MEMBER ARTICLE |
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By POLLYANNA Young |
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20βͺSEPTEMBER 2024βͺwww . cmausa . org |
IF you know me , you know that I can talk all day about the missions of RFS . I did , in real life , get to take part firsthand in Uganda . It was as though every RFS fundraising event chapters hosted was coming alive in that moment , giving Run for the Son motorcycles to pastors and bicycles to teachers for the work of the Gospel and spreading HIS Word . Over the next few days , we got to know the pastors , participated in ministering with them , and saw the effects of our efforts back home in America . I had been in the β highways β throughout my days of ministry , but today was about β the hedges β to compel them to come in so that HIS house may be filled . ( Luke 14:23 )
We were sent out into the bush in pairs with an interpreter ( pastor ) and a local who could guide us through mazes of paths to where people lived . In the midst of nowhere , we would come upon a clearing into a clan of people β s huts . The local would first holler out in their native tongue , and the people would emerge from their hut or from around the bush . They brought chairs out for us to sit on as they sat on bamboo mats to listen to the message we brought to them . As the interpreter would translate , we let them know that GOD loved them very much and desires a relationship with them , but that sin separates us from HIM . As we explained God β s love and β the Way ,β the people listened . And just as the Bible talks about child-like faith , many responded to the
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Gospel by accepting Christ . We invited people out to the movie playing later that night .
The men started setting up the screen on the side of the bus , getting the projector in place , and laying out tarps for people to sit on . The loudspeaker played praise music as people started to assemble . One by one , they emerged from the bush . The childlike excitement revealed itself on my face as I could not stop smiling . What I was seeing was the fruition of labor ; every hot , sweaty yard sale , every bitter cold fundraising event β it was worth it ! The field is ripe for harvest .
The pastors beckoned to people over the loudspeaker as the praise songs played , and people continued to come . As the darkness fell , the crowd grew . Time for the movie , and the crowd got quiet . Listening to the crowd β s reactions , you could hear the laughs at funny moments and the gasps as Christ was nailed to the cross . It was easy to tell that the crowd was fully engaged and listening . This movie meant that the seeds we sowed that day were being watered . Those who accepted Christ earlier were having their foundations laid . Those hearing the Gospel for the first time had their hearts tilled and the ground prepared . At that moment I was never so proud of all the hard work that CMA members put into supporting Run for the Son .
The end of the movie came , and the pastors called out for those who wanted to receive Christ as their Savior . I saw hands raised
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throughout the crowd and all being led to the Lord . In the next couple of days , I saw these pastors mentoring their flocks , the outdoor churches reaping the harvest , and the importance of the motorcycles and bicycles at work ministering the Gospel .
Next , we saw the mentoring process of the churches , the vocational school , and the extended outreach of the RFS motorcycles and bicycles . I saw a larger picture of RFS β effects on a people culture as a whole at a vocational school where they teach young women their choice of trades between seamstress or hairdresser . This alone enables these women the opportunity to support themselves and live successfully . They are mentored in the ways of the Lord to overcome much adversity and taught to trust God wholly .
There are pastors who orchestrate community β kids clubs ,β which pull the next generation into the love and understanding of God . An overwhelming number of kids in Uganda live in poverty on the streets and in villages and could easily be fashioned to a life of survival , yet many are flocking to kids β clubs to hear Bible stories , learn , praise , and play together under the guidance of the pastors . Some pastors help run elementary schools or shepherd community churches that are simply clay brick or block buildings with no windows or doors or just tarps out on the ground under a tree that serves as a gathering place for the church body . These
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