The Pastor who cares

Day 4 - Monday

Last night I was asked to preach the gospel message at Pastor Jonah's church. Years ago Pastor Jonah was called into the slums of Kampala to start a church. He met much resistance from the Muslim community. They burned down his first church building and threatened to kill him if he stayed, then the Lord gave him courage and an idea. He envisioned starting a school in the midst of the village and reaching out to the parents, offering to teach their children. The Gershibon Educational Center is a Christian school where the gospel truth is being poured into the hearts of these children. His school is now 160 strong -- Christian, Muslim, and pre-Christian. They are in the process of building a new school building for the children, but they have needs for school supplies such as books, pencils, paper, etc.. And the greatest need is to be able to pay better salaries to the teachers who are at present underpaid. They are often enticed to leave for better paying positions elsewhere. Pastor Jonah has asked us to pray and ask the Lord to open the hearts of some people back in America who might be willing to supplement the income of one or more of these teachers.

I had the privilege of exhorting the teachers to not to give up, for the work they are doing is great! They are laying up treasure in heaven. The work that they are doing matters in the lives of these children and for the future of Uganda.  The people around the village see the great work that is being done, and even the Muslims have started calling Jonah 'Pastor'. He is winning their hearts to Christ as they see him loving and caring for their children. He truly is the 'Pastor who cares".

Apart from this school, Pastor Jonah has 55 children in his home. He and his wife have adopted all these children and care for them. Today as we drove up to the house they were all waiting and chanting, "Daddy! Daddy!"  He would honk the horn twice between each chant. It was precious to see how these children love him and his wife. I'm weeping as I recall the sight of them greeting him. When I got down out of our "Safari" van, I was swarmed by the children and warmed by their smiles. We took a tour of the grounds. They have recently added some additional rooms for the children. One room, maybe 8x8, has two bunk beds (stacked 4 high) and sleeps 11 boys. I could go on and on about the conditions and needs, but instead I'll just say that the needs are great. We brought several of the suitcases from the "Fill the Luggage" drive that we had at the church. We handed out clothing, toys, and candy. Pastor Jonah said the children were so excited that they did not fall asleep until 2am!! A BIG thank you to everyone who contributed to bless these little ones in Jesus' name.

Tonight we have another meeting at Jonah's church. It is part of a conference he is hosting for the other pastors in the area. He has asked me to speak to the pastors. Please pray that they would be blessed and encouraged by what the Lord puts in my mouth for them. God bless!!!!

"I am doing a great work so I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down?"  Nehemiah 6:3