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Hands Across Nations Newsletter - December 2021Sharing the Love of Christ in Practical Ways
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The miracle of Christ’s birth is the greatest celebration of the year and the miracle of Christ being born again in a person’s life is also a great celebration! It is especially so in the life of a person who has lived his or her life rejecting God who came to earth to show His love for us so we can know He is there with us and for us. Sometimes it takes a disastrous event, and sometimes it comes through an unusual way.
In Uganda, we have many people coming to our gate each day for help. One of those is John, who we first met in early 2020 when Covid-19 first hit and people were not allowed to move freely with any type of vehicle, and all were on foot. He and hundreds of others arrived at our gate, hungry, and needing food. John stood out due to his haggard and careworn face, his thin body and the crutches on which he leaned forward to balance himself.
He appeared constantly angry and never smiled. As we got to know of his situation, we found that his spinal cord had been injured decades ago by a man with a machete while working in a sugar cane field. Since that time he has been unable to walk unassisted and has lived with his sister and her children very near our home. He frequently dragged his lower limbs to a nearby shack on the road where he could purchase homemade alcoholic brew. He would stay there most of the day and drag himself back to the building at the local Lango Tribal Cultural Center. His sister was the caretaker of the area which was a small amphitheatre on a hillside with her “home” at the very bottom of the hill.
In Uganda, we have many people coming to our gate each day for help. One of those is John, who we first met in early 2020 when Covid-19 first hit and people were not allowed to move freely with any type of vehicle, and all were on foot. He and hundreds of others arrived at our gate, hungry, and needing food. John stood out due to his haggard and careworn face, his thin body and the crutches on which he leaned forward to balance himself.
He appeared constantly angry and never smiled. As we got to know of his situation, we found that his spinal cord had been injured decades ago by a man with a machete while working in a sugar cane field. Since that time he has been unable to walk unassisted and has lived with his sister and her children very near our home. He frequently dragged his lower limbs to a nearby shack on the road where he could purchase homemade alcoholic brew. He would stay there most of the day and drag himself back to the building at the local Lango Tribal Cultural Center. His sister was the caretaker of the area which was a small amphitheatre on a hillside with her “home” at the very bottom of the hill.
One day, John arrived at our gate in a drunken state, complaining of a broken shoulder. He had apparently stood up from a bench at the “brew shop”, lost his balance and fallen back onto the bench, fracturing his upper arm. We had the arm x-rayed and the bone was completely severed just below the shoulder joint which would require a surgery repair the bone. Knowing that with a surgical repair, John would then be able to use his crutches soon after, we opted for using a special sling to keep the bones in place and allow it to heal S L O W L Y……that afforded him time to stay at his home at the bottom of the hill, where even a wheelchair could not be used to get him to the “Brew Shop”. We made regular visits to ensure John was well taken care of and gently told him about the love Christ has for him. He was willing to have his nieces and nephews read to him from the small Bible booklets we gave to them printed by HAN in the Lango language.
All of them came to love their time of reading the books, which brought them together in love. John’s sister was thrilled at his change of heart, and John came to know that he could ask forgiveness for the life he had been living. Christ would forgive him and give him His a new spirit, making him into a new person, alive in Christ! John’s sister has seen a whole new person in John and their life together has become one of friendship, helping each other and joy! What seems impossible to us, is very possible in the Lord. Not only has John’s shoulder been healed, but his heart, mind and addiction have been healed. We are praising God for the gift of new life for John. All of us who have experienced the forgiveness of Jesus, celebrate this wonderful time of year of remembering Jesus’s birth, God’s best gift to us all!
As Hands Across Nations adjusts to the changes in Uganda that the Covid-19 virus has brought, we are continuing to raise funds to help the people of Uganda not only for the present, but for their future, in “Learning how to Read to Read the Bible” so they will know the truth of God and it will set them free.
As Hands Across Nations adjusts to the changes in Uganda that the Covid-19 virus has brought, we are continuing to raise funds to help the people of Uganda not only for the present, but for their future, in “Learning how to Read to Read the Bible” so they will know the truth of God and it will set them free.
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Our Hands Across Nations Auction is now in progress and will end December 10th at 8pm. There are 83 generously donated items, services and activities to be won which will support our work in Uganda in the next year. Please go to www.handsacrossnations.org to be directed to the auction and to see the many local businesses helping to support HAN.
May Christ be born again in our hearts!
Keith and Carolyn Jones “Sharing the love of Christ in practical ways” |
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