[Please Note: I am publishing this and the balance of posts for Uganda after returning on April 26. Power outages and lack of Internet access prevented updates in the last several days.]
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he found one of great value,
he went away and sold everything he had
and bought it.
Matthew 13:45-46
A Tale of Two Pearls
Saturday saw a great contrast in experiences from morning to afternoon.
We accomplished in a short time on Saturday morning what we had hoped to get done on Friday. We exchanged some dollars for shillings (1705 to 1), we picked up a camera battery charger (PTL!), and we stopped at a new shopping district to pick up a few supplies.
Our Ugandan friend, Bright, was so pleased to show us around his Uganda. He is up to date on all things technological (iPhones, computers, and HDTV – which he wants even though Uganda doesn’t broadcast in HDTV).Bright was especially keen to show us the new stores – a supermarket and a discount store – think Super WalMart with a Starbucks-type coffee place thrown in for good measure. Inside were all kinds of foods (processed with filtered water), products (made mostly in China), and people (all rushing after the latest thing). It was fun for a little while.
Then it hit me: will the developing world run after globalization and worship the gods of materialism like so much of the developed world? What will become of the 1,000s of little stands that families depend on for their only income? What does it mean to be truly "developed?"
What pearls is the world chasing after? What pearls am I chasing after?
Saturday afternoon brought into view a better Pearl.
A few hundred people showed up to march for Jesus and celebrate the beginning of Words of Hope Uganda’s gospel ministry. School children in their uniforms, choirs and praise teams from area churches, and many parishoners showed up to walk through the streets of Seeta’s markets, neighborhoods, and even the main road to Jinja to celebrate Jesus.
The march was led by the diocese’s boys brigade band. The leader, Davis, is on fire for leading youth ministry in the area, and he is a band leader with passion. We took home a list of brass instruments he would love to have. If you have a brass instrument you’d like to give, let me know and we’ll see if we can make a dream come true.
After the march, the people gathered in the hot sun and sang and prayed and listened to preaching to bless the ministry. The bishop also led a beautiful prayer for the gospel to reach the unreached. The day ended with a soccer match featuring Christian players from the national soccer program. They shared the gospel during timeouts and many young people came out for the event.
Here’s what I learned from this gathering of people: From their joyful determination to proclaim Christ, their absolute joy in the Lord, and their delight in making Christ known at every opportunity, they are showing to the world that they have found the Pearl of Great Price.
It is said that Uganda is “The Pearl of Africa,” but it is clear that for the Christians in Mukono Diocese that Jesus is their Pearl of Great Price.
As a post script, I want to share that one of the children’s groups was a Compassion Children’s Choir. The local church partners with Compassion International in their school program. I know that many families at Trinity support a child through Compassion. From what I witnessed, I can share with confidence and joy that Compassion is doing a great work.
