The Marketplace: Concy & Stella

I'm so encouraged that through our updates you have the opportunity to "meet" those the Lord has connected us with here in Uganda. Along with Tim's weekly discipleship group,

I have also had the blessing of leading a small discipleship group with two incredible women. I've grown to know these two beautiful souls and a deep friendship has grown. We began our discipleship study last year and I can't begin to tell you how encouraged I am by their dedication, openness and the love they have for others. 

Concy is such a sweet-spirited woman, who loves praising the Lord. I was encouraged the other day when I decided to pass by her shop. As I approached it, I found her sitting with her Bible opened on her lap. She only has a grade 3 education and went to tailoring school for 3 weeks. Yet, she is able to understand, read and speak English extremely well.  She is also a wonderful tailor!

What can I say about Stella? Her name literally means "star" and she exemplifies just that. I've never met a person whose smile lights up a room quite like hers. Stella opened her own tailoring shop in 2014, instead of joining a family business she was not proud of. She has chosen to live for the Lord and what a beautiful testimony of God's grace she has. Stella is soft-spoken and one of the most tenderhearted women I know. 

Uganda is a place the Lord etched into my heart years ago. And although the landscapes are breathtaking and the wildlife incredible... it's people that have been placed deep within. Uganda is a country that has suffered deeply and known the devastation only war could bring.  Families torn apart by an army built on child soldiering and spiritual confusion. Brokenness and despair left as a consolation prize, flooding the lands of the north. 

 And yet, there is a deep beauty that has been unearthed. 

Out of brokenness and suffering, great beauty can be found. 

The Lord spoke to my heart upon returning from Uganda in 2008. It wasn't anything large-scale, in fact, it was quite small. I left Uganda with the image of a pearl seared into my mind. A few weeks after reaching home, I left again on a trip - this time to Great Britain & Europe. During one of our "adventure" walks, my best friend and I came across a statue of Winston Churchill. Even at that point, I had yet to discover a connection would be made.  For whatever reason, in my search to understand what the Lord was trying to speak to me, I came across an interesting discovery... Uganda was actually known as the Pearl of Africa." And more specifically, Winston Churchill is often referred to as the one who made that claim in his 1908 book called My African Journey,

"The Kingdom of Uganda is a fairy tale. The scenery is different, the climate is different and most of all, the people are different from anything elsewhere to be seen in the whole range of Africa... For magnificence, for variety of form and colour, for profusion of brilliant life - bird, insect, reptile, beast - for vast scale - Uganda is truly the Pearl f Africa."

A pearl is a precious gem created from the place of pain. An irritant (parasite, sand, etc) enters the oysters shell and the oyster begins coating it with a milky substance as means to protect itself. It doesn't push the irritant out, or avoid it. 

But a pearl is literally created as a result of the pain caused.

 "Some jewels may be made from rocks and crystals, other jewels might be mined out of the   earth, but not so pearls. Unlike other gems, pearls are drawn from something that's alive.      Pearls are produced by a life that has overcome affliction, that has overcome suffering.                                Little wonder they are so valuable!" - Joni Eareckson Tada

And more so... Jesus' life is the perfect example of this suffering to beauty promise. 

"Jesus is the Pearl of Great Price. He is unlike any other. Our Savior is a precious gem set      apart from the rest. He lived in such a way that he overcame suffering and affliction.... Jesus overcame the working of death. He is superior because his love poured forth from a life wounded by pain. He has become our example. And he has bound us together with                        other believers who value his precious friendship." - Joni Eareckson Tada

      There is a great treasure here in Uganda and I've been blessed to find two such pearls.

I encourage you to look at the brokenness of those around you and perhaps even in your own life. You'll be amazed at the treasure you'll discover if you allow the Lord to take the pain and shape it into a precious pearl. Wear it for others to see the beauty and grace of the Lord upon your life. Dig deep and find it someone else's life. 

And know that without a doubt, 

You. Are. Loved. 

______
Source:
1. Winston Churchill. https://kabiza.com/kabiza-wilderness-safaris/why-is-uganda-called-the-pearl-of-africa/
2.  Joni Eareckson Tada. Pearls of Great Price: 366 Daily Devotional Readings

August Update

____________________________________________

PASTORAL DISCIPLESHIP

I think one of my favorite things about being a missionary is that we can be on the other side of the world and still have so many great people a part of our lives supporting and encouraging us. We’d like to take that one step further and give you the chance to help us in a hands-on way. I’m sure you’re thinking one of two things right now: I’d love to go to Uganda someday, or no way I’m sitting on a plane that long! But I have a different way for you to get involved. We’re working to create lessons and Bible studies that will be used to train rural pastor and would love for your help to review what we have prepared and offer your input.

This wouldn’t take a huge commitment, it would be up to you how much you feel like contributing. We would email you weekly with our lesson guides and you would email us back with any errors, thoughts, verse to add, or any points that aren’t clear to understand. If your interested in having us send the lessons to you weekly, shoot us an email and we’ll start sending the lessons to you. Even if you would just like to see what some of the lessons are like feel free to sign up.

 As Ecclesiastes says “two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” Please prayerfully consider being a part of discipleship here in Uganda in this exciting way!

___________________________________________

OFF WE GO!

Almost five months after ordering our vehicle, we finally have it! It was imported from Japan, like almost every vehicle in Uganda and is a Toyota Surf (equivalent of a Toyota Four Runner). It took three days of running around and finishing up paperwork in Kampala but it's now at our home in Gulu and working wonderfully.

Having a vehicle is really exciting for two reasons: first, we can actually get around town as a family without having to hitch a ride or borrow a car from friends. And second, we’re now able to drive outside of town to do more ministry in the villages where we want to focus our ministry. This vehicle is a huge blessing and we thank the Lord for his provision. 

____________________________________________

OUR JOURNEY

As many of you know, Tim and I met in the very place we are serving today. Our story would look very different if both of us hadn't followed the Lord's calling to Gulu, Uganda back in 2010. We are reminded of this everyday as we serve Him here in Northern Uganda.  Looking back over the past 5 years of marriage, it's incredible to see the Lords provision, guidance and preparation woven into every step we've taken. Serving the youth and families of Bethel Community Church for 3 years was never in our initial "plans" and yet its incredible how the Lord works.

Before I met Tim, I felt the Lord speak to me that I'd serve alongside my husband in full-time ministry. And more specifically, I sensed he'd be a youth pastor. Now, upon meeting Tim (who never planned to be a pastor), I resolved that being a missionary was close enough. Once married and plans made for missions, I laid that little thought aside. Little did I know, that God was preparing us to serve as youth pastors church BEFORE moving to the mission field.  Our journey reminds me that the Lord goes before us, even when that journey looks different than you thought. He is making a way for us, just as He is making a way for you!

____________________________________________

PRAYER POINTS

• Our Acholi review has been going well - it's essential for us to learn the language so we can disciple those in the village without need for a translator.
• Tomorrow, Tim & Pastor Thomas will be going to the villages of Paicho & Omel to make plans for Pastoral Discipleship. 

Summer Update

BACK IN GULU

Hello from Uganda! Sorry for the gap in our newsletters. Things were busy during our visit to the US and Canada these past few months. We were blessed to be apart of Kylann (Janessa's brother) & Aimee's special day, celebrate Silas's 2nd birthday, enjoy time spent with family and friends, fundraise and eat food we don't have available to us in Uganda (like McGriddles & Iced Capps to name a few). That said, we're very excited to be back in Gulu! While we were away, we even had a few roommates move in... a rat, a mouse and multiple cockroaches (as per usual). Fortunately, our dear friend who was looking after our place while we were away managed to kill the rat, the mouse was caught in a trap within the first few days and the cockroaches... well, Tim is called every time I see one. Regardless of the little critters that try to take over while we are here or away, our little apartment has really feels like home.


Our trip back to Africa took a little longer than usual. We traveled through Qatar but missed the connection, so we had to spend the night. All in all, our travel time was about 60 hours. It was a little exhausting with a two year old, but he did very well all things considered. Now, two weeks later we are pretty much adjusted and back on a good sleep schedule. We really enjoyed being able to see many of you while we were in North America and have been so blessed by your love and support.     



PRAISE REPORT: WEDDING BELLS RINGING

We came back to some exciting news from a close friend of ours, Pastor Thomas. You might remember earlier this year I shared about the challenges of marriage in Northern Uganda. Pastor Thomas was one of the people I shared about. He and his “wife” have been living together for about four years without being married. When we talked about the importance of obedience to God in marriage, he agreed wholeheartedly that he needed to be obedient to God’s commands in regards to marriage. The problem was saving enough money for the dowry expected by the bride’s family. A few weeks ago he received a surprise gift from his sister of $200. He decided to take that and the $100 he had saved from making bricks and ask the family to accept it as the dowry ($300 is less than 10% of what they had requested for the original dowry). Praise God they agreed after he shared his heart desiring to honor God in their relationship through marriage.                           

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for this situation. He is still expected to pay the rest of the dowry over time as he is able to, however, on October 7^th they’ll have a wedding in their church. Janessa and I have the privilege of being the best man and matron of honor. These roles are a little different than in North American weddings. Here, the couple chooses a married couple to serve in this role. Their purpose is to help prepare the couple for marriage and to be your support for the future of your marriage. What that looks like is something that we’ll be learning on the fly, so pray that God guides us as we go. One of the responsibilities that we’ll be starting shortly is premarital counseling. This will be a fun learning experience for us to share some Biblical values on marriage and see how they are applied in the Acholi culture. Pray that God would guide us and use us as a blessing to their marriage.                                  

 PRAYER POINTS

Sleep & energy
Our car has officially arrived in Kampala! All that's left is to pay the taxes, finish up the paperwork and pick it up!
In the past few weeks, two of our neighbors have had Typhoid and two have had Malaria. Please continue to pray for our health.   



_________________________________________________

A FEW PICS FROM OUR TRIP TO NORTH AMERICA

Silas celebrating his 2nd birthday in Winnipeg

Silas was the ring bearer in Kylann & Aimee's wedding

Spent a long weekend with Tim's family

Love Your Neighbors

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

 Welcome to our little neighborhood in Northern Uganda. We currently share a compound with five other families and have since last June. However, when we first moved here, there were nine children running around. Now we are left with only three. There has been a lot of transition, with families headed back to their home countries, or moving because of new jobs. Whatever the situation, the community dynamics change with the coming and going of tenants. 
With all of the change we've been experiencing in our compound, God has really been speaking to me about Mark 12:30-31. It's a verse that I have tried to live out, but probably not with as much attention as deserved. However, despite the fact that our main purpose is to serve the pastors and people of Uganda, I also desire to serve my neighbors. These people are after all, our community. 

A few weeks ago we hosted a compound cultural potluck. It started about an hour and a half late, but the food and conversation was amazing. Let me say it again...the food was amazing!! There was such a variety of cultural foods and plenty left over.  We have many nations represented in our little compound including Korea, India, Uganda, USA and Canada. It was a great way to get to know one another, especially with new tenants recently moving in. 

It's been such a blessing to create a little community here while we all live far from our families and friends. We look out for one another and do our best to help when we can. Community is essential for us to serve here in Uganda, and we've been truly blessed with the neighbours we have. We look forward to deepening our relationships and definitely enjoying

more ethnic foods!

April Update

_________________________________________________

GENERAL UPDATES

Checking out land with Pastor Thomas

In our monthly newsletters we usually pick three things to highlight, but this month we have a handful of things to share with you. We thought we'd put them in shorter form and will be able to share more when we're back in North America for our visit.

In two weeks we'll be flying back for a six week visit and Kylann (Janessa's brother) and Aimee's wedding.  We'll be in Pennsylvania (May 16 - 22), Winnipeg (May 23 - June 12) and back to Pennsylvania (June 13 - 26).  We're working on plans to have a fundraising event both in Butler and in Winnipeg to share about our upcoming plans for Gulu. We'll send out an email in the next few weeks to let you know the details. If you'd like to plan a time to meet while we're home shoot us an email or facebook message and we'd love to arrange a time to see you.

One of the pastors in our discipleship group, Pastor Thomas, will be leading the Bible study while we're back home.  For the past few weeks we've been working together to prepare the lessons that he'll teach on being a servant leader.  We're praying that this will be a great opportunity for him to grow and also a chance to see how he does leading the group.  He's been a great help to us and we're praying he'll be a part of the ministry in the future.

I was hoping to share a picture of us with our new car in this update, but it has been delayed due to issues found during the vehicle inspection. The good news is that it will have a completely new braking system when it arrives. The bad news is that it won't arrive in Uganda until the beginning of June, so we'll pick it up when we arrive back from the US.

Our languages lessons are continuing well.  I feel like this is the same update every month, but it really is going really well.  Our teacher is excited at the progress we're making and complimented us this week by saying that our "acoli is ripening". That is definitely welcomed encouragement because there are frustrating points when you spend hours learning, studying and practicing. Then when you try to use it in public all you get back are confused looks at times. I think often, they're confused because they don't expect us to be speaking Acholi. However, once we repeat it again they realize it's Luo.  One way or another we're pushing forward. Please pray that we find time to study while we're home so we don't fall behind.  Feel free to test us when you see us and maybe even learn an Acoli word or two!

We've begun the process of looking for land to build a discipleship center on.  It's not a simple process and one of the most difficult parts is that I can't really be involved.  The moment a munu (white person) shows up, the price of land doubles.  This is one way Pastor Thomas has been a blessing to us, by leading the search.  He's traveled all around Gulu visiting and meeting with potential sellers, then informs me about the different options.  For now, we have a price range in mind and when we come back will be hopefully be able to select the right place and begin the process of purchasing it.

One huge praise report is that rainy season is finally here!  It came about a month and a half later than usual, but we've had good rainstorms at least every other day for the past week.  That means city water is working again and farmers are busy planting their crops (that should have been in a month ago).  Thank you so much for everyone who prayed. 

We also have a new mailing address for Uganda! Check it out below! Thank you so much for the blessing each and everyone of you are in our lives. We couldn't serve Uganda without the support of those back in North America. We look forward to seeing you all soon!

__________________________________________________

CYPHERS ON SAFARI 

Our neighbors recently invited us to join them on safari. We had a wonderful time looking for animals and seeing the beauty of Uganda. Silas enjoyed seeing all the animals and can now name quite a few. We saw giraffes, elephants, hippos, warthogs, a crested eagle, cape buffalo, antelope and baboons!  We even managed to see four young lion cubs resting under the shade of a tree. All in all it was a very long but wonderful day!

 

___________________________________________________

PRAYER POINTS

• For getting things organized as we prepare to leave Uganda for 6 weeks.
• For safe travels as we travel between Canada and the USA
• For continued good health and quick adjustment to a new time zone
• For our friend Christine's daughter (Irene), who is home from school due to mental sickness. She has been on medication for Epilepsy but doesn't appear to have those symptoms. Pray the doctors have wisdom as they change medication and try to find the source of the sickness. 

_________________________________________

We will continue to keep you updated with monthly newsletters.
For more updates, check out our blog,
http://cyphersinuganda.blogspot.com
or click the orange blog link below.
Thank you so much for your prayers as we serve in Northern Uganda!

Blessings,
Tim & Janessa Cypher

____________________________________________________

We would love to hear from you!

E-mail us at:
cyphersinuganda@gmail.com

CANADA:
Attn: Tim & Janessa Cypher
Heartstrings World Mission
430 Lakewood Blvd
Winnipeg, MB R2J 4B6

USA:
Attn: Tim & Janessa Cypher
Harvest Alliance International
3620 Ocean Ranch Blvd
Oceanside, CA 92056

UGANDA:
Attn: Tim & Janessa Cypher
P.O. Box 329
Gulu, Uganda

To be Married or Not to be Married

In our recent newsletter I wrote briefly about the cultural challenges of marriage here as a Christian. The first pastor I talked to about marriage was someone I've known since 2010 when he was still in his teens.  I had met with him a handful of times for discipleship, spoken at the church he was apart of and even helped him plan his weekly Bible Studies.  Last year when we got back in touch, I found out that his wife was pregnant.  Then I found out that the term "wife" didn't mean they were married.  

Last month I decided that we had to talk about the "elephant in the room" and I began a very straight forward conversation about him and his wife's relationship.  He told me that they were engaged and saving towards getting married, but because they had a child together they needed to live in the same house. We went into much deeper discussion and he was very open and honest.  He knew that they had made a mistake by not waiting until they were married to be together.  They had also recieved church discipline when it came to light that they were expecting a baby out of wedlock.  I was curious to find out what the church did as church discipline and I was told they were kicked out of the church for a number of months and then after time had passed, they were allowed to return.

After hearing his situation and his heart, I shared with him that true repentance means not only feeling sorry about what you've done and asking forgiveness, but also leaving the sin and turning from it and going the other direction.  I told him I felt like he was halfway there but as long as he and his fiancee were still living together unmarried, he hadn't really completed his repentance.  He agreed with this but shared that the challenge they now faced was finances.  Usually the best a couple can hope for is that the family will allow them to pay a portion of the dowry and then get married. The good thing in my friends situation is that his future in-laws have agreed to allow them to have a church wedding before paying the dowry.  This in itself is uncommon. The only condition the family has put on their wedding, is that it needs to be big so that not only the whole church can come but the neighboring churches as well. 

Here, the couple (especially the groom) is expected to pay for the wedding with help from family and friends.  Fundraising for a wedding like this isn't a cheap event.  It might not be as expensive as a wedding in North America but they are expected to feed hundreds of people, not to mention the traditional wedding expenses involved. It's a good chunk of change to come up with, especially in a country where the average annual income for an individual is approximately $550.  After the wedding, he will still be expected to pay the dowry which is a little less than $3,000 in his case.  

When you do the math you can see that in many cases it can take years for a man to save for the dowry.  Many people aren't making near the national average in income and it can take them over ten years of saving every penny.  So then, the decision they face is to wait until they are 40 to get married and start a family or to live with someone they aren't married to.  Its not a simple situation.  Some churches won't marry you until you have paid the dowry and have approval from the family.  But to totally disregard the tradition of dowry would also give the church a bad name in the community. Culturally, if you haven't paid the dowry the woman's family has the option to forcibly take her back to their home until you pay it. The community and government will respect this action.  

All of this forms a tough situation for believers here.  It's also caused many young adults to simply walk away from the church.  In another pastor's situation, he is living together with his fiancee and their two children and the church has no problem with it.  But if they decide they want to honor God by getting married, regardless of whether her family approves, it is written in the church's bylaws that he'll be kicked out of the church. 

Keep all these situations in your prayers.  One pastor told me we need to start a revolution in the church in Northern Uganda to change the way marriage takes place in the church.  Its a tricky line to walk.  The number one priority is obviously to honor God, but if not done carefully could turn many people away from the church because it disrespects the culture.  Not to mention that many churches aren't willing to make the change.  It's not very surprising that among the dozen church leaders I've discussed this with, the opinions seem to vary widely. It depends if the person is around the point in their life the are hoping to get married and need to pay a dowry, or are old enough to have daughters that will soon be getting married.

Please pray that God gives us guidance how to walk through this issue with his wisdom.  We want to work in unity with believers and to help them honor God with their lives.  Its hard to see how both those things can be accomplished in this situation but when know that God can do it!

- Tim

Cooking Acoli

Last week I had the opportunity to help our friend Harriet cook lunch. Although, I have already had "official" lessons on cooking beans and rice, this is more a chance for me to practice speaking and writing Acoli. So, I've decided to create this simple recipe and provide the translation. If you are wanting a little taste of Northern Uganda, give it a try :)

* Note: If you don't a charcoal stove and gas oven, electric is fine :) 

Beans & Rice

Ingredients:              La rub dek:

1 cup dry beans                         kikopo acel me muranga

2 tomatoes                                 nyanya aryo

1 green pepper                          kalara acel

1 onion                                        mutungulu acel

3 garlic cloves                            garlic adek

1 tsp baking soda                      magadi/ kado atona

2 tbsp beef stock                       Muchumi Mix malaga aryo

1 cup rice                                    kikopo acel me mucele

Directions:

1.     Light the charcoal stove. Fill a pot with water and add one cup of beans. Let beans boil for one hour. 
Mok cigari. Pong agulu ki pii ci ony muranga kikopo acel. Wek muranga o yeny pi cawa acel.

  

2.    Check beans and add more water. Add a teaspoon of baking soda to the pot and stir. Put lid back on and return to a boil.
Rot muranga ci med pii mokene. Med magadi, ket giwiye ci dwok ka yenyo.

             

       

3.    Chop the tomatoes, green pepper, onion and garlic. Put the onions and garlic in a  frying pan and fry. Then add the tomatoes and green pepper.
 Tong nyanya, kalara, mutungulu, ki garlic. Ket mutungulu ki garlic i i cubaria ci cel. Ci med nyanya ki kalara.

             

4.    Add 2 tbsp of beef stock to the vegetables and stir until mixed well.                          
Med Muchumi Mix malaga aryo i dek ci i rubi wang ma o rube maber.

             

5.  Fill a pot with water and add one cup of rice. When boiling, reduce the flame/ heat and cook until ready. 
Pong agulu ki pii ci ony mucele kikopo acel. Ka o yenyo, dwok mac ma nok ci ted wang ma ocek.

6.    When beans are soft, add to the fried vegetables. Pour bean water into pot as well and stir in some salt.
Ka muranga dong yom, med i dek. Ony pig muranga i cubaria ci yeny kado i iye.

       7. Enjoy your meal! 

         Cam dek!