Field of Dreams?

"Are there any places where the diocese needs help with AIDS work," I asked Rev. Canon Captain Titus Baraka. I asked because the recent Sunday School class on AIDS in Africa had asked me to have my eyes open for partnering opportunities where I was going - things like orphanages or medical facilities.

Titus' answer surprised me:

"We do not feel we need more AIDS medical help from churches. There is plenty of medication available and wonderful people do that work. What we desperately need is to counsel people dealing with AIDS, their families, and their children. There is much hope if they will only allow themselves to be tested and treated."

Both Titus and his friend in ministry, Rev. Canon Steven Kazimba, have taken in AIDS orphans to their homes and know the devastating impact.

This is Titus' dream: to 1) help young people deal with sexual pressure and other temptations, 2) to educate people in the parish about how AIDS is transmitted and prevented, and 3) to counsel people who need help and courage in the face of AIDS and other problems. Many people don't want to get tested because they'd rather die than face the prospect of humiliation. Yet, if tested and found positive for HIV, there is much hope for a longer life and a healthy child. So, the biggest challenge is helping people deal with depression and denial. Many also do not want to go into a church building for help, but they will gladly go to a building outside of the church and speak more privately to the pastor or lay counselor. To that end he is developing an expanded lay counseling program called "Bethesda Christian Ministries Uganda." (He had no idea there was a Bethesda Counseling ministry in the USA.)

In any event, I couldn't but help think this might be a field of dreams to help with. Why not pray about what the Lord would have us do? I could see a team of our own trained counselors coming and helping to train lay people in Mukono. I could see us helping to fund the building of the center.

God is doing amazing things in the midst of great need. It's a joy to see the resilient faith of the church and unending efforts of Christ's servants.

Say a prayer to tonight for Titus' dream.

Uganda Day 3 - Evangelism 101

Monday, April 16

We got to sleep in, but the neighbor of the Guest House played the bag pipes at 8:30 a.m.! It was a tune called "Scotland the Brave." Oh my, rise and shine :)

We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Uganda Christian University and topped it off with a fresh fruit pineapple smoothies.

Rev. Baraka took me to the site he hopes to build a counseling ministry and a studio for Words of Hope Uganda. I hope to write another post about that alone. It is Titus' "Field of Dreams." Could it be Trinity's, too?

Beginning around 4:00 p.m., I was taken to St. Dunsten's parish for the first of the week-long mission outreach. It's a circular church building with an outdoor stage built into the steps. A university Campus Crusade team from Kampala led Praise and Worship, followed by a powerful testimony from a student. about 200 people filled the lot - many children and teens.
Then it was my turn - I preached the message "In Jesus, I am invited" from the call of Levi. The same student who testified was my translator. She covered for my cultural mistakes and probably made me sound better to them than I was. It was the first time in my life that I was the absolutely only white person in a group of people that size. It was good for me to taste that.

The alter call was given by the university chaplain - a fiery evangelist who looked a bit like Barak Obama and every bit as passionate as Tony Campolo. I was totally the warm-up act!

Many children and teens responded to the call, but I'm not sure what the call was, since it was in Luganda. After they went inside the church to meet the pastor, the evangelist invited people to come forward for healing and deliverance. The follow-up report the next day is that several people came back to the parish to turn in witchcraft items and other animistic materials. Praise the Lord!

I was completely outside of the norm, but totally at home in the Lord. A special experience I will never forget.

Again, thanks for your prayers.

Uganda Day 2 - Church

Sunday, April 15

Church!

David Bast preached at St. Luke's parish and I preached 2 of the 3 services at the Cathedral on the campus of the Uganda Christian University. I don't yet have a picture of the outside, but it is an old stone building, with wide-open windows (no glass, no screens) - very basic and sparse, in the shape of a cross, stone floors and thin red carpet down the center aisle and chancel area. Acoustics are wonderful for singing and preaching. Despite the austere setting, the sound system was state of the art and they even have a projection system not unlike the one at Trinity. Here's the rundown of worship:

7:00 a.m. Luganda Language Anglican Liturgy service

Very formal, reasonably full sanctuary, an old electric organ, and the Book of Common Prayer service read in Luganda. The service lasted for 100 minutes. I preached my Easter message from Trinity through a translator.

9:00 a.m. English Service

Very informal, overflowing with all generations. A praise band with two keyboards, guitars, and a drum machine led worship. Songs like "The name of the Lord is a Strong Tower," "Blessed be the name of the Lord," "More precious than Silver," opened the worship after a time of confession. Later we sang a variety of hymns with an African rhythm. Amazing joy filled the room. At each service, I preached from an elevated pulpit that kept from walking around :). At this service people would applaud after a point they especially found helpful, and at the end of the sermon, there would be extended applause and "Amens!" The service lasted about 90 minutes.

11:00 a.m. Luganda Choir festival service at St. Luke's

We transitioned to hear David's third sermon at St. Luke's. We thought the service would be almost over, but by noon, he hadn't yet preached, and the service lasted until 1:3o p.m., all in Luganda.

So, Lauren was in worship from 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with only 90 minutes in English!

The day ended with a dedication service (5:00 to 7:00 p.m.) at St. Luke's for the week of evangelism and launching the radio ministry. The Anglican Church of Mukono Diocese is partnering with Campus Crusade for evangelism for training and Words of Hope for broadcasting, in hopes of reaching more people for Christ. Lay people trained in evangelism came from all over the diocese to spend the whole week doing door-to-door evangelism, and the Bishop came to the evening service to pray for them.

I hope to post more later about the week's schedule.

Thanks for your prayers.

Uganda Day 1 - Cultural Immersion

Saturday, April 14

Although I'm writing this on Sunday, let's talk about Saturday, first. We finally got to a wi-fi source and we can update you on a few things. It's hard to imagine how much we have experienced in such a little time.






We landed Friday night at 7:45 p.m. Uganda time. We had travelled for 36 hours straight! The flights were wonderful, if long. After landing, we made our way from Entebbe to Mukono - about 1.5 hours of traffic. Though we passed a few million people, it is surprising how dark the city is. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights in a very nice hotel, and transitioned on Sunday to the mission guest house on the campus of Uganda Christian University in Mukono.


Saturday was absolutely unbelievable. We travelled another 1.5 hours north to Busaana, a remote village, with no electricity or water. We visited a people who speak the Bari language, the first language outside of English that Words of Hope Uganda is broadcasting in.

Saturday was the launch celebration. About 1,000 people participated in a "March for Jesus" through the village. People had come from miles around, some had walked over 5 miles and stayed over night. We feasted, celebrated and 'marched' to a local band brigade. Then we worshiped for a long a time and David Bast preached a salvation message. It was translated from English into Luganda and then from Luganda into Bari. The Bari broadcast team from the Mukono was also with us, having coordinated this day for several months in advance.


The team leaders were overwhelmed with joy as they heard stories of people praising God for the programs. The Rev. Canon Captain Titus Baraka is the chariman of the project and he was thrilled by the early results. To top it all off, about 50 people came forward for an alter call.

As for Lauren and me? We were simply in a daze of culture shock and immense joy. These people have so little and praised God from the bottom of their hearts. We tried all kinds of food we had never seen or thought of, including matoke, a cooked banana dish that is very pleasing.

Lest this post become too long, we'll leave it off at that. The two pictures are of the march and inside the church.

I'll try to update later on what has all happened on Sunday - again, an incredible day.

Finally, David Bast again thanked Trinity for the wonderful mission support. The extra year-end giving helped to launch this broadcast and do evangelism training for the local churches.

On the Way

One 8-hour flight is down. One more 8-hour flight to go. Lauren and I have a 5-hour layover in Amsterdam and are staying in the airport. We hope to meet up with David Bast of Words of Hope in a little while.


At left is Lauren e-mailing a friend from the cafe in the airport.

At right, I'm enjoying apple pie and cuppocino for breakfast. You can see the plane we'll be on in the background.

We're grateful for all your prayers and we'll try to keep you updated on the way.

Prayer for the Journey

The following prayer was written by Shirley Folkerts, Worship Leader at Trinity Church. It was prayed by Paul Koets, Vice President of Consistory, at the end of Easter Sunday worship. Easter was Jon's last sermon in the pulpit before beginning the sabbatical. Paul had worshipers near Jon lay their hands on him. Following the prayer, the congregation read the Aaronic Blessing.

Thank you, Father, for Pastor Jon. Thank you for his faithful service among us and for the opportunity you have provided for him to spend some time away from the normal day-to-day tasks of ministry. We pray for the entire Opgenorth family. Protect and provide for Jon, Ann, Lauren, Nicole, Andrew and Julie. You know their needs much better than we do, and we trust you to meet their individual and family needs during this time. We give you thanks for Jon and Ann’s eighteen years of marriage today. We celebrate with them and rejoice in your goodness. Continue to demonstrate your love and faithfulness to them. Make this Sabbatical a time for them to grow closer to each other and to you. Bless them as you have us, by allowing them to serve you in this place.

During this sabbatical, bless Pastor Jon as he explores what you are doing around the world. Give him safety, health and inspiration as he travels. Give him eyes to see your work here and around the world, and inspire him with your vision for our involvement in that work. May he daily be awed by you in surprising ways; and when you open his eyes to the needs of desperate people, may he set his gaze on the empty cross and cry out to you for mercy on their behalf. Make him a messenger of peace and hope to those who partner with him in spreading the gospel.

During this sabbatical, we ask that you not only care for Pastor Jon’s physical body, but also his spirit. Give him days and nights of rest and contented reflection as he spends purposeful time with you. When he has questions, turn his face towards you; when you provide answers, solidify them with much confirmation; and when the answers do not seem so clear, give him confidence in your presence and a humble patience with you, Holy Spirit, as you mold and shape him for the next leg of his journey in life and ministry in this place.

And so, Father, we send Pastor Jon on sabbatical with open hands lifted in prayer, eager to receive what you would give him through this time. Upon his return, may we lift our hands together in prayer once again and rejoice in your unfailing goodness and almighty faithfulness. To you be praise and glory! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Uganda Schedule

Here is what's in store for Uganda, so you'll know better how to pray each day. Click on map in the post "Uganda Awaits" for locations.

April 12 - Fly from Sioux Falls to Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Entebbe.

April 13 - 10:30 p.m. - Arrive in Entebbe, Uganda, and drive to Mukono.

April 14 - Day-long gathering in Sudan/Uganda border to meet with local church officials and radio program listeners for feasting, singing, and preaching.

April 15 - Dr. David Bast preaches at the Cathedral in Mukono.

April 15-20 - Observing open-air preaching at evangelistic services. Teams will be going during the day from 20 different churches to make invitations. Jon may speak occasionally.

April 21 - Walk in the "March for Jesus" event celebrating the beginning of Words of Hope Uganda broadcast ministry.

April 22 - Jon preaches at the Cathedral in Uganda (1 Peter 1:13-21)

April 22 - We meet the staff of CRCWR in Kampala.

April 23-25 - Jon and Lauren visit Paraa Lodge in the Murchison Falls National Park.

April 26 - Return to Orange City