Agoogoo!

The images were a bit fractured and fuzzy, but the voices were loud and crisp. It is pretty phenomenal that with a simple press of a button I can talk live with another human being 8,000 miles away. Scott and the Kamara family were gathered around Scott’s laptop and Vivian and I were able to chat with them “face to face” for several minutes. Sometimes I get irritated with technology, but today it was my buddy.

It was late in Uganda, and the family had just returned from the crusade grounds. My talks with Scott have been brief, so I haven’t been able to get any detailed reports on the crusade (apart from the fact that Scott “murdered” the generator….it blew a fuse tonight.)

Please be in prayer that the Lord would use our efforts during the crusade to free many lost souls to life in Christ. There are so many people in Uganda trapped in bondage to darkness. They are slaves to addictions, corruption and evil spirits. Evil spirits may seem like a thing of fairy tales to some readers, but I must say, it is a very powerful and widespread reality in Africa.

As a part of the crusade, the children perform a special dramatic skit. It tells the story of a witch doctor that operates a shrine dedicated to his god: “Agoogoo.” Agoogoo is a demonic presence that speaks to the witch doctor. The witch doctor offers to use Agoogoo’s power to solve problems and give guidance to his “clients” once they pay his required “fee.” It could be money, jewelry, animals or in one actresses’ case-six jerry cans of water!

This may sound like serious content for a children’s play, but the skit is actually quite comical. Several of the gods are stuffed animals. The children giggle at Maurice’s flamboyant performance as the witch doctor and Kenneth’s ridiculous “Agoogoo” voice.

The skit is also funny because it is true. Truth is always funny. This skit portrays nothing these children have not seen in their daily lives. Visiting a witch doctor and seeking advice from spirits is like going to a psychiatrist or stopping in at Walgreens for a bottle of asprin.

And before you think “well they should know better,” consider that shrines, witch doctors and idols aren’t just things for primitive natives or ignorant villagers. The wealthy, powerful and intelligent elite of the city are known to frequently employ them. Sarah and Theophilus first met in a shrine. (I will save the details of that story for another day.) At the time, Theophilus had a master’s degree from a major university.

These beliefs and rituals do not stem out of illiteracy or low IQ. They are deeply embedded in Ugandan life and culture. Don’t judge. The devil has his claws just as deep in the enlightenment, Wall Street, and the American dream.

Thankfully, just like Sarah and Theophilus’ story, the skit has a redeemed ending. The evangelism ministry of a local church leads many of Agoogoo’s patrons out of their bondage to the false god and into the light of Jesus. Ultimately, the witch doctor himself is saved, and eventually becomes a pastor. This may seem farfetched or ridiculous, but it happens every day in Uganda. Before he was converted, one of the deacons at Mutungo Community Presbyterian Church once tried to assassinate Pastor Sam. One of the church ushers grew up in a family that sacrificed animals to demons. Every day God is ushering His children out of futile idolatry by the thousands. The gospel does have power to save, and it is evidenced in the Pearl of Africa by a booming and boisterous church that testifies to His grace.

We pray the Ranch on Jesus crusade is a tool used to usher in peace and truth to many households.

On an additional note…In my few brief conversations with Scott, I have been able to glean some crucial information. There is an urgent need for finances. The last term of the Ugandan school year begins next week. Ranch on Jesus is in need of $5,000 by the end of the week to cover tuition and begin September. The money simply isn’t in the bank. There is some money…but not $5,000. Honestly, $5,000 is the minimum amount needed.

I hate…I mean hate talking about money. I am proud or embarrassed or something. I have got to get over this because the reality is that I need to talk about it because there is a need. We’ve made cutbacks in nearly every quarter, and Sarah and Theophilus have donated large amounts of personal funds to meet the needs of the orphans. We are in the midst of launching some large fundraisers and campaigns, but in the mean time, we are in need of funds to see us through the next few weeks.

I would like to humbly extend an opportunity for God’s people to invest into the least of these in Uganda and the future of the church. Every dollar…every quarter… given makes an impact on a Ranch on Jesus child. If you would like to be the hands and feet of Christ to the children of Ranch on Jesus at this time, please consider making a donation to the Ranch on Jesus Scholarship Fund. http://ranchedonjesus.blogspot.com/search/label/Scholarship%20Fund

Donations can be mailed to: P.O. Box 610537, Birmingham AL 35261.

Temporary Territory

I don't remember being this sad the last time Scott was in Uganda without me. I probably was. I just don't remember it.

Yesterday afternoon I gazed at my cellphone anxiously, waiting for the phone call that would confirm he'd arrived in one piece. He did. I was relieved and I was happy for him to have the opportunity to minister face to face with friends again.

This is not Scott's first trip to Uganda without me. In January, he flew solo for an urgent ten day trip. It was difficult to send him off, but I did surprisingly well. That is the nice thing about new things, novelty can act like a mild anesthetic. It helps us endure and bear things with less effort. The novelty of the experience made the time fly. And it was only 10 days.

As we deliberated over the length of this trip, I was the one insisting Scott should go for the longer option. There seemed like so much for him to do in Uganda. And since he was planning on cashing in all of his preciously accrued frequent flier points, I wanted to make sure he would get the most out of them. I didn't want him feeling pressured to leave prematurely simply because he had a lonesome wife.

We'd done it before. Military wives do it all the time, right? So do wives of businessmen.

Turns out, though, that ten days and 24 days look very different on a calendar. They feel very different too. As I gaze at my schedule for the next three weeks it seems very full...and very empty. I have an extensive to-do list for while Scott is gone. There are bills to pay and projects to do. I feel unmotivated, though. I feel kind of tired and empty. I don't remember feeling this pitiful the first time around. I just keep wishing I was there.

I think one of the things that makes my situation slightly more lonesome than many similar ones is the knowledge that my husband is where I want to be. He is there in my special place without me. Right now he's probably getting ready to turn in after a long day of work and worship with the folks at Ranch on Jesus. I can imagine the details, the people, the tastes, smells and sounds. I try not to dwell on it, because it makes my heart twinge. I don't want to keep wishing I was there.

In addition to that, I keep wishing Scott was here. Life and ministry still have to keep functioning on this side of the ocean. A lot is going on. Upcoming events. Large campaigns. Important decisions. I continue to glance out my front window and see Scott's black truck parked on the street. I expect him to walk through the front door and tell me how things went at the office today, what he's up to and what I should be working on.

I feel as though I have lost my compass. I am a narrator. I tell the stories, but I am very poor at directing them. I rely so heavily on Scott to chart the course. He carries so much of the vision. He is also the knowledgeable guidebook of all the day to day details. Now that I am walking solo for the next month I feel disoriented. Like a little kid in the grocery store who looks up and suddenly realizes they are alone.

I know I'll be fine. Good grief, it's only 24 days! It will just take some adjustment, that's all. And while I settle into this temporary territory, I will be grateful that that is all that it is: temporary. Hopefully I will learn to appreciate even more the stability, structure and strength my husband provides to my often idealized and sloppy life. His hard work and dedication provides me time and freedom to tell these stories and to sleep more easily at night.

I am grateful for all he is doing there. I am grateful for all he does here. I can't be there right now and he can't be here either. Nevertheless I appreciate him and will miss him.

Upcoming Uganda Trip: August 27 to September 20

As I mentioned earlier, Scott is departing for Uganda next week. I thought I'd throw out a few more details on his trip. Below is a copy of an email sent out to friends and supporters containing more information.

Dear Friends,

On Thursday, August 27th Scott Laslo will depart for Uganda! Scott will spend three and a half weeks working with Ranch on Jesus Ministries as well as visiting with two other local church ministries in the western region of Uganda.

While at Ranch on Jesus, Scott will take part in a special Gospel Program being hosted by the ministry. The dates of this years Gospel Program are: August 27 - Sept 4. The staff and children of Ranch on Jesus will hold a children's crusade within a nearby community. Scott will participate in giving the children at Ranch some training in evangelism. He will also preach at the crusade. The crusade will include preaching, evangelistic drama, music, dancing and prayer. At our previous crusade we saw the Lord do mighty things and bring many souls into his fold. Please pray that this special season at Ranch will bear much fruit.

Scott will also spend several days visiting two churches in Western Uganda. In Hoima, Scott will have a chance to work alongside of Pastor Edward Isingoma and his wife, Christine, as they minister with needy women in their local church plant. These women have formed a co-op in which they are learning to make small handcrafts and jewelry. They will use the income they make from the sales of these items to support their families.

At New Life Presbyterian Church in Mabaale, Scott will spend time with Pastor Francis Kusemererwa and his wife, Topi. The congregation at New Life cares for 64 orphans within the member's homes. This church's growing ministry to orphans is called Bless the Children. Jamie Laslo met Pastor Francis in 2001 and Pearl Ministries has assisted Bless the Children with small project needs over the past few years. We are currently exploring how we might continue and grow this partnership for the Gospel in western Uganda without overextending ourselves or our primary call to Ranch on Jesus.

Please pray that this trip is fruitful and blessed. To keep up with Scott's travels and prayer needs visit Jamie's blog atwww.ranchedonjesus.blogspot.com.

Pearl Ministries is seeking financial support for the expenses of Scott's trip as well as the cost of the Gospel Program at Ranch. If you would like to contribute toward this need please send donations to:

Pearl Ministries

P.O. Box 610537

Birmingham, AL 35261

For more information on Scott Laslo's trip or Pearl Ministries' ongoing partnership with Ranch on Jesus email info@pearlministries.org

Gratefully,

The Pearl Ministries Team

Family Ties: In Our Living Rooms (Part 2)

Scott is going back to Uganda! In less than two weeks he'll be boarding a KLM jet bound for Entebbe. Naturally, I'm a little jealous. But mostly, I am excited for him. He gets to be there. He gets to be with the Kamaras. He'll be staying with them at Ranch on Jesus, and that is a priceless time of opportunity.

Scott and I often tell people that Sarah and Theophilus are our best friends in the entire world. Sometimes I wonder if people think we're supposed to say that for PR reasons or something. I mean, it would look really stupid to ask people to donate to a ministry where the founders didn't even like one another. We're supposed to be friends. It looks good.

But in all honesty, it isn't an act. They are our favorite people. I love them so much that sometimes I tear up just thinking about them. Personally, I never get tired of being with them. Even when we are annoying one another I'd rather be with them than away from them. They are like our family. Sometimes we talk about building our houses on the same acre of land in Mutungo. Sarah laughs and says we'll come to hate one another. I don't think so. (I tend to be the optimist in the group.)

Sometimes I wonder why I can feel deeply bonded with an African couple, but it is so hard for me to get to know folks in my own country.

In Africa, people spend a good deal of time together. Family units live together in one or two room homes. Many folks walk everywhere they go...or ride a bicycle. Extended family members are dependant on one other to pay school fees, wedding costs or funeral expenses. There aren't many TVs or radios, computers or chain stores. People's work, recreation, errands and very survival depend largely on personal interaction with other people.

Therefore, Africa is a strongly based communal society. Individuals don't tend to view themselves as independent entities. You bear the name of your tribe, your village, your family, your parents, your people.

As Americans we pride ourselves on our individuality and independence. We tout family and community values, but it is more talk than walk. As Americans, we really don't know one another. Do we?

My father in-law is the kind of man that doesn't like to use drive-thrus. He still gets out at the bank to make a deposit. He likes to see people, deal with them face to face. My husband is like this too. My father in-law says a lady in the American suburbs can wake up in her air conditioned house, walk into her air conditioned garage, get into her air conditioned SUV, drive through the bank, dry cleaners and Starbucks, park back in her garage and go back inside her air conditioned house without ever having to step outside. It's very true, and kind of scary.

When our friend from Uganda, Pastor Francis, visited America for the first time, he asked where all the people were. As we drove him around Birmingham, he didn't see anyone walking, sitting, or visiting. We were all in our cars. We were all in our offices or houses.

We live deeply isolated lives here in the United States. We don't know our neighbors. Many of us don't know our extended families very well. We shop at WalMart and large chain stores where we can remain anonymous. When we get home we drive into our garages, go inside and watch TV. We watch TV because we are lonely. We are lonely because we watch TV.

Christians are supposed to be different. We are supposed to be close-like a family. I think there are probably a good many that are, but on the whole, it's not typical. Let's be honest. Our relationships are often social friendships, not strong family ties.

Many people are lonely in their own churches. I've had a lot of people tell me they feel like they don't fit in in their church. They feel like they are the only ones that feel that way. Obviously, they aren't. There are lots of us sitting in the pews every Sunday morning, listening to sermons side by side, feeling alone.

We're told from our pulpits to "love one another deeply from the heart." (1 Peter 1:22) But how can I love someone if I never see them except on Sunday mornings? I might care about them. But could I love them "deeply from the heart" the way Peter tells us to?

See, that's the problem. Sitting next to a person in church isn't a strong enough base for building a relationship. I've sat next to people on airplanes and at concerts, but I've never been invited to their weddings or baby showers. If we think something magical is supposed to happen because we go to church and a group Bible study with someone, we're bound to be disappointed. It takes time with people...it takes a serious investment and commitment of time with people in real life settings to begin an intimate relationship.

The people I am the closest with are the people I have spent the most time with.

I lived with the same three girls most of my four years in college. We were all really different. Who knows what possessed us to all live together. I barely knew Jen at all when we signed up for room contracts at the end of our freshman year. It may not have been a very informed decision, but I believe it was one of the best moves I ever made.

These three girls, along with our room of best friends down the hall, became like my family. We were joyfully inseparable. We ate together every night, watched movies together, danced together to Fiddler on the Roof, studied together...we lived together.

Isn't that why so many of us look back fondly on our college days? They were days of community. We weren't so isolated from other human beings. We were surrounded by other people all the time.

Jesus chose twelve very different men to be his disciples. They had different temperaments, skills and backgrounds. It sounds like they argued a lot. But it also sounds like they loved each other a whole lot too. For three years the disciples followed Jesus everywhere he went. They lived together, ate together and shared what little money they had. After the resurrection, the followers of Jesus were still together-meeting together every day, sharing food and praying.

We live eight thousand miles away from the Kamaras, so it might seem impossible to say we have spent a great deal of time together. But if you add up all the days and hours we have spent side by side in Uganda, I suspect that they are two people I have spent a great majority of my time with over the past several years.

When we're in Uganda we're with the Kamaras...a lot. I have spent so much time with them that their mannerisms are second nature to me. (I even find myself imitating many of Sarah's gestures and vocal inflections when I am with her.) I know what they'll order to drink. I know their taste in clothing. I know their driving style. I know they're home-where they keep things. I can't say I know these things about many people I have relationships with.

The simple beginning to any close relationship is simply being together. In our houses. In our living rooms. Welcoming one another into the physical corners of where we reside. Eating together. Playing together. Running errands together.

Sadly, I am not very good at doing this in my American home. I think I am so busy waiting for other people to welcome me in that I don't reach out to others the way I should. I get busy. I get selfish. I get shy. I start feeling like I don't want to impose on people. I don't want to intrude into their lives. I keep to myself and consequently end up deny myself and others of relationship. It is very silly of me.

I should know better because this was the very first step in getting to love the Kamaras. Togetherness. I need to do better in overcoming my fear of man and take the necessary risks to enter into community. It is an odd and radical thing to do in this society, but I think it is the way God wants us to be.

This is the first basic building block. You have to spend time with people before you can get close to them. You have to walk together and talk together before you can intimately rejoice together and weep together.

That's where we're going next. Stay tuned.

Why People Shop at Yard Sales

I just finished reading Blue Like Jazz. It sort of surprises me that I never read it before. I heard Donald Miller give a reading before a Jars of Clay concert back in college. I didn't recognize him at the time, but I remember thinking This guy is good.

I never picked up his book, though. Blue Like Jazz hit the bestseller list during my early college years. It was the thing to read if you were a 20 something Christian. Because it was so popular I avoided it. I'm never one to do what everyone else is doing. I'm proud like that. However, I'm not proud of that pride. I've probably missed out on a lot of things simply by being stubborn.

I think I also had a nagging concern that if I read Donald Miller I would discover he had already written a bestseller containing everything I wanted to write about. Heaven forbid anyone should try to crowd my corner on truth! At least Donald understood this dilemma... in Blue Like Jazz he confesses he battles it himself. (Read the beginning of chapter 16) I think all authors battle it...

I wasn't so off base in my suspicions. About halfway through the book I was convinced he had read my teenage journals. The part about Emily Dickinson!? I carried a copy of the complete poems of Emily Dickinson around with me from class to class my sophomore year of high school, ignoring my teachers and highlighting lines like "Because I could not stop for death he kindly stopped for me." Seriously-a whole chunk of the center of the book fell out sometime around spring break.

That's when I wrote a "brilliant" short story about a girl who lost her mind, faked her death and ran off to Amherst to meet Emily Dickinson. Only the reader wasn't supposed to know she was crazy or that she was on her way to Emily. The big surprise ending was when she arrives in Amherst and to her devastation discovers "her friend" Emily's grave. There was a love story thrown in there somewhere too, because-well, I was 16. The girl gets taken to an asylum, but this guy totally loves her anyway. I needed to believe that some intelligent, handsome man would love me even after I got sent away to the funny farm-which wasn't such an unlikely event considering the kind of short stories I was writing.

Anyway, back to Donald Miller. I loved Blue Like Jazz. It warmed my soul. I am sorry I was such a snob and didn't read it sooner. And even though I was annoyed to discover I did not own the market on Emily Dickinson delusions or an irksome dislike of the Republican Party (Don't worry, Daddy, I'm not a Democrat either!) in the end I didn't care.

I felt less lonely after reading the book. Not only because Miller was such a candid kindred spirit, but also because the sheer fact that because this book was so insanely popular it meant that there were also thousands of other folks out there resonating with sentiments on the pages. It wasn't just Don I was connecting with. It was all the other readers too. It gave me hope that maybe there is still a significant remnant of Jesus followers in the United States that are more interested in becoming disciples than they are in religion.

Well, I'll stop gushing about Miller and get the point I wanted to make in this post. Donald Miller helped me put words to a feeling I'd been grappling with ever since last week's yard sale. If you've looked at the pictures on previous posts you've seen the insane amounts of stuff we had for sale. So much, in fact, that I went into sensory overload. All of the multitudes of items melded into a blurry sea of color. I could barely price because I honestly had trouble distinguishing what I was looking at.

In his chapter "Money" Miller tells a story about a light timer and an extension chord. It's quite funny because we've all been there. Itching to buy something, buying something because we think we need it, or it will improve our life or it was a deal too good to pass up. It was obvious by the copious amounts of unneeded stuff that came in for our yard sale that we are all participants in this over consuming culture. I am not an exception. I turned in a few boxes of excess and if I had really been honest, I could have turned in more.

How did we end up with so much crap? Seriously. I've been troubled by it all week. It seems obscene. Especially when most of the world isn't eating or able to visit a doctor.

Miller nailed it. I want to share it.

"The thing about new things is you feel new when you buy them, you feel as though you are somebody different because you own something different. We are our possessions, you know. There are people who get addicted to buying new stuff. Things. Piles and piles of things. But the new things become old things so quickly. We need new things to replace the old things."

This was powerful for me. Not only because I observe it, but because I have lived it. Who hasn't had the urge to go to the shopping mall when she feels down, tired or distressed? Buying something does make us feel new-hopeful-better-appeased. Accumulation isn't very different than a drug-a mild narcotic that can become very very addicting.

Sometimes I like to watch that show Clean House. It's about people who have become such hoarders they can barely function in their own home. There are just huge chaotic piles of random things strewn everywhere. Many people have so many things in their bedrooms they can't walk to their own beds to sleep at night. My husband thinks I'm crazy for liking it, but I can't help it. It's quite fascinating.

A crew of organizers and designers comes to do an emergency intervention for the messy home and clean out all the clutter in a yard sale which raises money for new decor. The thing I find most amazing is how strongly people resist this intervention. They have so many things in their home they can't sit on their sofa. But when the show's host holds up some dirty old china doll that's been sitting under a pile of retro sweaters the homeowner suddenly can't live without it. They'd forgotten they even owned it, but now that they are asked to part with it, the pain is intense.

I feel keenly sorry for these folks. They are slaves to their junk. As Donald Miller puts it, they are their possessions. The family is always happy when they see their home de-cluttered and fancied up. But I am often doubtful that any of these families change their accumulating ways. Like I said before-accumulating is a drug-and it takes a lot more than a weekend TV show to detox a chronic collector.

The people on this show are extreme, but there are more of them out there than we may realize. And if we are honest, there is a touch of this in all of us. We want stuff. Stuff makes us feel good.

Ice cream makes us feel good too. This week on vacation I ordered a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup flurry from the local ice cream joint. I ordered a small, but it wasn't small. It was quite large, and I ate it. Every bite. At the beginning of my indulgence I felt fantastic. It was delicious. Later that evening...I felt ill. That's the thing about sugar. It gives you a sweet taste in your mouth and a rush of energy, but it always leaves you tired with a tummy ache.

We buy something new and we are excited. We feel fresh and optimistic. But a new possession is also a new responsibility. It is something to take care of, clean and use. Then that new thing becomes an old thing. We have to run out and find another new thing. And suddenly, like the people on Clean House, all of our things become a big burden. We can't properly enjoy them, because there are far too many. We feel tired and a little sick.

That's how the yard sale left me. Tired and a little sick. Don't misunderstand. It was terribly exciting to raise so much money for Ranch on Jesus. It was worth the effort. And it is sort of Biblical to sell your possessions so you can give to the poor. But I couldn't help but wonder why we Christians had so much to sell in the first place. The new converts in Acts sold their possessions soon after they became Christ followers. I don't think they kept accumulating more and then selling it off once they got tired of it. They sold their possessions because they were adopting a new lifestyle that was more minimalistic and simple.

I don't want to sound accusatory. I consider myself sitting in the same boat along with everyone else in the American church. I think I need much more than I actually need. I make life a lot more complicated with all of my wants.

The other thing that got me is that many of the folks shopping at the yard sale reminded me a lot of the people on the show Clean House. As I watched person after person check out I noticed that most of what we sold was just nick-knacks and clutter. I felt like an enabler for a bunch of addicts. Like I was operating a big trip for junkies, a huge street corner venue where folks could get a fix for a minimal fee.

I think there is a legitimate place for yard sales. I think they actually help some people. There are still poor folks in America. Yard Sales are a great way to help them afford what they need. Scott and I are known to shop at yard sales. I wouldn't call us truly poor, but we like saving money and I don't think it makes sense to buy something new when you can get a perfectly acceptable used item at a fraction of the price. I hate being wasteful. The less we spend on our needs the more we can help others with theirs.

I am glad if we were able to help some folks. And I know for a matter of fact that there were a few people we did help. It just seemed like in the process of helping this minority, we were also adding to a problem. I guess there is no way around it, but I can't help but ponder...

Why do people shop at yard sales? I think the majority of us shop because it is a guilt free way to feed our need of ownership and accumulation. It is as if something only costs a quarter so we don't feel bad about buying it. "It was only a quarter." Many folks spent under five dollars at the sale. No one was breaking the bank. Still, there are other forms of waste besides economic frivolity. There is wasting time. Wasting energy. Wasting space. Wasting thought. Wasting emotion. Wasting our selves.

Do we really need more? Is it just that we need that feeling of a new (to us) thing to make life feel more fulfilling and shiny? Are we unable to be content-sparse-simple? These have been the things spinning through my mind since last weekend.

A Labor of Love

Four days of set up, two days of sales, and the Yard Sale for Ranch on Jesus is finally complete. I am pround to announce that at the end of the day our grand total is $8,500! Thank you Lord!

The second day was much slower than the first, but we did well and sold A LOT! It takes much effort and dedication to host such a labor intensive fundraiser. I want to thank the congregation of Carriage Lane Presbyterian Church for their generous donations and the gift of their time. It isn't easy, but we have a big deposit to make for Ranch on Jesus this week!

Some photos are posted below. Hopefully a few more photos and thoughts will follow in the next few days. Right now I need some serious R&R!

The Clothing "Store"

The Jewelry "Store"