T.I.A.

On lake Edward (or was it Albert? It was one of those British guys) This pic has nothing to do with the post except to say, hey, here we are alive and well in Uganda ;-)

Naomi tried to assure me that it was perfectly normal for the Matatu "taxi" we were on (a small minivan crammed, as a rule, with 16 or more sweaty commuters) to suddenly go off-roading through a village neighborhood to beat the traffic on the main highway. I'm talking 45 kph down steep declines, through pot-holes that put your stomach in your throat, barely squeezing through the shanty homes on either side, and an assortment of livestock miraculously darting out of the way as we blast through the dirt trail. Needless to say, despite Naomi's attempts to reassure me, I still remain skeptical. "T.I.A." she would tell me - there's a movie called Blood Diamond that came out a while back, set in Africa, where, when after something absurd would happen, the characters would tell each other "t.i.a." (This is Africa). We found ourselves either thinking or saying this to each other quite often during our time here. Today we saw a large pickup with a couple farmers, two bulls, some goats, chickens and some maize crammed in the back. T.I.A.

Driving through Kampala, we got to see things that showed us a different side of the beauty of God's creation, and other things that made us crack up (like the way people unashamedly advertise their religion through their businesses - we passed a "God's Plan Supermarket" and a "Jehovah Jirah Hardware Store"), and some things that took us totally by surprise. One of the things that I wasn't expecting was the amazing number of ministries that have already been established here in Uganda. It seemed like around every corner there was either a church plant, a clinic, a children's home, or a Bible school. I was told in the states that there is a huge need in Africa for pastoral training, and with the huge number of horror stories of false teaching here and the damage it has caused in the church and in people's lives, I definitely believe that to be true. What I couldn't put together was how there could be such a great need for pastoral training here in Africa, while at the same time there are so many Bible schools and other venues available for pastors to get trained.

Here's what I've learned: Africa does not have a great need for pastoral training. Africa has a great need for EFFECTIVE pastoral training. So many pastors go through these schools or seminars or conferences, put on by ministry leaders with good intentions, and funded by churches and individuals with good hearts, and God can work through them in awesome ways. However, we need to ask ourselves why so much of the African church is vulnerable to false teaching and the prosperity gospel. We need to ask why so many of the pastors who attend these schools, seminars, and conferences remain unchanged.

I am still very new here, and I don't presume to have all or any of the answers, and I don't want to dismiss the work that God is doing through the different ministries here in Uganda. But one thing I've begun to pick up on is that for a lasting change of heart, substantial growth of character, and practical skills in ministry to take place in the lives of these pastors, long term discipleship MUST be a part of the equation. This goal cannot be achieved in the span of a week-long conference or even a few years in Bible classes. Without long-term, personal discipleship, we are not preparing anyone for ministry. Naomi and I feel that God has put a burden on our hearts for pastoral training here in Africa. Please pray for us as we seek to be a part of the solution in the most effective way possible. Sometimes thinking about all the challenges to this task can be overwhelming, but it is such an encouragement that Jesus promises us that it is he who will build his Church.

So many things here continue to surprise us. Hopefully soon we will be surprised by how God has used our flawed plans and efforts to bring forth his Gospel. And some day, darting through a sea of cars on a boda-boda motorcycle, we'll look back and see how God has transformed this place of darkness into a land that reflects his Kingdom.

Andrew

This is a short clip of the driving in Kampala...doesn't do the craziness justice, but it will give you a small picture(-: