The Fire

On Friday the 17th our night guard Henry came to our door and said “There is a fire.” Now Henry is a man of few words so I should know that when he says there is a fire it must be a fairly large burn. But I went out the door expecting to see the trash pit smoldering and some small flames. I was stunned. One hundred yards away flames were rising twenty feet high. Works was on fire!

Works is an area owned by the Ministry of Works that for our first five years in Jinja was only an empty field. Then JB got permission to build a small shop to sell things (salt, sugar etc.) Soon there was a row of shops. Today there are over 500 people living there. Now their homes were on fire.

The homes are nothing more than whatever they can find to nail together. Scrap lumber, pieces of tin, plastic, and used discarded iron sheets for roofing. It is at best described as a shanty town.

The bars moved in about three years ago. The first one was so successful that two more opened up. In case you didn’t know, Ugandans spend a greater percentage of their income on alcohol then any other nation. So where there are people there will be bars. Then a video hall opened up. And the once empty field became Works.

By the time the fire was contained twenty-six homes had been destroyed and one hundred thirty people were left homeless. I sent Steven and Jacob over that night to tell anyone who needed a place to stay that we had set up andopened the church for shelter. No one came!

The next day we went to see the damage and God led us to feed the people porridge and set up a large tent for a sleeping shelter. That became the starting point. Most families affected by the fire found neighbors or relatives to house their kids but we still have twenty-two people staying in the tent.

Kelli, Jen Long and Bev have organized the feeding of 50-80 people every evening for the past week as well as gathering household needs for the displaced.

With the hard efforts of Johnny Long, Bob Peterson and the rest of the mission community we have started to help our neighbors rebuild. Businesses have responded by donating building materials and our compound has turned into a construction site. People have given support from America, Africa and Europe. It is a real blessing to be a part of this effort.

But God hasn’t stopped there! Four women gave their lives to Jesus Sunday morning and many others came to church for the first time. Sunday School was packed with kids. God has a plan for this neighborhood and these people. It will be exciting to be a part of it.

“There is a fire.” The fire on the 17th was only the start of the Refiner’s fire that is beginning to burn in our neighborhood! Lord, set our hearts aflame for you.