A Living Faith
Last year, Garry and I went to Uganda to do some SixtyFeet work and visit some of the other remand homes we had heard about. The week was intense as we crisscrossed the country visiting 6 of the 7 facilities we knew of.
On Friday night, towards the end of the trip, we were out trying to decompress after a long week when I got a phone call from Pastor Boaz. We were planning to worship that Sunday at Pastor Ernest’s church and Boaz was calling to ask if I would be willing to “preach.” It was intimidating but I agreed to share the word. There’s no way I was going to turn down that invitation.
But I had no idea what to say. To be honest, I was looking forward to learning more about faith and prayer and worship from them. This was one of those moments you just trust God will give you the words. Thankfully He led me to a passage of Scripture and I put together a short message.
The night before the heavens had opened up. It rained like you couldn’t believe. And at the time, the church didn’t have a roof or a floor. It had a small tarp to cover it but it blew off during the storm so there was thick mud everywhere. I only say that because it didn’t matter. The crowds showed up and we worshiped God every bit as powerfully as if we were seated in the most glorious cathedral on earth.
That Sunday, Pastor Ernest also had a visitor from the Congo. He was a man Pastor Ernest had known for a long time. He didn’t speak much English and we didn’t get to meet until after the service. Before church began the pastor from the Congo taught Sunday school to the adults while Garry and I visited 3 separate Sunday school classes – all of which were being held outside under a tree.
You got to love that! As caught up as we get in our children’s programs in the U.S. they had Sunday school outside… under a tree. There weren’t professional caregivers, or elaborate presentations, or entertainment. They had a bench and the word of God. Everything they needed, plus a bench.
So church starts and I deliver the message. After I finish Pastor Ernest comes up and says the “Spirit has testified.” He went on to say that the Pastor from the Congo and I had never met or even spoken to each other. Yet the two of us came together that day (from different countries, different backgrounds, different languages) and taught from the exact same passage of Scripture. James 1:22-27:
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Of all the passages of Scripture we could have spoken on, we both picked the same one. God had a message for the church in Bwerenga that day, and He has the same message for us here in North America. Faith calls for action. A living faith is an active faith. There’s no way around it – genuine faith is accompanied by works.
You may not have any idea whether you can do something God has called you to, or how in the world you’re going to accomplish it. But rest assured you are adequately equipped for the task and He won’t leave you to fend for yourself. You may not see the fruit or know the ripple effect – but your faithfulness will not be in vain.
So the next time you’re asked to preach in Africa, don’t bat an eye. You never know what God may have in store.
Live The Talk
A few weeks ago the SixtyFeet team went to the Georgia Dome to attend the Passion Conference with about 45,000 college students. In addition to feeling incredibly old, we were incredibly encouraged and inspired. Hearing the likes of Louie Giglio, Francis Chan and John Piper will do nothing if not encourage and inspire you (with a heavy dose of conviction thrown in!).
One of the performers was LeCrae (who by the way is part of an awesome Church plant here in Atlanta) and one of the songs he did was “Go Hard.” It resonated so much with us that it’s become one of our mottos.
When SixtyFeet began, we were so hungry. We just wanted God – nothing more nothing less. We were exhausted of the ho-hum, run-of-the-mill American version of Christianity. Been there done that. It was time to live the talk. We were ready to experience the power of Christ in tangible and miraculous ways.
And He answered our prayers – abundantly. After nearly 2 years, SixtyFeet continues to work in ever-increasing ways, reaching imprisoned children in Uganda and proclaiming the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. In our own little corner of the world, we have been privileged to watch God do the impossible. We have been honored to walk closer with Him than ever before. And He continues to stretch us beyond what we think we are capable of.
And so we want to continue to go hard. He’s worthy of our best. He’s worthy of so much more.
Jesus didn’t say that others would recognize us by our words. He said that all people would know we are His disciples by our love. John 13:35. That involves more than just talk. A living faith is an active faith. We are to be doers of the Word. James 1:22, 25. Not because we have to or out of obligation, but because we love Him. John. 14:31.
There’s a lot of talk out there. But as they say, talk is cheap. What does your life look like? Like the world or like Christ? As LeCrae says:
If you didn’t know Him would your life look the same? Can they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep His name?
Beloved
On September 23, 2010, SixtyFeet released our “Bereaved” film for the first time. In some regards, the
film was a bit of a risk – it dealt with difficult and challenging subject matter on a topic that we weren’t
sure would even resonate with the mainline church in America: Imprisoned Children in Africa.
And yet we had traveled to Uganda. We had been to M1 and seen it with our own eyes. We had walked
the halls, held the children and touched the confining, metal bars. We had an obligation to speak up on
behalf of the children we had met and to tell their stories – even if no one would listen.
But to our delight, people did listen. At that first film showing, over 200 people attended. And since
that time, Bereaved has been shown to thousands of people from coast to coast. The film is an original
work, designed to provide a unique view into the world of M1 – the first of the remand homes
that SixtyFeet started working with.
And now, by God’s grace, we’ve had the opportunity to produce a second film – entitled “Beloved.”
This film also provides an insider’s view – into the hearts of the children we work with. Our second film,
directed and produced by Daniel Bashta of Go Motion Worldwide, focuses less on the facilities we work with and more on the individual stories of the children who live there — the “Beloved” children of God. We are sure it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
Beloved will premiere in Atlanta on Saturday, February 11th at 7:30pm. This event is open to any and
all friends of the SixtyFeet ministry. Tickets are free but seating is limited. So please make your plans to attend now and reserve tickets here.
We look forward to seeing you on February 11th!
End Of Year Giving Update
Although we’re still receiving some checks in the mail, we wanted to share the incredible news about what God did in the last two months of 2011. He seems to have aroused a sleeping army! You may want to sit down for this.
Through you, God raised roughly $150,000. Yes, you read that right. Our jaws are still on the floor. Including the match, that is about $210,000! We’ll provide a full update once everything is in and we can regain our composure.
In the meantime, we just want to say thank you! From the bottom of our hearts, we are profoundly grateful that you chose to entrust your resources to us for the sake of Christ and the gospel. We don’t take that lightly!
We’d also like to ask if you would just join us in praising and worshiping Him for His abundant mercy and kindness. This has God written all over it. All we can do is humbly praise Him knowing that we can accomplish n-o-t-h-i-n-g apart from Him. Our prayer is that these resources are used to manifest His love to these children and that a revival would spread through their lives and through Uganda to the glory of Christ. And may it continue to spread through ours!
Accountable
“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Rom 14:12
Only 20 short months ago, a group of us in Atlanta were burdened for imprisoned children in Uganda. Initially, we stepped out in faith to try to help in a relatively small way. In what seems like the blink of an eye, God transformed it into a full-blown ministry. Nearly 2 years later, our hearts are even more passionately devoted to Christ and to this beautiful ministry He has entrusted to us.
As stewards, we know that we are accountable to Him for how we conduct ourselves and how we oversee the ministry. To whom much is given much is required. Luke 12:48. So we truly strive to excel in everything we do knowing that it is Christ we serve, and our lives and this ministry reflect Him.
So in these last few days of 2011 when so many of you have made sacrificial gifts to the ministry, we wanted to affirm our commitment to financial and operational integrity. We commit to being transparent and making ourselves accountable for how we manage the funds that you graciously entrust to SixtyFeet.
In that spirit, just yesterday we submitted our application to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (www.ecfa.org). We have been preparing our application materials for months and are excited to have formally begun the process. If you are not familiar with the ECFA, we highly recommend you check them out. For over 3 decades, they have helped churches and ministries develop and maintain God-honoring ethical practices for financial accountability, fundraising and board governance.
Admission to the ECFA provides another layer of accountability for SixtyFeet and requires us to adhere to strict standards that honor Christ in how we operate. As part of being admitted to the ECFA, our financial information will be available for public inspection, which we will link to through our website.
Paul calls all of us to walk in a manner worthy of the calling we have received. Eph. 4:1. Indeed, this is a high calling and we take it seriously. We earnestly desire to honor and serve Christ through SixtyFeet. It is the reason we first stepped out and the foundation on which we continue. As long as this ministry is entrusted to us, that is our commitment to you.
Shutting The Mouth Of Injustice
There are so many injustices in the world it makes your stomach turn. Too many to even try to list. The injustice that has deeply impacted our hearts is the fact that children are imprisoned throughout the world. At this very moment, literally as you are reading these words, over 1 million children are sitting in prison – some are being abused, most are being denied basic rights, many are terrified and hungry.
It is a harsh and unacceptable reality. The horrific conditions in which these children live, the danger they face, and the daily suffering they endure should absolutely shock our consciences and spur us to action. Here are a few facts to ponder (you can see a short video on this subject by visiting www.kampalaconference.info):
* The age of criminal responsibility in most African countries is 10
* Today there are believed to be over 1 million children languishing in prisons
* The largest number of child prisoners is believed to be in Africa
It’s difficult to communicate the weight of injustice, and the call of the Christian to seek justice, plead the cause of the oppressed, and rescue those in need. One of our dear friends has put to words a glimpse of our passion on this issue of injustice, so we thought we would share some of her thoughts and what every one of us can do about it.
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I start with the definition of “injustice”:
Juvenile Justice
It is undeniable that the Kingdom of God ushers in justice and righteousness. As disciples of Christ, we are called to seek justice, correct oppression, and plead the cause of the afflicted and needy. Isa. 1:17.
It is also undeniable that one effect of having children in prison is that some of them suffer injustice, and are easily forgotten in a system that is crowded and overwhelmed. We often come across children who are waiting for their case to be heard, or who cannot get to the courtroom for various reasons, or who have officially been released but their paperwork hasn’t come through yet. You get the picture.
For some time, we have seen the need for a dedicated advocate who can help track cases, work to expedite hearings or the release of children, and advocate within the government for resources or procedures to ensure that as few children as possible are languishing in the system.
Recently, we have been blessed to get to know Finlay Wood. Fin just joined the team in Uganda, and will begin to formulate the justice component of the ministry in the remand homes. We celebrate Fin’s arrival and wanted to introduce him and his family to all of you (in his own words):
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Hi there, Greetings from Kampala!! A warm dusty Kampala….
My name is Finlay Wood and I am 39 years old married for 12 years with 4 beauty full children. 3 girls and a boy who was born in Uganda. We have lived in Uganda for 5 years now and really do enjoy being here. I was born and raised in Zimbabwe and did all my schooling there. I then lived in the UK for 20 years until moving to Uganda in 2006.
We first came to start a project working with HIV+ orphans. I have a background in construction and project management. For the first 3 years I oversaw all the building work undertaken to be able to house these children. We also took part in establishing the NGO with all that that can entail. It was a fun, developmental and fruitful time for us all.
My wife Lucy, is a nurse by profession and training, and started up the healthcare services at the former NGO (but has been home with kids most of our marriage). We are still in touch with the project but my role ended after the initial 3 year term. Lucy’s ended when we had the boy!!
I have always had a passion for working in prisons and with young offenders, and did some training in this area in the UK. Now I felt it was the time to explore this work here in Uganda. I got connected with a great group, African Prisons Project (APP), which does prison work here in Uganda (www.africanprisons.org). I started with them earlier this year and am now fundraising and doing some advocacy work for them 3 days a week.
The other 2 days I began exploring working with juveniles here in Uganda through reading, visiting, meeting and researching what was already going on. I first met Dan Owens and heard about Sixty Feet, at the launch of our resource centre at the APP offices earlier this year. On a more recent visit I sat with Dan Owens and Scott Harty to learn more about Sixty Feet and see if there were any ways we could work together.
After a few months of dialogue, I am now working SixtyFeet as the Juvenile Advocate. My job will initially be for 2 days a week looking into cases where kids are being detained unlawfully and see how we can advocate and intervene in partnership with the local government of Uganda and the staff at the remand homes here in Uganda. I will also investigate how best we can foster a meaningful working relationship with the authorities to see action for the many kids who are not treated fairly, given a fair trial or detained beyond the legal requirements and stipulations.
I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to seeing how we can advocate for justice for the many juveniles detained in the remand homes of Uganda. I am passionate about this area, these people and justice in general. Please continue to visit the blog to see how things develop and, above all, please pray with us and for us as we get our hands dirty on the front-lines pursuing justice for juveniles who have no voice.
Thank you for all your support to the work of SixtyFeet.
If you have any further questions or comments or want to give specifically to this work to cover the many varied costs associated with getting justice for these kids please do be in touch.
Seasons Greetings and a fruitful 2012 to you all,
Fin
Not Your Average Christmas Party
We hosted a Christmas party at M3 today and it was SO fun! About 30 people, kids and adults, came to M3 and threw an amazing party for the kids. After a big meal, the group set up and performed for the M3 kids. They danced, played drums, sang, and performed a skit. They let the M3 kids put on their dance costumes and perform as well. It was so sweet. After all that they served juice, cookies, candy, crackers, fruit and other treats.
One of the Mamas said today that the kids behave so much better since we have been coming.
Oh, and on the way from M3 to our house there were 17 of us in the van… it is definitely being put to good use!
Check out more photos on our Facebook Page
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
Time for a quiz. Here’s how it goes. Raise your hand if you have 10 or more children. Ok. Keep your hand raised if you have 10 or more children that are not your biological children but you are caring for them as your own nonetheless. Alright. Now, keep your hand raised if you have 10 or more non-biological children you care for as your own and you received an infant who was abandoned by his mother at the police station and the police came to your door asking if you would be willing to care for another.
I don’t see many hands raised…
Should I ask if your husband is a pastor with very little means of income? What about whether you have been abandoned by friends and co-workers because of your radical notions about caring for orphaned children? How about whether you are still praying for God to bring you more children?
Now, for most of us, all of this would be too much. We might have cried “uncle!” at 10 children. Some might even consider these trials as a “sign” that God was telling them it was too much and they need to stop.
Why do I bring all of this up? Because there is one couple remaining, way in the back. They are too humble to raise their hand. A woman and her husband who have quietly served God in Uganda for decades and obediently cared for His children no matter what the cost and no matter what their circumstances were.
I have a feeling that this is just scratching the surface too. When we travel around the US talking about SixtyFeet and our work with children in prisons throughout Uganda, we often hear questions like “what is the local church in Uganda doing?” or “what are the Ugandan people doing to help the orphan crisis?” Legitimate questions, but the answer might shock you. The simple answer is that the local church in Uganda and Ugandans in general are doing a lot! Much more than the church in the US, in general, with its vast resources.
Sixty Feet is currently raising money in order to build a home for the youngest and most vulnerable children which we are able to take out of the prisons. Those that have nowhere else to go, we have found a perfect solution for them. I can’t think of a better, more nurturing environment in which to be raised than under the care and guidance of Pastor Ernest, Mama Catherine, Pastor Boaz and Mama Faith. We hope to have the land secured very soon and to begin building early next year. With your help, this can happen.
We are incredibly honored to be able to call Pastor Ernest, Mama Catherine, Pastor Boaz and Mama Faith very dear friends as well as fellow laborers. They have recently begun traveling with the Sixty Feet team several days each week to visit the children in the prisons and leading some to Christ.
If you ever have the honor to meet our dear friends (and I pray that you do), you will know without a doubt that there are still saints on this earth through whom God has chosen to reveal His love to the least of these.
Prison Doors Opened
It was a Sunday morning when we set tyres on the road again to head to M4 in Mbale just a day after one of our staff Fred the counselor was introduced to Jessica – one of the nurses on board with Sixty Feet. Our hearts were full of joy for them. I asked God to move in the situation and touch the hearts of the kids. Some who attended the marriage ceremony preferred to get back to Kampala with pastor Ernest and Mama Catherine. Thank God they were able to get back though as our plan with pastor Ernest was to take him to a night bus which leaves Mbale at midnight and by morning he would be in Entebbe. Glory, all things work for those who love the Lord. They arrived home just in time to take a very sick child to the hospital who otherwise may have died had they waited to take the bus.
We were all very tired and I knew that Fred would not be able to preach to the kids and my back was hurting. I told God in all things we give thanks to the lord and move forward. This time we said we have already made appointments with this facilities on this Sunday so we must go there otherwise we risk them taking our appointments for granted.
The gates of the remand home were opened for us as I honked the car horn. This time the kids were not in the upper room but were seated neatly in the small hall next to the office in the ground floor, “welcome uncle’ one of the kids whispered in a still small voice as if it was an angel of God speaking. It is normally my habit and the team caught up with the culture to pray whenever I set foot to any place. Immediately I begun to pray and we were led into the office. The boys helped us to us carry the Bibles into the hall.
Immediately I set my feet into the hall I remembered the prayers which were said when we prayed for the kids when the last team was in Mbale with Judd Harper “Lord, open doors for your children” and only to turn around to that out of 53 (fifty three) children who were in the prison there only 26 (twenty six) children in there. Glory to God I said as I looked down in awe of Him who made this possible for the doors to be open for those who left the facilities and are now either in their homes or somewhere else but at least not the remand home where the future is not predictable in the law courts, mixed with the fear and wonder whether they would get to the courts of law so soon.
The beauty of the Gospel is that out of 26 children, all of them asked for the Bibles and they received them in three languages (English, Ateso and Lumasaba) above all, 20 of them gave their life to Christ! I am sure the angels in heaven rejoiced with me, please join in the joy and just say hallelujah to God. And thanks to the people who gave the money for the Bibles and even the team which came with Judd for carrying the money to Uganda and delivering it for the course of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its amazing we led the children into confession and ushered them into salvation in four languages – Fred led in English and Ateso while I led in Luganda and Karamojong . Beautiful.
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