Kingdom Exploits With Uche

As I sat in a particular restaurant in the middle of town,
an elderly man somewhere in his sixties, dressed in a local security uniform
walked to me and sat beside me. He turns his head to one side and looking me
right in the eyes he said, “Please help me with anything. I just started work
in this place this week and I don’t have anything to take home to my wife and
children. Please help me, anything is something.” I kept my face as expressionless
as I could. He thought I didn’t understand him and wanted to repeat himself. “I
heard you sir. Please give me some time.” I said, stopping him. I was
reflecting hard on this man’s situation, not knowing how to assist him. He
needs more than the change in my pocket. I planned to engage him in a chat when
I’m ready to leave but he went from table to table and left before I was done.

While on the same table, another woman dressed in black walked
in and came straight to me. “Please help me sir. I’m a widow with four
children. We don’t have food at home please assist us.” I parted with some
money immediately and continued with my meeting.

Later that day as I reflected, it dawned on me that there are
lots of corporate beggars roaming the streets now. I was startled by the fact
that within a few weeks, I’d met with different kinds of beggars, each with their
pitiable stories of difficulties.

The worst cases are those that move from place to place with
children. In one night, I met two women in the same area, each with a child not
more than three years old. Their stories were the same. I took time to observe
them and noticed they knew themselves. It’s like a business. They used the kids
who they claim are their children as begging tools, objects that are meant to
provoke public sympathy and generosity.

I met a man at a bus stop with a little girl he claimed
was his daughter. “Please help us, my car ran out of fuel just down the road and
I need some money for fuel.”  He held out
the four liter keg in his hand to me, almost kneeling down there as he begged
for assistance. I helped him. Few weeks later, I met the same man again with
the same girl and the same story. I was very upset. Before he spoke a word to
me, I let him know we’d met before. “I’m sorry sir, please go your way and
leave us alone. Someone else will help us if you won’t.” His response shocked
me. He’s a lost case and the future of that little girl seems in jeopardy.

Have you ever met any of these corporate beggars recently?
How did you deal with them, with scorn or with pity? With suspicion or with love? Women beggars carrying babies are common sight around. How should we respond to them?

The Lord Jesus says, “Be
generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a
bank in heaven far from bank robbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank
on.” (Luke 12:33.  The Message)

All the same,
some of us don’t want to be ripped off by some Con, especially one that
uses children as their offering basket.

The story of Esther, our widowed lovely Care-taker and Cook
in Sudan continues. Pastor Stanley wrote me recently and said, “Esther
is still struggling… we do not have any responses for her (housing needs) yet but
can you imagine, Esther has adopted a three month old girl called Rebecca who
is an orphan? Rebecca lost her mom and was left with an old grandma who does
not know how to keep this little girl…”

Caring for people comes naturally for Esther. Adopting
three month old Rebecca is a wonderful expression of love and the pursuit of a
joyful spirit that’s worthy of praise. She’s quietly scripting glorious lines about
her gracious and generous personality than many in Yei may be willing to acknowledge and
commend. But God sees her insatiable passion for a joy-filled life.

Joy doesn’t
depend on circumstances; it’s more than a state of happiness. Paul wrote
the Epistle to the Philippians from a jail cell, which is a place of insignificance and ignominy even in our day, today. He was criticized and
misunderstood by many but rather than allow his challenging circumstances to choke
out God’s word and life in him (as Mark 4:19 says they often can), Paul chose
to concentrate on the joy of knowing and serving Christ (Philippians 2:17). 

Joy is a
transaction between us and God that others can’t help but notice. It’s God’s life
spilling over the brim of our lives and into others’ lives. When we trust
Christ with the details of our individual life, we experience His life in
wonderful excesses that soon give us and people around reasons to smile and
thank God.

Esther has no paying job, which means no money to take
care of her needs but she has the faith to take on the challenge of caring for 3months old baby
Rebecca for the rest of her life. Aren’t her joy, faith and love spilling over
here?

I know Esther can do a whole lot more than she’s
currently exposed to. For instance, she speaks four languages excluding English
(which she understands pretty well but not so fluent in). Her knitting skills
showcase a creative and colorful spirit which she freely expresses in cotton
linen. You need to see her needle works in bed sheets, pillowcases, blinds,
table covers and much more. She’s also an intercessor.

This richly gifted young widow has taken her case to another
level. A level that I believe will provoke God’s grace and blessings in ways
beyond her imagination. Even so Lord!

One thing excites me the most about Esther; she’s a
disciple that seeks to make a difference with little things. She has out-done herself by adopting baby Rebecca. The tragedies of her past have not stifled her joy nor
stunted her vision for a greater and better tomorrow.

In July 2009, I
told the story here of how someone stole the 300 Bibles and 600 Bible study materials
packed in 8 boxes I was carrying into South Sudan.  The transport company took responsibility only after I contacted my lawyers, Messrs Kasekende, Kyeyune & Lutaaya Advocates in Kampala, Uganda. This firm of young, vibrant and enterprising lawyers took this matter over and
promised I would not lose my consignment. We were all confident.

I sent them my Statement and they responded with a three page “Notice
of Intention to Sue”, which they sent to the transport company. I’ve never had
cause to exercise my legal rights until this time. I was impressed with the
composition of the Notice which was summarized thus:

TAKE NOTICE
that if the sum of Ug. Shs.1, 200,000/= (Uganda Shillings One Million Two
Hundred Thousand Only) plus legal fees so far incurred of Ug. Shs.500,000/=,
a total of Ug. Shs.1, 700,000/= (Uganda Shillings One Million Seven Hundred
Thousand Only) is not paid to us within 7 (seven) days from the date
hereof, our instructions are to;

i)         To enforce recovery of the said goods against
you and (Name withheld) Bus Services jointly and severally,

ii)        
To institute a civil suit to recover the said
money for breach of contract and damages from your, at your own cost and peril.

TAKE HEED.

Yours Faithfully,

On receiving this notice which had passed through the central
police station for stamping, the transport company immediately “took heed” and
began to make moves to pay for the goods. First, the store manager who acted
irresponsibly in giving the consignment to the wrong person sold his property
and brought the money. But it was not enough.

The time given for the payment elapsed and I gave more
time. When nothing was happening, the law firm pressed them again with threats.
Their pleas for leniency made me seem like a heartless, unforgiving, man who
claims to be a pastor from Nigeria. Finally on August 1^st,
they paid up.

We had bought the Bibles we used during that trip on
credit so we immediately paid back what we owed and bought more Bibles for the
students.

Since this unfortunate incident, I’d carefully avoided traveling
to Kampala with this transport company from Koboko. I needed to keep away from
those folks. Someone could be tempted to attack me because of this case. I had
to be careful.

But my plan was short-lived. The vehicle I boarded from
Yei on my last trip in October stopped at Koboko; right in front of this
transport company’s bus park. When some guys there saw me, I knew I had to go
and say hello else I’d have sent a wrong signal to them. I told them I had to
involve lawyers to get my goods back. I spoke gently but confidently and not one
person among them responded. I shook a few hands and walked away. I was
surprised to see the same Store Manager that gave away my goods still dressed as a staff there. I later heard he’s
related to the Managing Director of the company, so he cannot be fired.

Someone asked me what lessons I learnt from this
unfortunate event. I reflected on the question and felt that I’d sacrificed my
primary goal (getting the Bibles and study materials to the end users) on the
altar of ease. Traveling with 8 boxes was going to be a pain and I tried to avoid
that pain but got something worse. I also learnt that I should be ready to
suffer losses if I’m going to entrust my valuables to others. They will rarely
treat my treasures like I would. Lastly, I learnt to employ the service of professionals like lawyers.

I guess it would have been better if I asked the transport
company to provide the Bibles and the books and deliver then at their office in
Koboko, instead of the equivalent in cash. But that could take a longer time to
accomplish, seeing that those particular Bibles and the books were not common commercial products.

Our mission to put a Bible in the hand of every student
in Yei is still on course. It may not happen as quickly as we expect but
surely, we’ll see to it that every student in Yei has a copy of the Bible in
simple English.

A copy of the New King James Bible which is readily available
in Yei costs $2. But we wish to give other simpler translations like the New
Living Translation and Good News.

I greatly appreciate all those that have given towards
this project. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. We continue to covet your
support.

It’s sad enough mourning the death of her husband. But what
do you say to her when all she labored to build with her husband is taken away from
her by her in-laws? Why? She had no child for their late son, brother, uncle,
nephew… whatever.

This is the story of Esther, our precious care-taker and
cook at our missions’ base in Yei. She met and married her darling husband, a
pastor, in 1996. Before they met, his first wife had run away leaving him with their
three kids, all boys. The oldest was 5 at the time. She took them as her own
children and brought them up.

As the years passed, medications and several visits to
the hospital for operations could not help in her quest to have a child of her
own. They arrived at that point where only God could step in and act. So they
continued to pray and trust Him.

In March this year, the unexpected happened. Esther’s
husband passed-away. He’d complained of pains and aches in a number of places.
Death was the last thing on anyone’s mind. You are never fully prepared for
death and its consequences.

The burial went well but that marked the beginning of new
sorrows. “What shall we do with this barren woman and our brothers’ belongings?”
This was the big question before her in-laws. After several meetings, it was
agreed she should stay in the family house until the man’s eldest son is old
enough to inherit his father’s property. When will that be? When he feels up to
it, seemed to be the perfect answer.

Barely 6weeks after the elders’ final verdict on her,
while she was at work, her eldest step-son who is now 18 came to their home
with a truck and carried all the furniture and electronics in their family home
and moved them to an unknown place. She was too hurt to come to work the
following day. I thought she was sick so went looking for her in the company of
another disciple.

“Uche, Benji (not his real name) has come and carried
everything in the house.” She cried. I was shocked. She went to borrow three
plastic chairs from a neighbor for us to sit down. The house was bear,
everything was gone, beds, settee and all. Only her box of clothes remained.
Her tears were much.

“I brought up these boys from when they were small till
now. I fed them and bathe them, but now, look at what they gave me as- thank
you present.” I went to work immediately on her. Self-pity has a way of making itself appealing to the wounded heart. Roots of hatred and bitterness soon become difficult
to deal with at later stages, if allowed to sprout. She had to let go of these things and give God room to be the All Sufficient One for her. It was hard reaching her then,
but she’s coping better now.

This is not a strange case. In many African cultures,
when a widowed woman has no children, she losses all rights and privileges to
the family of her late husband. Her options could depend on a number of variables like her age, job, education, past relationships with the in-laws, sheer poverty and others. The stigma of childlessness is huge in Africa. I recall
a preacher’s wife say, “…God can test me with anything in this world but NOT
barrenness.” The bottom line for the widow here is CHILDREN. Many African cultures
say she needs them to belong, in some cases, she needs them to survive.

The levirate practice (where a man may be required to marry his brother’s widow if he had no children with her) was
permitted in the Old Testament and is still being practiced in some African
cultures today. But someone reminded me that the current scourge of HIV/AIDS is
silently phasing out this age-long custom.

Do you know any widows like Esther? Kindly
connect with them this season, support them in anyway you can and reassure them of God’s love and care.