Update – From GIL HARDER – Uganda, Africa

Dear Prayer Partners:

It is now about midnight and we have tucked our missionary team in bed and finished the Lira “Jesus Festival” with multitudes who came to Christ tonight … maybe 250 people. Jose Zayas, our evangelist, asked me to give the invitation tonight at the festival. We had another “Fresh Catch” tonight and a great celebration that has lasted into the night until now … and must be still going on in Heaven.

After the crusade, I prayed with Joseph who was captured by the LRA rebels several years ago and forced to kill as a child soldier. Now he is a student at the Uganda Tech University where we held the crusade here in Lira. Joseph is now part of the “Lord’s Righteous Army” by faith in Jesus. Edmond and Maxwell responded to the invitation tonight and then came for prayer because they were being tormented by evil spirits. The truth set them free tonight!

Our team expanded to about 50 with the Ugandan Good News Soccer Club who played an exhibition soccer match each day this week in the afternoon at the stadium where we held the festival-crusade. They won every match except one, and drew a very large crowd each day who also stayed for the “Jesus Festival” each night. Then another small missionary team of American teenagers also joined our team here in Lira, and so I trained them in evangelism and we’ve been fishing all over Lira with much fruit. Pray now for the churches we are working with here in Lira to carefully follow up each new believer for fruit that remains.

Today was a very unique day for me. Bishop Tom and Martin insisted that I come with them for an important meeting with all the “Faith Community” and religious leaders from the Northern Uganda region, who just happened to be convening in Lira today, Saturday, July 3rd for the purpose of discovering how the “Faith Community” can impact government in the peace process. They are really fearing that their will be violence in 2011 during their National and local elections. The M.P.’s (Members of Parliment) came from Kampala to meet with the “Who’s Who” of religious leaders in Northern Uganda about 100 in all.

At first, I thought it would simply be a lot of “British Parlimentary Protocol” … introductions … pomp and ceremony … which it was at first. But then they began to share the struggles of a corrupt government and violent elections and their desire for a free and fair elections and democracy. The whole day was broadcast live on radio. The chairman asked me to share from an American perspective as an international participant. I asked the Lord for wisdom, and gave them a speech about “Democracy & Religious Freedom In America.”

The M.P.’s and religious leaders (including the Catholic Arch Bishop, Anglican Priests, and even the Muslim Imam) wanted to know more about how the “Faith Community” influences the government in America. So, I gave them some ideas about having “Voter Registration” in the churches, publishing incumbant voting records, interviewing candidates on all moral issues and then educating the people as well as holding the politicians accountable by publishing the results in the newspapers, churches, and by radio.

The whole experience turned out to be one of those “God Things.” Here they are struggling with freedom and democracy and the role of church and state … just like America did 234 years ago tomorrow ~ July 4, 1776. I felt like a “Time Traveler” sent to them from the future to help them shape the democratic process in North Uganda. It was humbling, took all day and included three “Official Tea Times.” There were lots of introductions of “Lords & Ladies” … and Bishops and Your Worshipfulness … but in the end … some stiking resolutions were agreed upon, recorded, and sent to the Ugandan Parliment for ratification by this newly formed “Uganda Inter-Religious Coalition.”

In the meantime, our missionary team has been going around destroying the works of darkness, robbing hell, and declaring His Glory in the schools, prisions, hospitals, and marketplace of Lira. Slowly by slowly, soul by soul, God is changing Uganda one person at a time and bringing healing and hope in Jesus Name! I told the religious gathering and government leaders, that at the end of the day, the real power is not in the political process as important as this is, but in the blood of the cross. I also took the opportunity to apologize on behalf of the American Church and Faith Community for America’s unglodly intervention in government by financially propping up puppet leaders who have not represented the best interests of Uganda and also for our Presidents and Vice Presidents wicked counsel to Uganda regarding Abortion and Homosexuality issues.

Their response to these apologies was surprise and tears. They said to me later, “You have touched our heart. We have never heard anyone speak this way, but we are living with the reality of what American money and influences have done to our country. In Uganda we are now a land of beggars and thieves because of the NGO’s, subsidies, and handouts. We do not need a hand out, we need a hand up to determine our own destinies.”

So, it was quite a historic day here in North Uganda just one day before our “American Birthday” back home ~ July 4th. The timing couldn’t have been better. In some small way, God used me to participate in the manifest destiny of this Nothern Uganda region known as the “Nazereth of the North” where they have suffered so much and been marginalized by the rest of the country in the South. I was able to relate to their North ~ South scism in Uganda and told them about our struggles between North and South during the Civil war.

Can anything good come out of Nazereth? Oh yes! It has and it will again by the grace and mercies of the Lord when God’s people who are called by His Name, humble themselves and pray, and turn from their wicked ways … then God will hear from Heaven … and will heal this land … through His one and only Son ~ Jesus Christ of Nazereth.

Now, Randy, Aggrey, and myself will teach a week in the “School of Theology” (Biblical Counseling, Marriage & Family, and Advanced Homiletics) and then conduct the Commencement and of the first graduating class of 2010 at Africa Hope Bible Institute next Saturday, July 10th. Pray for the students to find their school fees in order to graduate next Saturday. It looks like their will be 14-15 graduates. We started on September 7, 2009 with 17 students.

Africa Renewal Ministries in Kampala, have asked me and Randy if we would extend our mission to conduct a “Pastors Conference” in Ruknjiri, Uganda near the Congo/Rwanda border on our way out of the country next week. We are praying about this as their has been Congolese Rebel activity in this area recently. Please pray about this plan with us. It would not change our flight home at this point, but would be a stretch in many ways and invlove some rather intense traveling conditions and timing.

So, once again, thanks for sending “Africa Hope!” No one but God could have planned this day or this mission. I am glad to be walking with God in the works preordained and created for me to walk in before one of them came to be ~ Ephesians 2:10. Thank you for walking with me in these pathways of peace.

Your Missionary In Africa,

Gil ~ II Chronicles 7:14