand all that God is doing around us. You just trust your life to Jesus and know he is there to share the joy and the sorrow.

This week we sent JB, Martin, Julie and Alice to Bushenyi for the traditional introduction of Walter the Plumber and his wife, Privah, at her parents' home. It went well and they arrived back home this evening around 5:30. They had a good time but there were some problems; however they were dealt with gracefully and all our people came back safe. It was a real blessing for the bride and groom to have a few close friends from Jinja stand along side of them. It showed Privah's family that her husband Walter is a man respected by the community he lives in and by the church, the body of Christ, that he is a member of.

Upon their return JB received word that His cousin brother passed away back home in the North. It hurts to lose a close relative but it is even harder when all eyes turn to you for help. That is the position JB is in. But sometimes there is nothing you can do. Distance, time, money and circumstance all seem to come against you at once. At moments like these Jesus is our only hope, comfort and provider. I feel sorrow for those who don't know the Lord Jesus. JB is heartbroken at the loss of his brother but Jesus will see him through. Already another brother has stepped forward to bring the dead brother's body home. That is an answer to prayer that lifted some of the burden from JB. Jesus never fails!

It grieved me deeply to see my brother JB in so much pain but Jesus is the God of all comfort. His mercies are new every morning. He will bring a new day and a renewed hope for JB's extended family. Just as He brings new hope to all of us who trust Him. Pray for JB and Grace and give thanks to God for He never leaves us or fosakes us.

The lows come and so do the highs of life. The only constant is Jesus!

Quite a week

I figured I had better let people know what's been going on of late. Last week Dennie Krivo came and spent a few days with us. It was a blessing having him here to bounce ideas off each other. Dennie has agreed to be on our board of Elders to hold me more accountable. One of the problems with the culture here is that it frowns on challenging the big man whether he is a pastor or mayor or any authority. It causes men to go unchecked until the time comes to remove them. It's one of the reasons democracy struggles on this continent. You don't stand against the incumbent unless you are sure to defeat him or your name will be ruined. So if you want change here you are more likely to see it come by the gun than the vote.

The same is true for pastors. No one says a word to them when the sin is creeping into their life. It is only when they have broken their qualifications and have to be removed that anyone speaks. Hopefully Dennie will keep that from happening.

Saturday Bev and I taught another marriage seminar, this time in Kajjansi. It did not have a great turnout but the 20 people who attended had a lot more chance to discuss problems so it was still very good.

Then Sunday I was blessed to teach the 3 services at CC Kampala. Bless Bev's heart she sat through all three services. It made the weekend very long but the highlight was spending time with Josh Carlson the asst. pastor. Another guy that always blesses me with his wisdom! At Calvary Kampala I am always amazed at how many people there, have been in our church in Jinja either as regular attenders who have shifted to Kampala or have just visited us in Jinja. The body of Christ is a very living thing.

The front page picture on the newspaper Tuesday was of two little old nuns arrested for growing marijuana in their banana plantation. Police said it proves that marijuana is habit forming.

The other interesting article was "Two murdered, one in comma." Police said at first doctors thought the victim was in an apostrophe but on the bottom line it is a comma. If he is the murderer, will they pause before they sentence him? That's all they said period

That sinking feeling

Do you ever get that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when all your confidence is gone and you know you are being hung out to dry? Me neither!

Actually I had it today. I traveled with Anthony the welfare officer from Main Prison and Annet his clerk to Kayunga to visit the home of Yusuf a former condemned prisoner who is about to be released. Yusuf has been in prison for 23 years and we needed to know if his family would welcome him back. As we approached the town the man in white threw up his arm, let me rephrase that, he raised his arm and directed me to stop. In years past this would mean he is hungry and is looking to get money from his prey for lunch. I relish these moments because we are sticklers for keeping the vehicles road worthy. And the traffic police look for any little defect to write you an on the spot fine. (One time an officer even demanded that I use the windscreen washer to prove it had water in it.) The truck was running good so I confidently gave the officer my license. Then he asked for the truck's insurance certificate. I said it is on the windscreen. Then he looked and said, "No, the real one." I said "It is there. That is the one." "This one is expired." "Are you sure?" Yes it died March 30th." I reached for the glove box knowing that I had the paperwork in there. Oops, it was dead too. That sinking feeling started and got worse when he pointed to Anthony and asked "Where is this man's lap belt?" I started to sink faster.

"What shall I do with you." Not wanting to pay a bribe, I was reminded of the garden of Eden when Adam was caught red handed with his tooth marks in the fruit. He said "Lord, the woman you gave me made me eat it." So I said "It's my wife's fault."
Since Bev wasn't there to defend herself I blamed her. "But you are driving this vehicle..." as he continued I decided that the only thing to do was be straghtforward. "How much is the fine?" "40,000 and you must not move till you have insurance." I reached for my wallet dejectedly knowing all I had brought was 41,000 Ugs. Not wanting to waste his day, Gerald (funny how you get on a first name basis here very quickly) told me "William you go get insurance in town and then show it to me on your way home." I quickly agreed with this plan. One small problem. Today is Martyr's Day a national holiday. Everything was closed. Return of the sinking feeling. But God is gracious and we found a small insurance office at the taxi park. The sign said, "Rio Insurance-when all you need is a piece of paper."

After getting the insurance we met Yusuf's family. 5 kids from 25-15 years of age. Only problem is that Yusuf has been in prison for 23 years with no conjugal visits.
That sinking feeling came back. It finally left when visiting his parents. They informed us that these were his brother's kids. We had a good visit and feel assured that Yusef will do well when he is released.

God is good. He let us find everyone we needed to talk to and even got us insurance and lunch all for the incredibly low price of 41,000 Ugs. Jesus is good indeed! And to top it off as I entered the driveway the left front tire went flat. Thank you Lord for seeing me home!

Mister Fixit

Today was fixit day. Fixed a lawnmower, a ceiling lamp and a microphone. It should be easy but it never is.

I started with the lawnmower but got interupted by a phone call. As I was talking on the phone I mentioned to the other party that I had to go back and finish the lawnmower. I saw Bev's eyebrows raise which is no mean feat as she was facing away from me at the time, and heard her say,"I know you will fix the light in the closet this morning like you promised me last night." The lawn mower quickly lost its number one priority and the closet light took it place.

Now for the first ten years of our stay in Jinja I never had to worry about the closet light going bad but then I never had a closet either. Well the closet that I now have is a dark and forboding place so Bev had asked me to put a 100 watt bulb in the fixture. This is about 40 watts above the rating and when the bulb burned out the fixture crumbled in my hand as I tried to replace it. Its the same result we got as kids when we put a flood lamp in our friend's sister's Easy Bake oven. The cooking process is greatly speeded up but the life of the oven drops at an alarming rate. Same with the light fixture! Go figure.

Before I could go buy a new fixture I was interupted by Jordan and Steven whom I had instructed to paint the garage. Well it used to be a garage but now it is now a two room apartment (after a short stint as a two room chicken coop). Anyway they went and bought the paint so they also got the new light fixture. While waiting for them I tore the lawnmower apart and cleaned the air filter. It now had to dry so I went to work on the microphone. Just about the time I realized that I would need a soldering iron the light fixture showed up. So dropping the mic, I went back to that dark closet and installed the new light. I am now officially my wife's hero!

Then back to the mower. It needed a part welded so I gave the piece to Davis and sent him to have it welded. So I went back to the mic. Doing what I could which wasn't much, I then was interupted by two phone calls and lunch. Then Davis returned with the welded part so I reassembled the mower up to the airfilter which still needed to dry. I headed to Main Street and bought a meter of solder for 2000 shillings and a brand new soldering iron for 8,000 Ugs. 4 dollars isn't too bad. At least some things are still cheap!

I soon found out why I didn't have a soldering iron already. It takes three hands to operate. Since one of my three hands has a pretty good shake to it what should have been a 15 minute job took 2 hours. After finally getting the mic back together I tested it and it worked! At least I assumed it worked. It made a horrible screetching sound when I sang into it and since that is how I sing it must be working properly.

Then Davis wanted to run the mower but by that time I couldn't remember where I had put the air filter. Eagle eyed Ryan found it in the dirty dishes, Hey if I knew how it got there or why it was there I'd tell you so don't ask. Then we installed the filter and Davis mowed for 5 minutes before the rain came.

So to celebrate a successful day where there is now light in the dark closet and short grass in the yard and horrible screetching sounds from sound system, everybody watched a movie together. I saw the opening and closing credits but not much else.

I'm tired and going to bed. Honey, what do you meant the light won't switch off?