In Adjumani: New Beginnings

The Adjumani team: Team leader James Okot (Sudan via Winnipeg), Simon Peter Emiau (Uganda), myself, and Alfred Flett (Winnipeg). From August 31 to September 5, we held a conference for Christian leaders during the day and outdoor evangelistic services in the evenings. This area of north-western Uganda remains very much "in recovery" from years of armed conflict. A generation has grown up in IDP (internally displaced persons) camps. Too many have experienced or witnessed atrocities. Too few know Jesus. Families, churches, and communities are not sure how to move forward. They need a new beginning.

Over 300 gathered from surrounding districts for the conference. Some even crossed the border from Southern Sudan to attend. On the last evening of the evangelistic crusade, well over 1,000 filled the park to hear the gospel preached. The needs were overwhelming. Lives have been broken; families have been shattered. But God moved powerfully! Leaders were encouraged and strengthened. People came to know Jesus. People were set free from demonic oppression. People were healed. Still, the the needs were overwhelming. Heart-breaking family issues surfaced during the week. Some team members set up counseling offices under trees or in vehicles while others were preaching and teaching. For many of these family situations, there is no solution short of a miracle from God. People need a new beginning.

One man who received Christ early in the week began attending the daytime conference. During the closing session, he asked us to pray for his family. We discovered they were with him. They had come because they also wanted to receive Christ; they needed a new beginning. Together, his wife, his three school-aged children, his brother, and his sister prayed to invite Jesus into their lives and to commit themselves to follow Him. Leaders gathered around them to ask God for healing and restoration in the family. They were experiencing a new beginning.

The good news is that Jesus offers new beginnings.

"Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

That's true in Adjumani. It's true when the needs are overwhelming. It's true everywhere and always. It's true for you.

Praying to receive Christ

Celebrating Jesus' love