A Club Called Hell

Justus posted this to facebook today and it made me smile. You see, I love to read the stories about people who pray to receive Jesus as their Lord and the result is a changed life that last. Charles is that kind of man. He was a boxer in Uganda. He won over 50 bouts and didn’t lose. All but two fights ended in knockouts. He was the national champion. He was a very tough guy and a bouncer for the club called Hell. I will never forget the day Deo, Robyn, Micheal (Robyn and Michael were two volunteers from Immanuel Baptist crazy enough to enter the bar with me) and I entered the bar and shared the gospel. We didn’t enter because we sought them out or stumbled onto them. No. Their drunken leader, I think his name was Peter, sought us out. Later I ask him why he kept bothering us until we came to speak to them. I will never forget his answer. He told me that he heard a voice in his head telling him to get us to speak to them. That day Peter, Charles and others prayed to receive Christ as their Lord. Over a year after that experience, Charles showed me a small Gideon bible that Micheal gave him. He still had it. I am so grateful that Charles is continuing in the faith. Here is what Justus wrote about Charles today, three years after that experience. This morning as I woke up, God put it on my heart to share this wonderful story. The guy seated on a boda boda besides me is called Charles. If you can still recall the story of HELL that papa Jimmy Barry wrote sometime in 2015, this is the guy who was in charge of security in the HELL and this was the name of their bar. Hell was full of thieves, drug addicts, drunkards and sex workers. This man was so influential in that bar. One day back in early 2015, muzee Jimmy Barry came across him and shared with him the story of Jesus and Nicodemus. This guy is one of the guys who prayed that day. I discipled him. I baptized him. He has led many to Jesus. He has baptized many. I am glad to let the world know that he is now a changed man. Not a thief, not a drunkard, not using drugs anymore like he used to be. On the right is his Dad who welcomed me with a big hug and mentioned one word THANK YOU. I told him not me but Jesus changed your son’s life. Charles is now working, riding his boda that his family bought for him as a gift to earn a living. This encourages me the more to go out even today and share a simple story that changed my life. Thanks for whoever prays for us the IMFC. May the lord fulfill the desires of your hearts. Here is a comment from one of the volunteers, Robyn, who was with us that day. Robyn Wilson Wenani Justus, I was at HELL that day. I will never forget it. The devil and God were both in that room and everyone there could feel and see it that knew God. Oh The Power of Our Lord and Savior reigned! Love your heart! I hope that God will bring me back one day to serve Him in this place once more! Paul wrote that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation, but I think we sometimes forget that or disbelieve it based on what we see around us. Charles’ story renews my faith. If I share the simple message, people will be changed. And that is true here in America as well as Africa. Have a great day. Have a great weekent and don’t be ashamed of the Gospel or Christ. He is Lord. Jimmy www.visitimfc.com jimmy@imfc.us

One Man Can Make a Difference

This is the story of one such man, Valeria.

Valeria is the young man on the left; Justus is on the right. Valeria is 27 years old, not married and living with his father. He lives surrounded by family in the mountains and hills of Ibanda just north of Queen Elizabeth Game Park in the Southwest part of Uganda. They grow matoke, coffee, avocado, sugar cane and other things. His life story today is much different from what it was just a few years back. Why? God's has changed his life. Valeria moved to Kampala a few years back to find a job. He became a security guard and was making little money. He failed to show up for work one night and a car was stolen from the place that he was to be guarding. He was arrested, charged with negligence and sent to Kasangati Prison for three years. He was hopeless. A volunteer team from the US visited the prison with me and the IMFC team to share the gospel while Valeria was there. Valeria heard the Gospel message, prayed to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and God changed him. While in prison he completed the Bible Way books and helped Francis, the IMFC team member that works the prisons around Kampala. After leaving prison, Valeria joined the team in Kampala and learned how to do the work of producing followers of Jesus Christ who know how to produce other followers of Jesus. Valeria returned to his home in Ibanda in September 2017. He has shared the gospel in the villages around his home and in Ibanda town. Over 1,000 books had been distributed to people who have heard the message and prayed to receive Christ. 38 people have been baptised. He travels hours by foot to do the work. 66 people  that he calls his leaders came to meet me in January. Each of these have many people they are meeting with in house churches and doing the Bible Way books. These are people that he has trained to produce followers of Jesus. They came from as for away as 25 kilometers to meet me. I asked Valeria why he did this work. Why would he walk so many hours never receiving anything to do it? He said the message he heard in prison changed his life and he wanted his family and neighbors to hear the same message so it could change their lives. They are hearing it, and they are being changed. Valeria is one of my heroes like those unnamed people of Acts 11:19-24 who fled Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen. He is the reason I travel. He motivates me. I keep asking myself the question, "How many more people could be like Valeria? People simply needing someone to come share the Gospel with them and train them." So I go. I don't have to meet people like Valeria. I just need to train producers who will meet them. They will do the rest with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ with them. Pray for Valeria and the people he is training. This is the first work we have in Southwest Uganda. From here the message could reach Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo and beyond. Thanks. Jimmy IMFC Jimmy@imfc.us