April 17, 2013
Dear Beautiful Friends,
These last months have been full of God’s provision and care in my life. I am overwhelmed as I consider all that God has done. Thank you for your prayers and support during this time. Please rejoice with me at the provision of the Lord!
Simon and Carina Gruber arrived in January, God’s special gift to me. I have been praying for new teammates to be able to continue to live and work in Karamoja. Simon and Carina are God’s perfect provision for my needs. Simon is an enthusiastic outdoors man who loves the Lord and is passionate about teaching God’s Word to the people here. Carina has a gentle and compassionate heart for people and for animals. As a vet doctor she will help us open doors into the community through animal health. I am very grateful for both of them.
When I had to say goodbye to our last truck, I wondered what I should do. I looked at the resources I had and decided to buy a motorcycle. A motorcycle is good for traveling between villages and can reach places that a truck can’t. So I bought a dirt bike (Yamaha AG 100) and expected it to be my primary means of transportation for a while (not my most favorite thought, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do). My first solo ride: Mbale to Kaabong, 416 km one way on the dirt roads of Karamoja. Beautiful scenery, gorgeous blue skies, open spaces. But, not going to lie, it’s not the most comfortable ride in the world (especially for that distance!). And, I’m not really over the ‘fear of death’ aspect of riding a motorcycle, so I can’t quite enjoy the scenery yet. Plus, as God provided new teammates for me, I recognized that it wasn’t the most practical means of getting around. Three people on a motorcycle, though common in Uganda, is not ideal. A motorcycle is a great thing to have as a team resource; it will be used for doing local things (like Bible studies or vet programs in nearby villages), but not for long-distance commutes (especially when we have to bring supplies for 3-4 months at a time). So I praise God for my motorcycle and praise God for His provision, but I also praise God that He enabled me to buy a truck as well. I feel so lavished in God’s love. He is providing not just the bare basics but He is providing for ALL of my needs!
Today I drove my new land cruiser for the first time! I love sitting behind the wheel, discovering this new machine. It was difficult to find a good vehicle at a decent price in the maze of car lots and con-men, but I prayed and I believe God directed me. My friend Aaron, a mechanic, checked this one for me and gave me the OK, so I went forward with confidence. I look forward to the many adventures I will have in it. I look forward to all the places that God will take me. I look forward to seeing what roads God will open up for me and for the ministry. This vehicle is a physical reminder of the presence and the provision of God in my life. In a week where I am faced with changes and challenges, it is God’s gift to me to remind me that it is He who is keeping me here, He who is guiding me, He who will sustain me. Thank you to every person who contributed to this provision. You have been more than just a blessing; you have been a tool of ministry to me and to the people of Karamoja. I am dedicating this vehicle to the Lord, to be used for Him to the utmost of His glory.
For those interested, I bought a 1993 Land Cruiser VX, turbo, 4x4, 80 series with a rebuilt engine. It has a study roof rack; good tires (with two spares), high lift jack, flood lights and even a small frig! It’s also a really pretty silvery color. I think it will be good for the roads of Karamoja. My only complaint is that it’s an automatic, I would much rather have a manual, but you can’t have everything!
On January23, I began a ten week training course with the Baptist Mission. My teammates for this training were a delightful mix of people- Simon and Carina Gruber were from Germany, John, James and Elice were from South Sudan (Dinka), Teko Simon, Ngole, Nalobe were from Uganda (Karamoja), the Lewis Family was from America, the Jeriamidass Family was from India/America. How amazing that God would take us from all these corners of the world and put us together in Lotim!?! This is the church. This is the body of Christ. We are united together through the blood of Jesus Christ, through grace, through love. We are called together by one commission “Go into all the world and make disciples…” And we have come together with one purpose, to be strengthened and equipped for the work that Jesus has called us to.
Throughout the course of this training we lived in simple mud huts with thatched grass roofs. We fetched water from the borehole at the bottom of the hill. We lived without electricity of any kind; kerosene lanterns were our only source of light at night. We cooked over charcoal fires and ate only pocho, beans, rice and small amounts of produce. We lived simply so that we could more aptly identify with the peoples around us. There is sacrifice in living simply, there is discomfort, frustration, hardship, but there is also joy and true gratitude for the provisions that we have. There is growth and learning as we humble ourselves and choose to do the hard things.
Two days a week were dedicated to going out to the villages. Our task was to find people of peace and to build relationships with them. It was exciting to see how God directed each one of our paths to different villages, to different people whom God had prepared to welcome us. It was wonderful to build relationships with the local people and to practice language. I was hugely encouraged that by the end of the training I was able to tell a very simplified story of Jesus healing the blind man in Ng’Karamojong- and the people understood it!!! Slowly, slowly I am making progress. Someday I pray that I will be able to speak the Words of Jesus to the people of Karamoja fluently. For today, I rejoice in this small victory and press forward with the task of language learning.
God used our village visits to plant seeds of truth and we pray that those seeds will someday bear fruit. The above picture is of a man named Hunington. Hunington was an elder in a village that Simon and Carina visited, but soon he became a friend to all of us. He was a true “man of peace”, a man of influence that opened his community to us through hospitality. He was also interested in spiritual things and showed a keen interest in the Bible. He had completed the equivalent of third grade and could read at a very basic level, but when we gave him an Ng’Karamojong Bible, he was thrilled. He began to carry the Bible with him everywhere and read passages with enthusiasm. And because he was a respected man, people would listen to him as he read. Though he reads slowly and has no Biblical knowledge, we believe that God will teach him and use him to share his word in this community.
After starting relationships and seeing God at work, it was difficult to leave the Lotim area. This is the area that Tom once dreamed of settling our team, it is an area that I have hoped would someday become our home. But the logistics of living in this remote location are daunting. During the rainy season it will be nearly inaccessible by any kind of vehicle. So we continue to pray for guidance and direction for where we are to settle. In the meantime we rejoice in the partnerships that God has given us for the sake of the Gospel. Here in Kaabong (about 23km from Lotim), God has raised up three local men who have hearts to serve the Lord through church planting. These three, Ngole, Nalobe and Teko Simon participated in the training with us. They are amazing guys and I know that God will use them powerfully to be witnesses to their own people. Please pray for them as they begin their ministry. Pray that even if we are not able to live and work in Lotim, God would send others (such as these) in our place.
The training was an answer to prayer, a provision of God for all of us. It was the perfect introduction for Simon and Carina to begin their work in Karamoja. It was a safe place for us to get to know one another and to see our strengths and weaknesses in action. God is so good! This training provided us with a new beginning for the next chapter of ministry for my team.
In order to live in Lotim for the training, we needed to provide the community with a borehole. This fulfilled a need for the community as well as satisfied the practical needs of the training. Water is a need. Butte Bible Fellowship in Chico raised the money for this borehole but unfortunately, the actual cost of the borehole was much higher than we expected! But it was no problem for God, He was already at work providing through another organization (in association with the Baptists).
This is a privilege that most people in the world have never experienced…
The Future:
A few months ago I was meeting with my area leader and she asked me “How has Jesus kept you today?” Jude 1 “To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ…” This is a most excellent question, one that has stuck with me today. In writing the above I was reflecting on the keeping power of Jesus in my life. He has given me these physical reminders that He is at work. He is keeping me here, He is providing for my needs so that I can physically remain in Karamoja. He has also kept me in my calling. As circumstances have changed, people have changed, situations have changed, God’s calling on my life remains the same: His calling to obedience, to be poured out for the sake of the Gospel, to the glory of His name. He has kept me in His love. In situations I feel lonely, His love is enough. As I learn new culture, His love abounds to me to enable to me to love others. His love is deep and powerful, it is sustaining. I am here because Jesus is keeping me. Apart from Jesus I would not be here, but because of Jesus I am filled with joy and I partake in abundant life.
How is Jesus keeping you today?
As I look at how Jesus has kept me up to this point, I know that He will continue to keep me in His perfect will. But I would appreciate your prayers as we continue to seek God to know where He wants us to go and what He wants us to do. We have enjoyed a positive relationship with KACHEP for this last year, but we feel that God is moving us forward. Our heart is for the people who do not have access to the Gospel, which means we need to move out from Nabilatuk. We will continue to live and work in Nabilatuk alongside KACHEP until God shows us what to do. We are walking by faith.
Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support. I am so glad God put you on my team!
With love,
Summer
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