Ministry Partners,
Today was a late start as we only have one prison to visit and we hope they will bring the women in so we will only have one crusade since the O.C. asked us to be there at 2pm. If we need to do two it will take us to dark again.
As we travel, we see lots of construction both large and small.
There are still many new things I observe every trip although this is my 21 time to visit Africa. And today was one of those new things for me to observe. I had heard before about the women who visit and come around hotels and truck areas to make money but I had not noticed them. Probably because I am usually so tired that I just want to eat and get to my room. But, today as we went for a late for us, 8am breakfast, we sat at a small table on the far side of the room with Aaron and I sat facing the far doorway and Alfred faced me with his back to that doorway. A number of men were there before us and they were enjoying their food. After choosing items from our comped buffet breakfast and sitting down and after prayer I looked up to see a woman standing in the doorway. She looked around the small room and then before entering, she reached up and pulled down the elastic neck of the blouse she had on, exposing almost her complete breasts. I felt sorry for her, that she felt she needed to expose herself in an effort to attract men and make money. After a bit, another woman appeared and sat with her. Aaron said he saw them the night before and that they were h…s.
We drove about an hour to Hoima, arriving about 10:30. Since we had time Alfred said even though it was early that we needed to find a place to stay because years ago when we were here, there was a convention in town and we had to go to hotel after hotel after hotel to finally find a place to stay. It was a good idea as he found room for us at the very first hotel we stopped at. Stairs are difficult for me due to my back and right hip issues and Alfred tries hard to find rooms on the ground floor but today that was not possible. Although I have told Alfred a number of time that I do not need the best room, he always chooses the best one for me and less nice ones for him and Aaron. So today my room has a bathtub (VERY unusual for here but so helpful to soak my sore back in) air-conditioning also rare in the areas where we are and where we travel, a tiny fridge so we can all have cold water. Alfred does such a good job finding us decent rooms in the price range he has to work with. There are some very expensive hotels here but they are out of our price range and we cannot stay in areas where the prices are really good as our van would get robbed. We need to stay where the hotel has good parking inside an enclosure with a guard at the gate. He tries hard to get our rooms for around $100 each. That is why renting the hotel cottage in Kampala for $250 per day, actually saves us money.
As I am enjoying my room and getting most of this blog written, the guys are resting. They can both “sleep on a dime” as I might say at home. They both work so hard translating for me, driving the van, loading and unloading the IRM crusade supplies at every prison, schlepping my luggage, keeping connection with the O.C.’s before we arrive, finding places for our lodging, seeing to whatever repairs are needed to the van or equipment are done and also getting directions for the new prisons where we have never been before. I get to ride in the van, take photos through the windshield, write this blog’s, eat, sleep, preach and whatever Alfred’s tells me to do because he has found our schedule had to change.
Well, today was a first for sure, I preached in a downpour, using only my voice and no microphone and when the rain stopped, I preached in the mud. It was a truly AMAZING day. Alfred contacted a pastor from the area since he would be able to do follow-up.
We arrived at the prison at 2pm but it took about 30 min. for them to gather the 800+ men and women inmates. The men were mostly in front of me with the women on a covered porch area to my right. The men were under a roof overhang around three sides and the men were also were in the huge open are in front of me. They had set me up in the center of the open area but I was in the full sun so after a few minutes I spotted and tiny area under a part of the overhang that separated the men and women so I went there. As I explained to the prisoners that the sun was too hot for my Muzungu (white) skin, they laughed out loud. But, it was harder then because the women were a bit behind me when I faced the men so I had to keep turning around.
We discovered that some spoke Swahili and some Luganda so when I preached Alfred translated into Luganda and then Aaron translated into Swahili. I made a mistake a few times and staled to speak before Aaron had translated because I am so used to speaking as soon as Alfred finishes. We were about to do the salvation object lesson when there was a HUGE clap of thunder and the rain started to fall. The prisoners in the center all started to scatter, trying to also get under part of an overhang. That meant now most could not see me and as I looked to the center area …… there stood Aaron and Alfred as if to say, “Come on Mom.’ So, I left my area and went out to the center area and continued to preach as the rain drenched my hair and cloths. Alfred smiled broadly as he stood with me, translating then in only one language as Aaron was trying to get my microphone to work. I finally told Aaron to forget it that I would use my loudest voice and Alfred’s microphone still worked as did Aaron’s. The rain slowed a bit and we were able to do the salvation object lesson and I gave the salvation invitation. Prisoners came running into the center area with their hands raised high in the air and those still under the overhang also had their hands raised. Hearing their beautiful strong voices ask Jesus to forgive them and be their Savior as the rain also fell on them is something I will never forget. Then the rain stopped as quickly as it began.
We did the Discipleship message using the gold cape and crown and a new believer was my volunteer. He was very pleased when I told him he could keep the crown. We moved then to the “Forgiveness” portion of the crusade as the prisoners concluded our time by following me in the “Forgiveness Prayer” that God gave me in Rwanda in 2005 that I still use today every where I have the opportunity to talk about forgiveness.
The O.C. appeared and said we had to finish so we were not able to do the “Apologizing” portion of our crusade. I gave each women one of the donated nylon backpacks to keep their things in as well as crochet caps for the four children that were there. Thank you Canby Foursquare Church ladies for the caps.
I said goodbye and Merry Christmas to the prisoners and blew a kiss to the women as I left who giggled and waved back.
When we arrived back at our hotel I realized how muddy my shoes were as was the bottom of my dress. I had been soaked by the rain clear through to my underwear. So, as we waited for dinner I bathed and put on dry clothes and sent my shoes to be washed which I have always done myself before but I was tired tonight and I had to was my dress. Then I decided to finish this blog making myself ready for dinner and then bed actually by 9:00 PM.
I trust my Savior and for whatever His eternal purposes were He allowed the rain today and He equipped IRM to do their part.
Tomorrow we have two crusades to do so I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep.
Thank you for your continuing prays and for your comments to my posts, they are an encouragement to us.
That none would be lost,
Arlene
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