Uganda – Jerry Lout ⚬ Writer ⚬ Speaker ⚬ Mobilizer

September 15, 2022

Mindful Of Means

Exercising trust little by little that Christ is alongside to help, the Jesus-follower grows resolved. He has gotten serious about seeing a turnaround in his life. But the parade of things needing turned around is long. He feels at times like a mechanic lacking tools.

A friend of mine traversing a long stretch of Uganda’s backcountry heard a loud and sudden ‘Pop’ toward the rear of his Peugeot. His heart sank as the tell-tale quivering of the steering wheel vibrated in his hands. “Oh boy,” he moaned, “a flat”. A troubled whisper then followed, “and here I am with no jack”.

Standing on the dusty roadway he surveyed the landscape. No sign of help.

A seeker after God offers an appeal, “Lord, change needs to happen here”. He names a vice or a struggle or perhaps a habit of negligence. “And so”, he prays further, “would you heal this or remove that or deliver me from the other thing there.”

Such an approach in prayer is admirable as far as it goes. The determined believer is getting specific. He aims to partner with the most helpful being in all the cosmos.

But the parade of obstacles is long, the struggles many. In time, weariness sets in. Discouragement follows and the sincere but beleaguered faith-pilgrim begins asking why? He concludes that life transformation that the scriptures promise may forever remain out of reach. A flourishing life of rest and joy in God to which he had once aspired has now taken on the look of a lifeless mirage hovering at the desert’s surface.

The struggling believer’s musings are not entirely off. Seeing marked change and growth in one’s life for the good does not typically come, for instance, by voicing bold claims through gritted teeth. Enduring transformation can’t come by merely working on habits or struggles as they pop up, only to see them pop up again, then yet again. Not apart from some useful means. A few tools of the trade kept within easy reach can prove game-changers.

A distinct stirring sounded from a grove of bushes lining the remote Uganda road. Smiling a greeting to the young African males approaching, he was soon directing them to a strategic spot along the car’s edge. A few “heave-ho’s” followed by a sustained rumble of soft gruntings from the sturdy youth, soon yielded a freshly-mounted spare tire. Hard candies conveniently kept in the missionary’s console got dispensed. Laughter ensued, and with an arm-wave of thanks my friend drove off.

January 7, 2016August 28, 2017

Qualities that Count. ‘Attentiveness

Attentive – thinking about or watching something carefully : paying careful attention to something. merriam-webster

My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, Proverbs 5:1

A mark of sensible intelligence is paying attention (attentiveness) to wisdom. Being with wise people, reading wisdom literature, practicing being wise; all these lead toward a good life. Attentiveness can even make a difference in the animal kingdom. As my friend, Ben, saw in Uganda.

* * *

The house cat, her eyes trained upward to an adjoining room, lowered her body along the floor. Assuming a stalking posture, she began her move.

Ben – a young missionary living with his uncle and aunt in Kampala – sat his beverage aside. This could be interesting.

Seated where he was, Ben could take in the full view. He intertwined his fingers behind his head and watched.

A large circular bird cage hung on a secure hook from the living room ceiling. On a simple roost in the cage sat an African Gray parrot. The house cat licked her lips.

Ben’s uncle and aunt owned a third pet, as well – a dog – which, at the moment, was nowhere in sight.

The cat was viewed by the canine as a bothersome presence – so would find herself at times racing through the house – the dog barking in hot pursuit.

A straight-backed chair had been left directly under the parrot cage – a detail not lost on the cat. She leapt onto the chair and placed her front paws atop its back support. Her leaping advantage established, she eyed the bird a final moment. Before pandemonium struck.

Unknown to the predator house-cat, the Gray was a keen observer. Not only was she taking in her every move, from her perch she had often watched the dog-and-cat-chase through the house.

Suddenly, the bird dropped to the cage floor, raced round and round on it. And vigorously barked – perfectly mimicking the dog’s strong bark.

Throwing his head back, Ben broke into a long, rollicking laugh – as a shrieking bundle of fur bolted through an open door to freedom.

September 6, 2018

Tarzan Country

When noting the kinds of things God often does through ordinary people, Philosopher Dallas Willard was fond of citing the term “divine conspiracy”. Such deeds – often a little mind-boggling – are probably not as rare as many of us assume.

“This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” – Jesus (Mark 4:26-27)

***

The term Belgian Congo would never have crossed my mind as a child separate from images of Tarzan trapezing lofty vines, crying his trademark jungle yodel. Nor would I have seen myself ever addressing a crowd in that place deep in the heart of Africa.

Especially at one particular place.

Moving to the pulpit of the capital city’s downtown church I was greeted by the pastor, a man I’d been told was a former anti-Christian militant.

Alexander Aidini.

The throng of Congolese worshippers acknowledged me, their out-of-country guest, with happy shouts of welcome as my friend, Ben Dodzweit, introduced me in their native Lingala.

Pastor Aidini’s journey from gospel foe to disciple-of-Jesus was by now thirty years in the making and the accounts of his pilgrimage had left me nothing less than awed.

Not long after his dramatic conversion in Mombasa, Aidini answered a call to Christian service. Art Dodzweit, Ben’s uncle, had taken the rough-around-the-edges disciple into his mentoring care. Following a stint in Uganda, Aidini returned to his Congo home and its capital, Kinshasa. In time forces opposed to colonial rule overthrew the Congo and assigned it the name Zaire.

Along the way, Aidini’s fiery devotion to Jesus grew. And unusual things followed.