Dear friends,
How is everybody doing? Things are going well at St. John Chrysostom School in Uganda by God’s grace! There's lots of news in this letter.
Thank you once again for your contributions to the hand dug well. Here are photos taken October 31:
“...I was thirsty and ye gave me drink...” - Matthew 25:35
We believe that Jesus Christ is the final authority both now on earth and when we die (Ephesians 1:20-23). Jesus is ruling from heaven and, as He does, He divides people in to two groups (see Mathew 10:34-39), placing them either on his right hand or on his left. And what are his criteria? See Mathew 25:35-40. One of them is, “I was thirsty and ye gave me drink.” And those on his right hand will ask, "Lord, when did we…?” And He will say these blessed words: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
This newsletter now goes out to over 100 people. Some of you may not even think of yourselves as Christ followers. Some of you maybe are not worshiping Christ, or maybe you feel far away from Christ. But if you contributed to this well, you have fulfilled Christ’s words, “You did it to me.” And so we encourage you to do it more and more!
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Do you love Him? Do you want more of his guidance in your life? Then, as Paul wrote, “It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:9-11).
To be pure and blameless for the day of Christ when we shall meet Christ himself—that is what we want. If that is what you want also, please come and also worship the Lord with us!
There is no work that we can do to earn our salvation. My father Stephen and I ask for only a small, small portion of your mercy in Christ’s name to help us carry out a vision that God has given us. To show mercy is not a “work.” “Mercy, not sacrifice,” is the message of the Bible (Hosea 6:6, Mathew 9:13). Christ himself asks for your heart, mind and soul, ultimately, your love. And only by placing all your trust in Him can He save you. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Christ has already accomplished everything needed for your salvation. “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The only thing remaining is for you to come.
If you live in the Northern California area I invite you to visit St. Herman’s monastery (https://sainthermanmonastery.org). If you live near Moscow, Idaho, please visit St. Katherine Mission (www.stkatherines.net). If you live in the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, area, please visit here. Or message me and I can help guide you to the Church. May God bless you abundantly!
Much has happened since the last newsletter on August 31st:
News:
Trevor Tychon and David Iga of Connect Africa bring two bio-sand filters.
Secondary students prepare a special meal for teachers on Ugandan Independence Day
Firewood delivery paid for from donations. Thank you!
My wife, Brooke, and our children receive passports in the mail
Vision:
What is permaculture?
Why permaculture is needed in Nakyaka
Why Africa?
Jesus has the power
Strategic and feasible
Helping churches in the United States
Co-housing and church-school cooperatives
Partnership in Christ
The public ministry of the Church
We are appointed leaders
Participating in the creative work of God
Going to Uganda as a family
Advantages of living in Uganda
Practical considerations
Current needs:
Dean, Stephen, and staff request more bio-sand filters. Please help! ($100 each)
"Testing center” needed on site to eliminate the heavy burden and expense of transporting children to Nawango for testing. The cost is 3 million shillings ($850).
Need to send Stelio to the Connect Africa hub for permaculture internship (about $500).
Above is Stelio Lunagula with his father and son. Stelio is short for “Stelios,” which comes from “Stylianos,” meaning, "like a pillar." He’s a knowledgable builder and a great, great help to us. His most recent project was the seven-room teacher house, but he has successfully completed many projects at St. John Chrysostom School. He is leaving for the permaculture internship with Trevor Tychon at Connect Africa, which lasts about five weeks costing $500. But we have no money to complete the payment. Please set up a re-occurring donation at 1savior.org for this and other needs!
Bio-sand filters delivered!
We are very thankful that Trevor Tychon and David Iga of Connect Africa managed to visit us on Wednesday, October 2nd. Here, Trevor and David depart on their journey to Annunciation mission bringing two bio-sand filters and one "rocket mass stove.” Glory to God!
And here they are meeting the Lunagula family as well as my father in Christ, John Basalirwa, of Holy Confessor’s Church in Budhanna, who is wearing the white shirt and black vest.
The adults from left to right below are, Samuel Kirunda of Nawango, my father Stephen Lunagula, his wife Elizabeth, Trevor Tychon, Stelio Lunagula in the pink shirt, and my father, John Basalirwa.
Trevor signs the guest book:
Here they visit the primary school kitchen and deliver the rocket mass stove, made from a recycled iron drum. Elizabeth Lunagula is wearing the yellow dress. And I’m sorry but I don’t know the name of the other lady.
The point of the rocket mass stove is to create a hotter fire by containing the heat, and storing it in the bricks, which line the inside of the burn chamber. This is a way to cook with much less fuel, and somewhat more safely, than the standard method of cooking in which a pot is perched on three rocks.
The “rocket” part of the name refers to the vertical burn chamber which causes air to travel in and up through the stove. And the “mass" part refers to the bricks, which store heat.
There are countless versions of these stoves, but this one is designed to be inexpensive and relatively easy to make. Trevor’s goal is to teach people to make these stoves themselves. He gave us this stove and he doesn’t sell them.
Here they visit the secondary school kitchen, which at this point is just a shed roof:
This is one of the bio-sand filter housings, which are very heavy. Look at these bright students—so curious!
David Iga explaining how they work and conducting a “WaSH—water sanitation and hygiene” training.
One filter shall be for the primary school office for the use of the teachers and one (see below) shall be for the secondary school office. But we believe that the students also need them—one in each classroom.
Here below, our Dean, Stephen, and Trevor, consider a spot for a rain-water tank. As I was speaking to Joachim when he sent the photos of the well, he said that the children spend about two hours each morning and evening, about four hours per day, pumping water at the new well. It provides water, but not too fast. A tank for capturing water from the roof could provide water for bathing, reducing the lines at the new dug well.
Father Stephen messaged me, "On behalf of the children of St. John Chrysostom Nakyaka Primary and Secondary schools and my own behalf, I express our sincere gratitude to thank whoever gave in to contribute towards our acquisition of the two bio-sand filters. Thank you for our health and education at large. May God reward abundantly through Christ our Savior.”
A special meal for teachers!
Joachim Phoola Lunagula writes, “On Independence Day (October 9) our senior candidates surprised us all teachers with a thanksgiving meal they organized for teachers without alerting them even including the director, Father. They welcomed us all, thanking us for the service we have rendered to them all. And finally, Father blessed them too."
Then Joachim writes, “Oh Lord, Our God, enlighten our students with wisdom from above, to enable them as correctly to do the exams. Lead them to getting first grades. Amen."
Firewood delivery!
On October 15, I messaged my father, Stephen, at 10 pm to ask him how things were going. He said he had been, “Looking for firewood for our schools. Being a rainy day, no vehicles ready to transport them. Most parts the roads being too muddy.”
He said he failed at last to find any firewood. So I asked him how much money he had. He had just 125,000 shillings ($35). But to order a load of firewood from Kamuli town in a big truck costs 400,000 shillings (about $112).
I do not send a regular subsidy for firewood or anything except “teacher base pay,” so normally my father, Stephen, orders firewood just whenever he can using the income from tuition payments.
But the scripture says, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Proverbs 3:27). So, seeing that I had a little money from your auto-donations available for this need, I was able to help.
See also how nice the teacher housing is looking. Praise God! Thanks again to those who helped with that need.
Passports!
For some news from this side of the pond, for those of you who do not know yet, my wife, Brooke, and I have been prayerfully considering whether God may be calling us to go to Uganda to live and work at St. John Chrysostom School / Annunciation Mission. And so we decided to get passports for the kids and a renewed passport for Brooke, with the expectation that God may open that door soon.
Here we are getting our passport applications signed at the Shasta County offices.
This raises the question, what would we do there at the mission?
Of course there are many things we could do there to help. There are over three hundred students at the school and that number may grow. I’ve quoted many times the statistic that half the children in Uganda are under the age of 16—more kids than anywhere in the world. And everyone is struggling to educate the children because they can’t all be subsistence farmers. Some parents have enough land to divide; others do not. Every parent and child dreams of where the child’s diligent studies may lead him or her and how that one child may touch the life of the whole family. So my father, Stephen, together with the interested villagers are always looking for teachers who love God and love kids. My wife and I have thought that maybe we could teach a choir elective, or two or three such classes to different age groups, because we love singing in three and four part harmony!
But our main goal would be to to serve as journalists, good news journalists—not unlike what we are doing now, except with greater insight and more time to do it properly—to document the creation of a permaculture demonstration farm on the large church/school property for you, the readers of this newsletter.
What is permaculture?
Permaculture, being a combination of the words “permanent” and “agriculture,” is now a worldwide movement, but it is not a particular group or organization of people, but an idea that spreads.
Bill Mollison, the “father of permaculture," has said, “There’s nothing new in permaculture”—which makes me smile. On the one hand, it can’t be true, because I’ve seen so many new and interesting things in “permaculture." The movement is so creative! The aforementioned rocket mass stove and bio-sand filters definitely fall under the category of permaculture solutions, and another solution we are interested in is bio-gas digesters, which would allow us to capture methane gas from cow manure for cooking. But, on the other hand, “there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Permaculture simply breaths new life into a tried and true way of life that has few champions today, the life of the peasant, or homesteader, or yeoman farmer, if you will.
Mollison proves that the goal of surviving on the land, when pursued by choice, can unleash tremendous creativity and an abundant life for small communities—yet the principles and methods learned can be applied on any scale. Here's a man who just loved old fashioned ways of living on the land and needed a catchy trademark in order to teach it and promote it in this modern world.
Allow me to quote this brief account of Mollison’s life prior to teaching permaculture. According to wikipedia: “'Bill' Mollison was born in 1928, in the Bass Strait fishing village of Stanley located on the north-west part of Tasmania, Australia. … [He] left school at age 15 to help run the family bakery. In the following ten years he worked as a shark fisherman, seaman, forester, mill worker, trapper, tractor-driver and naturalist. In 1954, at the age of 26, Mollison joined and worked for the 'Wildlife Survey Section' of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). In the 1960s, he worked as a curator at the Tasmanian Museum. He also worked with the Inland Fisheries Commission, where he was able to resume his field work. In 1966, he entered the University of Tasmania. After he received his degree in bio-geography, he stayed on to lecture and teach, and developed the unit of Environmental Psychology.” Then, in 1978 he co-authored the book Permaculture One with David Holmgren. And in 1979 he left the university, spending the rest of his life doing and teaching permaculture.
So Bill Mollison put into words, in Permaculture One, a humble way of living that probably countless people have lived to one degree or another, but few have described as a rational system, highlighting all its components. Only someone who was brilliant and humble, full of love for the natural world, and not afraid of hard work could have done so.
In my reading, I haven’t encountered anything suggesting that Mollison was a practicing Christian. However, Christians should be able to appreciate the image of God inherent in a man who lives on this earth as in a garden, "to tend it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15), and who teaches others how to do the same.
One thing unique in permaculture, which corresponds to teaching of the Bible, is that permaculture doesn’t teach that man should be separated from nature. This approach to caring for the environment is not merely creating sanctuaries, although that is one of the components. But permaculture studies how people can live with creation in a fruitful way, not unlike what it says in Genesis 1:28, having “dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” The word translated “dominion” does not mean to exploit these creatures and destroy the earth—because then what good is our dominion?—but to enhance the fruitfulness of the earth. The key is to design agricultural systems which mimic God’s creation—which He pronounced good! Ecology becomes the model for agriculture, the beauty and balance of creation its inspiration. So this is all to say that, as Christians, if we can find practical wisdom in permaculture which does not conflict with scripture and holy tradition, then we should embrace it. All truth is God’s truth.
Again, to quote the wikipedia article: "In 1987, Mollison taught the first PDC course... By 2011 there had been over 300,000 such graduates practicing and teaching throughout the world.” See wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Mollison for citations for these figures.
With particular interest to my father, Stephen, and I, Mollison also taught permaculture courses in Africa, as did his students, and now the largest permaculture project in the world is in Zimbabwe.
And so back to the question, what is permaculture? This is my own definition: Permaculture is a design system for living in such a way that environmental resources, such as soil and water, are not degraded, but increased. It is also a body of practical wisdom and a collection of best practices for living on the land and providing necessities through small scale gardening and farming, emphasizing connections between elements in the farm so that, as in an natural ecosystem, no byproduct goes to waste. Not to mention it also emphasizes growing lots of food from perennial plants to save labor and provide food security.
And this is Mollison’s own definition from his 1991 book, Introduction to Permaculture: Permaculture is "a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless labour; and of looking at plants and animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single product system.”
Permaculture in Nakyaka
The specific practical benefits of permaculture to St. John Chrysostom School in Nakyaka are many.
A permaculture farm and learning center would provide, for starters, a better variety of food for the student lunches, so that they can eat a more diverse diet—more than just mostly ground corn. And the boarding students especially will benefit from this as they eat all their meals at the school. Better meals will attract more students to the school, bringing in more tuition money, and at the same time, making it so that the tuition money does not need to go entirely for food.
And more income after expenses means that my dear father in Christ, Stephen Lunagula, can pay teachers higher wages, hire more staff, and, ultimately, have a school that is self-sustaining, so that if outside support is lost for some reason, the school will not fail. I’m not opposed to some type of outside support going on indefinitely, but I believe it should be for occasional non-critical needs, such as, for example, school uniforms and field trips.
And with time, the farm itself can generate daily income for the benefit of the church and school from the sale of farm products, such as meat chickens, goats, vegetables, fruit, possibly milk, even fish if we can dig a pond. This is what Jagwe Gerald, of the Permaculture Research Institute of Uganda, says will be a game changer for us and other rural Ugandans—to learn to produce daily income.
And for those youth and young adults who decide to continue to live and work in the rural areas of Uganda, instead of moving to the cities, the permaculture farm and learning center can inspire them with all the wonderful possibilities of such a life. They can listen to permaculture lecturers and they can pursue permaculture knowledge both through books (we want to have a small library in the learning center) and through further training including hands on internships.
And finally, a permaculture farm and learning center can become a hub for permaculture development in the local community. It can be a place for saving seeds and selling them or giving them away, for selling tree seedlings, and for showcasing various solutions, such as bio-sand filters. For example it would be good to begin growing giant bamboo for use in building projects, such as roof structures, and animal pens.
I once asked my father, Stephen, how many families in the village have chickens? He said maybe three out of ten. So I asked him how many would want to have chickens? "They all would,” he said. But things that we take for granted in the United States such as chicken wire fencing are not affordable for most rural africans. And a way of feeding the chickens needs to be planned out and decided upon, which may require bartering with neighbors. Thus, a permaculture hub could change the status quo locally both through micro-loans or gifts of chicken wire combined with training. And there are hundreds of different projects that could be implemented with time.
Why Africa? - A new paradigm for giving
Some of you may be thinking, "I like what you are trying to do with permaculture, but I’m not sure about Africa.” Or perhaps you are thinking, "There are so many problems in Africa!” or, "It just seems impossible.” Once when a co-worker heard about my upcoming trip to Africa, he said, “Well, nice knowing ya!”
I can laugh at this last response, but these reactions are based on a fear of Africa, which is actually perpetuated in large part by a certain paradigm for giving aid and the misleading photographs and words which go along with it. There are the photos of children with flies on their faces, with skinny bodies and distended bellies, which inspire a lot of giving and hopefully prevent some people from starving because of a particular food shortage somewhere on the African continent. And there are the portraits of children on little cards standing alone, needing someone to sponsor them, implying subtly that their parents and community have failed them. And there is the message that we need to "fight poverty” or "end poverty.” But the end result of these advertising campaigns is the belief that people from Africa can’t do anything. So how could they do permaculture?
Well, this is one of the the main reasons why I want to go to Uganda with my family, to help to people who wish to be good stewards, to rise above this paradigm, which is described in the book, When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett, and the film. "Poverty, Inc.: Fighting Poverty is Big Business But Who is Profiting the Most?”
Allow me to quote the film Poverty, Inc. It begins with a well dressed, very wealthy, articulate, African woman entrepreneur, Magatte Wade, speaking, while quotes and images are interspersed, backing up what she is saying. It’s very powerful. She says,
"There’s a certain paradigm in which we try to help the poor. And it comes with underlying assumptions and images about poor people. It comes from a good heart. They give us food. They bring us shoes. They dig us wells. They encourage others to give. The problem is it does not work. The way that we help the poor needs to change. Everybody knows it. Everybody talks about it. And yet the icons of charity remain the same."
And then Daniel Jean Lewis, a Haitian entrepreneur and author continues:
"It’s not simply foreign aid, or religious charity, or NGOs, or social entrepreneurs. The rich patronize the poor. The poor resent the rich. Every 10 or 20 years we try something new. And Every 10 or 20 years we look back and find we’re looking at the same broken system. The name of the system is paternalism.”
For an example of the icons that need to change, Magatte Wade continues, discussing the 1984 hit song “Do they know it’s Christmas" from charity supergroup, “Band Aid 30.”
“['Do They Know It’s Christmas'] raised awareness and it was in response to a particular crisis. I understand that. But it also perpetrates a false image of Africa as barren, and a sentimental image of Africans as helpless and dependent. ‘Where nothing ever grows. No rain or rivers flow. Do they know it's Christmas time at all?' Here we are a generation later and the same song, the same images are back: The same lyrics, the same silliness of Africa not having any rain, not having any river. And, as Africans, not knowing that it's Christmas time.”
And another key quote from the film is this one:
"Machiavelli said, 'The reason there will be no change is because the people who stand to lose from change have all the power. And the people who stand to gain from change have none of the power. Machiavelli was describing the global aid system today. So as we talk about development we have to talk about who has the power and who should have it.”
“Development,” “change”—what do those words mean? People, like all living things, need to grow and “develop” and thrive and see “change" around them, wherever they live, whether in the US or rural Uganda. So what’s the answer? Who has the power? And who should have it? And who knows what kind of “development" is best for us?
Jesus has the power and knows best
The answer, to return to the theme at the beginning of this newsletter, is that Jesus Christ has the power, but few people actually learn how to put their trust in Him—by building on the foundation that He laid, according to His wisdom. So, if for some there is no change, that is why. "For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:14). Now, it’s true that life in Jesus is actually easier (Matthew 11:30), but finding His way is the difficult part, again becuase there are few guides.
Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Duet 8:3, Matthew 4:4). And Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). But we seek bread from idols and we give bread to others in the name of idols or in our own name, setting ourselves up as idols, and thus we go hungry and we go thirsty, whether spiritually or physically or both. And there is no change.
And this idolatry is modeled by people who represent Christ in official capacity in the Church!—they may say, for example, that Christ wants us to "give to charity.” But did Jesus say we should "give to charity”? No, He said we ourselves should give to the poor and then follow Him. Following Him means then building the Kingdom with Him, according to His own direction through the Holy Spirit of Truth—not abdicating this role to the government or an NGO or to a charity, because these organizations don’t have the whole truth. How can these shepherds claim to have found the Rock if they don’t invite anyone to build on the Rock?
In fact, we can no longer pretend to do things in Christ’s name without doing them in and through the Church. And I say this to those who lead the Church, who should know better than to neglect the only true foundation. Jesus said of the Church, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). Is it right to pay for education for poor girls and boys around the world without sharing with them our faith through the Church? No, it is not. Is it right that shepherds in the Church are content with our own children attending government schools, and they do not even attempt to create a learning environment centered around the Church? No! How can the Church compete with five days per week of indoctrination? Education is no savior, but education can be saved if it is directed by the faithful, centered around the Church, which means also that it should be financed by faithful giving, not through taxes. Taxation for education begets compulsory schooling, which leads our children compulsively away from Christ. Likewise, permaculture or any program by itself is no savior. Only Christ, through the institution He himself began with these words, “Do this in remembrance of me,” can save us. If we don’t do what we do through the Church, we’re not obeying Christ.
Nevertheless, whether people put their trust in Jesus or not, He has the power. And you can see this because the world is totally changed since Jesus came. No longer can power be held by those who mercilessly crush life with public displays of violent power, such as crucifixion which was the Roman way. And though there have been many notable exceptions to this, especially in the bloody 20th century, we do not see the current world powers upholding their power in this way. Christ’s resurrection and the new meaning of the cross has triumphed over this. If there is torture, it is kept hidden. If there is terror, it is generally accomplished by a few extremists on the periphery, trying to leverage their negligible degree of power.
So even when no one acknowledges Christ publicly, or when people do so hypocritically, Christ is still leading by the example He already set—only that those who follow Him, without both acknowledging and obeying Him, do so from a spirit of Satanic rivalry. This is the spirit of the antichrist which we see all around us. Every political leader today wants to paint himself or herself as a compassionate savior, when the truth is, “they know not what they do.”
And even when shepherds in the Church become hypocrites and wolves, partners with the antichrist, all the power and might of Christ in heavenly places stands by, ready to aid those who do his will! "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” (John 3:35).
Strategic and feasible
So back to the question, why Africa? Because the Church is there. And because, actually, if we want to start building on the foundation that Christ laid, Africa is the easiest, most feasible place, not the hardest—for many reasons, not the least of which is that building costs are very low; and, at least in Nakyaka village, no building permits are required! A little money goes a long way there. And now in the information age with the advent of handheld computers and undersea fiberoptic cables, it is as if they are just on the other side of a glass.
But another reason that we should build the Kingdom of God in Africa is that it is strategic. Africa actually holds a treasured place in our imaginations.
From the time that our children are just learning to speak, we show them pictures of animals. And one time, as I was examining one of these animal books for children, I realized that about 80% of the animals that our children love are African animals: Lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, rhinos, cheetahs, gorillas, crocodiles, aardvarks! And the land itself, is such a part of our imagination, from the deserts to the savannas, to the jungles, to the mountains, which soar as high as Mount Kilimanjaro at 19,341 feet, and Mount Stanley in Uganda at 16,763 feet.
Yes, building the Kingdom of God in the Busoga region of Uganda, let alone all Africa, is a big mountain to climb. But that is just why it is so strategic. Recently I was climbing Mount Lassen, which is not far from my home in northern California, and I found myself hiking alongside hundreds of friendly people of all races, from many countries, speaking many languages. We greeted each other happily along the trail. So this is a metaphor for what life can be like when we seek God. It is strenuous, but the company is joyful and the views are wonderful and you will know that you are really living.
So we can invest in the Church in Africa because it is strategic and feasible. And then, Lord willing, when we have enough momentum and a large enough organization we can also fund projects in the United States.
Helping churches in the United States
Permaculture principles can and should be taught and applied everywhere. This is not something that is just for Africa. And, actually, we need them more desperately in the United States than they do in Africa. Because in many places in Africa scarce resources naturally inspire the use of these principles.
For example, one of the principles is, “Integrate: capitalize on how things work together.” In other words, plant your corn, winter squash, and pole beans together. The maize provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants use. And the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, helping prevent the establishment of weeds. We’re not employing this principle in the United States. And I don’t mean because we’re not growing corn, beans and squash together.
The most important place in which we could integrate functions is education and the Church. Educating our children in standard academic subjects and the historical, moral and spiritual education, which is part of the mission of the Church go really, really well together by God’s design. But in the United States we seem to have mostly given up on this cooperation—a big reason why we lose about sixty percent of our children to the world. But it's understandable because of the long trend away from volunteerism that our nation has suffered because of the secular transition. That is to say, as our society has become more and more secular, we do things because we have to, not as a voluntary act of faith. We’re not as free as we think we are.
And, as secularism and the ever growing state have broken down communities and families, we turn more and more to state programs for support, because, in our lack of vision, we think that we’re forced to. It’s difficult to homeschool—or perhaps impossible to do so for a single parent—and a church school with paid teachers is more difficult still. So we give up. We give to Caesar, what belongs God, our very children, all the while soothed by false shepherds in the church, who say everything is okay; everything is fine.
"and from prophet to priest,
everyone deals falsely.
They have healed the wound of my people lightly,
saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6:13-14).
Co-housing and church-school cooperatives
But the solution is that we need to act strategically for the benefit of our children, using the principle of integrating functions. If we purchase land together on which to build a planned community with a school/community room, perhaps using a condominium ownership structure, and community rules developed by the co-housing movement, then, problem solved. Our children can play together, go to school together in the community room, under the direction of the moms and gracious elders who love children; single-parent families can be included; and it’s as easy as walking out the front door. And it’s not illegal. Religious communities are protected by the religious housing exemption of the Fair Housing Act (U.S. Code § 3607).
These communities might be called “lay ascetic communities”—‘lay,' because we don’t have to be monks or nuns, although monks and nuns provide a great example to us of fleeing the world; and ‘ascetic' because we’re going to have to give up some things in order to gain the benefits of cooperation. But what we give up will be so small in comparison to what we shall gain!
And although there are many reasons to build these communities, educating our children together in Christ is enough:
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
But we cannot do this, without a return to humility, a return to the Christian ethos of poverty of spirit. And that is why our partnership with our brothers and sisters in the poorest nations is actually where we need to begin. It’s the low hanging fruit, which can revive us. And through helping them, God can teach us what we’ve forgotten, how to trust God to meet our needs. How to come before both our church members and the surrounding community with the needs of our children. As Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you...For every one that asketh receiveth” (Matthew 7:7-8).
Partnership in Christ
Yes, there are many trials and temptations in being the Church today, whether we live in Africa or the United States. But we can face them better together.
And we have a lot to learn from the Church in Africa. For example, it’s a lot easier to be poor in spirit when you are actually poor. That’s why Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell his possessions. In fact it’s silly to talk about "ending poverty” or “fighting poverty." We should not try to end poverty. We should become poor!—that we might be rich in Christ.
But what does it mean to be "poor in spirit?" The Greek word for poor, "ptochos," was derived from “ptosso," which literally means to crouch or cower like someone in desperate need, someone who is fearfully dependent on others for the necessities of life. These are the people with no kingdom, no “rights,” as we demand today. But Jesus says they will be part of his Kingdom. In this way he even holds them up as an example to follow.
Imagine a truly hungry tradesman who prays for any patron to purchase his services to put food on the table for his children. Jesus said be like that. Don’t make distinctions between people. In the words of St. James the Just, “If you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors" (James 2:8-9). And in the words of The Apostle Paul, "In so far as it is possible do good unto all men." And then the apostle adds these words, "Especially those of the household of faith.”
Brother’s and sisters, our African brother’s and sisters, are part of the household of faith. So, according to the Apostle Paul, helping them should be a priority. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him,” so how can we expect God to bless our churches with converts, when we are not helping those who are already among us, namely our poorest brothers and sisters in the poorest nations? Likewise, how can we expect God to allow us to retain even our own children, when our shepherds willingly give them over to a system of state socialization and propaganda?
The public ministry of the church
Some people who reject appeals such as this one assert that we should help the poor among us secretly, as individuals helping individuals, and they are correct that we should do this when we have opportunity and are able, as before God alone. But our obligation as individuals to help the poor, doesn’t negate the public ministry of the Church. Christ spoke publicly in defense of the poor and He called on His disciples to help them as part of His public ministry—for example, he asked them what food they had for the 5000 gathered to hear him speak—and He expects the shepherds of His flock today to continue His public ministry in a coordinated way.
In fact what is needed is a strategic way to help the poor. That is what the kingdom of God is. That is what the Church is. What does it mean to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). What is our light? It is the rule of Christ.
When the watching world sees us working together as under one Lord, Jesus Christ, even Africans and Americans, despite our differences, even rejoicing in our differences, that is a light to them!
As Psalm 133 says,
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.
The "ointment" in this psalm is like liquid light, because oil makes things shiny, reflecting the light. And “light" in the Bible refers to the mind of Christ, His guidance. “I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). That is why we behold the oil anointing the high priest’s head.
And the the order of thoughts in this psalm suggests that when we embrace the unity that we already have in Christ, instead of running from it, seeking His guidance through prayer, then His wisdom covers us like a shiny ointment, glorifying our high priest, Christ himself, before the watching world. And that oil also runs down upon the robe of Christ so that we, the body of Christ, are covered as with a beautiful, shiny robe. Isn’t that what we want?
We are appointed leaders
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house” (Matthew 5:14-15).
Being lights to the world—that means being leaders. And the context for true leadership has always been global, from the Garden of Eden to the nation of Israel, which was itself a "light for the nations" (Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 52:10; Isaiah 60:3).
We hear all the time, "Think global. Act Local.” When we hear that phrase, we should think, "under whose direction?” Globalists? And we also hear, “Make America great again.” Again, under whose direction? God forbid that we thoughtlessly repeat these catchphrases! For example, in a conversations with acquaintances and strangers who maybe do not share our Christian faith, whose name is most likely to grace our lips as a solution to our problems? That of a politician or that of Jesus Christ?
The Church itself is a nation above all others. And Christ alone is our head. And a key way for us to lead Americans is for us to empower Americans to help people from other nations as the Church, not just expecting some other group to step in.
Of course, the full outworking and details of our unity with our African brothers and sisters only Christ knows. And the details are very important. And that is why we must have a rubric to guide giving and I believe permaculture principles, can serve as one such rubric.
And permaculture professionals, including Jagwe Gerald of the Permaculture Research Institute of Uganda and Trevor Tychon of Connect Africa, can provide valuable guidance, including through site visits.
But we can’t know Christ’s mind and we can’t display the beauty of his rule without the courage to build on that unity that he has already purchased for us.
That is what I wish to do by God’s grace and by your prayers. My partnership with the Church in Uganda is a fact. I’ve celebrated communion them.
I can’t say to my father, Stephen, “You and your people, depart in peace. Be warm and filled,” without helping his community to obtain those things which are needful to the body. In Uganda, malnutrition is the number one risk factor leading to death from communicable diseases. But neither can I just give him a subsidy. Because that is not a dignified way for either him or myself to live. “Man doesn’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
In other words, we must seek what is that "good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:2).
And helping in Africa is just a beginning. There is so much to do at home to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. If we think there’s nothing to do, then we're just satisfied with rule of the antichrist. God forbid!
Participating in the creative work of God
So, at 1Savior.org we wish to advance a motive for giving, which may be new to many people, the desire to enter into a creative work, ultimately the creativity of God.
Of course, in the Church, all giving, whether the giving of money or labor or talent, is participation in the creative work of God and we can never give more than we receive. We lose nothing of our own essence when we give. We are not diminished. But for many, including some reading this newsletter, this may be a completely foreign idea to them. They may have characterized the need to give only in feelings of guilt, because someone doesn’t have what “we” have.
But when the details of a permaculture project, for example, are presented, there is much more scope for the imagination, much more to discuss than simply the fact that some people are “disadvantaged.” Rather, a sustainable future is envisioned and the recipients of funding are actually taking the lead in advancing that vision. They become, in an interesting reversal of fortunes, the advantaged ones!—meaning the ones who get to do what is held up as the ideal.
Of course, want or lack is always the basis of the need for the charitable work of the Church. Uganda has plenty of that. In a 2019 ranking of the 25 poorest countries in the world, Uganda was number 17 between Afghanistan and Haiti.
But the addition of permaculture solutions changes our charity from a rescue model, which can be degrading if we are doing anything for people that they can do for themselves, to an ecological sustainability model, in which all parties are asked to participate, some giving their treasure, some their labor, and some their guidance. And this sustainability model inherently conveys the God-given dignity of those receiving funding, even holding them up as a model for those of us in wealthier nations to follow.
Africa is sometimes known as the “Dark Continent;” its people considered to be backward, poor, weak. But what does scripture say? "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong” (1 Cor 1:27).
Going to Uganda as a family
So as you now know, my wife and I would like to go to Uganda to serve as "good news journalists,” documenting our experiences for you, our readers.
It will be good to be working beside the Lunagulas. We shall be the "Lunagula/Becktell family,” 😁😁😁 which is the running joke of my dear father in Christ, Stephen. And, once we have settled into the necessary rhythms of life there, we will help in the school, learn Lusoga, learn about permaculture from Jagwe Gerald and Trevor Tychon, and just learn from the agricultural rhythms of the life around us—reporting to you, our readers, what we shall learn.
Then, Lord willing, by your prayers and support, we will witness the creation of a beautiful permaculture farm and learning center on the 16-acre school property. Stelio Lunagula, most likely, will lead this work with with his father and our role will be to just help decide which projects to advance in which order and to use, social media, YouTube, and email, etc., to proclaim our Gospel message and solicit help as widely as possible, which is something I do not really have time to do until I’m living in Uganda.
Would you like to support us in this endeavor?
Advantages of living in Uganda
As you may know, I’ve made three trips to Uganda by now. And living in Uganda is a dream that has occupied my thoughts and prayers now constantly, especially since my February 2018 trip. And, as I’ve discussed it with my wife, we’ve noted together how it could, in fact, be a very good thing for us as a family. Of course we have our children’s safety and interests chief in our minds. And though there are many concerns for families moving to another culture and another physical environment, with its own unique pests and pathogens, there are also many positives.
Here are just four examples of these positives: (1) Chief in my mind is that my family and I would be able to spend more time together than we are currently able, especially during the first year as we will be focusing on learning another language together, the Lusoga language.
Secondly (2), we would be able to work closely with our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the Lunagula family, learning also about their people, the Soga people, and their neighbors, the Ganda people, for whom Uganda is named. There are about three million people who speak Lusoga, a beautiful, tonal Bantu language, rich in metaphors, folktales and proverbs.
Thirdly (3), from my wife’s perspective as an ardent homeschool / cooperative school teacher—who seeks to engage the children with primary materials, guiding them, educating the whole person—this will be the educational opportunity of a lifetime for our children, the ultimate field trip!
And, fourthly (4), and most important in my mind is the spiritual significance this will have for us as a family.
I want to be concerned for the “interests of others” and I want my children to learn this also. As the Apostle Paul says, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phillipians 2:4). I also think of this poem by C.T. Studd:
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
And I think of the words of the Apostle Paul: "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill; the lust of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). And these words of St. Seraphim of Sarov:
“Mark my words, only good deeds done for Christ’s sake bring us the fruits of the Holy Spirit. All that is not done for Christ’s sake, even though it be good, brings neither reward in the future life nor the grace of God in this life. That is why our Lord Jesus Christ said: 'He who does not gather with Me scatters.’"
If this is the call of God on myself and my family, and I know it is, then God forbid that I would reject His call! That would not be walking in the Spirit.
Practical considerations
When I tell people I want to go to Africa with my family, occasionally someone gives me a puzzled look. One person told me to make a list of all the pros and cons. I didn’t have a chance to reply to that person and so I will take the opportunity to do it here.
I understand that there will be many practical challenges to living in Uganda. There will be no electricity grid, which means no hot showers—something that I’m quite fond of. But we plan to have a low voltage solar system for lights and charging electronics.
Another challenge is that we will have no vehicle of our own, but my father Stephen has a van. And we can hire taxis, or “special drivers” as they call them, if necessary. It’s just 80 km (50 miles) to the nearest good hospital in Jinja if we need to go there. But aside from a few trips between rural churches, we plan to just stay at the mission almost all the time.
Malaria is of course a concern, however, as we’ve been learning about it, it seems manageable. We want to have good screens on our house and, in addition, use mosquito nets over our beds at night, because the type of mosquitos that spread P. falciparum malaria are active at night. Thankfully they are not active during the day. Also there are now what are called rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria. And malaria medication is effective, over the counter, and inexpensive.
I’ve been seeking practical advice and will continue to do so, every step of the way, from family members; from people in my church, St. Andrew Fool for Christ Church, here in Anderson, California; from other leaders in the Church both in Uganda and the US; and from various missionaries to Africa and anyone who has lived in Africa. And of course I am advised by my father in Christ, Stephen Lunagula.
I believe God wouldn’t be calling me to this mission if it weren’t important. If I refuse, God will call others. This is a mission that must be done. And we can’t do it without you, everyone on this mailing list!
Please help!
I have already found a couple families in my church, St. Andrew Fool for Christ Church, who are willing to send us. And a dear monk, who has made trips to Africa, may be willing to send us. But we can’t fund the necessary projects without your help.
God has given us a Kingdom. Let us build on the foundation he laid for us. I pray that you will come build with us and even worship with us if God so leads!
Donate today at 1savior.org!
Blessings in Jesus,
Martin
✝️💧🌱🌍
Current needs:
1. Bio-sand filters
Again, our Dean, Stephen, and his staff are requesting more bio-sand filters, which we discussed in detail in the previous newsletter. They are $100 each.
Why are they needed? The short answer is that they save lives.
We were not able to get a good testing sample from the wells in Nakyaka, because Trevor's vehicle broke down and there was a delay in getting the samples to the testing equipment. Old samples don’t work. Also we don’t have any data from local clinics and I honestly don’t know when that will be available.
But consider this map of life expectancies in the world:
Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest life expectancies represented by the red and orange. And I know that many people think that war and violence play a large role in the low life expectancies in Africa, but that is not the case. Actually the difference in the numbers comes from communicable diseases, with two of the the top three risk factors being malnutrition and unsanitary water.
So if you want to save lives and help give people a sense of independence. I know of no better way than these filters which are manufactured in Uganda by Ugandan workers. This is a very simple technology that everyone in Uganda should be using, but not everyone believes they will work.
Please help us to put one in every classroom and one each in the primary and secondary kitchens. We need as many as 12 more to place in classrooms and give to other churches.
2. Testing Center
Official "Testing centers” are needed on site at St. John Chrysostom school, one for primary and one for secondary. This is in order to eliminate the heavy burden and expense of transporting children to Nawango for their tests. The cost is 1.5 million shillings per registration number, and two are needed, that is, 3 million shillings ($850).
3. Permaculture Internship
Stelio is leaving to the Connect Africa hub for a permaculture internship costing $100 per week. I believe the total cost will be $500. Please help!
Please make a one time donation or set up a re-occurring monthly donation today at 1savior.org!
Accountabilities as of 11/04/2019:
Amount in ministry bank account after the last newsletter of August 31:
96.54
Donations since the last newsletter of August 31:
11/02/2019 - 100
10/29/2019 - 25 (cash)
10/19/2019 - $15 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
10/13/2019 - $35 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
10/11/2019 - $35 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
10/11/2019 - $50 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
10/03/2019 - $100 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
10/03/2019 - $62
10/01/2019 - 37 (check)
9/19/2019 - $15 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
9/13/2019 - $35 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
9/11/2019 - $35 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
9/11/2019 - $50 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
9/08/2019 - $5 (cash)
9/03/2019 - $100 (reoccurring monthly auto-donation)
9/02/2019 - $62
Total = $761 - 20.99 (approx. PayPal fees) = 740.01
Amounts funded since the last letter on August 31:
10/15/2019 - $120.15 (for firewood delivery from Kamuli Town costing 400,000 shillings)
10/07/2019 - $255 (900,000 shillings for primary school teacher base pay)
10/02/2019 - $305.57 (to Trevor Tychon for two bio-sand filters and $100 for transport and expenses)
Total: 680.72
Amount now in ministry bank account:
740.01 + 96.54 = 836.55 - 680.72 = $155.83
Receipts:
