Chickens & God’s Wrath

Ogamboki? (The Ugandan equivalent of “what’s the good word?”)

Micah and I are doing really well.  We’re sitting at a cafe in Jinja, working on different things that we can’t do as easily in the village (such as contact family, update the blog, work on college application essays, or organize Lusoga information).  I’ve been in town for a little over a week now (the longest I’ve gone without being in the village since coming to Uganda).  My primary mission during this town time was to finish my application for Moody Bible Institute (this is where Janna and I are feeling led to for Fall 2012).  I am hoping to study applied linguistics, and Janna is wanting to study TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages).  We’ll hear back in the middle of January if we are accepted – any prayers for us as we wait will be greatly appreciated!  Anyhow, amidst the town time I’ve had, I knew that it was time to give you guys another glimpse into what our lives have been like.  Almost all of these pictures have longer stories behind them that could be told – I hope that I get a chance to share some of them with you when I return next year.

If you didn’t already know, the word is out – a new pair of little feet will be joining the Jore family! We’re so happy to see this family grow!

Such an amazing family! We’re privileged to be with them.

This little girl is such a ballerina princess – she’ll even tell you such herself! This picture was taken at Hannah’s ballet recital.

There is little better than watching a boy and his father enjoy each other.

God continues to paint beautiful sunsets on our side of the world. How about yours?

Friends, welcome to one of the first steps of the process which gives you what you use so often and love – sugar. The sugar cane sticks are being squeezed by the teeth that are being turned by the cow.

This place is becoming my favorite spot to be in the evenings!

We invested in some Thanksgiving meal! Mr. Gobbles is fattening up on Nate’s land, to be enjoyed later this month.

The Creator captivates this Christian continually!

How about those colors!

Micah and I are with our friends Henry and Godfrey in this picture. We’ve been seeing a lot of Henry out in the village recently

All this water is completing covering Nate’s bridge – the very bridge we had been hoping to work on this day!

Somebody enjoyed the water!

We added a culvert to the two that Nate’s bridge already had. Recently, any big rain has flooded the bridge, so we are hoping that this will help to handle the extra water.

We’ve lengthened and built up the walls on Nate’s bridge as well

You can see here some of the work we accomplished one day.

I couldn’t pass up an opportunity with wet cement!

As you can see, village work isn’t the easiest on our clothes. This pair of pants has had two different large rips now mended – I’m giving the Jinja tailors too much business!

So one day after lunch, Godfrey and Micah chased down and killed Mr. Monitor, who was in Nate’s garden.

Micah thought they shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to share him with someone else – so I had the pleasant surprise of finding him on my desk chair when I entered my room!

Well, I decided that the sharing shouldn’t stop with me. So we decided that Mr. Monitor had at least one more visit to make…

So Nate became the target of the next practical joke!

After calling Nate to come visit us down at the boys’ quarters, we lay in wait to watch Nate’s reaction to finding his sandals’ companion. I missed capturing the perfect moment, but I can assure you – it was a success.

Judah was being a wonderful little brother by trying to convince Hannah that the monitor was really only asleep, and that it was liable to wake up at any moment to chase her and bit off her toes 😉

I’ve been continuing to enjoy my camera and the new things I am learning about it. I’m so thankful that my dad decided to upgrade to a new before I left, and that he gifted me with the old one. It might be old, but it still works great!

For a while, I’ve had the urge to make a slingshot to have here in Uganda. With Bosco this past week, I’ve done just that. We’re now waiting to acquire the rubber to finish it off. Soon the creatures of Uganda will have something to fear!

I was greatly gifted by being able to watch the baptism of Eden Anderson (who will be my niece come May 2012) via skype.

This is Janna’s sister and brother-in-law, who are Eden’s baptismal sponsors.

Meet Anika, the lively daughter of renowned photographer Abby Anderson. Before leaving for Uganda, Anika’s parents asked me to join Janna in being her baptismal sponsor. It’s been a privilege to pray for her.

She’s a fun and fiesty little girl!

 

There’s many things that Uganda has been teaching me.  Several things have reminded of different themes that can be found in Scripture.  A couple months ago, a friend’s trial reminded me of God’s just judgment, what eternal sentence all sinners deserve, and Christ’s redemption.  You see, Nate ended up paying the bail for our friend after he unjustly was found guilty (the corruption in Uganda is widespread and deep).  Our friend’s life was ransomed from 9 months in an earthly prison.  Though you have been justly found guilty of transgressing the one, true, holy God, Jesus Christ paid His life as a ransom so you wouldn’t have to spend forever in an eternal prison.  The reality of Christ’s redemption came to life in beautiful new ways for our friend.  As thankful as he was to Nate, Micah, and me for what we had done for his immediate problem, he was incredibly more thankful for what Christ has done for his sin problem.

(You’ll find in the following analogy several places where it breaks down.  Bear with me and just try to see what I’ve been learning.)  The thing in Uganda that has most recently made me think about a Biblical theme is…chickens.  I have such a mixture of emotions concerning chickens…but the primary emotion that I feel towards them is…wrath!  Chickens are constantly transgressing me (& Micah).  And what has become all too clear is that, although their lives are in our hands, chickens don’t have a lasting fear of us.  In the moment in which I pour out my wrath upon them, they are sure to fear me and flee.  But it seems that within minutes, they have forgotten their fear and are back at it, doing that which should not be done.  

 

You see, Micah and I have a holy of holies out in the village – it is our boys’ quarters.  Though we are at work in all of the compound (like God is at work in the world), the boys’ quarters is our special dwelling place.  Just as a regular, old Israelite was not supposed to waltz into the holy of holies because of his uncleanness, so the chickens are not to enter into our home.  It is off limits!  But…they trespass.  They don’t fear.  They spread their filth and eat our food.  Though I could utterly destroy the chickens for what they do, I choose to show them mercy.

No matter how many times I chase them away from their trespassing (I should mention that chickens have also been heavy trespassers of Nate’s home garden – this thing ought not to be done!), they are constantly are returning to it.  These chickens often seem hopeless to me.  But friends…I am the chicken!  Not just because Godfrey calls me his “stubborn chicken” – because I constantly seem to not be walking with a fear of God.  I dabble in sin time and time again, though God is constantly chasing me away from it.  Thankfully, I have an incredibly merciful master, One who actually loves me in ways that I never have and never will love chickens.  I deserve to face the righteous wrath of God, but I don’t have to!  Thanks be to Jesus Christ, I will not face the wrath of God when I am judged.  It is ridiculous to think of looking at a chicken and seeing it as innocent – ridiculous!  But how much more ridiculous is it that God looks at the believer who is in Christ, and He sees His Son’s righteousness?!  Ridiculous!  Wonderful!

When chickens bother me by getting into our dishes like this one, I feel like preaching a Law verse such as Ezekiel 7:4 - "And my eye will not spare you, nor will I have pity, but I will punish you for your ways, while your abominations are in your midst. Then you will know that I am the Lord."

Friends, rejoice today in the truth of what Jesus Christ did for you, though you were completely undeserving.  Because of Jesus Christ, you don’t have to face the wrath of God.  John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

So glad I’m a “stubborn chicken” with a merciful Master!

Gospel truth - "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Thanks for following us, friends!  We’ll be sending out in the next week a more detailed email update on how our lives and ministry are going!

Hans