Although our mission statement is about reaching the unreached, AIM doesn’t just seek to do this ourselves. We also want to see African Christians mobilised to share the gospel with those who haven’t heard it before. AIM Central Region’s Regional Executive Officer, Joel Skinner, shares this story of a Ugandan man discovering others’ need for Christ.
“I never knew people didn’t know of Christ.”
These words came from Patrick, a young Ugandan. Patrick has known many around the Central Region Office for some time as they have worshipped together at a local church in Lubowa. He recently shared of meeting an ‘old’ man named Ron Pontier and the challenge Ron gave him to travel with him to South Sudan to see what the Lord was doing in other places among unreached peoples.
In late July, Patrick set off with Ron and three others to go and help with construction work in the Boya Hills among the Laarim. He was able to spend almost a month helping AIM with transport and construction – from learning to drive a UNIMOG to helping dig a latrine. He shared stories of those he met in Kimatong. There was Clement, a local worker from another tribe who knew of Jesus. Patrick shared of praying with Clement that the Lord would be made known to the Laarim. There was the unnamed Kenyan builder who has been shot 25 times and whose face is disfigured, but is working with AIM in this difficult place because he believes that God has asked him to serve in this way. And then there was Jacob [Borgelt], who has lived and worked among the Laarim for the last three years. Patrick was truly amazed that anyone, much less a muzungu would live in such a desolate place for that long. He was moved by the depth of the relationships that Jacob has formed as he has become a brother to the Laarim.
During this time, he also started to get to know some of the Laarim people. He met the chief who talked of being glad that AIM was there and that more were coming. He talked of the young boys who would come with their guns and knives strapped to them to watch the white men work. He talked of the women, who were the ones that were willing to do the difficult tasks while the men slept. He talked of sitting together at night and sharing and laughing around the fire in different languages.
“I now know what an unreached people group is,” he shared. “I never thought it possible living in Kampala that people would not even know the name of Jesus. I had never traveled beyond Luwero. Now I know that there are more people out there that need to hear.”
As we engage new unreached people groups we are also seeing opportunities like this one to help our national friends see what it means to live missionally and take the gospel to the unreached.