My brother has had a few firsts on this mission trip to Uganda with Amy For Africa. He experienced another one Monday on a visit to a place the locals call “The Ghetto.”

It was his second trip to “The Gheto” but the first time preaching with chickens and goats and cows roaming around. Jinja Fellowship meets for Bible study in this outdoor setting every week. They bring out big speakers, two dozen blue plastic chairs and have church.As my brother reminded them, the “church” isn’t a building made of sticks and stones. The people are the church. They are the church. There was no inhibition with their praise and worship with songs played loud and bodies in motion. Well, not all bodies.

Neither me or my brother showed them any dance moves brought to them from the U.S. In fact, we may have been the only two there with two left feet and no rhythm. But no worries since no cellphone video was harmed by aiming it toward us. The beat went on and on and on. Ugandans love their music and it certainly puts you in a spirit of worship.

The contrast between the Sunday service at Victoria Baptist and the Monday service at Jinja Fellowship was stark. That’s not to say one was worse than the other. Victoria Baptist is more in the style of a Western world service and it was great. My brother preached at that one in a tie. It was a challenging sermon about reaching into the community and “storming the gates of hell” to rescue all we could. As Christians, we carry a big stick but too many times stay in our church houses instead of trying to rescue the perishing.

Then, a little more than 24 hours later, came an uplifting message in “The Ghetto” about trust. You may believe in God, but do you trust Him? We all learned more about trust and how to find it. Again, a moving message but in a completely different setting. And there was nothing wrong with either one.

One was more traditional with the way it is done in the U.S. and the other pure Ugandan, from the dancing and music to the outdoor setting. The music was different but uplifting at both churches and the message from the preacher – the same man at both churches – had power and challenges. Since the gospel is unchanging, he saw no need to change either.

Other firsts for my brother: Riding a boda (small motorcycle), sleeping in a house with a croaking frog and sharing some pulpit space with chickens and goats. And we will be here all week.

Sunday was a good rest day for the Amy For Africa team in Uganda. Restful and somewhat nostalgic for me.

We attended Victoria Baptist Church in the morning and that is where some of my nostalgia comes into the story. Victoria was the church that the late Harold Cathey founded more than 25 years ago. My in-laws, Fred and Alva Boggs, played pivotal roles in the Ugandan ministry of Harold and Beverly Cathey as their best friends and fellow laborers.

Of course, Bro. Cathey was the pastor at Unity Baptist Church from 1975-1991. He married Beth and me, baptized our oldest child and was the pastor when I was ordained as a deacon. We supported his ministry in Uganda where he not only founded Victoria Baptist Church but also the Global Theological Seminary in Jinja.

AFA’s ministry can easily be traced to what Harold and Beverly Cathey accomplished in Africa. He was planting churches and putting theologically trained pastors in these churches.

While our missions were somewhat different, with AFA’s focused on building schools in Uganda, the foremost goal for both of them is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

While I had been to Victoria on another trip, this was the first time I’d attended a church service there. Having my brother, Tim, preaching made it that much better. As always, he gave a strong message to those who gathered in the uniquely designed and strikingly beautiful church building.

Tim’s day continued Sunday evening when he was a preaching guest on an Ugandan Christian radio station. He also took his first boda (small motorcycle) ride and liked the thrill of it (welcome to Uganda).

Several people who knew the Catheys and my in-laws were honored to make the connection after the service. I’m always proud to say that I’m the son-in-law of Fred and Alva Boggs. That’s because there are no better people anywhere.

Fred’s role during the building process was at least partially putting some shingles on the roof of the church that is probably 40 feet high. Fred was 70. He has told us that you could see Lake Victoria from the top of the roof. I’m going to take his word for it.

Alva’s banners that she made in 2000 are still hanging in the building and some of Unity’s old lights hang from the ceiling, too. I have to admit, taking photos of those banners that still looked amazingly good put a lump in my throat. I love my mother-in-law and know the love that she put in those banners.

I took photos of the outside of the church while on a walk last week and told my in-laws that I could feel their spirit and the Catheys as we passed it. The work that was done during that season of their lives will have eternal impacts and continue to resonate today in Uganda. My in-laws still talk fondly about it as important moments in their lives. They are big fans of the Amy For Africa ministry, too (and Chris and Amy are big fans of them!)

Now it is as if the baton has been passed to Amy For Africa. Both Harold and Beverly Cathey and Chris and Amy Compston have this in common: They are uncommon missionaries who were obedient to God’s calling on their lives and were and are being used in mighty ways.

May God continue to be glorified.

No matter how many times Amy Compston has shared her riveting testimony – and it has to be in the high hundreds by now – it always sounds like the first time ever hearing it.

That happened again Saturday when she told her story during the dedication of the property for the Amy For Africa Christian Academy Secondary School. But the setting in which she told it had to be a first. It was in front of an audience of mostly Muslim men and women from the community where the new property is located.

I was watching and listening to Amy as intently as ever, even though I’ve heard her share the story hundreds of times. It is the story of our life before becoming a child of God and it even had the Muslim audience engaged in her every word. The “reruns” of Amy’s story still makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck.

It so effectively shares the gospel in a relatable way. As she was telling about “being a drunkard and loving it,” some of the Muslim men listening offered a hint of a devilish smile. Her story is so real that is relatable in some way to almost anyone. But it’s her delivery, and passion, and obvious love for the Lord who spared her from a life of addictions and heartbreak that makes the story resonate. Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, you are touched by this story of redemption that she tells so well.

Aside from her husband Chris, I may have heard that story more than anyone else. But watching her Saturday was different. It was letting everyone know – even this Muslim audience – that her life is changed because of Jesus Christ. She makes it clear. End of story.

Saturday was a big day, an encouraging day for the Amy For Africa ministry. God is moving. As the P7 students are preparing to finish at the school near Jinja, they needed a place to go. Prayers have been a part of this growing process for two years when the Lord laid it on the hearts of Chris and Amy. It has been two years of asking the Lord, “What do we do about property?” And then the answer comes. This 11-acre property has loads of potential for a new school and more. And even though the property is in a Muslim community, it was made clear on Saturday that Amy For Africa’s organization were followers of Jesus Christ.

Moses, our country coordinator, spoke only a few words but they were powerful gospel-breathed words that “God has come into this place,” setting it up nicely for what was to follow. Then Amy’s mesmerizing testimony had to make them wonder about the power of this Jesus who took away her sins.

As if more were needed, my brother, a workhorse during this mission trip, declared the gospel in a sermon that, while brief, had sting and reality to it. He introduced everyone to the name above all names, Jesus Christ, saying that every knee will bow, including his own “nearly 70-year-old knees.” And then he closed in prayer from his knees.

What. A. Day.

Day 4, June 7, 2024

There were so many aspects to this mission trip to Uganda with Amy For Africa that highlight reels from what happened were sure to be abundant.

Seeing the AFA Christian Academy with my own eyes was important. But here is another one that has been equally big: Having my brother, Tim, serving the two weeks with me. I have written about him before so most of you know how I feel about him. In short, he’s my hero on this earth – and I mean it.

We are different in a lot of ways and that can be unusual for brothers who grew up under the same roof. He is three years older than me, didn’t play youth sports and had nothing to do with sports, listened to some funky music growing up and played in the band. He was an introvert and looked for ways to fit into the world. Although playing tuba in the high school band, Tim was a drummer (even playing for the great Coco the Clown). Meanwhile, I played sports, watched sports, listened to sports and eventually wrote about sports.

Our father bought us A2000 baseball gloves from Ben Williamson at the ages of maybe 12 and 9. I wore mine out to where there was a hole in the leather. I’m not sure Tim used his. Ever. I looked years for it hoping to find this unused A2000 and call it my own, but never found it.

Before this trip, the only other time I can remember being on a trip with Tim was when mom and dad put us on a train in downtown Ashland and sent us to an aunt and uncle in Louisville for the week. I was a little fella so I’m sure I was clinging to my big brother all that week. He has always been important, even once showing me a Christmas haul early that morning but making sure I did not tell mom and dad that the whole Santa thing was phony. I kept our secret for a few years.

And for good measure, we also don’t look alike. At all.

We do have some similarities and they are important: Both of us married above our paygrade. Way above. Tim lost his precious wife, Pam, in 2017 to brain cancer. I’ve never seen anybody hurt like he did over that loss, but God has taken good care of him. I have been away from my wife, Beth, longer on this trip than since my last visit to Uganda in 2017. We have been inseparable companions over that seven years because of my working from home. We honestly love that life, too. I have missed her a ton!

Our most important brotherly trait? We are both born again believers who love the Lord passionately.

I asked Tim about going with me to Uganda last fall and he quickly agreed even though he had three or four mission trips out of the country scheduled. And it has been epic for us. We have been closer the last 10 years or so than anytime in our lives, calling each other often and leaning on each other when it was needed. My brother can do anything. Amy Compston knows that too. She has him preaching or speaking on 13 days of our trip. Ride the horse if you have one.

On Friday, he was the speaker for the AFACA chapel service that included 400 excited children. When I say excited, I mean EXCITED! After some praise and worship that was out of this world with the children singing at the top of their lungs while bouncing and dancing in place to the rhythm of their flamboyant leader. The whole room was busting with praise to music and the beating of the African drums. Tim had eyeballed the drums the day before, even telling the worship leader he had one like his.

Tim walked over to the corner where three boys were pounding on the drums and asked one if he could step in and play (remember, he was a drummer). He kept the rhythm going in true African fashion as the children shrieked with joy. Then he stopped and walked over to his chair, grabbed his Bible and spoke to the children with calm assurance. He asked them how many of them thought he was 100 years old? A few raised their hands. But then he delivered a gospel message on their level about taking the right or wrong path in life.

He’s such a good pastor and a friend to so many. His wise counsel has been instrumental here on several occasions to others already. On Saturday, we are both scheduled to speak at a dedication of the field where the AFA high school will be built – me as the president of AFA and Tim as the one who gives the dedication sermon. That’s after we visit the place called “The Ghetto” and feed hungry children – after Tim presents a gospel message.

I have the best Big Brother and we are having the best time ever. He continues to build hero points in my book. And I think Clarence and Peggy would be proud of how their boys turned out.