"You mean our ancestors died not knowing this {the gospel}?"
How do you respond to such a question?
You plant a church in order that the current generation, and those to come, will not perish without a chance to respond to the gospel!
"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed, and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard, and how shall they hear without a preacher?" Romans 10:14
 |
| Zane ringing the church bell! |
 |
| The village. |
 |
| Preparing to teach the Word! |
 |
| The church body. |
As mentioned in "our story," the Lord had us in central Uganda for six years, working with an established bible college and then a church plant. However, it was always our hearts to be serving among an un-reached people group.
In 2006, during a pastors conference, a visiting speaker asked if anyone was willing to minister among the Acholi, a people group who at that time were still being ravaged by a 25 rebel war. Zane responded. But, it would be four years before the Lord opened the way.
Another part of the story is what happened when I {Summer} spent five days in the Northern Uganda in 2009, accompanying a short term missions team. While I was there, I felt the Lord whisper into my heart that this is where He was leading our family. My response lacked faith, "oh Lord, I would, if we did not have so many children. And remember Lord, our daughter has sickle cell anemia." The Lord said nothing more. In the meantime, we began pursuing the adoption of our Acholi son, the one I met on this same trip. This would prove to be a spiritual battle that raged for months {and now we know why}. You see, the Lord was going to use this little three year old child to open up a door to proclaim the gospel to an un-reached tribe in Northern Uganda.
One of the agreements we made with Ethan's clan was that we would bring him for a visit twice a year {despite the fact that he did not know them}. I was so nervous. My heart ached for Ethan, knowing his sensitive spirit. The day arrived when Zane and Ethan traveled the 10 hour journey to meet the clan. Needles to say, Ethan was an emotional mess, often strapped to Zane's back in an ergo. Zane soon realized, after using his gift of evangelism, that these people had never heard the gospel. In fact, they were shocked that their ancestors had died not knowing this "good news." At that moment a burden was placed in our hearts. Even though I was back in Central Uganda, my heart became heavy. I called Zane {not even knowing what was taking place} and told him, "this is where we are supposed to be ministering." He agreed...
