February 2003
Dear Partners in Ministry,
Jude 22: “And of some having compassion, making a difference:”
How many of you are scared of heights? If you are, we just finished a job that would definitely make you queasy. Pastor Keith Stensaas from Masaka and a man named John came to Mbarara to take down our 150-foot radio tower. This was no job for the faint of heart. John, a Ugandan, has helped put up two towers but has never taken one down. The pieces are 4 foot in width at the bottom and only 1 foot at the top. John had to unbolt each 10-foot section and rig a line to slowly lower it to the side of the tower and then to the ground. Each time a section was unbolted and released from its moorings, the momentum sent it crashing against the side of the tower. John held on for all he was worth as the tower shook from the impact. Praise the Lord for the safe removal of the tower. The tower is to be moved to a higher location later this year.
Oh, Valentine’s Day! How interesting to see the faces of people as you explain to them a holiday about which they know nothing. We had the church’s first couple’s conference on Valentines Day. Pastor Keith and his wife Sally, Tony, and Pastor William (from Mbarara) taught. The conference was 2 days and covered sessions ranging from “What is Biblical Marriage?” to communication, finances, and Biblical love. On Friday, we played a game of “how well do you know your spouse.” To our amazement some did not even know their own birthday much less their spouse’s birthday. Birthdays are not celebrated in the village, and consequently many of the people have no idea the exact day when they were born. We stumbled on a cultural faux pas during the games. For one question, we asked the ladies the name of their mother-in-law. I strained to hear as the first lady whispered the name. When asked to repeat it, she whispered it again. The other three did the exact same thing. Curious as to their responses, I asked the reason and was told that out of respect it was forbidden to say the mother-in-law’s name in public. After we all had a good laugh, I thought of how different the view of a mother-in-law is in America! When the conference was over, a couple of men commented, “Nothing like this has ever been done in any of our churches before. We have problems in our marriages because we are ignorant of what to do. Thank you for sharing with us how to have a right marriage, according to the Bible.” Weak marriages, prevalent in the village, result from generations of cultural ignorance of God’s pattern and plan from His Word.
A quick human interest story for you. In Bible study we are memorizing the books of the Bible. Last week, as the ladies were saying them to me, Sylivia brought her 3-year-old daughter Kamumpa. I was amazed as Kamumpa, in her childish voice, confidently quoted the first 10 books. Some of the ladies haven’t even memorized that many!
We have an update on Eliab and Molly. A group of us went to Molly’s family this past Saturday and paid the bride price. This relieves Eliab of all “debt” to the family. The family said we could take her that day if we wanted, but since Eliab needs to finish some things on his house the wedding was scheduled for April 26. Thank you for your prayers for this couple.
We are including a picture of one of our ladies with a big stalk of bananas on her head. We were given these bogoyas by a lady Kristy disciples. They were so heavy and awkward that Tony had difficulty carrying them. Out of curiosity, we weighed them. They registered 60 pounds! How do these ladies carry them on their heads??
Thank you for your continued prayers and support in the ministry here in Uganda.
In His Service,
Tony and Kristy Applegate
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