Uganda
ITMI's Steve Evers and Kent Reisenauer tell us all about their time in Uganda!
In this episode, you'll discover:
- An unexpected way the Lord provided while they were purchasing printed Bibles for prisoners.
- A funny side story involving the purchased Bibles, how they came to have leather covers and what happened when the guys opened the boxes of Bibles.
- How Steve's first time preaching in a prison went.
- How Steve and Kawede's supporters' investments have made a huge difference in many, many lives.
- Several new developments in Kawede's life and ministry.
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Find out more about: Muhindo Kawede | The International School of Missions | Steve Evers | Kent Reisenauer | Steve and Kent's Visit to the Slum in Uganda | Steve and Kent's visit to South Sudan
Episode Transcript
Note to the reader: Please be aware that this transcript was made of an audio session and has been generated using AI software, and may or may not contain small grammatical and speech mistakes that a human would not make. Thank you for your understanding.
Summer:
Hello and welcome to the In Touch Mission International podcast, where you get to hear directly from ITMI partners, I'm your host, Summer Kelley. For this episode, I'm sitting down with Kent Reisenauer and Steve Evers, our Director, and we're talking about their recent mission trip to visit our partners in Uganda. They're sharing all kinds of stories from this trip: funny things that happened along the way, exciting evidences of the Lord's work in people's lives and ministries, meaningful moments, some ways the Lord showed up and provided unexpectedly and the many ways people have been able to make an impact in Uganda by sending the guys on these trips and supporting our partners’ ministries.
This episode is packed full of fun and rich conversation, and good news. I don't want to delay getting to it any longer. So here's my conversation with Steve and Kent.
Well, Steve and Kent, you just came home from a two and a half week, I believe it was time in Uganda and South Sudan. It's a real treat to get to be able to sit down and just talk about some of the things that happened and the things that the Lord did while you were there. I'm really excited to be doing this with you guys.
Steve:
Thank you. It's good to be here.
Kent:
Thank you very much, Summer.
Summer:
Let's kind of just jump right in and we're gonna start talking about your time in Uganda first and I wanted to see if you would share what is something that was really surprising about your time in Uganda?
Steve:
For me, I've been going to Uganda for as many as 15 years.To go back and to see our partners’ growth, it was just a real blessing to see Kawede, who we've worked with for a lot of years, just to see some incredible growth in him. Even in the midst of the challenges that he's got this last year, he's had to deal with his wife. His wife is his blind now because of her diabetes, she's just had some internal challenges that in essence, they pretty much know that she's not going to be around a long time. Having to deal with someone in that condition and Uganda is just really difficult getting them around. There's not a lot of help.
Him being so consumed with that and then the students at the school as well as God laid on his heart to go a whole additional direction with a prison ministry to going in and actually revolutionized the inside of a prison by sending up a training school, he calls it “Portable Bible School” and to give these prisoners that chance to get a diploma or a certificate, like they've accomplished something by going to school in the prison. That was amazing to me to see how in the midst of everything he's charging ahead and his wife, his precious wife Lillian said, “go for it. You need to go for it.They need help in that prison.” So that was exciting to me. Kent:
One of the most surprising things that I found when I was over there - and I've only been there twice - just think about over the last one year, the changes that you might see around you. When I was over there at the International School of Missions a year ago, it seemed to be somewhat chaotic, but God raised up a godly woman to help alongside Kawede to build up the International School of Missions. She has just taken the leap and God has shown her how to orchestrate the International School of Missions so that they can raise pigs and chickens. At the same time they're doing that, they're getting godly wisdom and teaching both from Kawede and from the other teachers and pastors that are out there. It was just wonderful to see.
Steve:
What's so interesting about that is this Kawede says, many of these rural pastors are so poor and their churches are so small, they can't, they can't live and their families can't live.
They are so susceptible to this prosperity gospel that's decimating Uganda and quite frankly, a lot of Africa. Kawede says as important as teaching the Bible and administration and all the things that they learned in the Bible school, they need to learn they can make some money. They can raise pigs or chickens or our garden or do various things. He's giving them a real holistic education. These are people that are so poor that they can't even pay to go to school.They can't even pay to rent a room.They sleep on the floor and one of the classrooms just so they can be at a Bible school, and of course there’s others who commute there.
Kent:
Think of how you have to get to International School of Missions. If you're in Kampala, you have to take a boat across the water. You have to take a boat, a motorcycle, I don't know, another five, six kilometers or more, and finally end up at the school. The students that go there are yearning for the truth and they're getting it and it shows they're willing to put a lot of their own effort out there to get it.
Summer:
That really speaks to the value that Kawede is delivering.
Steve:
Absolutely.Great Place.
Summer:
One of the things you guys got to do while you were in Uganda was to deliver some audio Bibles and transport the supporters’ gifts of Bibles and purchase those and get them over to some of the people that have been involved with Kawede’s Bible school course in that prison. What did it feel like to be able to do that?
Kent:
We took a number of audio Bibles, both for the prisoners and also for the ISM students, but we also wanted to purchase printed Bibles while were there. Well, God tends to intervene on these things at times. While we're there, we're thinking, we're going to pay maybe $15 US dollars for a printed Bible or even more. Low and behold, God provided Kawede with somebody that would sell them to us for about $7. Perfect. So, just an amazing thing that were allowed to get 100 printed Bibles. We were allowed to bring the printed Bibles into the prison, and hand them available to the prisoners as well as guards. We also took a number of Bibles out to International School of Missions for the students use. They have a wonderful little library that is growing there at ISM and these will be a great addition.
Steve:
The audio Bibles and the regular Bibles just didn't go anything like I thought it was going to. Again, Kent did a great job working with Kawede to locate and to get those printed Bibles and to save that kind of money once we got there, because were told before went, it was going to be $15. And so we planned for that. We got over there and when they were cheaper, that was great. Finding the guy and getting him to deliver them because nobody's got vehicles. Then it was really quite funny because the night that the guy brought the Bibles, he brought these two big boxes with I think 50 Bibles in each one of them and they... smelled. A long story short, they were regular paperback Bibles that he cut leather like bindings on the outside for them and he sat there all afternoon with cement paint, painting, each Bible and painting each of the covers so that they would have nice, durable, long lasting covers on them. It was cool enough that particular day because of the rain than the odor has not had not gone away from all of them. Kent and I were looking through them to make sure that they were the right side up and that they had all the pages and you’ve got to check everything and...we were getting a little high. We were laughing and having a good time about it. I was excited about getting that many Bibles into somebody's hands and were excited about getting them. It was just kind of one of those funny things.
But also it didn't go like I thought when we got to the prison, I thought that those audio Bibles were going to be used as a kind of an adjunct to the Portable Bible School in the prison. But, let's just say that when we checked in - of course you have to check in all your electronics, you have to check in everything so that you don't bring contraband into the prison - well the guards and all of the leadership ushered us into the commanding officers, the CO's office. It became very apparent that the guards and the prison leadership, we're probably as much if not more interested in the audio Bibles than even the prisoners were. So we had to adjust. We were going to give one to the commanding officer as a gift and as an appreciation for letting us come and for doing all that she's done for Kawede. Let's just say that, a few more of the audio Bibles were ah - commandeered for personal purposes. Kent and I both just looked at each other and said, “Hey, as long as somebody wants one, that bad is going to use it, then we'll get more. We'll get more, we'll take more back next time.” That was really exciting because the audio Bibles that we took, Kent did a super job because not only do they have English on them, but they have their local language on them, but then can also got what's called African Mini Bible College, like this African Bible training that they can sit and listen to over and over again. The effect is just going to be huge. Think about going into a prison and the commanding officers and the prison guards are listening to the Bible. The prisoners are walking by wondering what they're listening to and shortly after, you know that the prisoners are going to want that Audio Bible to listen to as well. The ones that didn't get reapportioned are in a library where both the guards and the other people there at the prison can check them out of. The inmates, can check them out for a period of time, listen to what they want to listen to.
Kent:
The Sunday Steve preached and there were countless number of prisoners, both men and women out in the courtyard listening.You would look around, and I don't know, maybe - Steve, you might know, but maybe 10% of the population at most, maybe 5% - had a Bible, that they could reference and there were other prisoners, that did not have a personal Bibles.
Summer:
You brought up the Sunday service. I want to just go back for listeners who maybe weren't aware of that. Kawede actually planted a Sunday service inside the prison and - anyone who wants to - but the graduates from his course can come and attend church. It's from the students that the people that get saved from the portable viable school and the ones that go through that and they're the ones that are coming in and of course encouraging the other prisoners to come also.
Summer:
Steve, you got to preach at that service. Have you ever preached in a prison before?
Steve:
No, I haven't. We were a courtyard with the sun coming down on an a prisoners all sitting there on the steps and on the ground in front and wrapped around to the left and wrapped around to the right and behind us to keep the men and the women separated. They brought a group of women in and they sat in chairs in the shade trees behind us. So yeah, it was an interesting service.
Summer:
What was going through your head when you took the podium?
Steve:
It was our first introduction to go into the prison. It was our first introduction to these people.They didn't know us, we didn't know them. What came across to me was, is it was so calm. It was such a lack of tension and a lack of angst there, which you would think would be in a prison. We later found out that so many of them have gotten saved through Kawede’s ministry and have been, and are being discipled, that it’s just revolutionized the attitude and the tone and the flavor inside this prison. In fact, one of the guards, one of the head guards were so interested in what Kawede was teaching - I think probably, after having taught in one of the classes that guards have to sit around to make sure everything stays the proper, I think they sat there and listened to the training and this guy so enjoy it and valued it he took the exams and he graduated from the Portable Bible school itself right along with the prisoners that he looks out for.
That was kind of exciting, but back to Sunday. What also was surprising to me is there was quite a few - a fairly large percentage of the prisoners - were pastors. People might say, a pastor in prison, what's the deal? Well, there's so many people that become pastors in Uganda - in central Africa - because it's a possible revenue stream. They're not called to it. They called themselves because they'll get a title and a job and hopefully if it's like they think they'll be able to force the people through this prosperity gospel to give all of their money to them and they'll get rich.
In fact, one of the pastors was there because he had gone and prayed for a family a lot of times because they were having some health issues or problems. He prayed for them and they never had anything to pay him. Somehow he finagled and got their property, whether he got the paperwork or however, but he just commandeered their property and he told the police that he deserves it. He deserves getting paid because he performed a service for these people. He prayed for them and he should get paid for praying.They brought it before a judge and the judge didn't agree. He's in prison and there are some that have now come out [of prison] and they want to go to Kawede’s school and be trained properly and with Biblical principles.Those were the things that kind of stood out to me.
Kent:
I agree with Steve. I remember at that end of the service on Sunday as were walking around and shaking hands and greeting the prisoners, which, you would think in a prison, you might feel taken back by. You might feel a little concerned, a little scared of doing that. As we walked to each one of them, greeted, smiled and looked at you with really, an open heart. I remember this one man, a kinda reaching over to me and he whispered in my ear and he said, “Once pastor Kawede came, I felt so much freer in prison than I did on the outside.” You must think that they're really getting the Word from Kawede in his Sunday services. And also in his Bible school.
Summer:
Kent, were you looking around while Steve preached? Did you notice anything?
I remember looking around, and it reminded me of any church that you go into. There are a lot of people intently listening, looking, and then there's a few that are there maybe because somebody told them they should be, but no different than another church.They're out there looking closely listening and abiding in everything that is going on. You have the few that are not, but even those few that are not listening intently, they're getting the Word. Somehow or another, they're getting the Word.
Summer:
They do a whole worship service, right? They do worship music?
Kent:
Absolutely. A regular service. Funny enough, one of the guards plays guitar and so the guard is part of the prison worship team.You have some prisoners and you have a guard and they're all worshiping and singing and praising the Lord.
Steve:
Actually actually you might even say it might be a “full service” worship service because while the church service is going on, the prison carries on with all of their other duties. Because right up to the back row, up underneath the overhang, one after another would be getting their head shaved, their weekly haircuts. While the service was going on, there were people that were called out from the service to go help prepare food or help to go do some gardening or various tasks that needed to be done or to go to their bunker or whatever. This was all running parallel to the service that was going on. The fact that they really were as intent and as focused in the midst of all of the distractions really was a blessing.
Kent:
In fact, you brought that up Steve, and I remember some of the prisoners being called out and having to leave and they were new prisoners there even though they were at the service.They were new either that day or the day before and they were being called out because they had to get their yellow scrubs for their prison. Uniforms.
Summer:
You guys also brought over a, a very portable and very innovative sound system for Kawede to use in this part of his ministry. What was the response to that?
Steve:
Do you know that was a little surprising. Kawede shared with us that he's having to yell because he's got no sound system in the portable Bible school.The teaching and his voice is becoming horse. One of our donors said we'd like to try to help. We did a bunch of research and found this small JBL sound system that, it’s got portable speakers and it's got a mixer and you can put all this stuff on it. Kent and I disassembled it and put it in tubs and packed other things in the tubs and took these individual tubs with our suitcases on the airplane to get it over there. Of course, we reassembled it once we got there Kent actually did some soldering...or he was building an extension cord. You couldn't buy a long enough, thick enough extension cord. We had to buy the pieces and actually assembled them. Kent was doing that, I guess it wasn't soldering, it was just a little new electrical work. While were sitting out in the garden of our hotel, there we put it together.
The thing is, you have to be ready for anything on a mission trip.You have to be ready to do everything. Yeah, so what was surprising was, is how much that sound system meant to the prison leadership. Again, what was so important about that, because this prison with 400, 450 is kind of a pilot for Kawede to prove that this is legitimate. It's not, it's not wrong teaching. It's good Biblical teaching. It's it's well run, it's well organized, it's well supported. It's this pilot program effort and that the leadership and the commanding officer, everybody to be so engaged, it's really been very good.
They were excited because wow, their prison now had a sound system and even though it's Kawede’s and ISMs - International School of Mission’s sound system, they were going to keep it protected there at the prison, which was one of my biggest concerns that there would be such a disconnect that you couldn't leave anything there and Kawede was going to have to transport it and that's why it had to be so portable. But it had to be strong enough. I see now that Kawede has so built a relationship and they, there's such a partnership between Kawede and the staff that you could leave anything there. They will guard it, protect it with their life. The fact that somebody cared enough to help them have a sound system, which goes along with something that was also a surprise to me.
There was a canopy. It was - it's almost like what we would see here in America - almost like an outdoor wedding canopy. It's got removable steel legs and this white vinyl top to keep the sun off. It was a pretty good size, and it was there as a comfort, as a courtesy to the prisoners so that they didn't have to sit out in the sun and go to class because there are no classrooms in this prison. There's probably not even a cafeteria. It's got the rooms and the courtyard, that's it inside. The kitchen is outside on a concrete slab that is off to the side and we can see them preparing some greens or vegetables or something, and that's the kitchen outside. If it rains or when the sun's beating down, it's miserable and he wanted them to be able to hear and to concentrate and so out of his own resources - which I know are very limited, especially with him having to pay transport to get all the way out to this prison which is quite far from his home, and to take his wife to the doctor often because of her illnesses and all the other challenges - he sacrificed and bought this canopy for them. Again, it's just one more thing that outsiders are doing for this prison, which makes these people who toil away in this prison and Uganda feel that they're valuable in somebody caring about them. I just thought that was really cool. The sound system of course worked well. The people that lead praise and worship of course, loved having a microphone.It was a good thing that we took it.
Summer:
I wanted to ask, were there any moments - and if so, where were you and what were you doing - when you thought, “This is why I'm here?”
Steve:
Kent and I probably have a different answer to that question. My answer would be as Kawede and I were walking, and I don't remember if it was through the town or through the slum that were walking in, and he looked over at me and he said, “I've been listening to what you're saying, I understand what you've been saying. I’m beginning to get it.” That was a huge encouragement to me because for a lot of years we've been going and we checked the projects up, we get pictures, we get stories, we bring resources in and help them. One of the things on my heart, my passion, is to see people grow and mentoring is a great way to see people grow. Just because Kawede is - if I could say this - at the top of the food chain when it comes to being the spiritual leader there in Uganda, in his area, he's continually requested, will you come speak at my church will you come, and he knows the bible so well and he's such a great resource for teaching at ISM and he does such a great job of working through the non-Biblical cultural challenges that pastors bring to Bible school and think that it's biblical theology - just so good at that. Kawede came from a very dysfunctional home and in the Congo. Because of that, it's left him with some baggage that impacted and that slowed him down in areas. In that culture you don’t speak to somebody that's higher than you on something of this nature.You don't speak into someone's life, you just don't do that. So because of that, he doesn't have anybody. He's told me this many times, he says, “I don't have anybody that talks to me like you do.”
We're walking and he looks over and he says, I'm getting it. He says, I'm understanding.” One of the things that he understood was, is that he's a child of God. That even though he came from a horrible childhood where his father chased him with a machete and the church that took him in for a while, they got distracted and started following their own financial desires, and Kawede graciously told them that's not a Biblical, they in essence, kicked him out and left him high and dry when he was trying to get an education. Everybody that had mattered to him and his life, kind of dropped the ball. That just leaves you with an insecurity that you have, whether you admit it or not.
Kawede needed somebody important to write a letter of recommendation for him to get an audience in front of the prison commission, so he could present them with this idea, this proposal of bringing this beneficial Bible school into the prison to change people's lives and their culture. He couldn't even think of going and just doing that himself because it just isn't done that way. For him to get this audience, “I need somebody to write this introduction” in order to get this audience and he couldn't get anybody to do it. I now know that I think the Lord just kept anybody from doing it because he's plainly came to the conclusion, “Wait a minute, I'm a child of God and I'm valuable. They don't need anybody to do that for me. If God wants me to do it that he’s big enough to help me do it.” He went straight to the commission itself and they gave him an audience, an he proposed this new project and they said, well, let's try it. And that's how it got started.
It proved to him that he doesn't have to be afraid. He doesn't have to think less of himself. He could realize who he is and what God can help you accomplish. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. He got a chance to see that verse in true action.
Summer:
It’s really cool to think about him all those years, knocking down all the dominoes that now this ministry is big, and it's affecting lots of lives and that's really cool.
Steve:
It's been something we've tried to encourage him along a lot of years on my trips that go back because I want him to realize who he is in Christ and that he's much loved and God wants to do great big things with him.It is so fun to see those kinds of things start.
Summer:
I think it's really a testament to - like you were a domino in the middle and you have supporters behind you who helped you get here, who helped you understand the calling God had on your life and who send you and who provide the sound systems and who provide the Bibles - and I'm forgetting a hundred other things that happened in order to get to the point where the prison ministry is flourishing and happening and God is using it to reach people.I think that's really cool to think about.
Kent:
When I was there with Steve a few weeks ago, Steve stayed back at the hotel and Kawede and I went downtown to do a little searching for some lumber and the cost of materials and what they would be, for a potential future trip.
In my life with missionaries, I always think they should be put up on a pedestal over athletes are politicians - which is still true. But on the other hand, I got to spend a few hours with Kawede by myself and just talking, just chatting and just finding out more about him and who he is and just to get to know a missionary. Sometimes we give to missionaries that we don't know. We don’t realize that they have feelings and they have joy and praises and things and they're really no different than us - other than the fact that they have given up many of the comforts and things that we have, to go out into the mission field and do what God has called them to do, but they're no different than us. They have the same feelings. So it was a fun afternoon.
Summer:
I agree. I've enjoyed every moment that I've spent just getting to know an ITMI partner.Those are, those are really awesome opportunities. Are there any conversations with people that stood out in your mind? Could be a prisoner, could be a taxi driver, could be somebody where you were staying that kind of stands out as interesting?
Steve:
There was a couple there that are having marital problems. Marriage in Uganda is not like marriage we see here it’s totally different and the expectations - what the husband is supposed to what the man is supposed to do, and what a woman is supposed to do are somewhat different culturally than what our culture is here in America.
Getting a chance to sit down with both the wife, who I've known for many years and the husband, who I've only known for a few years. They're separated, and just trying to sit down in their environment and their culture and to depend on the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and insight, not to accommodate their culture, but to not lose them and their listening to you just because you completely disregard where they are, where they're coming from. The husband is probably less mature than the wife is, because he was an orphan and he lost both parents that he was raised by some distant relative. He just has a lot of baggage because of the way he was raised and the way he treats the children, the way he treats them, the harshness because that's all he knows.
To help him work through some of that was a blessed time for me even though it was intense because so much is at stake. To be given that opportunity and that conversation, it was special to me.
Kent:
I recall when we left the prison, either was on Sunday or maybe during the Bible class or after, we were leaving and one of the prison officers needed a ride back down town. We took her, actually there were two of them and we took them back to town. Sometimes the small things that you do mean a lot to those people. We were able to take them back down to their work or to their home, which was quite a long distance away from the prison. We got to chat with them on the way, got to know them just a little more. While we were finishing up, were able to exchange Facebook. Now this has become another opportunity where we can share the Lord with them over Facebook and at the same time helping, maybe Kawede with the relationship. There's things that you do sometimes that you may never know it's going to build the kingdom.
Summer:
While you guys were in Uganda, you had the opportunity to visit a slum area.Tell us about your visit there and what Kawedes connection was to that area.
Steve:
One of his students or past students, graduates planted a church in this area.This is an area that's about 30% of refugees from DRC, Congo. Unfortunately it's kind of at the bottom of one of the many hills that make up what's called Kampala with a rainy season comes and lots of rain comes down these trenches and the gullies and all these dirt roads and cracks. Because they don't have good infrastructure, it really has nowhere to go.
The people that don't have money, they can't live on the top of the hill where it's safe.This slum was very dense and they don't have services.There's just a massive amount of garbage, trash and sewage everywhere. Kawede took us into this area to show us this church, to help us reconnect with this pastor, to maybe plan a future trip to go in and do some ministry or VBS or something in this area, but also for us to be able to get a few pictures to help people in America understand what it's really like living there. You can't bring back the smell, you can't bring back the loss of hope in some of the faces, but you can take a few pictures to kind of communicate that.
Were into this slum and walking down the road and walking through between the buildings and over the mountains of dirt and over the garbage and over the little bridges. There was, we came to an area that had a huge trench. It's almost like what we might call the canal, running down the hill and there's so much sewage and garbage and trash and debris all over. It could be 12 feet deep in places and mud huts and everything were built right up to the side of it. So you walk in a narrow path. It was muddy because it had rained and there were children in the bottom of it.
Little Kids little kids, probably four, five years old, standing down in this water that's probably shin deep with all this garbage and sewage and whatnot, and playing in it and them not even knowing that's wrong. It's water.They drink water, so this water must be fine. We walked further and further through this, Kawede leading, and this pastor leading the way, and Kawede became to be more and more vocal about the pain that he was seeing in these living conditions and the environment and that there's gotta be some leadership here that have allowed this to happen in it, that anybody that has any opportunity, all they need to pull people together so this doesn't happen.
Kawede showed us one side of the trench, we were walking and there was a building right up next to it - you can put your hand out and touch the building and almost touch the edge of the trench. And of course it was muddy. We're walking over mud puddles and getting mud everywhere. There was a water line on this building up about four and a half feet and that was the high point. They explained that when the flood comes down and all this trash blocks everything up and there was a lot of water, that 10 - 12 foot ditch pools up and then comes up over the edge and flows all the way up to four and a half feet on the side of this building. And that's bad enough. On the other side of the trench that's at a lower spot and literally it would fill up the floors up to the windows up to maybe even to the tops of the doors of a lot of the little shacks that these people lived in and the outhouses that were on that side that had no lid to close them. All this stuff was overflowing and it was flowing into houses and destroying and ruining everything that people had. Kawede - the more vocal he got about, “this is not right people we should do something - where are the leaders? Were the leaders elected? We need to have some organization.” I’ve never seen that in him, it so impacted him that he couldn't be quiet and he couldn't stop being an advocate for those who have no voice.
I think it goes along with this recognition that he's got a voice. God's given him a voice and he could use this voice, not for himself, but for other people. I, I dare say that by the time we go back, Kawede will have, on some level adopted some part of this slum and he's going to do what he can to bring God's truth and God's way and God's blessing somehow here, even if it kills him, he's going to do something .And so that's what stood out. I mean, the longer I was there, the more drained I became, the more overwhelmed and emotionally numb. It just goes on and on.
Kent:
I would agree, Steve, we walked for blocks and blocks went around in a circle and kept going and the slum just kept going.There seem not to be an end. We in fact stopped where were and walked back because we did not want to walk the entire area. It was just too big. And I agree with you about Kawede. You know, last year we were there and were in a different slum. Kawede wasn't as vocal last year as he was this year. He was very vocal to the people, not to the government, but to the people. He wanted the people to rise up and change their ways. He wasn't blaming the government, he wasn't blaming someone else. He was asking them to look inside themselves. Most of these slums, there seems to be a trend in Kampala where the slums or the valleys in the ditches where all the water goes, where all the filth goes. Lo and behold, that's probably where most of the malaria is. Here we are standing around and you'd have the widowers, you have the children.There were a number of refugees from the Congo that were there.They're they're living in the fields, in the dirt and the slum of Kampala, where up on the top of the hill you have the riches and the fame.
Summer:
That's truly heart wrenching to think about living in those conditions.
Steve:
Interesting thing is, we believe that if people will seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all these things will be added to them and regardless of what the refugee status, regardless of the corruption in the government, regardless of the fact that you are an alien, regardless of the only place you can afford to live, regardless of all that, God is able to transcend in a special way all of that. If we can just help them understand that not the Americans, not the government, not some family member, not some person of a different skin color is going to bail them out of this, but if they will seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, God will bless them.This is Kawedes heart too, this is why he trains pastors.This is why he sacrifices personally and as a family, their finances and their resources so that he can continue to pour into the lives of other people, including those behind bars and those who have taught apostasy and radical teaching.The Kawede wants to impact Uganda and surrounding countries.
Summer:
Well, I think our time is kind of winding down and I want to close by asking you what did the Lord teach you during the time that you spent in Uganda?
Steve:
For me, between the couple that were having the marital problems, the poverty and the slum, the prisoners, the pastors that were in prison, it was just a huge reminder to me that if you don't do things God's way, if you allow yourself permission in this little small area or this little small area, whether you're an American or Ugandan, a refugee or whatever, sooner or later you're going to experience John 10. The enemy always comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Destroy marriages, destroy families, destroy cultures, just steal joy, steal piece. It just reminds me to be super vigilant and sensitive to not giving myself permission to not be obedient in the small things as well as the big things.
Kent:
God seems to always surprise me in the little things. Maybe the big things - we talked before about the cost of the Bibles and we'd go over there and he reduces the costs. Just wonderful small example. But then I am completely surprised. I think Steve was surprised by the International School of Missions - that turnaround in a year's time was frankly God's work. For him to raise somebody up, come under Kawede and Kawede has seemed to have allowed her to take some of the administrative reigns over at ISM and that relieved him of that responsibility and as allowed him to go into the prison and maybe who knows what beyond, but what a fantastic way that God surprises in the little things and the big things is amazing.
Steve:
He provides “abundantly more than we can ask or imagine.”
Summer:
Yes, much better said by the Bible. Well guys, it's been amazing to hear about your trip and thank you so much for sharing it with us. It's just been a pleasure to hear about what God's been doing. So thank you.
[music]
Summer:
Well that wraps up another episode of the ITMI Podcast, and hopefully you were able get from Steve and Kent and these wonderful stories, the many opportunities that there are to make a profound impact by partnering with one of our Godly nationals, or by helping us send our teams on these trips that are just jam packed with value and benefits for God's kingdom. If you want to know more about Steve, Kent or our Ugandan partner, Muhindo Kawede, you can find more on our website at intouchmission.org. See ya next time!
