Ugandan Graffiti (June 2014)



Trying to keep fit, Irene goes out walking most mornings before the sun gets too hot. One day she came across this picture painted on the outside of a rough house wall. Her first thought was that it was a cross and a foetus. She wondered if the person painting it had wanted to show that Christ was there for us at the beginning of our lives. Or maybe that the cross means we can have a new life. Then as she looked at the photo she had taken she wondered if maybe its meant to be a cross and an ear. Maybe the unknown artist was trying to show we should be listening to God. Sitting next to the cross and finding out what He wants for our lives. Either way, it’s certain here that the artist, child or adult, knows the importance of the cross, bringing God into their lives. (Being an accountant Malcolm thinks it’s God + ? = ?)

As we start to realise that our time here is drawing to an end we can only look back and reflect on the great things God has done for us through our time in Africa. We certainly feel we have been given far more than we have ever given out and that God has taken us to new levels spiritually as well as giving us a much deeper understanding of the difficulties and the joys of living in a developing country.

Sometimes things have been hard, others times have been great fun. Sometimes we have felt we belong here, other times we have felt complete outsiders. We have a whole new understanding of the word “patience” and of “spiritual warfare”. Here Christians expect to see God working in mighty ways to help them overcome their difficulties, and He obliges!

An example of their deep simple faith came with the withdrawal of International funding for the H.I.V. department to treat and test over 2,000 patients. We muzungus are tearing our hair out wondering how we are going to be able to keep the clinics running, but the local staff  just replied “God will provide”. It’s hard not to be cynical and think “yes God will provide because we are dashing around like mad things trying to get things organised” but some money has already come in, unasked for and totally unexpected; and although the future of the HIV project is far from secure we have enough to keep going at the moment. Maybe we should stop trying to do things in our own strength like Martha and take a bit more time to be Marys sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to Him.

Prayer points.

We thank God:

·        for the birth of our sixth grandchild (Eve) and the expected birth in June of our seventh

·        for our work in Tanzania and Uganda, over the past 6 years – the friends we’ve made and the things we have learned about God’s kingdom

Please pray that:

·        we can get outstanding work finished and have time to hand over day to day tasks to other workers

·        a western Programmes / Business manager is identified to replace Malcolm at the hospital

·        we find the right church in St. Neots, and understand God’s will for our future

·        we adjust to another peculiar and strange culture – in England!