Back in Kaabong

      

   

Yesterday, we loaded up in a small van, kids in toe and headed to the end of the black top to meet J. Lira was where the good roads ran out. J had stopped on the roadside and purchased two bags of roasted pork, a Baganda specialty. We met J early afternoon, loaded his Land Cruiser, and made the mad dash to Kaabong. 

    We were now midway in a ten hour day on the road. Loaded with gear, we bounced the rest of the way to through Karamoja, five adults, three kids, and a dozen chickens. It was a good trip. We pulled into Kaabong just before dark and were greeted by old friends and new. Ngole was one of the first. He looked quite noble setting there on his big bicycle, smiling and waving his hands.         

          Being back in Kaabong was sobering. The basecamp had never looked so good. Even in the dark, it was clear that so much had happened in the six months that we had been gone. Our home was now a home of others. My garden had been planted by another and my coffee plants seemed to miss me more than the rest. The weather was cool. A soft breeze moved among the buildings and we were together. We sat at table enjoying spaghetti, cold Coke-a-Colas, and overdue conversation. It was a memorial night. The kids swarmed each other. They talked and played and enjoyed getting on each others nerves. 

cont:     The next several days were wonderful. We were encouraged to see all that God has completed in Kaabong. When we left J and Susan were the only ones there. There are now eight Adults working full time form Kaabong. Three days of meeting rendered a renewed and clarified vision for Echelon's future. The biggest focus of the year will be a multi-etnic multi-month training. This will be a huge amount of work for everyone. Pray for the upcoming Echelon church planters training. 

          We were honored to spend time this the expanded team. But it had to come to an end. Sadly we left and bumped along the road for ten hours back to Kampala. Wed. we head back to Kuajok.   

To Write or Not to Write

  

        

       

My blogging hiatus has finally timed out. To set at a computer and put thoughts to blog was more than I could manage for nearly a year. I questioned many of my superficial beliefs about life, relationships, ministry, even writing. The core beliefs stayed in place but much of the practical side of living came into question. I would like to include a few things that helped me move past blogger's block.

Time: I have found that time really does help to heal most things. One of the best pieces of advise           I received during my dreadlocked years was that time would fix a bad dread, it true. Time allows one to step back and see the panorama of life as it unfolds. It is easy to focus on the negative, when taking things one difficult day at a time. But, step back and let some time pass and look at life from a broader point of view and honestly, the good days out weight the bad and things don't look so dim. Writing takes inspiration. Inspiration is like fuel. It runs out if not replenished. Often, we simply need time to rest and time to find a renewed inspiration. 

Reading: The older I get the more time I spend with my face in a book. I try to read broadly and keep up a steady diet of novels, nonfiction (i.e. biography, history, theology) and science. I have discovered so much of human nature in reading novels and science books at the same time. G. B. Shaw has taught me to not judge all people by my "middle class morality" and S. Pinker has taught me to look at life as the interplay of constants and variables. Hugo taught me beauty. Twain taught me humor. Hemingway taught me wonder. Chomsky taught me to question. Melville taught me the art of reading. And B. Franklin taught me resolve. The most inspiring novel I have ever read is most certainly by Curt Iles. The book changed my life, but not by prose nor plot. Curt is my dear friend. He now spends his time making the message and person of Jesus more knowable to the people of equatorial Africa through his work in refugee camps touching the lives of many from DRC, South Sudan, and Uganda. I had never read a novel written by a friend until now. I guess I always thought books came form the printers of publisher, not the minds of men, women, teachers, shopkeepers, politicians, and a few missionaries. Curt puts his pants on the same way I do and if he can put words down to screen, maybe I could as well. 

Communication: There are a few people in my life that truly help me to sort out my thoughts. I have a good friend of mine that has that talent. We have a good conversation about once a month and swap emails about twice that often. He has a unique ability of asking the right questions, which directs my line of thought and allows me to come to my own conclusions. Another such person, is my father. I talk with my father once a week. The conversations are always insightful and wise. My father's openness gives me an advantage over most men. Benjamin Franklin once said, Any old fool can learn from his mistakes, it is a wise man that can learn from the mistakes of others. My father's vulnerability has fostered many deep conversations. He is direct, yet caring and always empathetic. He doesn't hesitate to offer a gentle rebuke when needed. We all have those people in our lives. However, it can be a challenge finding those people in a sea of acquaintances. 

Hardware: For me writing is spontaneous. It is difficult to make myself write when I am not "in the mood," I have always been like this. But, when the mood hits me I need to write it down. Year before last, my wife bought for me an iPad mini. This has been a great little device for keeping up to date on social media. Recently, I bought a Logitech keyboard for my iPad a

nd a few days ago, I downloaded the Blogger app, I am using it now. The combination of hardware and software gives me the ability to write when it suits and publish when I have internet.                                                                       

a Poem

It is not by chance we came this far
We bear together every scar
For easy is the wound to heal
When boar by brothers through every ordeal
We are four and each a portion bear
The pain the joy even despair
Pressed hard on every side
Christ as our mortar
We will not divide

-written one difficult day. Warrab, South Sudan

Praise the Father of Lights

Spirit of Power

I am burdened to see so many of my generation that think that living like Jesus means being nice and going to church. This is a lie. Jesus was about spiritual freedom and relieving oppression from sin and Satan.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…

                                                                                                                        -Luke 4:18

If Jesus is our model, how then shall we live? The problem is compounded by a culture that pushes us to ignore the Spirit all together. At best many of us fall into a weird dualism, which relegates the spiritual world to a part-time position. It is no wonder that we have lost our fortitude. However, Jesus said:    

           

            But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will            be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

                                                          -Acts1:8

Is it not amazing these words “you will receive power”? The sad fact is so many of us have no concept of our true power. The dissidence comes when we are faced with some difficult situation and we choose to use our puny human power instead of God’s mighty and terrible strength.

The point of life is not doing but being.

When I first arrived in Africa, I brought with me a lesson from an older brother in Christ, Elbert Smith. Elbert taught me that my most important task is not doing but being.  

      And he appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he                 might send them forth to preach, -Mark 3:14 

As 2012 began, I thought that I had this scripture figured out (complete with life application), however, I am discovering that I still have a long way to go. As I wrote about what God was teaching me in a previous post, I was learning that my greatest daily need was to be with Him. I needed to be with God daily. However, ten months into this journey, I find that my mind is flooded with thoughts of doing, not so much on being. Where does this come from? Why am I so obsessed with doing things? As I take an objective look at my culture, I see that Americans come from a performance driven society. I remember my days as a forklift driver just north of Memphis. Third shift was not my forte, however, I did like working with less traffic in the warehouse. Yet, my performance grade, as calculated by the big computer, was not the best. As a man, I struggle with finding my value in life in what I do. If I do a good job, people like me, and think well of me. If my work is sloppy and poor, then people think less of me, even my self-perception is too often defined by my performance. But the truth of the faith that I affirm is not inline with my cultural beliefs. I am loved by God not because of the work that I do for Him, but because I am His son. 

Honestly, I like doing more than being. Doing makes me feel important. There are days in Kaabong when God says to me, "Robert, today I want you to just focus on being with me," my response; "Is that all?" What a poor view I have of my own sonship! 

Holding on for Dear Life...

           The past few months have been a whirlwind. Our team has experienced our greatest highs and lowest lows. The first six months in Africa were difficult to say the least. We came here with the vision to be salt and light but most days we felt like we were only surviving. Life in the bush takes a tremendous amount of effort. At the end of each day our team was spent. Not that good old tired feeling, but the one that makes you sick and desperate. I knew that we could not last long in that state. But, for a season, a servant of The Most High can take a lot and not be crushed, so we pressed on with little rest. My mind began to wonder; What is our purpose here? Are we to burn out for HIM and make way for others, are we to plant, harvest, or water? (I ask too many questions.)

Then something happened

The Spirit moved.

            In one week, we saw a handful of young, well respected men turn away from their previous life and follow Jesus. The second day of their discipleship, more people came to the meeting saying, “We want to be baptized.” We (the missionaries), said, “before you can be baptized you have to repent, believe and follow.” I am sure they were confused at what we were saying, because the response from our two-day old Christian was, “We know, we told them all of this and they are ready.”

            The first generation of KJ believers had immediately called others to repent and follow HIM. For more stories, check out the Echelon Blog.