Fine

There's a verse in the Bible that talks about delighting ourselves in the Lord and him giving the desires of our hearts. I like this verse, but honestly, it also makes me frustrated. I spent a few months in Uganda in the summer of 2009. I cannot begin today to express all that I learned, saw, or felt, except to say that it was a beautiful experience. While there, I met a missionary from the Kingdom of Tonga. The first time I saw him I had no idea what country he was from, his ethnic background, or what he was doing in Africa. He had a huge grin and big brown eyes that were filled with laughter. His name was Fine (fin-ee) and he was part of Youth With A Mission. He'd been living in Uganda for three years and working with a small village helping to build a bakery. Initially, they thought he would give them the money to build the bakery, so he had to explain to them that he had no money and no funds coming in either. Instead, he became just like them-working in the gardens, living in the village; he ate with them and went hungry with them. All the while he taught them from the Bible. In traditional Ugandan culture, women obey simply their husbands, they care for the children, draw water, cook, work in the gardens, clean, etc. In a lot of cases, men have abandoned their families and left the women to care for all the children with no income of their own. Fine's heart is for families. He has taken Jesus literally when he says to care for widows and orphans and defend the poor and helpless.

One Sunday, Fine invited me to come to his church. As I walked the half mile down the red dusty road in search of the little church tucked in the banana trees, I was a bit nervous. By then I was used to being the only white person, but I had never gone to church in Uganda alone before. Thankfully, the sound of drums and children lead me easily to the church. Women and babies were under the shade of a clump of trees and children chased each other around outside. All of the men were inside. "Fine?" I asked a woman who shyly greeted me. "Yes" she replied and pointed inside, and then led me to a bench by all the women. Apparently there was a "no girls allowed" rule before the service, or something was going on. After a few moments, Fine excitedly motioned everyone inside and we all crowded onto little wooden benches. Children stared openly at the mzungu who came to join their service, and women shyly, but warmly greeted me.

As was tradition, any guests were asked to stand up and introduce themselves. Well, no escaping it, I was the only white person of at least seventy. I stood and glanced at Fine, who grinned back. In my best Ugandan accent I introduced myself and expressed my joy to be with them. I sat back down and the music began. Today was men and husband Sunday. In both Uganda and Tonga, dancing is an enormous part of their culture. Fine got the entire congregation involved by asking the men and women from their respective tribes to demonstrate their traditional dances. Women sang and clapped while shaking their hips like I have never seen in any church before, then men also showed off their moves, while the children played the drums on their benches. Everything was a blend colors and laughter and shouting and freedom. Then Fine calmed the congregation down, women sat down again while the men to take their places. He explained that he had arranged a special presentation for that Sunday. In his culture, the Tongans dance as celebration, but also as warriors.
Over the past three years, Fine has served the people he ministers to. He is learning their language and their culture because he realizes that it's necessary to love someone first, and out of that love will come change for the better. He now is a co-pastor at a church where each month the sermons rotate around women and wives, children, men and husbands, and the family. Men are learning to love and serve their wives, wives are learning to respect and support their husbands, and children are learning to obey and learn in a safe, nurturing environment.

What a beautiful picture. All because one man decided to give up his comfort, and go where God said. Fine told me he was glad that he did not know where God was leading him, or what would happen. He said if he had known ahead of time that he would go hungry some days or fight off malaria eight times and counting, he would have turned back long ago. He's said he was so thankful that God did not reveal all the answers to him when he asked.