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Because everyone likes an update...

Undeniably, this year at Switchboard has been our best yet! We have been able to join with the Lord in some amazing ways with the support of you, our awesome donors and team. We knew going into the summer that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was what the people of Northern Uganda were hungry for and needed. And as always, we couldn’t have even imagined what all God had in store for His people. This Fall has been just as exciting, as we press on with renewed excitement for who He is as well as heaps of thankfulness for what He is doing.  We wanted to take a minute and update you on a few things that God’s been up to that has us so excited!

PASTOR TRAINING CONFERENCE

The biggest project of the year was our Pastor Training Conference. When we initially planned the conference, we expected around 20-30 Ugandans to attend, but were floored by the 133 men and women that signed up before the conference.  God wasn’t done, however, and we were even more floored when God delivered almost a hundred more! In the end, we had so many participants that we had to break into two separate conferences with a total of 240 attendees! It was clear that the Lord had been preparing the hearts of the people and has amazing plans for them. 

Over our two weeks of working with these pastors, we were able to teach the overarching story of Scripture and study how each book points to Jesus. We then focused on how to study the Bible, how to teach it to others, and even what discipleship looks like. It was unbelievable to see so many people absolutely gripped by the Word of God, and it inspired us all the more to continue this work. It is because of your prayers and support and the goodness of the Lord that these men and women will now be more fully equipped to spread the Gospel throughout their land. Praise God!

BIBLE UPDATE

As we mentioned in our update while we were on the ground in Uganda, we also had the distinct privilege of delivering 1200 more Bibles to this community. Thanks to the support from Ethos Church in Nashville and amazing donors like yourself, we have now supplied enough Bibles where there can be one in every single home in one of the sub-districts we work in, Parwech. This year, we took the time to step back and notice how the Word of God is changing this community in drastic, tangible ways - even diminishing the tight grip witchcraft had on this region! Again, praise God!

CRUSADE

On January 12-17^th, we are sponsoring a revival in the village!  We are partnering with 24 of the churches in Lalogi to put on a 6 day crusade in which thousands of villagers will have a chance to worship together, pray for their community, and many will hear the gospel for the first time.  This is the first time the local church in the Lalogi district has come together as one to advance the gospel, and we are really confident God is going to move in some incredible ways through His people there.

KENYA

This summer God miraculously opened doors and we were asked to come and conduct a Pastors Training conference for the Mogotio District in Kenya in Summer 2015.  We couldn’t be more excited to expand our efforts from one country to two, and are confident God has great things in store for Kenyan people.  We are sending a team in December to meet with local pastors, scout out venues, and prepare the way for our teaching team to come in the summer. 

INDIA
They say you know God is moving when growth happens without you doing a thing, and that couldn’t be more true of our story lately.  In March, we are partnering with Ethos Church in Nashville to work with two of their church plants near Calcutta, India.  We’ll be responsible for leading a small team from Ethos whose main purpose is to empower and encourage the local leadership and church in India.

Rain

In the last hour, I have cooked lunch in a modern, perfectly working kitchen, watched Taylor Swift's new video on my laptop computer, listened to a friend make a business call on her iPhone, dreamed of what kind of house to build, and received countless texts from friends across the country.  I'm sitting in a fully furnished office in a fully furnished house, and I can see multiple brick homes and nice cars out my window.  On my way home from work, I'll stop at a store and return a rug I bought yesterday, make multiple phone calls, listen to the top songs on country and pop radio, and fight the traffic jam that will be the interstate in rush hour traffic.  Everywhere I turn, there are books and music and people and noise.  Are they blessings from the Lord?  Good gifts from a Father who loves us?  Yeah, I think they are.  But so often in this rat race, in our modern culture, I wonder why God doesn't speak the way He did in the Bible.  I read about times where the people would pray and pray for things and it almost seems like God answered them in such physical ways.  So often, I pridefully get out my pointer finger and start wagging it at God telling him that it isn't fair for him to have answered them so clearly in those days and not us now.  (Like I have any place telling God what's fair and what isn't... Sheesh!)  But as I sit and listen to my friend Jana tell stories of how the people in Africa see the Lord's presence, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm not only prideful but also completely blinded by the culture, the stuff, and the noise, and I'm totally missing what He's doing and where He is.

My name is April.  I'm a 26 year old female, born and raised here in the States.  I love the Lord and try to seek His presence every day, even in the midst of this crazy American culture.  I believe the Lord is good and is working, here and there and everywhere, and I want to be a part of spreading His love and freedom wherever I am.  For now, that's in Nashville.  But thankfully, I've been given the opportunity to be a part of the Switchboard crew for a while and you'll be hearing my voice often around these parts for a while. And upon hearing stories like the one I'm about to share, I think I've been given quite a gift to join in the Lord's work at Switchboard in this exact time.

You see, Jana's been telling me stories about this summer in Africa. Honestly, she's been doing that for a couple years now, keeping me updated on what God's been up to on that continent and with those people.  This year, the story that got me was about rain.  Not demons or healing or revivals but rain.  The wet drops that fall from the sky and ruin our picnics, rain.

In the parts of Africa the Switchboard team was in this summer, everyone farms.  It's the only way you eat, make money, feed your family.  Crops being successful is essential to daily life.  The worst thing that could possibly happen for these farmers and these people is for there to be no rain and the crops to fail.  And when our team arrived in Africa in late June, that's exactly what was happening.  There had been no rain for over a month, and it was a drought.  Not only that but the sun had been hotter than usual, and the people were beginning to fear famine sweeping the land.  It was awful.  

Our team moved in on a hot and dry Saturday afternoon, and first thing Sunday, what happened?  It started to rain.  Not only did it rain, it poured. All day Sunday and then, quite honestly, for most of the rest of the trip.  So often here, I'm frustrated in the rain.. forgot my rain jacket, wet from my umbrella, etc.  But there?  They rejoiced.  And instantly, these open-eyed and open-hearted African people turned to our Switchboard team and proclaimed, "You have brought the presence of the Lord with you!"  Did they know from our prep or our countless hours of planning or even our money?  No, it was nothing of our human might or power.  As hard as we could've tried, we could have never made it rain in their drought.  The Lord did that.  And these people's hearts were so turned toward the Lord that the rain was never thought of as an inconvenience or a coincidence or anything of the sort.  It was a sign of His presence and their hearts were ready to receive.

Even more amazing than that, it was because of the rain (yes, the wet picnic-ruining stuff from the sky) that the people's hearts were open to receiving the showers He had sent for their souls as well.  The African people were more eager than ever to listen to the Word of God from us because they were so grateful for His provision and so trusting in His goodness and His timing. Praise God who shows up in ways we never could expect!

And that leads me back to what we're doing here.  In our busy lives with our planners chocked full of appointments and iPhones ringing like mad, I wonder if we miss it sometimes.  I wonder if the Lord is speaking to us in very tangible ways but our lives our too busy to recognize His goodness.  What if, through resting in His presence and living grateful lives in His Spirit, He could also cultivate in us the eyes to see all of the places He is providing our rain even right now as we speak?  

Today, I know these things for sure: The Lord is good.  He hasn't stopped working.  And I am thankful for our brothers and sisters in Africa teaching me of His presence today.

Jeremiah 14:22

Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.

Acts 14:17

Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.

Isaiah 55:9-11

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

As the rain and the snow

    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Author or editor, which will it be?

If any of you are like me, sometimes you become exhausted with how difficult it can be taking things you know to be true, in theory, and connecting them to your heart.  You can know something in your head, but that doesn’t mean you believe it with all that you are.  I wrestle with this constantly. I know things about God, about his love, grace, and mercy, yet somehow they feel distant.  In my head I know he is good, faithful, and just, but sometimes those words lose meaning as I repeat them over and over and still struggle to experience them.  

This week at church my pastor made an analogy about how our understanding of God as the author of our lives and our salvation is often replaced with an understanding of him as an editor.  I realize many of the truths of God and his promises for me feel distant because I have failed to see God for who he truly is.  Instead I have been chasing the ideas of a god who conforms to my will.  I look at God as an editor, though he is an author.  I look at God as a safety net or a “plan b” for when my plans fall apart, not as the Savior of the world through whom all things were created, through whom all things are held together, and to whom I should surrender everything with joy.  Somehow I have created a perfect world in my mind, and I only want to give enough control and influence to God for revision and minor corrections.  Somehow the knowledge that God is good, sovereign, and that he loves me has again missed my heart and I remain unable to see that his plans are far better than mine will ever be.

It is for seasons like this I am grateful for the community that God places in my life to remind me his plans for us are so good.  More and more I realize this is not something unique to me and my story, but really anyone who follows Jesus is brought to a place where they realize the plans God has for them really are good, but they are also impossible to attain without him.  We so badly want to rely on our own reservoirs of strength and love, and the more God calls us to follow we see how limited our resources are.  This story we continue to write with us living out of our own strength, will not simply be edited by our Lord of infinite strength, love, and mercy.  Nor will he be harsh and condemning when we see him as he is, the author.  Instead it will be his great joy to write and rewrite our plans giving us unlimited access to his kingdom and his love.

I think for us at Switchboard, we are learning this as God continues to reveal his heart for us and for our organization.  Sometimes trying to keep things simple, “nothing fancy… just Jesus”, can become quite complex when we let good things take our focus from the things God longs to give us if we would just open our hands to receive them.  Sure, life in Christ is more than simply opening our hands, but that is where it starts.  It starts by seeing, and believing, Jesus is who he says he is.  The rest is a beautiful journey in which Jesus doesn’t just command our surrender, but he shows us why our surrender becomes the safest and most satisfying place in the entire universe.  And although it is safe and satisfying, it will seem like the most unnatural, backward, and upside down journey.  At times it will be exhausting, frustrating, and painful, but it will be so good and so full of life changing grace, radical forgiveness, and unthinkable redemption that we on our own could never dream up.  It will remind you his plans for us will always be far greater than we could ever write into the scripts of our lives, if we would only see him as he is.  

As things in Uganda continue, and as things in Nashville develop, this is our song and prayer and we invite you to join us in the journey if you haven’t already.  Join us in praying that we would see Jesus for who he is, not who we project him to be, and that we would be obedient to follow him has he writes the greatest and most adventurous love story we’ll ever know.  He is the author, he is the perfecter, he is the Lord and he is good.  May we rest in our knowledge of who he is, and who we are in him.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.  The reason why the world does not know us is that in did not know him.  Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. –I John 3:1-2

Sometimes you just can't find the words....

"How was Africa?"

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that question in the last few weeks I’d still be broke.  Not because I haven’t been asked this question dozens of times a day, but because nickels aren’t really worth all that much anymore.  But if you gave me a dollar, now we are talking. Even though conversations have been frequent, I feel I have a different answer for nearly every person asking about our time in Uganda. It seems like such a simple question, yet there has not been one simple answer.  The truth is, time in Africa seemed to cover the whole spectrum of experiences and emotions.  It was just as exhausting as it was restful, challenging as it was encouraging…  humbling yet affirming, chaotic yet peaceful.  There is no single word, statement, or rambling thought that would adequately describe the last few months of our lives.  Still I constantly find myself saying, “Africa was good, so good.”  It appears in my effort to say everything, I end up saying nothing at all.  I know I can’t speak for my entire team, but trying to sum up the six weeks we spent in Africa doesn’t seem possible.  And even though it’s a bit overwhelming in terms of the overall experience and everything learned, there have been a few stories that have been constant in conversation which truly remind me how good our time in Africa was and that these are memories I’ll continue to learn from for the rest of my life.

A lot of these memories came while distributing Bibles to various communities, visitors, families, and churches.  I saw a hunger for the written Word of God that I long for in my own life.  More often than not Bibles were received with a joy I had never seen and have yet to experience.  For decades many of the men and women in this community have heard much about Jesus and have listened to His words read aloud from scripture, but never were they able to read and study these words for themselves.  I was reminded how even without scripture God is actively pursuing the hearts of men and women worldwide because of the promises of His love.  Yet in my own life, when I have access to seven or eight different translations, there are times when my hunger to know him and to study his word simply isn’t there.  I’ve never been deprived of access to God’s Word.  I have never once sang and danced when one of the dozens of bibles in my possession was given to me, nor have I been brought to my knees in thankfulness for having the freedom to explore his endless mysteries in my own time.  
 

Every Tuesday people would come from all over Parwech to help dig in the community
garden, on this particular day we were able to deliver Bibles to them and witness some of
their joy and thankfulness in receiving their gift.  Truly amazing.

Though my experiences with the Word of God have been quite different in America, this was and will always be one of the most valuable gifts of perspective in my own life.  I have had many reasons to sing and dance before the Lord, and to kneel before the Lord with overwhelming thankfulness in my heart.  Yet it reminded me how God is actively pursuing us, all of us, everywhere.  Beginning with the distribution of Bibles, but clearly present in all of our projects, the words of Isaiah 55 came to life.   It was almost as though they stepped directly out of the pages as we continued to read and pray these words over our community.  Not only does God long to satisfy our hunger and our thirst for purpose and satisfaction, He longs to give us the best He has.  He longs to be fully known and fully trusted.  He longs to establish us and to use us to bring all people into a true understanding of his love, forgiveness, and His fullness of life, and He never wants us to feel as though it is ours to do alone.  God never sends us out to complete a task outside of His presence; He is always inviting us into deeper levels of trust as we participate with Him in the fulfillment of His promises.

In reality, God doesn’t need me for anything.  I learned that well.  In fact I am sure God could do the work I did much better if He did it without me, but for some reason He waits patiently for my participation.  Then He waits patiently again and again as I learn the simple, beautiful, and the sometimes-painful truth that His ways and His thoughts are infinitely better than mine and there is nothing I can do to keep Him from doing that which He wills.  Though our plans were loose to begin with, God slowly pulled our grip from even the littlest of things only to give us bigger and better ones.  We could not have planned for the home visits made by strangers who came to our homestead almost daily and we had no idea there were dozens of young men gathering to play soccer nearly every evening just five minutes away.  Though certain things seemed to come with their fair share of speed bumps, there were others moving with a great deal of momentum and excitement.  The community garden is being forced to face a lot of changes in the near future, hopefully all for the best.   Yet outside of our previous knowledge there are pastors leading their own community gardens and planting their own churches not far from where we work, and all they truly need are a few resources and people to encourage them.

 

Denis, Nicole, Jana, and Cesar in Lalogi while we waited to see our friends
participate in the local Music Festival for the nearby primary schools. 

Even among all the really good things, we still had our personal ups and downs.  Cultural differences were a constant challenge and reminded us of how little we can control.   We had our individual struggles with Jesus, with trust, with fear and despair, and in all things He constantly reminded us of His everlasting and steadfast love.  More than once I found myself incredibly grateful for the safety of the community He had given me so I could be lost and confused, and for giving me friends who would challenge me to be prayerful, humble, and confident in the words of Jesus.  In our confusion and sorrow, He was our help.  Though we had goals and projects, much of our time was open-ended and many of our plans changed.  It was almost daily we were reminded that our willingness to be interrupted was necessary for God to work in the midst of our organized chaos.  In our fear He was our saving grace. In our despair He restored our hope.  In our insufficiencies He was everything we couldn’t be.  In our impatience, He was perfectly patient.  Personally, and I would say collectively, Uganda presented many challenging and uncomfortable moments that at the time seemed unwanted.  Yet in looking back, the difficulties helped create much needed space in my life for God to teach me sweet truths about Himself and about how much He loves His people.  Though I’m never excited, or prayerful, for God to give me more difficult situations, I have come to appreciate just how much Jesus loves to walk with us in tough times revealing to us portions of His heart. 

Now that I’ve made a second effort to say “everything”, when it comes to the finer details it still remains as though I have again said nothing at all.  There are still so many stories to be shared and lessons learned.  The times in our huts late at night with our team and translators, traveling together and individually to different homesteads or visiting different communities, one on one time with the kids in the village, or getting mobbed by dozens of little smiling faces, playing soccer, passing out Bibles, surviving the Antpocolypse, digging in the garden, trading shoes, trapping Francis the rat, and walking the long dirt roads…  So much happened in such a short window of time. At times it was difficult, and other times it was easy, but Africa was good… it was so good.  Still, there will never be enough words to truly collect all of my thoughts, but for that I am grateful.  And for that, we are so grateful for your support and your prayers. You’ve not only encouraged us, but you have absolutely participated in very real and necessary ways as the Switchboard story continues to unfold. We have been so encouraged by you, and so have our friends in Uganda. Thank you for your prayers, thank you for your love, and thank you for your endless support. 

Josh, Cesar, and Bryan found got sidetracked in one of the classrooms, what started out as
one white guy and two little African boys turned in to "Three Mizungus", or three white guys.

Before I conclude, there is still so much to pray for and we ask that you continue to support us prayerfully as Switchboard continues to grow:

• Please continue to meditate over and pray through Isaiah 55 as we wait to see what the Lord will do through the things he has already established, and for the Bibles that have been distributed throughout the community.  Pray for the people of Parwech, that God would raise up leaders and men of peace in their community who love him deeply and long to make much of him.
• Pray for our Uganda Director, Walter, and his family.  A few weeks ago Walter and Jennifer suffered the loss of their newborn son.  Pray for peace and comfort as they mourn the loss of their baby boy.
• Pray for us and our leaders, pray that God gives us clear direction as we continue to seek His guidance for our projects in Uganda, and for the development of discipleship opportunities here in Nashville.  Pray for eyes to see the world as He does, for ears to listen to His prompting, and for obedient hearts.  Pray that we grow in love for the Lord and for His kingdom.
• Pray for continued trust in his provision, especially as projects grow and with that our needs.  He has been faithful to provide thus far, pray that we constantly remember all He has done, and that we cling confidently to His promises.

Oketi Jospeh was the homestead's LC1, kind of like a Mayor.  It has been a huge blessing to
be welcomed into such a loving community and he has been a big support and
help for the work we do.

Thank you again, thank you all so much.  Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly… 

Always,

Cyrus and the Switchboard Team
(Jana, Nicole, and Josh)

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Isaiah 55:12-13

Goodbyes are never easy

I’m taking a moment to write you from Oxford, UK.  On the morning of the 8^th our team landed in London and parted ways.  As we’ve been blessed with flexible flight plans from our travel friend, I’ve taken a moment to visit the sites of one of the most influential minds in my own life, C.S. Lewis.  This has been such a treat, walking, thinking, and praying on the same roads of ideation and revelation for Lewis, Tolkien and many other incredible authors.  Though the place is crowded with tourism, it seems like I’m back in Latin America, where I can be surrounded by crowds of people yet feel perfectly alone the entire time.  Simply amazing.

Our last days in Africa went by too fast, but then again the whole trip seems to be that way.  Saying farewell in Africa is a timely process.  You are not just a visitor to a family, but you’re adopted by everyone in the community and every community you stumble upon. 

Though it feels about time to be making our way back, all the unknowns we are left with still make the moment heavy.   It is bitter sweet for sure.  Trying to filter through all of my experiences, things learned, and relationships formed are too much for me right now.  I love Africa.  Well I love Uganda, I’ve never been anywhere else in Africa yet but I probably love those places too.  I love how simple life in the village is.  You fetch your water, cook over a charcoal stove, and the only electricity you have for the week is the cell phone charge you have when you leave Gulu and the batteries to power your headlamps and lanterns.  Life slows to a crawl when the sun goes down and is quick to respond the moment the sun rises.  Just when you feel like logic would suggest life should be one way; God reminds you he is not bound by rules or logic, just love.  

As different as life may appear, you are also reminded of the heartbeat of humanity which is without borders.  People everywhere long for the same things, they desire to love and be loved, and life without purpose is simply hell on earth with no escape.  Where in one country you wake up and work your nine to five every day, in another you’ll wake up and dig in your garden to feed you family and pay your students school fees.  Yet in both areas people can be trapped, with few distractions or many.  People misunderstand and misrepresent truth wherever they are, simply because the pursuit of truth and understanding is an exhausting process and many times people don’t know where to start because there is either too much information available or none at all.  

It is a crazy world we live in, but chasing after the life Christ calls us toward is the only thing I believe will bring us the peace we are looking for.  I learned there are people everywhere looking for things of Jesus, some people have infinite resources and others only understand the things they’ve been told because they’ve never had access to a Bible of their own, let alone someone to walk with them as they try to understand the countless mysteries of God.  

I’ll continue to process my time in Africa for quite some time, if not forever.  But as we pray and wait for the Lord to reveal his will and his timing, please continue to pray with us. 

•  Pray for the development of our community projects in Lalogi, there are always obstacles regarding resources and land, as well as helping in a way that empowers.  Pray for wisdom and discernment as these develop.  Currently we help with community gardens, poultry farms, shelters, church plants, an orphanage and have distributed mosquito nets and Bibles through the community.
•  Pray God continues to provide the written Word of God to those who long for it.  Continue to pray Isaiah 55 for the five hundred Bibles we distributed through the churches in Parwech.  That God’s word would fall as rain on those who read it, causing their lives to grow and sprout giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.  That the fruit of the word would make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that will not be cut off.
•  Pray for the leadership and direction of Switchboard as we continue to grow.  Pray for Walter, our Uganda Director, and his wife Jennifer.  Pray that Jesus would continue to touch their hearts and give them hope and direction.  Pray for us in the U.S. as we pray for the growth and development we feel the Lord will lay on our heart, pray for the provision of any needed resource but the leadership and wisdom to work with the things God gives us. 

Friends, thank you.  Thank you so much.  I will be writing many more thoughts about our time in Africa.  As we do we will send them out to you via this blog and you can read them as you please.  But for now, please know your prayers have been heard and they have been felt.  Your support has not only greatly encouraged us, it has greatly impacted the lives of those in the communities where we work and live.  God has been moving, and he will continue to move, of this I am confident. 

Looking forward to many more updates and adventures to share with you, thank you again.

Grace and love to you all, always…                                                                      

Cyrus and the Switchboard Team 

(Jana, Nicole, and Josh)

“For the love of Christ controls us…”   II Cor 5:14-21

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