MISSION MINUTES
Mission Minutes-Samson Mokaya and Damaris Olweny
Kampala, Uganda
Mission Minutes-Samson Mokaya and Damaris Olweny
Kampala, Uganda
For generations, men and women who were willing to leave behind their homes and go to distant lands among peoples of foreign languages have played a major role in advancing the cause of God Almighty. In East Africa, brothers and sisters with that same heart of missionary zeal and revolutionary faith are helping to lead churches and to serve God in the various countries of this geographic region.
In a series of interviews with those guiding the congregations in East Africa, we will have a chance to get a closer look at who they are and what they are learning. Even if we may not be in the same missionary position that they are, as disciples of Jesus who seek to live out his mission, prayerfully we all will be inspired and called higher in our walk with God. Let us also continue praying for our brothers and sisters throughout East Africa, and for the continued advancing of the kingdom in this region.
This week we spend time with Samson Mokaya and Damaris Olweny (photo), who lead the church in Kampala, Uganda.
Q. Prior to being called to go to Kampala, was it your dream to be a missionary?
Samson Mokaya: It was, and in fact I had previously had the privilege of leading the Kigali church from November 1999 to may 2000.
Damaris Olweny: Prior to coming to Kampala I had been a missionary before, as part of the team that planted the church in Arusha, Tanzania in August 1996.
Q. What have been the most rewarding things for you in your time in Kampala?
SM: Seeing the church grow spiritually and numerically. Seeing people maturing in their Christian life and individuals learning to lead have also been very rewarding.
DO: Getting to learn different cultures. I feel like I've grown in my dependence on God because my discipler is not nearby. I've had to get into the Bible more than before and to think on my feet. Seeing people making the decision to become disciples makes it all worthwhile. It makes me feel happy.
Q. What are the major difficulties that you have faced in being in Kampala?
DO: Some people's attitude towards me has been, "why do you have to come to our country to preach?" Some people are suspicious or unfriendly because I am a foreigner. Sometimes people I study the Bible with feel that they cannot be very open with me because I do not understand their background. "You're not from here so you wouldn't understand," they say. Because of the wars, military coups and political instability that Uganda has been through some feel that non-Ugandans cannot understand their reality.
Q. What has helped you through the difficult times?
DO: Understanding why I am in Uganda and why I am doing what I am doing.
Q. What do you see as the main difference between being in a small church and being in a big(ger) church like Nairobi?
SM: In a larger congregation there is hands-on discipling and a lot of time sharing things with peers. A larger church has more trained leaders, e.g. Nairobi has several evangelists. In a smaller church there are fewer people to combine resources in response to benevolent needs.
On the other hand, though, it is easier to unite a smaller ministry and to organize group activities. It is easier to maintain the family atmosphere. In a smaller church people have a great opportunity to grow as they get to participate actively in positions of responsibility.
DO: In a bigger church it is a lot easier to get first-hand help. There are more people to correct you and you can see or talk to your discipler every day. The advantage of a smaller church is that everyone knows everyone else. In Kampala I know all the disciples and find it easier to build and maintain unity. As a leader there is less need to delegate and I'm able to follow up on the disciples more intimately.
Q. What are the major obstacles, unique to Kampala or to Uganda, that are challenges to people in becoming disciples?
SM: Materialism and worldliness. People like to drink a lot of alcohol and it is even sold on the streets, which I had never seen anywhere before getting here. People also want to have better things than those around them, like better cars, for example. It is easy for women studying the Bible to ask, "What kind of man will I get married to in this church?"
Traditions such as women kneeling before men, which is meant as a show of respect, make men feel superior to women.
DO: People here are highly prone to worrying about what their friends and family will think. People worry a lot about how their former churches will feel about them becoming disciples.
Q. What is the most scary thing for you out in Kampala?
SM: Generally, talk of war between Uganda and Rwanda. On-going rebel incursions are also quite scary. I have always felt like the situation could degenerate into all-out war. There is a lot of armed activity involving Uganda, including their military presence in the Congo.
DO: There have been periodic outbreaks of Ebola and as the alerts are made public I have feared contracting the disease. Security is also a big issue in Uganda, though Kampala is generally safe.
Q. What is your vision for the church in Kampala and also in Uganda as a whole?
DO: For the disciples to grow in their maturity and grow to be able to plant and lead churches in other parts of Uganda. Even now, disciples are rising up to become effective leaders and many talk of wanting to go back to their hometowns to make disciples.
Let us all share this vision for Uganda as we pray for the disciples there, and let us have a similar vision for our lives.