Meet Beckham

Meet Beckham.  No, not that Beckham.  The Beckham we met a few days ago may not lead the charmed life of the famed footballer, but he has a joy in his heart that puts the rest of us to shame. Take a look and see if you agree!

Highlights

We've been on the go, and without good internet, for much of the last week!  Here are the highlights in pictures to get you caught up!

Future shoe makers in our Gayaza Project!

Gifts from the Gayaza Project team - a new dress, a Uganda t-shirt, and two pairs of sandals.

Justice leads the Kamwokya kids in a song.

Hanging out with a few of the many children with albinism in ECM projects.

We brought four laptops to Africa for various projects. Here is Dennis in Gulu receiving his computer.

Speaking to the Tegot Atoo children in Gulu.

The chicken project is up and running in Gulu.

Baboons on the road between Kampala and Gulu. Always fun to watch. One even jumped on our hood!

In Tororo, little Jessica, focus of our 2015 Christmas letter, sits peacefully.

Stacy receives a gift in Tororo with the children looking on.

Final two of ten Afayo classrooms built for St. Paul Primary School. See the old classrooms to the right?!

The wheel hub broke on the Afayo truck on the way home from the village.  Rough roads! 

Some Sad News

You never want to hear the pilot interrupt your flight to say "I have some sad news."  For the first time in our lives of flying we heard those alarming words.  Barely 20 minutes into our flight to Entebbe, Uganda, we had just watched our plane do a complete 180, heading back to Nairobi, so we were expecting some kind of update from the cockpit.  It was almost a relief to hear the announcement that there was a only minor problem with one of the wings that kept the plane from getting as high as needed, and the pilot had been advised to return to the airport.  Honestly, I had quickly imagined far worse scenarios when I heard the words "sad news."  We arrived in Uganda 2 hours late, but safe and sound.

What is it that makes us worry?  What is it that makes us think the worst?  Is it just our human nature, something that is almost impossible to control, or is it a simple choice that we make each day?  Jesus certainly didn't allow it as an option in our lives, (see Matthew 6), yet we still do it all the time.  And truth be told, the world we live in could make a person worry themselves to death.  These days, the upcoming US presidential election is enough to do that.

Listen, no matter what happens to my airplane, no matter who becomes the next president, and no matter what the economy will look like in 12 months, God is in control.  Always has been, always will be.  End of story, and end of worry.  Don't let the world's sad news cause you to forget the Good News!

Here's some more good news: we just completed a successful training workshop for the Ugandan staff.  We are blessed at ECM to have such competent staff on the ground doing ministry!  Keep them in your prayers!

ECM Uganda staff hard at work during today's training workshop.

By God's Grace

Haven of Hope children helping to lead worship at the Sunday morning service.

Ghanaians are fond of saying "by God's grace, I'm doing well" when they are asked how they are doing.  They seem to understand that all our blessings come from God, who continually shows us mercy and grace!  I'm not quite so good at that.  It is easy for me to forget that my very life is a gift from Him!  I have a friend in Uganda who starts almost every prayer with, "thank you for life and breath."  I take it all for granted.  But whenever I travel in Africa and visit with my African friends, my perspective changes, and I am reminded of my need to thank God for even the simplest of things: for the sunrise, for a safe trip across town, for a hot meal, and for good health.  Being thankful is a choice.  Let's all make a point to thank the Giver of all good things for His love and blessings!

Our trip has gone well so far!  We have visited with many staff members as well as ECM missionaries Jim and Carolyn Driscoll.  The staff workshop that was held on Saturday was a big success, and everyone had a lot of fun (and may have learned a thing or two as well!).  We were blessed to be a part of the Haven of Hope worship service today, and tomorrow we are off to the Eastern Region to visit one of ECM's projects, plus the newly started piggery.  More meetings on Tuesday, and then off to Uganda on Wednesday.  Please pray for us as our journey continues. By God's grace we will carry on!

What's in a Name?

Elmina Slave Castle - Ghana

Over the years we have been amused by the shop names we have seen on African roadsides.  Today, while driving in Ghana, two in particular made me smile: I Shall Not Die Motors (wanna buy your car from them?) and Father Forgive Them Gift Shop (what kind of gifts do they sell, anyway?) I've seen a hundred others like these over the years, but they still make me laugh.

But another name I read today did not make me laugh. On the contrary, it bothered me greatly.  We were at the Elmina Slave Castle on Ghana's "Gold Coast," where we got a first hand glimpse of how slaves were treated before being loaded on ships as cargo and sent into a lifelong prison in a foreign land.  The cruelty made me cringe.  Within the castle, there was a plaque above the grave of one of the castle's governors.  The plaque called him a Christian man of great character.  I don't make a habit of judging people, even ones who have been dead for over 300 years, but the words "Christian" and "character" did not seem to fit the man buried below.  This I know: as I wear the name "Christian" I had sure better bring honor and glory to the one I'm named for.  After I'm gone, I don't want someone to think about my life and wonder how I could have ever called myself a Christian!

Hope Springs Eternal

Growing up as a baseball fan in the 70's, I learned the meaning of the word hope.  Hope is what kept me following my favorite team (the Tigers) through the dog days of summer, when they lagged behind in the standings, and any reasonable person would have thrown in the towel.  Hope is what made me check the scores in the newspaper, to see how my team fared long after my parents sent me off to bed the night before. Each spring, hope was awakened, giving new life to the dreams that had been dashed the previous year.  As the old saying goes, "Hope springs eternal." 

For Christians, the word hope has a much deeper meaning.  The Psalmist writes, "But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish (Ps 9:18).  Yet as Paul writes, "Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently" (Rm 8:24-25).  There is an understanding that in this world we will have trouble, but Jesus gives us his peace, enabling us to continue to have hope despite difficult circumstances.  Hope is not our final destination, but is what enables us to carry on until we reach it. 

As Christians, we are called to bring hope to the afflicted.  At ECM, we believe it is our responsibility to give the hope that Jesus offers to those most in need. It is the hope that God has not forgotten them, that he has a plan for them, and that he will one day not only rescue them from their distress on this earth, but will also give them an eternal reward.  Now that's worth hoping for!

Off the Street and into the Family

Pastor Mupepe and two street boys who now attend his church, Jacque and Reagan.

At ECM, one of our most important ministries is our outreach to street children.  Ministry to street children is one of the most difficult ministries that an organization can be involved in.  The life issues that these children face are extremely complicated, and either contribute to the reason they live on the streets, or are a direct result of living on the streets without a home or a family. In the past couple days I have met six boys who live on the streets, but who have received assistance from ECM staff here in Congo.  Let me introduce them to you:

• Henok is working now as a carpenter’s apprentice, a three year program that will prepare him to open his own shop.  His participation in this program is a result of ECM’s ministry in Kinshasa.
• Jerry completed his apprentice program recently and now has his own shop near his trainer. 
• Jeancy and Gloire are working as mechanic’s apprentices.  This program is also three years and will allow them, upon completion, to get jobs as mechanics.  Like the carpenter’s apprentice program, the mechanic’s program is part of ECM’s ministry to street children.
• Jacque Bombele is an albino child.  His family abandoned him because of his albinism, and he was forced onto the streets, where he was constantly ridiculed and discriminated against.  He was taken in by the church of Pastor Mupepe, where he was introduced to Jesus through the loving actions of the church members.  He accepted Christ as his Savior and can be found in the church every Sunday.  Actually, he can be found there every night, since the building serves as his “bedroom” as well.
• Reagan was kicked out of the house when he became a Christian, by his parents, who adhere to traditional African religion.  Out on the street, with no where else to turn, he was taken in by Pastor Mupepe’s congregation.  Like Jacque, he sleeps in the church building, since he doesn’t have a home to go to. He accepted Christ as his Savior, and plays the drums in church every Sunday morning.

Each one of these boys found hope and a reason for living in Christ; but that hope was made real through the loving actions of Christians.  Hearts are softened to receive the gospel when we live out our faith through our actions!  These boys face countless problems as they go through life, but with a loving family to help them, and a Savior who will never abandon them, they have a chance to make something of their lives.  Reagan and Jacque even expressed a desire to go out on the streets and help other children who once, like them, lived without hope.  To all of you who have helped ECM bring hope to the forgotten children of Africa, THANK YOU!!

Sunday School at Pastor Mupepe's church. A great way to welcome street kids into God's family!

One in Twelve Million

Some of the ECM Kinshasa staff.

I felt different.  Of course, I might be expected to feel different, being one of only a handful of Caucasians in a vast sea of Africans.  But today I felt different for a reason other than my skin color.  Sitting in a traffic jam, which is how I have spent much of my first few days in Kinshasa, a city of twelve million people, and, seemingly, twelve million cars, I could literally reach out and touch the van full of children that was “parked” next to us.  Since we could not converse, we just looked at each other.  I smiled, and the kids smiled back.  Then one of them took his thumb and forefinger and placed them on his nose, and proceeded to pull his fingers away from his nose, as if to say to me, “My, what a long nose you have.”  I’ve never given much thought to the length of my nose, but after his little charade, I couldn’t help but think how my nose was different from his.  In a sea of twelve million short and sometimes pudgy noses, mine certainly did seem out of place.

When you live in a different culture, you can’t help being different. You think differently, you act differently, you look different; you just are different.  But in Christ, our physical and cultural differences ultimately mean nothing.  We are all one in him, becoming children of God through faith, having been baptized into Christ.  To paraphrase Paul, there is neither American nor African, black or white, short nosed or long nosed, for we are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:26-28).  As I spend time with my new Congolese brothers, I am grateful for this truth. I am grateful that though I may be one in twelve million, I am a part of the family of God, united with those of every race and tongue.  What a blessing it is to have been adopted into his family, and to be a full heir with Jesus! Like the old song says, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God!"

This is my first trip to Kinshasa, and my first chance to meet the ECM staff who

faithfully serve here.  It is so good to finally meet them!

No Greater Joy

"I have no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in the truth."  3 John 1:4

Georgina was just seven when she, her siblings, and her mother moved to the capital city of Accra in Ghana in search of a better life.  But the elusive “better life” they sought was not to be found, and their lives became even more difficult than before.  While just a young child, she was forced to sell water on the streets, and to take responsibility for her siblings and even her mother, who could not care properly for the children.  They slept out in the open, on the streets.  A healthy meal and comfortable bed were just distant dreams.

Within a year, Georgina was found by ECM staff and invited to Bible studies and Sunday School.  Eventually, because of her great need, she was brought to Haven of Hope, where she, for the first time in her life, had enough food and clothing, and a nice bed to sleep in.  She received a Christian education and began to succeed academically.  Most importantly, she learned more about Jesus, and today, now in high school, continues to walk with Him faithfully, committed to helping others in the same way she had been helped.  She says, “I’m really happy because I have Jesus, and I know that he wants me to serve Him.”

Like the apostle John, we have no greater joy than to know that these children are walking with God. Georgina is just one of the many ECM children who has benefited from your generosity over the years.  But as these children get older and progress in school, their education and living expenses continue to rise.  Basic sponsorship covers only a fraction of the cost for our older children.  That’s why we’ve created the Secondary School Scholarship Fund.  Donations to this fund will allow us to make sure that Georgina and other ECM secondary school students are able to continue on the life-changing journey that ECM has helped begin.  Click here to make a donation to the scholarship fund today!

Elections and Snowstorms

This winter has been relatively mild here in Northwest Indiana. Maybe that’s why the snowstorm that is blowing through as I write seems all the more significant.  While this storm is by no means the biggest one we’ve ever experienced, it is a big change from what we’ve gotten used to this winter!

In Uganda, where ECM operates ten projects, the political climate has been relatively mild for many years.  There have been occasional uprisings from the dissatisfied, but for the most part the country has been stable, and the economy has been on the upswing. Unfortunately, it appears that a storm is rolling through the country, and prayer is much needed.  In the middle of February, the country held a presidential election, as they do every five years. Once again, as he has in every election since he took power in 1985, President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected to office.  About fifteen years ago the law was changed to allow unlimited terms for the president, virtually assuring that in the case of Museveni, he would be in office until he retires on his own, or dies.  Aside from obvious political issues with this policy, it has left many Ugandans feeling cheated and mistreated.  So much that the possibility of post-election protest and violence is very real.

Today, please take a moment to pray for the people of Uganda as they navigate this difficult time in their country’s political history.  Pray for our missionaries and staff who live and work in various parts of the country, that their work would go on without interruption.  Pray for the children and communities who we strive to help. And pray that as we get caught up in the drama that is our own presidential election, we don’t abandon those whom others have forgotten.