Button, Dan & Rosie, Uganda
Prayer Update March 2006
Dear Everyone,
The main excitement this past month was our national elections. Our Ugandan friends were extremely anxious as the day approached. Uganda has not had a multi-party election since the 60’s, and past experience made them feel that there was likely to be violence, and possibly military intervention, at some point. The day before Election Day we had our usual Wednesday night Women’s Fellowship, and Margaret Opol led it on the theme of “How to deal with worry.” Many Bible verses were pointed to which tell us Not To Worry! Why is that easier said than done?! In the event, the elections went off with very little trouble, and President Yoweri Museveni was re-elected for another term. The police dispersed crowds who met in Kampala to celebrate/contest the result, using tear gas and firing into the air – a firm crackdown on any kind of uprising. The other main candidate has challenged the result, but life is carrying on as before. However people feel about the result, they are all thankful that we had a peaceful election. Thank you for your prayers for this.
The other main excitement this month – for us! – is that Abigail has learnt to swim! OK, not a cause for national celebration… She loves it and it is so fun to watch.
A highlight of the month was a social evening organized by our Dean of Theology, Alfred Olwa, for the Theology students and staff to get together and get to know each other better. Students did sketches, and songs from their tribal areas, some of them dressed in their tribal clothes. Dan contributed some of his culture by playing two songs on the accordion! There was also a “snack” of chicken, chapattis, pumpkin and sweet potato, and the inevitable bottle of coke for everybody. It was a very fun evening with much music and laughter.
There has been grieving this month as well. I have mentioned in past prayer letters a lovely lady who has been in my Women in Ministry fellowship, who was one of our Theology students, called Peace Kwikiriza. She graduated with her BD (Bachelor of Divinity) last September, but is continuing here doing a Postgraduate Diploma in Education. (She is actually a student sponsored by Crosslinks.) We heard one Wednesday afternoon, during our Discipleship groups, that she had been called home to western Uganda because her husband was critically ill, but later we heard that he had actually died, in a fire in their home. It was such a shock of course, and a terrible tragedy. Peace is such a sweet, godly woman, and it has been hard to see her so sad. She has two daughters, one of whom (called Divine) is disabled. So Peace is now facing struggles, not only emotionally but financially as Divine needs medical help as well as all the usual costs of bringing up children. The day she returned from the funeral, I went with another student, Grace, to visit her, and found already at her house many of the female theology students and some of the women on the staff. We read Psalm 23 and the female Chaplain, Rebecca Ngerenye said a few words. It is the custom here to show love and support to a bereaved person by going to her house often and sitting with her, for about a month after the death. Please pray for Peace.
Another student, Isaac, was on his way home to pay school fees for his children, when his bag was stolen from the bus. He lost books and all his clothes, and the medication for the malaria he was also suffering with (but fortunately not the money he had managed to raise for the fees.) It seems that life just gets harder and harder for some. Please pray for our students, that God would provide their needs and protect them.
Last night our librarian Fred Mukungu led the Staff Fellowship on a passage from Philippians, about working together for the gospel. One point made was that we should pray and aim to be always a blessing and source of joy to those around us. Thank you for praying for us and with us as we work for God’s Kingdom here in Uganda. Please continue to pray for us as we teach, and for our friendships with the students and other staff members, and – as always!- for safety on the roads.
We hope you are all well,
With love and prayers,
Rosie Dan Abigail and Alex.
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