Sandra's Turn

It is my turn (Sandra) to write on the blog.  Denny and I don't really take turns but some things have happened and these things have compelled me to take a turn.

Who Knows

This journey that we are on did not happen because we woke up one day and said let's go. It has been a process in both our lives. I have tucked in the back of my mind many bits of wisdom Pastor Rick has shared over the years. One such tidbit is that people today in our world are facing death for believing in Christ Jesus. Recently I have become aware of such a situation right in our Ruth House.  When my brain retrieved Pastor Rick's very words and brought them forward to my present day memory I was devastated at how close I was to knowing someone facing death for loving Christ.

We have mentioned that we have members of the Ruth House who are from Muslim homes. They allow us to pray in the name of Jesus in their homes and many homes are Muslim because that is what their family has always been. They accept that Amazima is a Christian school and the family is fine with the teachings at the school. It was brought to my attention that a few of the girls live with an aunt who is Christian or a mom who is Christian, but who have a father who is Muslim. The problem gets complicated at break time when the student goes to visit the Muslim parent. We have a girl whose Muslim family member is unhappy that the girl is going to a Christian school and will ask, "So have you become a Christian?" This girl has accepted Christ and is tired of lying to her father.  She realizes two things that make it complicated tell the truth. If she admits that she is a Christian, her father, in his faith system, is allowed to kill her or can banish her from the family forever. The second problem is that her father pays for her school requirements (things like soap and pencils), so even if he does not kill her or disown her, he could discontinue paying for her requirements. How would she get these requirements she needs to attend Amazima?

When she shared this dilemma with me, I told her that God knows the situation and God knows her heart.I asked her to talk to Pastor Daniel as well.  Pastor Daniel is Ugandan and knows village Pastors and issues. I asked him privately what he advised students. He also tells them that God knows their hearts and that the situation is too dangerous not to lie to the parents. These students are too young to be thrown out on the streets only to run from someone trying to kill them.  They need to be prayerful and let God handle the situation in God's time.

I was reminded of Esther who kept her Jewishness a secret until God's timing allowed.  I was reminded of the phrase in verse 4:14b: "For WHO knows....." (Esther knows with God's help.)
Each of us are the "who" in who knows and we cannot face such challenges in our lives without God right next to us. You are the who and God leads.

Our own Ugandan house-mentor partner was raised Muslim and became a Christian her senior year of high school.  She said her parents could see a change in her. She did not tell them about her new faith and, fortunately, they did not question her. She waited until after she graduated from college to tell them she was a Christian.  By then she was on her own and there was little they could do to her financially.  She was thankful that they did not threaten to kill her, as they believe is their right to do.
She agreed with Pastor Daniel that these girls are too young and it is far to dangerous to enrage their fathers.

We ask that you pray for our students' safety as they head home to break on August 24 and
return September 16 for third term.  We are grateful for Pastor Rick and all his words of preparation over the years. We are also grateful for Pastor Daniel on this end.  Most importantly we are grateful for the Word of God and all its timeless glory.

Sandra helping a girl with homework

Sandra with a girl at a service project

Humor

Denny has always used humor in raising our kids so it is no wonder that Denny's humor has landed on the Ruth House veranda.  The girls love it.  We are seeing a different side of the girls and having many laughs at Denny's expense.

Last week there was a Blood Moon and Mars was quite visible.  Unfortunately, the clouds came in before we could see the Blood Moon, but Denny got to share all of his astronomy "knowledge" with the girls. I don't know exactly what he said, but I heard him say something about martians and the man in the moon.

A few nights later, the girls tried convincing Denny that a yellow light in the sky, low on the horizon, was a star.  With a lot of laughter and joking Denny insisted the light was simply a beacon on a pole at the top of a hill.  After a few minutes, Denny demanded (again jokingly) that the unbelievers meet the next morning and look at the hill in the daylight.

The next morning they all met and Denny showed them the pole.  Denny teased them by quoting a Luganda proverb: "Mukulu tasobia." Roughly translated, the proverb means, "The old man is always right." It turns out that one of the students asked the science teacher if the light in the sky was a star or just a light on the pole. The science teacher explained that the light was actually the planet Venus.  The students later told Denny the truth and said, "Mukulu asobia."  The small change to the proverb means, "The old man is always wrong"!  Oh how they love to "get" Dad Denny.

Sandra and her Mukulu Asobia