This weekend marks the 10 year anniversary of Otino-Waa Village, a fabulous orphanage complex envisioned and built by our great family friends, Bob & Carol Higgins. This faithful couple entered the mission field in lieu of impending retirement some 15 years ago, and have worked with God to impact thousands upon thousands with the transforming Message of the Cross preached through their various community health projects, pastors training schools, community church, and the orphanage itself with its many schools for the hundreds of children that have called it home. I was blessed to serve on one of their first construction teams in 2003 before the first group of orphans were able to relocate to the new property, and have been excited not only to see the abundant favor, blessing, and fruitfulness of this visionary ministry, but to see the great catalyst they have been in the formation of many other ministries (ours included!) over the course of their time in Uganda. Now in their upper 60s, they have handed off their decade+ of labor to a young family who will take the work forward into the years to follow. In a few days they’ll head back to their family and home in Bend Oregon that has patiently waited for their return – these are the missionary heroes of our time, burning strong for the Gospel throughout their lives, leaving a nation impacted in the wake of their obedience.
I heard T.D. Jakes quoted as saying that anything worth doing in ministry is worth doing for ten years, and as I’ve watched many other missionaries come and go in less than a handful of years–barely even establishing a beachhead–I see the great need for laborers who give themselves to the land of their calling, put their hand to the plow, and not look back until He calls them home.
Ten years ago at this time I was in Central Oregon working as an administrative assistant to Pastor Jay Smith as we launched the first young adult discipleship training school at Westside Church with 17 students. I had graduated earlier that year from a similar program at a great church in Idaho, and was passionate about my peers receiving the same impartation I had received from my time in the furnace. What I didn’t know was that God was training me for the mission field while giving me the opportunity to personally impact hundreds of disciples, ushering my wife and I into a decade of fruitful ministry of this type of work. I served four batches of “Cascade Life Commission” students before going out to Uganda to lead over one hundred island pastors through the same material in an equivalent mobile training school, and then steering four years’ worth of young adults through our “Ignite” discipleship school at Life Church.
Much has been gained this decade through our various discipleship ministries, most significantly in the lives of those students who have given themselves to Jesus and the formation of His character in their lives. A large portion of the island churches are now led by our graduates. Many ministries in Life Church are led by former Ignite students, and all who passed through our laboring hands have entered “the real world” with a godly footing to stand strong for Jesus.
As we graduated twenty more students in July this year, our pastors indicated their desire to utilize our efforts in other areas and are asking the very capable Seth Sokoloff to take a heavier role in leading this ministry in the years to come. He came for eight months as a teenager to learn discipleship ministry from us, and has just returned to America for a new season of training as he prepares for his decade+ assignment from the Master. We are excited to see him take on this new responsibility that we’ve enjoyed so much.
We’ve been serving in Uganda for close to seven years and are just getting started in the great work God has called us to do in building a Church that will transform the region with the Gospel. We’ve been given great examples to follow and as an older generation finishes the race we honor them and continue to pass on this Kingdom work spurred on through their inspiration. Well done, good and faithful Higgins!