Church Conference, Crusade and Baptisms!

Every December UCFM churches gather for their annual conference.  This years theme was Grace from Titus 2:11-12.  It was a very timely and beautiful message to me and many others.  Josh did an amazing job sharing God's grace in a way we could grasp.  I pray we receive and out of thanksgiving share it with others.  May we become people known by grace. 

Teaching on the prodical son.

Grace and other youth taught the children.  Grace really enjoys it!

The girls danced.

The youth sang and danced with the thumb pianos.

We also went to Obule center to have a crusade one evening.  As always it was a powerful time of praise and worship, proclaiming the Good News, and inviting people to receive Jesus. 

The youth did a dance.

Some of the leaders singing.

Josh giving an invitation to receive the free gift of Jesus.

I love how my friends celebrate Jesus with singing and dancing!  It's a Jesus party!

Beautiful Baptisms! 
I was excited that the leaders felt God wanted them to do baptisms the last day of our conference. 
What a celebration of new life in Christ!

This lady was so excited and I was so happy to see her baptized.  She is at the High School where we began teaching FIC every week.  She gave her life to Christ through that teaching.  Praise the Lord!

Celebrating the Lord's supper together.

Children's class sharing Titus 2:11-12 and a song for everyone.

Emalai is not shy with a microphone.  She loves to sing and dance!  She did a great job.

Grace made a banner with the theme of the conference in Ateso.

Tis the Season!

We built a snowman today in Uganda!

He is so cute!  It was even a rainy "cold" day here today. 
However, this is Africa and we are now back to 80's and partly sunny.
I am thankful for the simple joys this Christmas season.

Just had to add baby Sunju who is now baby Jesus in the manger in front of our Christmas tree.  Love it!  (See previous blog.)

The Burial of Opio Martin - and Update

I just learned that one of the many medicines Opio was given was the cause of his death.  He was given like two months worth of this medicine for brucilosis and it caused the body to stop making blood.  This medicine is outlawed in America yet any uneducated pharmacists and even hospitals are giving this medicine - and killing people!  Just today another friend is sick and was taking this medicine.  The clinic didn't test anything, said it is Typhoid and gave this medicine.  (Maybe it is fine in small doses, but still!)  On top of that all, another teenage boy from the neighboring village died this week from the same anemia and the same medicine.  I HATE THIS!  Not to mention why were all the doctors from the bottom up not checking all he had taken to see what the problem was or what not to give him.  No one checked.  This is why there is no trust worthy medical care here.  If it wasn't that they the medicine they gave Opio for TB, which he did not have, could have killed him.  I feel so much anger.  Our friend did not have to die!!!  What injustice.  I find myself so sad and crying because his death wasn't God's plan it was a result of injustices and wrongs.  I don't really know what to do with all my sadness and anger.  Ok I know to go to God, but what do we do with this information and living here where it will continue to happen because the medical work just wants money (at the expense of people's lives) and people here just take things blindly.  I want to scream. 

So with all the anger I feel from the injustices, I have no choice but to forgive or be bitter.  I sat Friday with the Lord and cried thinking about forgiving all the medical staff and drug shop people who played a role in the death of our friend.  It is so hard.  They did wrong.  They caused an unneeded death.  They should be held accountable, pay for it.  I chose, didn't feel like it, to forgive each of these people I don't even know.  I could forgive because I trust God and He says I must, He will judge and have vengeance (I don't need to), and He will give me peace.  I forgave and now my anger is gone.  It is in God's hands.  I am free.

With our friends the day Opio died.

Opio's burial was very hard for all of us.  We said many times how different this burial was from any other one we have been to here.  There were lots of genuine tears, testimonies of Opio's life and serving the Lord, and an invitation to know follow Jesus.  The Sunday after Christmas we heard from people there too that Opio's burial was totally different than all other Ateso burials.  People were touched.

Opio was part of the Freedom in Christ choir all last year.  We found it very meaningful that the choir put Opio's FIC shirt on his coffin and buried him with the shirt.  So thankful FIC meant so much to Opio and he lived by it's truth.

The FIC choir sang.
The youth also sang "Bye, Bye Opio Bye, Bye".  Wow was that a hard one.

Josh preached at the burial and did a wonderful job sharing Opio's testimony and challenging others to also come to Christ and live for Him.

People here put "flowers" on the coffin.  (Ribbon bouquets)  The FIC teams gave flowers too. 

The final goodbye by the grave.

It is so hard to loose someone you love.  We keep seeing Opio's smiling face in our minds and thinking about all the good memories together.  Opio quietly and faithfully served the Lord.  Lydia is having a hard time.  This is the first death of a friend.

A few days after the burial we went to greet his father and see the grave.  Luka and Emalai did not go to the burial so it was good for them to see and grieve.

We were exhausted after last week.  There were almost three days of mourning and we were at the  burial was from 10am til 5pm.  It is a mix of being thankful it is done and not wanting it to be done because then it is real and really done.

I was so thankful for our church service Sunday.  Our church is our family and I am thankful Sunday everyone shared testimonies, talked and cried about Opio's death.  It is real and we are free to be real. Someone testified that people saw our church come together and show a great love at the burial.  It sounded like this community was effected by Opio's testimony and the love of his church.  I praise God for that!  Despite our sadness and tears, our church praised God Sunday in worship and it was such a blessing.  Josh preached another moving sermon on "Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted" timely message.  We have comfort because we have hope knowing Opio is with the Lord and will raise again.  We are also blessed when we mourn for our sins which leads to repentance.  Then God will comfort us.  People received God's Word and responded, many with mourning.  I know God is at work in our church and in us.

Thank you for praying for us.

Sorrow

Dear Friends,

Our friend Opio Martin died yesterday.  

We are feeling a lot of pain right now.  Opio was at our house every week for youth group or to see our kids and play games together.  He was faithful in church, served the Lord, ushering, singing and he had a servants heart.  We are all going to miss his smile, quiet spirit, and the encouragement he brought to all of us.

Opio was 19 years old.  He was finishing his last year of primary school.  God transformed Opio's life.  He was once an angry boy from a broken family.  I remember at the youth conference in 2016 Opio and many other youth gave their lives to the Lord.  Opio lived with his uncle and their family grew him up in the Lord.

It is hard to hold your children as they weep mourning a friend.  It doesn't seem real that we wont see him again.  None of us feel like having a funeral and burial for our friend.  Sadness and numbness.  

Josh was four hours away teaching at a FIC training when we got the news.  So he rushed home to be with everyone.  Emalai is sick which makes for one more thing right now.

Lydia, Grace and I mourned with our friends yesterday afternoon.  We walked to the home of Opio and wept with our friends.  It was hard to see the youth in so much pain - my girls right with them.  To watch everyone young and old crying.  Our hearts are broken today.  I held many youth.  There aren't many words, just being present.  We share the pain of loss.

We left with Samson to find Tom who had not yet come.  Tom and Samson were some of Opio's closest friends.  We found Tom on the path to his house and I have never seen such genuine weeping here among young men.  It was heart wrenching.  We all just held one another and wept.  We needed one another.

By the time we reached home we had about ten youth, whom I had welcomed, just wanted a place to be together.  For a while they played a game and it was good to hear them laugh but then it grew quiet and everyone was somber.  About then Josh arrived home.  He had Luka and Emalai who were crying as they learned about Opio's death.  Josh had his arms full with his own kids and the youth.

We all ate dinner together then shared why we loved Opio or a good memory we had of him.  I remember him having a servants heart when we repainted the church and he washed all the paint brushes, walking with him after Bible study and asking if he had forgiven his parents and he said yes, the first time he taught Bible study and he was so proud, and when he said he will never forget the question we challenged one another in youth group with, "Does this glorify God?"  Everyone had memories of Opio encouraging them.  Josh talked about how quiet Opio loved to share God's Word when we visited elderly people as a youth group.  Samson, who shared a room with Opio, talked about how they would share the Bible verses they memorized to earn a Bible.  One would start the verse and the other one would finish it.  None of us will forget his smile and him singing in the Freedom in Christ choir.  We ended the night praying together and more tears.  I am constantly so blessed by the youth here.  I am so thankful we could be together at a very hard time.

Opio's body came during the night with his father and uncle (from the capital city where he was in the hospital seven hours away).  Today people came to see the body, mourn, and prepare for the burial tomorrow.  A few hundred people sit at the house waiting for tomorrow.  We also went.  The body doesn't even look like our friend (he was very swollen when he died).  Most of my tears are dried up but some moments they still came.  We went into the house to see Opio's father.  He was not doing well.  He was already sick but now he is in so much pain loosing his only son.  He was almost uncontrollably sobbing.  It was really hard to see and we couldn't say much just sat with him in a dark hut with lot of other people.  He was so grateful for our help.  Opio's sister was having a hard time too and just couldn't stop crying as we sat with her.  

Although we are sad, we find so much comfort knowing Opio is with Jesus.  He is healthy and with the Lord!  We hurt but he is rejoicing.  We pray Opio's testimony reaches all the youth who have not yet given their lives to Christ.  We pray the burial tomorrow will proclaim the Good News and many will come to Jesus.  We pray even his own uncle and other family members will see their need for a Savior and put their trust in Jesus.

I will post a blog after the burrial tomorrow.   You can also pray for Josh who will be preaching.

Baby Esunju

On a lighter note, this is baby Esunju or Sunju.  (Ateso for pumpkin.)  We were given this pumpkin as a gift when we visited our friends.  Emalai thought it made a great baby (most things do to her) and she began carrying it around.  Grace then draw a face on it for her.  Malai loves her baby and she takes it to the table for supper and holds it during night time devotions.  Our neighbors ask about her about baby Sunju too.  It gave us all a good laugh and joy to see Malai and her fun imagination.  Slowly baby Sunja sits on the floor more and more but I am not sure we are up to making pumpkin pie with her yet.

And these are just for fun...thankful for a good laugh!

Betty

Our friends, Isaac and Betty, lost their youngest child Betty this month.  Baby Betty (I will call her that so you know it is the child and not the mother) was five years old and severely disabled.  She was a twin, but the other baby was born dead.  Baby Betty had hydrocephalus at birth and went to Cure Children's Hospital in Mbale for help.  She never learned to sit up, talk or do anything herself.  Her mother and siblings's constant love and care was a testimony to many people here.  Disabled kids are seen as useless even a curse and often kept in a hut all their lives.  I am the first to admit disabilities here are extremely hard and there are no resources to help the family.  You do everything.  So to see this kind of love in Betty and Isaac's family is to see the love of God.

It was a very sad day burying Baby Betty.  She was precious in her own unique way.  It was a hard day for Betty and the kids.  Their tears were real.  I was glad we could be there for them, give a hug and cry together. 

Pray for the family as they continue to find comfort in God.  I saw Betty today and she said it is a difficult thing to loose someone.  However, Betty is a women of faith.  She faithfully teaches Freedom in Christ weekly in her community and in the prison.  Because of Baby Betty's needs Betty could not do all the teaching she wanted to do and even had to give up her fishing business.  I believe God is now releasing her to even more ministry.  Betty is going to do even greater things for God's kingdom!

Mandy and Betty (on another day)

Pray for Opio Martin and Updates

Sunday Oct. 20th
Sorry to bother all of you on Sunday.  I write with a heavy heart.  We need you to pray with us for one of our youth named Opio Martin.  Right now Josh is driving him, his dad and an uncle to Kampala (six-seven hours away) to be tested for Leukemia or Lymphoma. 

Opio has been sick for over two months now.  He went from doctor to doctor being diagnosed with Malaria, Typhoid, Brusalosis, and TB.  He was loaded with medicines of all kinds.  It made us very sad to see him grow weaker and have no answer.  We have been praying everyday for him.  He would improve a bit then feel sick again.

Yesterday at youth group some of his cousins came to tell us Opio was dying.  Of course this brought Lydia to tears and we were all concerned.  Josh and I went over to see what was happening.  They were now told Opio was poisoned and giving him medicine for that.  We were honestly upset by now by all this.  He wasn't poisoned yet they were pumping him with more meds.  Actually, we thought that maybe all the meds were very much hurting him now.  Opio was awake and talked with us.  His complaints were weakness and headache.  After talking with many people we thought it best to stop all medicine, make sure he drinks and eats small amounts as often as possible, and take him to one doctor in the morning.  We all prayed over Opio and went home with heavy hearts.  It is so hard to know what to do here and who can we trust medically.

About an hour later the family was calling us to come and take him to the hospital now.  Josh took him.  The doctor said his red and white blood cells were seriously low (much lower than the lab work the week before) and she thinks it means cancer.  This was startling news to all of us.  The doctor wanted him to go the next day, today, to Kampala to see the cancer doctors and test for it.  

This morning before church and at church we continued to talk with people and the leaders to make a plan.  I am so thankful for our church.  We stopped the service to explain what was happening and all prayed together.  There were many tears during the prayer time.  I am so glad I am welcomed with all my tears.  It is really hard to see the youth, especially our kids, so sad and worried for their friend.

Our family went with Josh to get Opio.  He was so weak today he could hardly talk.  I told him how much everyone was praying for him and how much we all love him.  His dad cried as I gave him a hug.  My kids looked so sad sitting outside waiting.  Luka finally broke down a bit in tears.  We prayed with Opio and everyone before they went.  Malai had a hard time with Josh leaving and is very concerned for him.

Everything just feels heavy, quiet, empty...

Thank you for praying for us and with us for Opio, his family and the youth.  We pray they see a wise, caring doctor who can help.  We pray for kind nurses to care for them.  We pray for the tests to happen tomorrow and to give us clear answers.  We pray for a miracle of healing in Opio's body.  God is with them and able.  We put our trust in Him.

UPDATE  Thursday Oct. 24

Thank you everyone for praying with us for Opio.  We praise God for the many ways He has and is answering prayers.  We know He is the God who heals.  We are thankful that Opio's bone marrow test results showed no cancer!  However, Opio has Plastic Anemia.  This is where his body is not making blood.  It is serious but if they can find the reason or cause it can be treated or even stop.  One of the causes or plastic anemia is toxic chemicals, infection, or drugs.  This makes us think that maybe all the medicines Opio was given really did almost kill him and cause plastic anemia.  If that is the reason then being off all the medicines (he has been off since Sunday) he may improve by himself.  But we do not yet know the reason or cause so we continue to wait.

Opio's white blood count was down to 780 on Monday.  He has now had two blood transfusions.  

We are very thankful Opio is showing signs of improvement.  He has begun to eat again, he can sit up on his own and even walked yesterday!  Sunday and Monday were very long, hard days.  Josh almost broke down several times as he saw Opio's condition and the suffering all around him on the cancer floor at the hospital.  Josh was relieved when Opio finally smiled at him Monday night.  We thank God for kind and wise doctors at the hospital.

It has been an emotional week in many ways and there is so much more to the story.   For now we wait to know what is next.  We praise God for all He has done and is doing.  Josh came home yesterday.  Opio, his father and Dan (an uncle) remain in the hospital in Kampala.  Keep praying for them and for the cause for this sickness.  God will use this for His glory.

Thank you again for all your prayers.

This is Opio - always smiling!

Oct. 31 Update:

Opio and his father and uncle are all back home now.  We still don't know the cause of the plastic anemia but it appears Opio's body is beginning to produce blood again.  We give God all the credit for the miracle of healing and saving Opio's life!  The doctor was talking about treatments, bone marrow transplant in another country, or life long blood transplants.  But God has heard our prayers and is healing Opio.  May the Lord get all the glory!  

This week Josh took Opio to the hospital here to check his blood.  His red blood cells are now normal and his white blood cells are almost back to normal (doubled what they were).  This is amazing and we are so thankful.  The doctor said to check the blood again in two weeks.  

We visited Opio yesterday at his home.  It was great to see him up and smiling again.  He is still gaining strength from months of sickness.  I know it will take time.  I was worried to see he still sometimes stares off into space.  It makes me wonder if there is any long term damage from having so little blood.  I hope he will fully recover.  His uncle was there and expressed SO much thanks to us for saving Opio's life.  He knows how serious it was, that they had nothing to pay, and understands that all the medicines (and bad/false tests and results here) caused all of this.  We pray that God uses this to teach many people here.  And draws people to also put their trust in God.  Opio's uncle is not a Christian so maybe God will speak to him through this.

Nov. 8
Opio is not doing well again.  He has been in the hospital since last Thursday.  His white blood cell count is down again and he seems to be more out of it, down or something.  We are concerned to say the least.  The cancer doctor in Kampala wants him to come for the test to see the cause of the plastic anemia but I am not sure he can make it on a seven hour trip at the moment.  We are frustrated quite honestly.  Are we getting right answers, is he taking more meds again, is there more behind all of this, or is this how it is here?  

Ok, so now Opio did make it to Kampala and had the test.  We have not been able to talk to the doctor so we don't know the results, but Opio's uncle called and they told him they need 1.5 million ush ($400) to give Opio the treatment he needs.  He will need this treatment 6 times in the next six months.  Wow.  Josh and Grace went to see Opio, his dad and uncle at hospital today.  Opio is pretty miserable.  He has a fever, he hurts everywhere and is coughing.  So hard.


Keep praying!