"Be ready for anything."
In Uganda, eighty percent of the people live in rural areas. My family lives in rural areas. We live in the village where you are known by all...
More »"Be ready for anything."
In Uganda, eighty percent of the people live in rural areas. My family lives in rural areas. We live in the village where you are known by all the people around and you live in a community. The philosophy is 'I am because you are. Since you are, therefore I am." So that means everybody is important. You have to take care of everybody around you and be responsible for them. That is the village life there.
My father built a very good hut and people used to comment, "What a beautiful building." It had four rooms and lasted for over thirty years. The one thing I cannot forget from him, he used to say, "Don't do the same thing every year. Make something well that can last for so many years." So, I commend him for that.
I think that is also what helped me when I joined secondary school. I wanted to have my own hut. So, I had to build a hut for myself. Since there were no other materials, I used the stones. I carried them one by one. I laid the foundation. I used my knowledge of grade P6, P5, of geometry, and how to draw right angles. We were told if you hang something, maybe something heavy, on a string, it will be pointing perpendicular to the center of the earth. So, having that knowledge, I got a five-inch nail and a string. I tied a knot around it and that was my plumb line, when I was building the hut.
I think most people have their mothers as the most important. She used to read the Bible. The verse which I can recall so well, is from the Book of John. John, Chapter 1: “In the beginning was the Word, the Word was God.” She was reading that in our language. I still have that ringing in my head.
I was interested in learning. That has been my interest all along. So, anything I learn, I read, I try to put it into practice. Because it's not just to remain in the head, it's to be put into practice. That's why it is given.
Reading the Bible or reading the Word of God alone may be just intellectual knowledge. But knowing God is not intellectual knowledge, it must be experiential. Then if it is experiential, that’s when one can be committed to love of God and neighbor.
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