Blessings, Curses and Renewed Life
By Chaundra Eagar
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17
Last week, MAF Uganda pilot Matt Eagar had the chance to spend the night in Tonj, South Sudan with a group he had flown in from Every Village.
One of the main purposes of Andrew and Shayna Brown’s trip was to encourage the team there, and to check in with the Christian Radio programme, where Andrew (the radio programming director for Every Village) is discipling the guys at the radio station they run. The purpose of which to help make a huge impact on those they reach through the airwaves, as well as those they live and work with. But another important reason was Abraham.
Now, although this trip was only last week, Abraham’s story begins back in March – when a woman in Tonj gave birth to twins.
Like everywhere else on the globe, a baby is such a huge blessing – but in East Africa – twins and their mamas are extra special. The family arranged a ceremony for these little ones and the Spear Masters came with sacrifices and a scapegoat to bless the children.
When their blessing was finished, Andrew was also asked to give a blessing for the babies and he took this opportunity to share the gospel with the crowd there. Abraham, a 70-year-old Spear Master, was in awe of the message. Over the next few days Andrew was able to sit and talk with him and Abraham, a widely respected, honoured and feared Spear Master, gave his life to Christ.
Now, fast forward to last week.
When the Browns arrived at the Every Village compound in Tonj, they found Abraham had been sharing a meal a day with the team there. His wife has kicked him out of the house – and after a lifetime of being honoured in the community – he had lost everything, was hungry and living under a tarp. Through all this, his joy never faltered and he is amazingly excited about what God has in store for him. The team has helped him build a small house, and even though they are in between crop seasons in South Sudan, he has a meal to share each day, a Godly influence and an unspeakable joy.
Andrew and the team in Tonj are taking the time to teach and disciple him, an old man about whom some have said, “He’s old and will die soon – what difference can he make?” Abraham has decided that he will now go to everyone who he has blessed as a Spear Master and re-bless them in the name of Jesus. He will seek out everyone he has cursed, and ask for their forgiveness and tell them about the one who can forgive all of their sins. This man will be able to speak into South Sudanese lives that are incredibly, incredibly hard to reach. Before Andrew and Shayna boarded the MAF plane to return to Uganda, Abraham prayed a blessing on each one of their 3 children.
We here – in South Sudan and Uganda – think the difference that this old man can make is unbelievable.
And we are so thankful for our partners at Every Village, who are living alongside these people, discipling, praying, loving and doing life as Christian influences in villages like Tonj.
And we thank God, who can use everyone for good no matter where they came from – even an old man like Abraham.
