Jerusalem to Judea…And Back Again

“Are you serious? This place planted our first church?”  I couldn’t believe it.  The Gospel had come full-circle…” 

So, there I was again…  (If you know…you know…) 

I was in Uganda, with our team this past August, in another village in a remote part of the country and the children were once again acting shy and hiding from us.  It turns out the remoteness of this village has created a situation where foreigners, and white-skinned ones in particular, do not get there very often.  It had been so long since white people had come to Kasera Village that many of the children had never seen white skinned people before.  It is always amusing when we finally get the children to open up, and they begin trying to rub the “white paint” off of our skin thinking we have painted ourselves a lighter color.  I think if the situation were reversed, I might try to do the same thing.  But the looks of confusion when the “paint” doesn’t come off are priceless.  Children are such amazing gifts.  But the confusion also has to do with why we are there, and they inevitably will ask that question.   

In this case, we were there to do an eyeglass clinic and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the people of Kasera.  There was not much of a church there, maybe 30-40 people in the village that worshipped Jesus, and we had seen amazing fruit as Pastor James shared the Gospel all day long in our counseling area.  James is the Pastor at one of our partnering churches in Texas, Clearview Bible Church.  James is a big man with a big voice.  But his heart for the lost is even bigger, and it showed as he shared the story of how Jesus made a way for us to be redeemed and reunited with our Heavenly Father because of His ultimate sacrifice for our sins and the faith He purchased on the cross.  Because the clinic was a little bit slow at times and the eye examinations were going quite well, I was able to sneak over and hear James tell the story numerous times that day, and oh, the joy that comes when new family members are added!  That day, James had 94 people give their lives to Jesus for the first time!  It was nothing short of a miracle! 

But God was not done yet…  I was speaking with Pastor Simon, one of our top leaders in Uganda, and he informed me that this place is near the place which had planted the church where he was discipled, back in Pallisa District.  All I could say was, “Are you serious?  This place planted Olok?!?”  I couldn’t believe it.  The Gospel had come full circle, and here we were bringing it back with the help of our partners.  Praise the Lord!  We were standing there getting ready to preach, and the sky began to rain so hard that it was doubtful we would be able to share the Gospel with the rest of the village that evening.  I was settling in my mind that we had been rained out.  But Simon was adamant, this was not the case.  “Matt, this place is ripe for harvest! God will make a way. He is able!”  And sure enough, the rain ended, and I was able to preach. Seventy-two more people responded to God’s call on their lives to repent, believe, and receive the Gospel! And the neighbors of the ones who started the Greater Pallisa Gospel Partnership over 20 years ago received strengthening and revitalization because the Gospel is the POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION.  

“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” Gal. 6:6 

Yours in Christ, 

Matthew S. Osborn  

President/CEO Partner 135