Facing the Giants

The following letter is an email that I sent to the church that made the movie “Facing the Giants”. Following the letter is their response. I thought that you might enjoy hearing about the wonderful response of the students on the night that we showed the movie.

Greetings to the saints at Sherwood Baptist Church from Kampala, Uganda. My name is Kevin Ironside and I am a missionary from Niceville, Florida serving here in East Africa. I want to encourage you with the impact that “Facing the Giants” has had here, but first will provide some background information to put it into perspective.

My wife, four sons, and I arrived in September of 2006 with the purpose of ministering to and discipling university students. We are working with a Christian student fellowship at Kampala International University (KIU) that has about 600 students in attendance each Sunday on a campus of about 5,000 students total. Even though we are in Uganda, most of the students at KIU are from Kenya but also include students from Tanzania, Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and others. One Sunday there were students present from 11 different countries. This gives us a unique opportunity to reach much of Africa from one location.

On Easter weekend we showed the video of “The Passion of the Christ”, and the main hall at the university, which holds about 700, was filled to capacity. There was such a good response that we decided that we should try to show other movies in the future. Last weekend, we decided to show “Facing the Giants”. We were not totally sure about showing the movie because this is not a culture that is familiar with American football. In fact, if you say “football”, then they automatically think that you are speaking of soccer. Secondly, even though the university does all of its teaching in English, they have difficulty with American accents and especially southern accents. Being from Tennessee, I have to be careful to enunciate more clearly when I speak in order to be understood. However, we had showed the video to some Ugandan friends and also a group of four Kenyan students, and they had enjoyed the movie immensely and so we thought that it was appropriate to show.

The night that we showed the movie did not begin well at all. The movie was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm, but when I showed up with my laptop and video projector, they did not have any speakers or other equipment there. We waited until 7:30 before they finally brought the speakers. Unfortunately, they forgot the cable to connect the computer to the speaker system and so we were running the sound from the computer speaker through a microphone and it wasn’t very clear. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the power went out. (This is a common problem here since they are in an energy crisis.) We were told that they were turning on a generator and that power would be restored. Some of the students left, but most remained sitting in the dark, except for the light from a few cell phones. By the time that power was restored, it was almost 8:00. Fortunately, by the time that power was restored, we did have a cable to run the sound through the speaker system.

As the movie started back up, more and more students were coming in, and around 500 were in attendance. I was encouraged that the students were engaging quickly and laughing at the funny parts and seemed to understand it. As the movie went on, it became very evident that they were engrossed in the movie and relating to the characters. They clapped when the revival was shown on the campus. As SCA began to win football games, the students were cheering the highlights. They cheered when coach got his truck. In the playoffs, they were cheering like they were really at the game. It was loud and thrilling. When SCA made the interception to get back in the game, they were clapping and shouting. When they made the winning field goal, the place erupted. I had chill bumps listening to the response of the students. At the end, when Brooke is pregnant with her second child, they cheered again. It was really amazing. In a culture that knows nothing of American football, they were able to receive and apply the many messages. At least 50 students came to me after the movie to thank me for showing it.

We have talked with many of the students to hear what they took from the movie. Below are some of the responses:

“I learned to never give up on myself or on God.”
“With God all things are possible, no matter how bad it seems at the moment.”
“I learned that we are to glorify and honor God in all things.”
“ I saw the power of positive leadership, especially during the death crawl scene.”
“I am not going to fear, but trust God.”

My favorite testimony was from a young man from Kenya named Obed. Obed is a computer science major who has been here the entire semester but does not have sufficient school fees to sit for exams. This means that he has gone through the term, but he will have to repeat the entire semester. (This is a common problem here for university and secondary students). Most students would be praying, begging, and pleading for God to provide their school fees. In fact, I wonder if many students only come to God to meet their needs. Prosperity teaching has become rampant in this culture and people often just view God as another spirit to be manipulated for their good. Obed asked to meet with me the other day to pray. He shared with me his predicament of lack of fees, and I was expecting him to ask me to help him with fees since they think that all white people are rich. However, I was greatly encouraged when he did not ask for fees. He just asked me to pray for Him and for God’s will to be done. He said, “I learned from the movie to praise God when we win, and praise God when we lose. I am going to praise Him if he provides the fees or not. Maybe God just wants me to trust Him and learn something from this trial.” I cannot adequately express what a huge step of faith that this is. It goes against the grain of almost everything being taught in this culture.

Students’ lives were greatly impacted and even changed as a result of viewing this movie. I am writing to encourage you and thank you for producing a film with such a clear portrayal of biblical truths. I wish that we had many more movies with strong Christian messages that we could show, but we only know of a handful. Be encouraged that your step of faith is having an impact across the globe. We plan to show the movie again because word has spread across the campus about how good it was. I am sure that the hall will be overflowing. My wife and I both felt that we should let you know the impact this has had, so this is it. Be encouraged! Thank you for producing this movie! You have made a difference in the lives of future leaders of many African nations. I wish that you could have been here to experience it, and I hope that this gives you a glimpse of what we experienced. It was definitely one of the ministry highlights of our eight months in Uganda.

Striving together for His glory,

Kevin Ironside


The response from Sherwood Baptist Church:

Wow, Kevin thank you so much for your email! You mentioned having chill bumps just listening and watching their reaction, and I had chill bumps just reading about it! We so enjoy receiving stories like yours and are so grateful for your service in Uganda! God bless you as you serve Him!

Facing the Giants

The following letter is an email that I sent to the church that made the movie “Facing the Giants”. Following the letter is their response. I thought that you might enjoy hearing about the wonderful response of the students on the night that we showed the movie.

Greetings to the saints at Sherwood Baptist Church from Kampala, Uganda. My name is Kevin Ironside and I am a missionary from Niceville, Florida serving here in East Africa. I want to encourage you with the impact that “Facing the Giants” has had here, but first will provide some background information to put it into perspective.

My wife, four sons, and I arrived in September of 2006 with the purpose of ministering to and discipling university students. We are working with a Christian student fellowship at Kampala International University (KIU) that has about 600 students in attendance each Sunday on a campus of about 5,000 students total. Even though we are in Uganda, most of the students at KIU are from Kenya but also include students from Tanzania, Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda and others. One Sunday there were students present from 11 different countries. This gives us a unique opportunity to reach much of Africa from one location.

On Easter weekend we showed the video of “The Passion of the Christ”, and the main hall at the university, which holds about 700, was filled to capacity. There was such a good response that we decided that we should try to show other movies in the future. Last weekend, we decided to show “Facing the Giants”. We were not totally sure about showing the movie because this is not a culture that is familiar with American football. In fact, if you say “football”, then they automatically think that you are speaking of soccer. Secondly, even though the university does all of its teaching in English, they have difficulty with American accents and especially southern accents. Being from Tennessee, I have to be careful to enunciate more clearly when I speak in order to be understood. However, we had showed the video to some Ugandan friends and also a group of four Kenyan students, and they had enjoyed the movie immensely and so we thought that it was appropriate to show.

The night that we showed the movie did not begin well at all. The movie was scheduled to start at 7:00 pm, but when I showed up with my laptop and video projector, they did not have any speakers or other equipment there. We waited until 7:30 before they finally brought the speakers. Unfortunately, they forgot the cable to connect the computer to the speaker system and so we were running the sound from the computer speaker through a microphone and it wasn’t very clear. Then about 10 minutes into the movie, the power went out. (This is a common problem here since they are in an energy crisis.) We were told that they were turning on a generator and that power would be restored. Some of the students left, but most remained sitting in the dark, except for the light from a few cell phones. By the time that power was restored, it was almost 8:00. Fortunately, by the time that power was restored, we did have a cable to run the sound through the speaker system.

As the movie started back up, more and more students were coming in, and around 500 were in attendance. I was encouraged that the students were engaging quickly and laughing at the funny parts and seemed to understand it. As the movie went on, it became very evident that they were engrossed in the movie and relating to the characters. They clapped when the revival was shown on the campus. As SCA began to win football games, the students were cheering the highlights. They cheered when coach got his truck. In the playoffs, they were cheering like they were really at the game. It was loud and thrilling. When SCA made the interception to get back in the game, they were clapping and shouting. When they made the winning field goal, the place erupted. I had chill bumps listening to the response of the students. At the end, when Brooke is pregnant with her second child, they cheered again. It was really amazing. In a culture that knows nothing of American football, they were able to receive and apply the many messages. At least 50 students came to me after the movie to thank me for showing it.

We have talked with many of the students to hear what they took from the movie. Below are some of the responses:

“I learned to never give up on myself or on God.”
“With God all things are possible, no matter how bad it seems at the moment.”
“I learned that we are to glorify and honor God in all things.”
“ I saw the power of positive leadership, especially during the death crawl scene.”
“I am not going to fear, but trust God.”

My favorite testimony was from a young man from Kenya named Obed. Obed is a computer science major who has been here the entire semester but does not have sufficient school fees to sit for exams. This means that he has gone through the term, but he will have to repeat the entire semester. (This is a common problem here for university and secondary students). Most students would be praying, begging, and pleading for God to provide their school fees. In fact, I wonder if many students only come to God to meet their needs. Prosperity teaching has become rampant in this culture and people often just view God as another spirit to be manipulated for their good. Obed asked to meet with me the other day to pray. He shared with me his predicament of lack of fees, and I was expecting him to ask me to help him with fees since they think that all white people are rich. However, I was greatly encouraged when he did not ask for fees. He just asked me to pray for Him and for God’s will to be done. He said, “I learned from the movie to praise God when we win, and praise God when we lose. I am going to praise Him if he provides the fees or not. Maybe God just wants me to trust Him and learn something from this trial.” I cannot adequately express what a huge step of faith that this is. It goes against the grain of almost everything being taught in this culture.

Students’ lives were greatly impacted and even changed as a result of viewing this movie. I am writing to encourage you and thank you for producing a film with such a clear portrayal of biblical truths. I wish that we had many more movies with strong Christian messages that we could show, but we only know of a handful. Be encouraged that your step of faith is having an impact across the globe. We plan to show the movie again because word has spread across the campus about how good it was. I am sure that the hall will be overflowing. My wife and I both felt that we should let you know the impact this has had, so this is it. Be encouraged! Thank you for producing this movie! You have made a difference in the lives of future leaders of many African nations. I wish that you could have been here to experience it, and I hope that this gives you a glimpse of what we experienced. It was definitely one of the ministry highlights of our eight months in Uganda.

Striving together for His glory,

Kevin Ironside


The response from Sherwood Baptist Church:

Wow, Kevin thank you so much for your email! You mentioned having chill bumps just listening and watching their reaction, and I had chill bumps just reading about it! We so enjoy receiving stories like yours and are so grateful for your service in Uganda! God bless you as you serve Him!

The Container Has Arrived

Wow! How exciting to open up a container and see the contents. It was like getting a GIANT Christmas present. We are so incredibly blessed to have you as friends and partners in ministry. We have plenty of macaroni, peanut butter, cereal, candy, cakes mixes and icing, and syrup. Yes, lots and lots of syrup. We go through a lot of syrup here because our favorite breakfast is banana and coconut pancakes. We make them from scratch and they are very good. However, we were always stingy with our syrup because a small battle was about $5 and we would go through a bottle in about 2 weeks. Pamela had been making syrup from scratch so that we would have some, but it was not as viscous as store-bought syrup. Well, we have enough syrup now to last us for several years if God leads us to stay that long. We also have many cake mixes and icing, which will be a treat for our family and also allow us to bless many others. They love to get cakes on special events here, especially the students. We will use the many, many toys to bless orphans and the many other children of need here. They are everywhere you go and have so little. This will be a very practical way to show them the love of Christ.

I was amazed to see the many items on the container. The boys were running around and so excited. It really was like Christmas, but more extreme. It is so wonderful to receive the American food products that we cannot get here, or if we can, are just not affordable. It is kind of funny to see how excited they were just over a bag of cereal. They even had cereal for dinner the day that the container arrived. They are already enjoying the pool toys, basketballs, and footballs.

I was also surprised to see new tools, a very nice lawnmower, and weedeater. We will put these to good use. I am also going to try to help a Kenyan friend start a lawn service business, so it will not only bless our family, but him as well.

You have blessed us incredibly and made our stay here much more pleasant. Going to the mission field is supposed to require sacrifice and some suffering, and missing American things is part of that. It was still nice, however, to get a reprieve and get some tastes of home.

We will use the foosball table, ping-pong table, and X-Box in a game room of the student center. Also, we had no idea that we went be getting so many books. These will be heavily used by the students when we put a Christian library in the center. We have all of the equipment to start a top-flight gym. God has not yet provided the right place for the student center, but we know that He will. The students go on break next week and return in mid August. We are praying and trusting that we will have the center up and running when they return. We would greatly appreciate if you would join with us in praying about this. We got a glimpse last Friday of how much these items will be used when I had my men’s discipleship group over for dinner and hanging out. They had never played foosball before, but they had a ball playing for several hours that night. (We have the table set up in our house until we find a place for the student center.) Some of them have already come back to play again. It is a huge hit! We have not even had a chance to set up the ping-pong table yet, but it is a game that they are familiar with and anxious to play.

I mainly wanted you to know how much we appreciate your sacrifice in blessing us and the people of Africa. Thank you to the men and women who packed the container. Thank you to the many people who bought items to ship on it. Thank you for the personal notes and encouragement on many of the things that were sent. But most of all, thank you for the chocolate! It is a rare treat here. Seriously, though, we are most thankful that you still continue to demonstrate your love for us and encourage us through your service and giving.


Blessings from the Tribe...Kevin

Blog Update – May 11, 2007

Container
I am supposed to be going tomorrow morning to pick up our container from America. I will compose this with the presupposition that I will actually get it and only change this writing if something goes wrong. It has only been in Kampala since Monday, so it has moved along very quickly. I had very good help from a Ugandan man (different than the one who “helped” me last time) and he was able to navigate the system very well. I am not paying nearly as much money to get it through customs and getting it much more quickly. We are all very anxious to see the contents since we were not involved in packing this one. I am very thankful for how smoothly, though not without a lot of bureaucracy, that this has gone.

Also, this week Pamela received three cards/letters and Christian got a package from Andrew Smith in Niceville. It was so good to hear from the Rhodes, Sheltons, and Bartees back in Florida. We miss our friends there so very much and it always encouraging knowing that we are not forgotten. Christian was especially excited to receive real American candy that included sweet tarts and twizzlers. We had been battling homesickness a bit this week and the mail helped alleviate some of it.

Cobra
Our next-door neighbor, Selena, killed a 6-ft cobra last week right outside of our compound. She saw a cow kicking at something and then realized it was a snake. She took a machete and killed it. I have included two pictures on the Flickr post to the right. I believe that it is a forest cobra based on my book, Snakes of East Africa. They get very large, but apparently are not very aggressive unless molested, though very deadly if they do bite. It was the biggest snake that we have seen here.

Chameleon Pix
Speaking of reptiles, I have included a picture of a chameleon. We find chameleons often here, which still continues to fascinate the boys. Christian found one this week and we took a picture so that you see the type that is most common here. It is perched on Christian’s finger to give you a perspective on the size. They change colors quiet easily and quickly and are fun to play with.

Facing the Giants
We showed the movie “Facing the Giants” to the students two weekends ago and had a fabulous response. I will devote an entire blog to tell you everything about it. If you have not seen the movie, then you should. It has some really strong messages on faith and obedience. We desire to start showing movies on a regular basis if we can find enough good Christian movies to show. I only know of a few.

Joel
Several of you received an email two weeks ago about our worker’s brother, Joel, who was very sick. We don’t know how his illness started, but it appears that his lymph nodes got infected from another infection, probably his eye. Joel had been sick for a week when his family took him to the hospital. His eyes, neck, head, and hands were swollen and getting worse. He stayed in a local hospital for five days and when no progress was made, the doctors told him that they could not help him and that he should go to the witch doctors. When I found out about this, I offered to take him to a good international hospital, but he had already been taken to his village, which is over 8 hours away. Four days later, after his condition worsened, they brought him back to Kampala and we checked him into the international hospital. When he arrived, he was in terrible condition. Both eyes were swollen shut, and his right eye was the size of a tennis ball or slightly larger. His lymph nodes in his neck were so swollen that he could not bend his neck. His head was heavily swollen, and his arms and hands were swollen. He had not eaten for over a week. He could barely move. I was fearful that he was near death, though his vital signs were not horribly bad. They started him on intravenous antibiotics and he began to improve within 48 hours. It makes me wonder what the other hospital did! After 12 days in the hospital on antibiotics, he made remarkable improvement. One eye is normal, and the other is still swollen but nothing like it was two weeks ago. He is eating, walking, talking and feeling well. All other symptoms are gone and he was discharged. The one eye still requires treatment, but is much better than it was. God has spared his life, and we are praying that he will also spare his eyesight in his right eye. Thank you for your prayers. It was a very serious situation, but God has healed Joel and made him well.

While dealing with this situation and being exposed to others, we are seeing how much medical missions is needed. People die here everyday from things that should not result in death. Many of them have no place to go for care. It is a great way to show the love of Jesus, save lives, and create an open door for sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus.

Dr. Pam
Well, I should probably call her nurse Pamela instead of Doctor, but she has been taking care of the village women. Two of our neighbors suffered severe cuts and Pamela has been helping nursing them back to good health. Selena badly cut her thumb, and an older lady sliced off the end of her toe while hoeing in the garden. The older lady is called JaJa Rose. JaJa means grandmother. Most wounds are not given proper medical attention and can become quite serious if infection sets in. JaJa Rose was still hoeing in the garden the same day (barefooted), and Selena was digging in the garden while her thumb was still oozing blood. So, Pamela has been cleaning the wounds with peroxide, treating with antibiotic ointment, and daily changing the dressing. They are getting much better and healing well. JaJa is not a believer and also does not speak English. Pamela has been trying to witness to her through her loving actions and also through Selena interpreting. Please pray that she will accept the gift of salvation offered in Jesus Christ. She knows about Jesus but is resistant because of her family background. We don’t know her age but she is quite old for this culture, and probably does not have many years remaining.

Sickness
Pamela and I have both been sick for a couple of weeks. I caught a bad cold that turned into some type of respiratory infection. Pamela had the same cold, but hers did not progress as badly as mine. I started with the cold 17 days ago, but I still am not totally well, though the infection is gone after taking augmentin. Pamela is still suffering some cold symptoms as well. She also is having stomach ulcers. Her ulcers act up from time to time when she is very stressed. She tried to tell me yesterday that she was not stressed and did not understand why she would have them right now. Yeah, right. You just sold pretty much everything you owned, left everyone and everything that you know and moved to a new culture in Africa where you are teaching and training and working daily. Not much stress there. Please pray that God will heal her ulcers and continue to protect our entire family from disease, especially malaria, which we are grateful to have escaped from thus far.

Lost Wallet
On my way home from discipleship group last Friday evening, I stopped at the store to buy some milk. I bought the milk, and I remember getting my change and putting it into my wallet and then proceeding to the car. I went immediately from the store to home and came into the house. The next morning I was looking for my wallet and could not find it. I searched the house for 2-3 hours. I had no idea how it could be lost. I went back to the store to ask them if I possibly left it there, but I was fairly certain that I had not. I really felt that there were only two possibilities; either I dropped it while getting in the car or had my pocket picked between the store and the car. Well, I still do not know what happened, but most likely I dropped it. I was very pleased today to get a call from my bank stating that someone had mailed in my ATM card, drivers license, and social security card along with several receipts. They had taken the money (about $40) and kept the wallet, but sent all of my other items to my bank, which I am assuming was based on the ATM card. I can only guess that a fairly honest person found the wallet, and kept it and the money but returned the items that I really needed. I am thankful that God was watching over me and protecting me. It was my American drivers license and along with the other items could have been used for attempted identity theft.

What I want to be when I grow up
I heard a young Ugandan man sharing a testimony the other day at church that was heart warming. He was helping to teach a group of young African children around the ages of 3 years to 5 years old. They were asking the children what they wanted to be when they grew up. One little girl, around 3 years, raised her hand and responded that she wanted to be a muzungu when she grows up. (Muzungu is the Ugandan name for a white person). When the young Ugandan man asked her why she wanted to be a muzungu, she answered that she wants to help people. It is fortunate that whites have a reputation for being here to help and not oppress or exploit. I hope that they still feel that way after Benny Hinn comes to town next week.

WWJD
As their mother was preparing pancakes for breakfast, two brothers began to argue about who should get the first batch. Upon hearing the argument, their mother reminded them about Jesus and said that if He was involved that He would insist that his brother take the first batch. Upon hearing this, the older brother turned to the younger brother and said, “Mom’s right. You be Jesus this time.”

Please Write
We miss you all very, very much. We haven’t gotten any updates for a long while on Niceville Little League baseball. We want to know about the playoffs and who made All Stars. We would also like to know what is going on with NHS baseball. So, if you have time, please give us an update. It probably seems like a short time on your end, but it seems much longer on this end when we haven’t heard from you. And if any of my SAIC friends are reading this, I will try to shame you into writing. Seriously, we love to hear what is going on in your lives and want to stay connected through email.


Blessings for the Tribe,
Kevin