Illusions of Knowledge

Sometimes it is impossible to explain how you feel.  Not because there aren’t words, but because you simply can’t understand the mixture of emotions and experiences at the current cross roads in your life.  It is a terribly beautiful fusion of peace and chaos, joy and sorrow, as well as understanding matched with utter confusion.  It is as though all is right in the world, and on the other hand it feels as though there is not one thing I could consider constant.  This is how I feel right now.  It is not a bad thing, but at times it is uncomfortable and even taxing.

I love being among new friends, in a new culture, learning a new language.  Everything about starting over and beginning the learning process excites me, how some things transcend culture and bring people together or everything you will learn from the distinct differences if you take the time to observe.  Understanding cultural differences comes over time, but being able to see them through the lens of Christ takes even longer.  Not to mention the time needed to challenge your own cultural norms and observe how Christ is demonstrated, or not demonstrated in the way we live. Perspective can be a painfully humbling thing.  If we allow it, it can also be life changing.  Yet for so many of us it is easy to become so comfortable with our understanding of knowledge that our perception of reality does very little in regards to our convictions.  I don’t know what is worse, not having access to truth, or choosing to ignore truth because if we recognized it life would be more difficult. 

In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis explains our own minds can become our personal “hell” if we are unwilling to let go of things that are not of heaven.  His argument, which I agree with, is there is no room for anything that is not heavenly in the Kingdom of the Heavenly Father.  Likewise, there is no place for the things of God to be built into the fabric of anything unholy, untrue, and unrighteous.  God does not share his holiness so we can settle for good things, he does not share his truth that we may believe in half-truths or partial truths, and he absolutely will not share his righteousness with anything unrighteous, though we will argue day and night creating a theology or a philosophy that fits our personal preferences.

Even though this next thought is seemingly unrelated, give me a moment and I’ll promise to bring it back around.  On Tuesday we paid a visit to the local primary school where Josh spoke about the subject of Reconciliation from II Corinthians 5 and 6.  With the attention, or lack of attention depending on the moment, from a couple hundred kids from the age of five to sixteen, Josh spoke about the depths of II Corinthians 5:21, For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 

In a culture where everyone has heard the name of Jesus, yet even amongst themselves everyone still struggles with injustice, poverty, hunger, and incredible brokenness in their homes, we believe strongly the youth in this community will be the ambassadors of Christ who do not just know about him, but recognize that Jesus died on the cross so that they (we) might become the righteousness of God.  We might become the hands and feet of justice within our communities, we might visit those in prison, feed the hungry, and care for the widowed and orphaned not out of obligation but because the love of God has captivated our hearts and we long to do it. 

The greatest obstacle isn’t that people have never heard of Jesus.  Here, there are very few examples to follow of what Jesus calls us to.  People have become trapped in their own hell, held up within their mind because there are so many half-truths and partial truths they are unable to let go of.  Though this may seem like a struggle very different from in the United States because of grass roof huts and simple living, it’s not.  Sure, the way of life is different and culturally we may be apples and oranges, but we still struggle with our own illusions of knowledge.  Our misunderstandings usually come from believing we know more than we can possibly know through our immediate access to infinite amounts of information.  Yet, many of the difficulties we face here in Uganda stem from very limited access to information of any kind.  Not only do most families not have access to their own Bible, but the level of education often leaves many unaware of many things we would consider common knowledge.  It is the closest thing to an oral culture I have ever experienced, even land and ownership is communicated verbally through family heritage, and one can be arrested on accusation before any evidence is ever collected.  The amount of “he said/she-said” conversation I run into is overwhelming.  Yet that is the gospel many people know, something communicated through a generational game of “telephone”. 

As I see firsthand the hell in which our Illusion of Knowledge creates, I am drawn back to C.S. Lewis’ analogy.  There is no room in heaven for anything unheavenly; we can’t cling tightly to products of our broken humanity and long to take them with us as we build Jesus’ kingdom.  We needed the cross, just as much as we need it now, that we might become the righteousness of God.  That through the ultimate act of love we would not only be justified, but over a lifetime we would be transformed more and more into his image and likeness.  As Paul calls us, ambassadors of Christ, those who are righteous before God and actively demonstrating God’s heart for steadfast love, righteousness, and justice on the earth (Jeremiah 9:23-24).  Jesus was never supposed to be a prison within our mind which keeps us from doing his work, but if we live within our partial-truths that is what our faith can become.  Everything about Jesus is supposed to be about giving life, freeing, and becoming fully satisfied in being the righteousness of God.

As I sit here and wonder about all that He is doing, and as I try to make sense of my unexplainable emotional state, I pray the Lord reveals my own Illusions of Knowledge.  I do not want to spend a lifetime clinging to things that do not matter on this side of heaven. I want to be His, and I want everyone to understand the life available to us the moment we accept Jesus as both Savior and Lord.  As he continues to teach me his heart, I see he longs for the best for all his people, but that doesn’t always mean it will be the easiest and the most comfortable.  Yet if we are willing to trust him, I promise it will be the most satisfying adventure we could ever embark on.  If we are willing, if we accept Jesus as he is, he will make us to become the righteousness of God.

-Cyrus Eaton

Come to me, that your soul may live...

Trying to organize your thoughts and emotions from a week of living in the village into a single message simply cannot capture the reality of time passed in Uganda.  If you can imagine it, it has happened.  Starting with every Bible we have helped distribute, catching and releasing Francis the Rat from the boys hut, meals shared with our neighbors, to the ants which attacked our home last evening and the apocalypse immediately following, the excitement, emotions, and lessons learned are simply too great for words to truly suffice in explaining our emotions, the surprise, and the faithfulness of God in all things.  Yet as I think of the last week, though overwhelming, it is evident that in everything, God is reminding me of his heart for those in need and that he sees and knows every problem we will face and that he alone can make beautiful even the most desperate situations.  He longs to take broken things and make them beautiful, to deal justly to all who practice injustice, and to use all the hurt and pain the world could ever see to be a platform for hope and for his glory. 

Though he is in close pursuit of everyone, God has only affirmed he longs for all his people to participate in his redemption plan. God has made it clear to me that our heart, and our role, should be to do justice, and to be the hands and feet of the life giving love that has so changed us.  He has also reminded me that in my insufficiencies, he is sufficient.  In my imperfection, he is the good and perfect shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.  In my misunderstanding, he will make himself known.  And in the midst of false religion, oppression, neglect, and injustice, he is truth, he is freedom, and he is just (Ezekiel 34).

My last update was sent the day before visiting a nearby orphanage, Father’s House, where we played, sang with the kids, enjoyed their dances and demonstrations, but also heard from the hearts of the humble servants who run and operate this incredible house of love (Read more of Nicole’s thoughts in our blog post from last week).  Training with the Bayern Young Stars Football Club has continued.  Denis, our translator and the most recent addition to our team, is quite the footballer and has been a huge support for the team and for helping increase the depths of our friendships.  Every day comes with new surprises and changed plans, music festivals, dinners with friends, or some unexpected wildlife looking to consume your home. And finally, we have spent most of our time distributing Bibles in the community, and watching as those who long to have their own Bible come find us directly at our homestead. 

Never have I seen such a deep hunger for God’s written Word.  Time and time again my heart has been convicted as we watched others receive their family’s first Bible.  On Tuesday when the farmers came to work the community garden, the farmers sang, danced, and knelt down in the dirt as you could see the gratitude in their entire being. Communities have given us lists of those in their homesteads and church communities who are without a Bible and have agreed to take us to deliver the gift of God’s word in their own language.  With each home visit comes another story as we are granted an opportunity to see into the difficult realties many families face.  Often, families’ salaries are withheld simply because the money is not there, and nearly always it is their children who suffer because there is no money to pay their school fees.  Limited access to medical treatment and a judicial system which arrests those on mere accusation are a few other stories we hear as we listen to our new friends.  In the midst of all their struggles, many of which are not consequences of their own decisions but rather a broken humanity, I continue to see a hope and a trust in the Lord I do not believe I have ever been blessed to see with my own eyes.  Daily I saw a hope and a hunger for God that I long to know within my own heart.

In addition to visiting others at their home, there are also those who seek us out at our home.  Everyone comes, the illiterate young boy, the drunken old man, the desperate family, and the teenage girl who longs for God to be known through her life.  With each new visitor I saw our prayers, and yours, for Isaiah 55 come to life. 

Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat...  Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David (Isa 55:1,3). 

The only thing God requires from us is that we would come to him, or that we would recognize him as he comes to us.  God’s love and his word, is for all who hunger and thirst.  His word bids us to come as we are.  Come and eat, delight in rich food.  Come.  Drink.  Drink deep from the wells of living water and never thirst again.  Recognize your need for food and water that will satisfy and simply come as you are.  You don’t have to fix your problems or correct your theology first, just come to Jesus and live.  

This has been quite the challenge as I reflect on my own life, and as I share conversation with my team members.  So many times we want to right the wrong in our hearts and in our actions before trusting Jesus will have us.  But without Jesus, without accepting the invitation to participate in his story, we’ll always be settling for “less”.  I forget all the evidence in my own life which shows Jesus has been chasing me, and I become so easily distracted for things that do not satisfy.  I want to long for Jesus as my friends in Africa do, even if they have yet to read from the pages of scripture.  I want to believe so strongly in God’s promises for me because his word is truth, and thus his promises are also true, that my tiny anxieties compared to this culture do not distract me from the work God is doing.  I don’t want to settle for less, even if that means discomfort.  I want Jesus to be the first place I look the moment my life is interrupted or inconvenienced and I want to believe with all that I am he will do all that he says he will.

Even now I feel as though I could write pages more about each story.  But to keep this as “short” as I can, I invite you to continue praying for us and with us for the needs and the people of this community. 

Continue to pray for the Bibles that will be distributed.  Please join us in praying Isaiah 55 over God’s word.  That his steadfast, sure love for David would be placed deep within the hearts of those reading, that young leaders would cling to the life giving words found in scripture and that they would trust God with all their uncertainties and insufficiencies.  Pray that these words would fall on the hearts of men as rain and snow which do not return until accomplishing all God has purposed it.

Pray for kids and young men who frequently find their way onto our homestead.  Moskey, Cesar, Sam and Francis are a few of those who spend time playing with us and joining us for evening prayer though they do not understand most of what we say in English. 

Pray for Walter, our director.  His health has improved greatly, but he remains busy and his wife very pregnant.  Pray for them, for rest and for health as they wait for their newest addition to the family.

Please continue to pray for us, pray for an increased trust and confidence in who he is.  As we meet many needs, pray God deepens our trust in his provision and his faithfulness especially as our organization grows as well as the needs associated with it.  And please, pray he continues to draw us close to him, showing us more of how much he loves us and revealing to us more of his love for the people in our communities.  Pray we would see them as God sees them.

Thank you all, thank you for your support and your prayers.  Though we are so often “off the grid”, it is a blessing to sit down and recall the goodness of the Lord and share our joy with you.

Grace and love to you all, always.

Cyrus

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God.  I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy, I will feed them in justice. 
Ezekiel 34:15-16

How Lovely is Your Dwelling Place...

Our dearest friends and family,

Wow, I sit here trying to think about where to begin and am at somewhat of a loss. This week was so good and full of the favor of God. We began passing out Bibles, and although we expected great things, I don’t think any of us could have ever imagined what a blessing it would be. We have gotten to see His Word come to life in the most beautiful ways as people have received it for the first time and have burst forth in praise and worship at their hunger fulfilled. God has graced us with what I think we would all agree was a glimpse of Heaven touching Earth, so much to the point of having to take off our shoes because it was so evident that we were standing on Holy ground. We have heard incredible stories of faith and God’s faithfulness that have in turn grown our faith as well. We have gotten to sit in our front yard and share communion with new friends, mediating on the truth of the Gospel and the love and redemption of Jesus. All in all, we’ve just seen God’s hand at work around every corner – seeing clearly how He has been at work long before we ever got here and will continue to move long after we are gone. I am continually blown away at His invitation for us to step in and join Him in the things He is doing. THERE’S NOWHERE ELSE I’D RATHER BE!!! That, my heart has grown more and more certain of.

As we have come to serve, the Lord has been so kind, as He always is, in pouring into us far more than we could ever pour out. He has pulled us closer into His heart and allowed us to better understand the depths of His love, bringing us to places of deeper intimacy with Him. He’s showed us His faithfulness time and time again and taught us more of what it looks like to trust and lean on Him fully. He is continually opening our eyes more and more to see the world and people the way that He does and teaching our hearts how to love like Jesus. In all of that, joy has been full.

As we head back into the village today, we invite you to continue joining us in prayer!

• ·      Pray over the Bibles and the people receiving them. Isaiah 55 has been a passage that has remained on our hearts; join us in praying it over the souls of these precious people!                           “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price… Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live, and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David… Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near… so shall my Word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands...”

• ·      Pray for the kids and families that frequently find their way onto our homestead – that He continues to demonstrate His truth and love through us and that people would encounter Jesus as they step into our homes.
• ·      Pray for Tuli and the projects going on here – that He would have His way and be glorified through it all.
• ·      Pray for Walter and his family as he works tirelessly and his wife, Jennifer, is expecting a baby in the next month! Pray health and blessings over his home and that he would be strengthened and encouraged as he presses on in obedience.
• ·      Pray for us – that God continues to stretch and teach us, pulling us closer into Himself, that our hearts would be fully surrendered to Him and we would be sensitive to His voice and in step with the Spirit.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. We are so grateful for each and every one of you – although you remain on the other side of the world, you all are an extremely vital part of our team! We love you. Yes, you :) A lot!

Joyfully His,

Nicole

“How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God… For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” Psalm 84

"Come, everyone who thirsts..."

Afoyo! (Hello in Luo) We are back in town from our first week in the village! Gosh, it was so so good. We rode up last weekend to a big group of our old friends singing and dancing around our hut waiting for us to arrive. What a sweet reunion it was :) We spent the first few days visiting with friends, sharing meals and catching up on life. Adjusting to village life has been somewhat blissful. You can almost feel time slow down as you walk along the dirt road and sit under the stars. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

On Sunday we went back to a church in the village that is pastored by our friend Bosco. It’s so incredible to watch praise rise up on the other side of the world – in a unique way and a language that I can’t understand, knowing that it is heard and received by the same Father that I worship every day in America. The guys (Cyrus and Josh) got to share some encouragement from the Word and we got to kneel with and pray for some precious souls. Crying out for a touch from God, for healing and for the victory of Jesus to reign down in power - my trust in our good God and His good plans deepened. My heart was confident and at rest in the truth that HE IS LORD and that the blood of Jesus is sufficient for all redemption and restoration. While we were praying healing and freedom over a man named Moses, the Lord put a simple song on my heart – “All we need is Your touch, God; Come and touch us now”. That’s kind of been the anthem of my heart lately.

Our main “project” that we’re doing while we’re here is handing out Bibles in the local language, Luo. Until now, the villagers have had very little access to the Word. There are a few Bibles scattered throughout, most of which are in English, but you would be hard-pressed to find fifty at most. We have ordered five hundred from the capital city and will be giving them to any family in the village that wants one. We spent Thursday fasting and praying over each one individually and will begin the distribution this week. We are planning on going house to house, sitting down and talking to people, sharing the Gospel, answering questions, and praying over families and homes as they receive the Word for the first time.

I’m really excited and very expectant for what God is going to do in this place as it is filled with His Word. Pray with us for a hunger and longing to sweep over this place. Pray for divine understanding and for chains to be broken by truth. Pray that the truth of Jesus would penetrate hearts and the Gospel would take deep root. And pray for me, too. As I have been dwelling in prayer over these Bibles, much conviction and urgency has fallen on my own heart to understand the value of God’s Word and to have a deep hunger for it. I know He wants to teach me the very things that I am praying over the people here. More of Jesus is what I want, really.

Yesterday in Gulu we got to go spend the day with some sweet, sweet kids at Father’s House Orphanage. It is a truly wonderful place, full of the love and presence of God. It is run by Ugandans from around here – just committed Christ followers who live by James 1:27 “Religion that God the Father looks at as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” They have given their lives to this and have provided a beautiful home and family for these precious kids. We got to talk with the leadership about the best way we can support and encourage them in their obedience and are excited about the potential opportunities! God allowed me to get a glimpse of His heart as I sat with those kids and we taught each other “Jesus loves me” in our respective languages and as I watched them dance and play with joy and got to hold a sweet girl as tears streamed down her face thinking about her parents. The goodness of God’s promise “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18) washed over me afresh. It is so GOOD to be His child!!!!! Thank You, Jesus.

There’s much more I could write. I’ve been working on this update for far too long, trying to condense my thoughts as I attempt to “sum it up” in a few short paragraphs. Basically, God is good and on the move, and I’m thankful to be here. It is a joy and honor to be in this beautiful place serving and learning from these beautiful people. I hope all is well in America! I LOVE you all so very very much. 

His,

Nicole 

"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David..." Isaiah 55:1-3