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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 3/10/2010
Dan and I had the opportunity to serve in Pader, Uganda last month for about 10 days with Team Symphony. Pastor JJ is an incredible man who is doing incredible work in a town that has been victim of senseless war. Our entire squad is partnering with Pastor JJ's church, Victory Outreach Ministry, by helping him raise money to build a church. please read about the town, Pastor JJ and his church and PLEASE consider partnering with this outreach. ~ Brandy
Rarely has anyone seen such pride for a plot of land as was seen on the face of Pastor JJ's as he took Team Symphony to the sight of his new church. He pointed this way and that detailing where the church would start, where the pulpit would be. He showed them where he hoped to build his house on the church land, how close it was to his son Samuel's school. He told them how in a few years, with the way the town was expanding, it would be the very center of town with main roads on all sides. He bragged on this piece of property the way proud mothers and fathers do on their children.
Really though it was just a regular plot of land. Like almost any other in Africa. But what you must realize is that Pastor JJ is a man of vision. He sees what can be, and better yet what will be. He has only been in Pader, Uganda for 3 years but has already built up a church that is almost the largest in the town. And we do not mean a church building. We are talking about a church. A group of people who come together to worship the Lord. A group of people who are a light to the community, who are joyful because they have a reason to be joyful. However as most can attest churches need a place to operate.
We come to you on behalf of Pastor JJ and his church. They are in need of about $10,000 to build their new church. They have been meeting in a borrowed building which in the next month will be taken away from them. If there is one thing we have learned for certain these past 7 months it is that there is so much need in this world. It is everywhere, it does not matter what corner of the world we go to.
But to be able identify a need for a group of people and even begin to have the means to meet that - this is a blessing in itself. Northern Uganda is an area that has experienced much darkness in the past 20 years. It is an area that has been plagued by wars and senseless death. Men our own age are haunted by the times that they were forced to serve in armies, that their fathers, mothers and sisters were killed, it is an area in recovery, and in need. What better to invest in than the church? We as Christians claim to know something that others do not. We claim to hold to a truth that is beyond us, and beyond this world. If ever darkness was in need of light it is surely here. If we are in Christ than it is our brothers and sisters in Uganda whom we are asking you to help.
We, the J Squad, have been given the opportunity to raise money for Victory Outreach Ministries in Pader, Uganda. They are in need of a church building. This is not a church building complete with bells and whistles and Sunday school rooms and gyms. This is a building, a one room building for God's people to meet. A building for God's people to come together and worship the lord. A group of people standing as a light to a community amongst much darkness.
Team Symphony had the opportunity to spend a month with Pastor JJ and according to the team they have rarely come across a man with such faith, with such blind obedience to the Lord. Pastor JJ moved his wife away from his and her family 3 years ago to start this church. His wife is the only one working to bring money for the family, she works at a NGO as a maid. The church can not afford to give Pastor JJ a salary. Any tithe or donation that the church is able to give goes to both paying for the church building/property and helping those who are in great need, and believe me there are plenty of these people.
Please help us help this man, this family, this church, and this community. There is a need to be met, please help us to meet it. We know many of you have already supported someone on this trip, but we have no one else to ask. We as a squad are coming together to raise money for this church. You who are reading this are our church, you are the people we stand with and so we ask you to help us. Please help us meet this need, this need which we are capable to meet. Even if we do not raise the complete $10,000, we can guarantee any amount will be a blessing to this church. Please seriously and prayerfully considering donating to a worthy cause, we only have until April, 24th 2010 to raise the money. PLEASE JOIN US!
(We're trying to publish a video of Victory Outreach Ministries but are having a difficult time publishing it with the slow internet, we will post it as soon as possible)
To donate via the internet click HERE.
Please select "Support a World Race Project" under Choose Program.
Please enter "2010 Feb J Squad"in the Project Field.
If you wish to send a donation by mail, please make your check payable to Adventures In Missions and mail it to:
Adventures In Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 303
Please indicate "World Race Project Fund – 2010 Feb J Squad" in the memo section of the check.
Your gift is tax-deductible.
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 3/10/2010
Here is an update on Trevor, the boy Dan, Matt and Austin had the privilege of praying for after a motorcycle accident.
Feb. 26
A couple of hours after the accident, Matt and Dan went back to the Jinja Public Hospital to check on Trevor. Trevor had been admitted and his mother, Sarah, and close family friend, Nathan, were visiting. Matt and Dan talked to Sarah and Nathan and found out that the family is Christian and Nathan is the family's pastor.
They told Matt and Dan that Trevor had woken up for a little while, but could not hear or speak. But, the doctor said he was hopeful that Trevor would make a full recovery.
Although his cuts have been treated, Trevor's forehead is still badly swollen.
After once again praying for Trevor, Matt and Dan leave.
Feb. 27
Matt's team left the night of the accident to travel to Tanzania, so the following day, Dan and Austin go back to the hospital to visit Trevor. They are greeted by Sarah and Joshua, Trevor's father. They told Austin and Dan that Trevor had woken up for a few minutes and had been able to eat a small amount of food and drink a little bit of juice. They told them that Trevor was able to hear and talk!
Trevor's parents had taken him to another hospital in order to get his head checked, possibly by a CT scan, because the doctor was worried about possible internal injuries to his head.
The cut on Trevor's forehead had been stitched and the swelling had also gone down.
Before leaving, Austin and Dan pray over Trevor once again and promise that he'll continue to be in their prayers.
Feb. 28
Because both Matt and Austin are now traveling to Tanzania, Dan goes to the hospital alone. As he walked through the courtyard of the hospital, he spots Joshua, Sarah and Trevor laying on a mat in the grass.
Trevor is doing a lot better and is expected to be released in only a couple of days. He'd been able to walk outside all by himself, but was still in a lot of pain. And although he's been able to eat and drink, the doctors think there may be something wrong with his jaw since he's only able to open it a little.
Joshua said that the man he had seen up the street on the day of the accident was the driver of the motorcycle. The crowd had found Trevor dead, so they'd begun beating the driver so he had run away. The man was later arrested and caned by the police for killing Trevor.
When the police started asking where Trevor's body was, the crowd told them they didn't know because some Mzungus (white people) had taken him away in a car. They found Trevor at the hospital.
Alive.
Dan found out that Trevor's sister, Precious, had been the only one the locals had decided to take to the hospital since Trevor was dead.
She and her brother had been walking hand in hand from school when they were hit by the motorcycle. She's been released from the hospital and is resting at home.
As Dan is talking to Joshua, Trevor wakes up and sits up on his own strength, but doesn't respond to Dan-- only drools.
Dan prays for Trevor once again and tells Joshua that he'll be back in the morning, before he leaves for Tanzania.
*again, thanks to marissa villa for typing this up! we love you marissa!!*
unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it back to the hospital to see trevor before I left uganda. i called joshua and he told me that trevor was still improving and was going to be released from the hospital soon! thanks for all of your prayers and emails, please continue to pray for trevor! (Dan Snyder)
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 2/28/2010
They met for the first time in the Atlanta, Georgia airport back in May 2009. Matt Patch, Austin Anglea and Dan Snyder: instant brothers with much in common. After training camp the three of them had dreams and visions of the Lord using them together. Even though they'd talked about it with each other, none really knew what it could possibly look like.
In November 2009, Matt, Dan and Austin were baptized together in the Jordan River by their brother, Aaron Bruner. As they prepared for the baptisms, they reminisced about the dreams and visions the Lord had given them and how He was going to use the three of them in His Kingdom to do huge things (read Aaron's blog about it here).
It's now Feb. 26, 2010, and the three have gathered in Jinja, Uganda.
Austin was in town purchasing bus tickets for his team as Dan and Matt took a boda boda, or a motorcycle taxi, into town to do some work on the Internet.
Little did they know that God was about to use these three transformed men--one a former teacher/coach, another a former realtor, and the other a former cop--in a mighty way. Just one to three years ago they were living for themselves, living the American Dream, the party life. Today they were living for the Kingdom.
As Matt and Dan rode towards the town of Jinja on the back of the boda bodas, they saw a man surrounded by a group of people, laying on the ground to the left of the road. As the bodas slowed, the man, who was covered in blood, came to his feet. He'd obviously been hit by a car or thrown off of a boda, but seemed OK. The drivers kept moving.
As the boda bodas came around a slight bend in the road, Matt and Dan noticed a motorcycle laying there. Its pieces were strewn across the road. As the bodas slowed, a young girl of about 7 years old came into view. She was wearing a pink dress and her face and arms were covered in blood, but she at least was standing.
But just past her, a group of about 15 people were surrounding something else on the road. The boda bodas stopped in front of the group and a small boy, also about 7 years old, came into view. His body was laying in the middle of the road.
He was lifeless.
"He's dead," they thought.
A man shaked the boy, trying to bring him back to life, but he lay limp.
Dan and Matt pushed through the crowd to get to the boy who had a four inch bleeding bulge on his forehead. His mouth and ear was spilling blood.
Matt prayed as Dan looked around for a ride to get the boy to the hospital.
It was then that Austin arrived on another boda boda that was coming from the other direction. Austin jumped off of the motorcycle and immediately ran to the boy.
"The kid's dead," Dan told him.
Dan told Austin that someone in the crowd was willing to take the boy to the hospital. The two of them and another man carried the lifeless boy's body to the car.
"Do you feel a pulse or see him breathing?" Dan asked Austin.
Austin stopped his prayer mid-sentence, looked up, and simply responded, "No."
As they lay the boy in the backseat of the car, Austin pulled his sweatshirt off and put it under the boy's head. As he did this, the boy's chest started to rise and fall.
He was breathing.
The prayers for the boy continued as Dan, Matt and Austin climbed back on boda bodas. Matt and Dan rode to the hospital to pray over the boy again. The doctor on duty said the hospital didn't have the necessary medicine to stop the bleeding and swelling in the boy's head.
Matt and Dan decided they'd have to buy the medicine. They ran across the street and bought some, ran back, and gave it to the doctor.
They prayed again.
Meanwhile, Austin hopped back on his boda boda along with the boy's friend and the driver on a mission to find the boy's parents. They drove along back roads, through clothes hanging on lines, and finally arrived in the boy's village. His parents weren't home, but they managed to find neighbors who agreed to tell the boy's parents about the emergency.
A few hours later, Dan and Matt were at the hospital again to pray for the boy once more. They found him, his mother, and his close family friend there. They were told the boy, Trevor, and his sister, Precious, were both hit by a boda boda.
And they both survived.
The family is Christian and the family friend who was there is a pastor. Dan and Matt explained what had happened, that Trevor hadn't been breathing when they'd first arrived, but that his breathing came back after they started praying for him.
As they prayed for him again, Trevor began to move his fingers and his eyes started to flutter. His mother, Sarah, thanked God and thanked them for praying for her son.
They promised to keep Trevor and Precious in their prayers, and walked away knowing they'd experienced the miraculous ability of the Lord and prayer.
Austin:
I remember becoming irritated as it was taking a ridiculous amount of time to buy the tickets for the team. But it was no accident for it was the Lord delaying me for what was soon to happen! After my time spent in town I headed back on the motorcycle taxi. I looked ahead and saw a crowd of people and as soon as we pulled up close I saw Dan in the middle taking charge of the situation, and by the look on his face I knew something was wrong. I tapped my driver and told him to stop, I needed off! I remember seeing the boy laying in the middle of the road saturated in blood, Dan looked at me and said, "he's dead." Going up to the boy he was lifeless, as his eyes were open but glazed over, he surely looked dead. There was a man there trying to massage his chest trying to get his heart working. Not knowing what else to do, I put a hand on the boy and began to pray in the Spirit as Dan figured out a car to put the kid in.......we carried Trevor to the car while all three of us continued to pray and then the car pulled off to take the boy to the hospital. As quick as that, it was done.....riding back home on the taxi after we went and told the people in the boy's village, I began to cry thinking about the whole situation, but then I began to think how God aligned the three of us in order to be there for that boy, and I began to rejoice! God has a plan for that boy and he wanted him to live, and how grateful the three of us are to be a part of what God wanted done that day.
Matt:
Once we pulled up I was scared, shocked, and felt useless. I was looking at a lifeless child. A million things started to create a wall in my mind. Then God busted through all of the feelings and said, "hold on, I'm bigger than that... pray." So, I did. I walked away from today realizing that being in God's will is just that... being. I can't do anything. However, in Christ I can do everything. All I have to do is "be". Did I raise the dead today? No. I witnessed the beautiful gift of life that was being stolen given back. Glory be to God. How wonderful and amazing He is to let us be a part of His plan, His miracles... His son Trevor's life.
Dan:
once we pulled up and i saw trevor i thought without a doubt that he was dead...just the way he was laying on the pavement, i could tell. as i got closer and saw his forehead, the blood coming from his ear and mouth and his half opened, glazed over eyes...i just knew he was dead. in retrospect though, i have no idea if he was dead. to be honest, i thought about praying but quickly replaced that thought with, "i've gotta get him to the hospital" and started working to find a driver to get him there. i looked over at matty and saw him praying on the side of the road...and then out of nowhere austy showed up...to think of all the different variables that went into the three of us being there at that exact moment...it's unbelievable. anyways, i didn't think about praying again until i heard austin praying as we carried trevor to the car. i immediately started praying and a few seconds later, after all three of us were praying, trevor started breathing. i didn't realize it as it was happening but god put the three of us in this situation for a purpose...he had aligned it...it blows my mind...three different guys...all doing different things amongst the chaos to help this boy...trusting our god...praying with all that we had...and trevor lived. i know we didn't act any differently then most people would've but the lord put the three of us there for a purpose...to experience his miracles and the indescribable power of prayer...and trevor lived...that's the kind of god i am willing to give my life to.
*As of 2/27, Trevor is still alive but they doctors are concerned about the trauma to his head, please keep him in your prayers*
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 2/28/2010
"He's moved by the heart of Jesus, not by the needs of the poor – which is essential."
A visiting Canadian pastor shared this statement with me while we sat under the shade of a Ugandan church (tent) to describe the maturity of his son's faith.
It was a statement I would playback in my mind a thousand times...only to land on the realization...
...that he was right.
I want to be moved by the heart of Jesus.
But if I'm honest...perhaps I'd admit that my journey began...being moved by the needs of the poor.
And if I go back a step further to transparent honesty...perhaps I'd admit that my journey actually began...being moved by my own need to find worth...to find purpose.
But maybe that's ok.
Because at least it got me moving.
And it is easier for God to move an object in motion.
(Holland and I were swarmed by joyous school children who were delighted to carry our water and hold our hands while moving down the country roads of Lira, Uganda)
But when you fall in love with Jesus, you are moved by Him.
Your heart will still break– if not more so – for the fallen world and for the poor, and their need will still naturally move you.
But with the realization of the depths of His love for you...comes the inspiration to move...
...with His very heart beating inside you.
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 2/17/2010
I've done some reading lately, a little questioning and a lot of prayer. Talking to God I suppose. About loss, about suffering, about "why?".
And I'm taken back to the garden...where God created...where God gave...
Us...you and me...the whole world.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." Genesis 1:26-28
He gave it all...to us.
Although there is a disclaimer worth noting here. He wanted then and still does today...to be in relationship with us. I believe he wanted a partnership. He created the world. He created us. He gave us the world. He beckoned us.
The response lies in our hands...not His.
"Our Christian habit is to bewail the world's deteriorating standards with an air of rather self-righteous dismal. We criticize its violence, dishonesty, immorality, disregard for human life, and materialistic greed. "The world is going down the drain," we say with a shrug. But whose fault is it? Who is to blame? Let me put it like this. If the house is dark when nightfall comes, there is no sense in blaming the house; that is what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is "Where is the light?" Similarly, if the meat goes bad and becomes inedible, there is no sense in blaming the meat; that is what happens when bacteria are left alone to breed. The question to ask is "Where is the salt?" Just so, if society deteriorates and its standards decline until it becomes like a dark night or a stinking fish, there is no sense in blaming society; that is what happens when fallen men and women are left to themselves, and human selfishness is unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the Church? Why are the salt and light of Jesus Christ not permeating and changing our society?:" It is sheer hypocrisy on our part to raise our eyebrows, shrug our shoulders, or wring our hands. The Lord Jesus told us to be the world's salt and light. If therefore darkness and rottenness abound, it is largely our fault and we must accept the blame." - John Stott
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl,. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 2/17/2010
Within the lines and across the expressions...
a story is told throughout the faces of Northern Uganda.
A story of heartache...a story of great loss...a story of survival...
I've spent the past couple months serving throughout Northern Uganda, in Lira, Gulu and Pader - all with different but similar stories to tell. Northern Uganda fell victim to atrocious rebel attacks in a war that lasted twenty years. And as I walk down the city streets, into mud hut villages and shake hands with the survivors, the region seems to be exhaling with the realization of a 4-year peace.
But they are never far from their stories.
Stories of...
...children robbed of their childhood
...boys turned into child soldiers
...girls raped and abused
...parents murdered in front of their children
...grandparents burned inside their homes
Stories of war.
Yet...amazingly interwoven with stories of faith.
Below is one such story, written by Halley Power while we served in Gulu last month.
When I was twelve years old, my main concern was surviving middle school. My mind was focused on things like impressing my crush, having my own phone line,and getting my first kiss. I think back to those years and remember how awkward I was. Life was tough on all of us at that age, right? So I thought.
In my last blog, I introduced you to Nancy. Now I'd like to share her story with you.
 When Nancy was twelve, her concept of struggle was totally different than mine. In 2003, she was abducted from her home at night, along with 9 other siblings and cousins. The rebels targeted her home after being informed of two things. First of all, a teacher (her father-Santo-also introduced in my last blog) lived there, which to them meant he worked for the government. Second, they were informed that there would be many children there. The rebels came to the house around 11:30 that night. They threatened the bomb the entire house if they weren't allowed in, so the mother opened the door. Santo had left that very day to stay at the university, so he wasn't at home. If the rebels had come one day earlier or later, he would have been killed. Everyone was tied together and taken away. Nancy said she was crying hysterically, but they threatened to kill anyone who cried. The rebels took all of the belongings from the house and dragged the children into the night. The mother was dropped off and allowed to return home because she had Robin (a small baby at the time). Out of the ten children taken from the home that continued with the rebels, the youngest was six. The commander told them that they wanted Santo to pursue them so that he could be killed. The kids were smeared with a black vasaline-type substance so that they could be identified by other rebels in the event of an escape. This marker meant they would be killed on site. They then began their walk to Sudan. Andrew is Nancy's brother. I've also gotten very close to him. He has a large part in this story, as well. Andrew was ten when the rebels came. The ten children were separated into different groups. Andrew was with some of the other children, but not Nancy. Andrew had a special job. He was basically one of the commander's personal slave. He carried his equipment, gun, and food. They were given very little (if anything) to eat most of the time. Typically, two cups of beans was split between his group of twenty other abductees. The rebels had no regard for human life. If they came across a river that needed to be crossed, someone would be pushed in to gage the depth, which usually resulted in drowning. They were frequently beaten by canes for being "lazy". They were walking to Sudan to train to become soldiers. Yes, I do mean walking to Sudan. At one point, Andrew said he was too tired to keep going. His feet, ankles, and legs were swollen greatly. Running on barely any food, he had enough. He sat down and refused to keep walking. Keep in mind he is ten years old at this time. The commanders threaten to kill him if he doesn't continue. He tells them that they'll just have to kill him because he can't do it anymore. An older abductee (around thirty) had a similar response with exhaustion. Without thought, they killed him with a machete. Andrew guesses they let him live because he was the coveted luggage carrier. He finally got up and continued walking.
Both Nancy and Andrew have a similar escape story, even though they happened two months apart. Government troops ambushed the rebels. Planes flew overhead and dropped bombs. Soldiers on the ground fired guns. The commander that Andrew was tied to was shot in the chest. They both fell to the ground. Andrew grabbed the knife from the rebel's waistbelt and cut himself free. He crawled on the ground until he escaped the gun fire. A soldier eventually found him and took him to safety. In the chaos of the battle Nancy encountered, she ran as fast as she could into the bush. She ran and ran until she finally found help.
Andrew was gone for one year and one month. He was the first to return home. Nancy was gone for one year and three months. Out of the ten that were taken, only six survived. Their sister was killed by a government bomb during an attack. Casualties was not a concern. Three cousins died as well, but I'm not sure of the details. Andrew thinks he was the only person to survive the day he escaped. He said, "God protected me...because I was tied to the commander who was shot, I fell on the ground. The bullets went above me. God must have a special plan for my life". Wow.
If you've seen the movie Blood Diamond, you remember the scene where the African father finds his young son who was abducted and turned into a child soldier. The son doesn't recognize his father. I always thought this part was dramatized in the movie. Who could forget their own father? Andrew could. He didn't remember people. He didn't remember how to have normal conversations. He was used to only following commands. War was all he knew. It took time, but he was rehabilitated and is doing wonderful. He's so intelligent and mature for his age.
Nancy is doing well also. She is nineteen and just passed the exams to continue her education. She wants to be a doctor. She sings in the youth worship group and has been at church almost every day since we've been here. I'm really going to miss my friend. Santo, Nancy, Andrew, and the rest of the family have been so hospitable. We spent time at their home again this week and it was amazing, just like last time (refer to previous blog).
These are faces of Northern Uganda. This nation has been plagued with the longest running war of Africa's history. And it's been personal. Every single person we've encountered was affected. It's their story. And there are so many. These stories are no longer just stories. Nancy and Andrew are representations of the mllions of people that have endured through this conflict. They've all been through so much, but they have hope. They have joy. Last night there was worship time at the church. The last song they sang was one I'd heard before...but never in this light. "Sing for joy to God our strength." I've been in services in which we sang this song. For these people, it has so much more meaning. God has been their strength. And he is their joy. In the midst of the tragedies they've faced, they latched onto the hope of Christ. They glow with joy. Glow. And it's contagious. They give me hope.
If we call to him he will answer us
If we run to him he will run to us
If we lift our hands he will lift us up
Come now praise his name, all you saints of God
Sing for joy to God our strength
Sing for joy to God our strength
Draw near to him, he is here with us
Give him your love, he's in love with us
He will heal our hearts, he will cleanse our hands
If we rend our hearts, he will heal our land.
But perhaps the greatest story is yet to be told...
The story of redemption.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devestated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devestated for generations. Isaiah 61:4
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 1/24/2010
Re-posting Melanie's blog below "Stories from Uganda" since she did such a great job storytelling...enjoy!
I just recently finished a book about stories. It left me daydreaming about the stories I will tell my children or grandchildren. My mind then wondered to all the stories I have been collecting on the World Race and, specifically, those from this month in Lira, Uganda. This has been my favorite location, by far! Nothing compares to Africa - to the beauty, the faith of these people, the hospitatity, the joy, etc - I have loved it here and am grieving the fact that I must leave on Monday for Niarobi!
One my favorite days involves my dear friend, Brandy. As squad leader, she gets to travel amongst different teams and, to my joy, was with my team for the first two weeks of January. She sponsors a child, Gladys, through Compassion International and knew that Gladys was somewhere in Uganda. Since our race route changes so often, she was hesitant to tell the Compassion offices that she was coming (for fear of plans changing) and didn't really have much hope of seeing Gladys.
 When we got to the orientation meeting with our host pastor, he explained that one of the Compassion projects was run out of this church and it contains 280 children. So Brandy, not really expecting anything, mentions the name of her sponsor child to the pastor. The pastor said that the family name was from this region and asked Brandy to go online and find more information. It turned out that Gladys is from the very district we were staying in!! She was in a different village, but it was only a few miles away. Brandy then very quickly started to fill out the paperwork and we began to pray that things could be speedily processed so she could meet Gladys. Praise the Lord, all was cleared in under a week! So Brandy, Dan, and myself crammed into a tiny Toyota and headed to Autibaton.
I am so grateful that I was able to share this with Brandy and that God wrote that memory into my story. Seeing Brandy and Gladys introduced was one of my favorite World Race moments. However, it was topped later, when, just before it was time to leave, Gladys brought out a huge Rooster, bound by the feet, and presented it to Brandy. They also presented her with this branch full of banana-like fruit. I will never forget the look on Brandy's face when Gladys came out with a crowing Rooster and handed it to her! It was funny in the moment (and still is!) but once we started to reflect on the significance, it is incredible.
The family is very poor and they had to sacrifice much to give these gifts. Gladys is one of four children and lives in a tiny hut with her parents. Though her family has little earthy posessions, she is considered very lucky because both of her parents are living – many have lost parents to HIV/Aids or to the conflict that recently tormented Northern Uganda. Also, she is blessed by the Compassion program that provides food, school fees, and Christian education.
(Allow me to put in a small plug here for Compassion and World Vision. Both of these organizations, and I'm sure many others, are doing incredible work in the lives of children around the world....if you don't already sponsor a child, I suggest you pray about adopting a child! And if you do have a sponsor child, be sure to write letters and send pictures – Gladys, and other children I have met here, cherish these items! Ok, I will get off my soap box now!)
Later that afternoon, we were scheduled to attend a small group. We debated just going back to our house because well, what were we going to do with a live rooster?! But, I had a feeling that the cell group was important so we came up with a plan to lock the Rooster in the church and come back for it after (thankfully, the pastor ended up taking it home for us!).
 So Brandy, Hope and I headed to another adventure and had no idea what to expect. What we were met with, we could not have imagined! The 'small group' consisted of about 150 people, 100 of which were children! And, we were not just attending, we were the 'honored guests!' The children had music and skits ready for us! Also, they served us tea and biscuits (which is hard when you are the only one eating in an impoverished village and all the children are looking at you....but you can't not eat and offend....talk about being between a rock and a hard place!). The evening demonstrates how loving and hospitable this culture is. They humbled me and my view of the body of Christ and how God calls us to love one another.
And, to top it off, we were expected to provide the testimonies and the Word of God! Now, after three weeks in Africa, we are coming to expect that if we attend anything, we will be teaching! But this day, we weren't prepared. Hope saved the day with an awesome message and Brandy shared about her day with Gladys. It was an incredibly humbling, strange, fun and memorable evening! And was certainly a nice way to top off an already interesting day!
This is just one day of stories out of many from our time in Lira... stay tuned for more!
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 1/21/2010
There was a mattress hanging from the ceiling and bags of feed lining the aisle. Smuggled goods, or at least what we assumed to be, were stuffed under our seats and there were far more people on board than places to sit.
Welcome to the African bus system.
Since that maiden voyage, I've ridden alongside live chickens and in-between everything but the kitchen sink...and realized that it's not likely smuggled goods, but legitimate freight in transit.
I was sitting in the very back, between Michelle who snagged the window seat and a grandmother who had more grandbabies than places to put them. With many hours in front and more dust behind, we set off cross-country...very bumpy country.
All the jarring took a turn for the worse when the grandmother to my left began to get sick on her lap.
Michelle hung her head out the window to my right.
I was stuck in the middle...with puke.
To say my negative thoughts got the best of me is an understatement...when in His perfect timing...God interrupted my thoughts...
"What if she was Gladys' grandmother?"
Gladys is a 6 year old child that I sponsor through Compassion, who lives somewhere in Uganda. (exact location unknown at the time)
Clearly this was not her grandmother...but a pit in my stomach immediately formed nonetheless. I pictured myself walking into Gladys' village and being introduced to her grandmother...who I'd recognize from the bus. How would she remember me? Did I act arrogant and annoyed? Or had I acted with compassion?
Did I live what I preached?
Immediately humbled...I scrounged up a sick bag for her and kept her stocked with tissue and wet wipes the rest of the trip.
When a name becomes attached to a face...things get personal. When you get close enough to allow the faces of poverty...HIV...and hunger to be felt...to be real...to be known...
it changes everything.
Maybe the appropriate question would be...what if it was Jesus?
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these you did not do for me.' Matthew 25:42-45
One such face also became a name...introducing Mercy... :)
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 1/18/2010
As I looked around the Turkish Christmas Eve celebration, I took in the diversity of the crowd who had joined us in spending the holidays so many miles from home. From the Finnish pastor...and the exiled church leader from Uzbekistan...to our new Nigerian and Ghanaian friends...
And it made me question...why...Why have we taken the journey...abandon the familiar...and pursued the unknown.
I just finished reading a must read - The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns (CEO of World Vision) where he tells of a pastor in Cambodia who was suspicious of World Vision's work in their community, convinced that they had their own hidden agenda.
"Why would these strangers help us?" He thought.
"One day I decided to confront them, and I went to the World Vision leader and demanded to know why they were here. His answer took me by surprise. He said, 'We are followers of Jesus Christ, and we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are here to show you that God loves you.' (Stearns p. 71)
I loved the straightforwardness of his response. Often times we seem to hem haw around about our motivations, skeptical of how they will be received. But at the end of the day, I know I am here because Jesus gave me a new heart, a heart that beats like His.
I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and given them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19
We hit the ground in Kenya...but two teams immediately headed to Uganda to serve for the month. I have spent the month between those two teams, serving in Lira and Gulu.
The devastation that occurred in this region of Northern Uganda was captured in the Invisible Children documentaries. We have learned not to ask IF someone was affected by the rebel attacks, but HOW -- because it is a safe assumption that ALL have suffered.
With much left to rebuild -- their faith is contagious as they praise God for four years of peace and hope for a future.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations...Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61:4, 7
Everlasting joy sure looks good in Uganda! :)
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Posted in General Posts by Brandy Chaffer on 12/29/2009
Just before I came on the race...God took me down a road...I chose to follow out of nothing more than radical obedience..
...and it utterly shattered my heart.
When it was said and done, I wasn't so much hurt by my circumstances...as I was by God.
But in the depths of my soul, I knew better than to question His motives...while I could see nothing of His plan.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
So I chose to trust...to continue to follow...despite my logic, emotion and circumstance.
Why?
I wish I had a more holy answer...but quite frankly...because I was too far in. Really. Nearly 3 years ago, I bet the farm on Jesus...and I'll be gosh darned if I don't see this thing through. :)
"If you give God the right to yourself, he will make a holy experiment out of you. God's experiments always succeed." - Oswald Chambers
But that didn't mean it was easy.
I guess nobody told me that it would be.
But several months and 5 countries later...I'm beginning to understand His purpose, the necessity of heartbreak and the glory of His plan.
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:29-32
When the pieces began to come back together, I asked God..."How would you use a small town girl with small town dreams in the Kingdom of God?"
And here is what He told me...
You let her dreams fail her.
You let her heart break.
You show her a broken world
and introduce her to a plan of redemption.
You let her wrestle -- the world against the truth
and let her come out with a limp.
And then you let her walk with it...
because it is in that limp she'll find compassion on the world.
Because of that limp, shell walk in truth...
because she fought too hard not to.
And then you give her back her dreams...
but this time laced with grace.
And that same small town girl...
...loves her God-sized world.
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