Ashes and Beauty

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61: 1-3

Isaiah 61 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. The imagery it uses to speak of what Jesus will do for his people is beautiful and it just plain makes me happy! This passage contains the phrase “beauty instead of ashes” which has special meaning to me, but what I love most about it is that it tells, in four little words, what God’s redemptive grace can do for broken lives and what He has done for me.

But here, in this place, the words of this passage take on a different feel for me. In an earlier blog, I talked about how in just driving around this town, you can’t deny the harsh reality of what a 20-year war has done to these people and this land. In this place, these words aren’t just imagery; they have faces and they are always walking along the side of the road. These faces are broken hearts that need binding. Men and women living in prisons of shame, addiction, and no opportunity. Moms and dads who need release from the darkness of their despair. There are mourners who need comfort and grieving souls that need provision. This is what I see as Ismail drives us out to the farm everyday…

It was the same this morning, but little did I know that I would drive back to the hotel with a much different view of the many faces along the road.

This morning was a meeting in the schoolhouse. To be honest, I wasn’t super excited about a meeting. I do enough meetings in my normal life… But the students at the school wanted to sit down with my dad and Tonny to talk about how the program has been going, and my dad wanted us to sit in on it.

This group of 3 men and 2 women are the first group of students to go through this program. It was basically designed to teach them the 10 commandments of farming in each aspect of running a dairy farm. Areas such as business, crop management, herd health, animal husbandry, nutrition, farm maintenance…

Godfrey Omony, the instructor, started the meeting off with a student-led prayer. He then had each student share their story and what they have gained over the past 7 months. As the students went around, I began to see the depth of what this farm is doing for these students and this country.

Bob, a young man who has been married for one year, shared how he and his wife discussed what they wanted their future to look like and they both agreed that being a dairy farmer would allow them a better life. So he quit his job and enrolled at the school. His words were “I am now ok with being called a farmer.”

Godfrey, another student, is a staff member at a Teen Challenge program. They wanted to send someone here to bring back the skills and knowledge to help Teen Challenge start a farm where their students can learn a skill. Godfrey said he was chosen because he was single with no responsibilities. He had no experience with animals or farming or business, but he came. He is a former addict himself and he talked of how this program has changed his life and given him new purpose. He never imagined that this is what farming could be.  

Nancy talked of how this program has felt to her like puzzle pieces coming together. She is already a teacher and now is determined to somehow put teaching and farming together. She called this program an answer to her prayers.

Faith, 8 months pregnant, called herself a farmer as she talked about the farming skills she is now confident in. She also talked about wanting to learn more... She wants to know how to drive a tractor, breed a cow, build a barn… she wants to help new farmers build better lives for themselves.

Clarkson actually came to a few small training sessions that Tonny held last year. He immediately saw the value and has already started a farm with two partners. They have built their own barn using the principles of what they saw at Gulu Country Dairy. They have also built a bunker silo for the feed they are growing. (I should say something here about how the concept of growing crops and storing up feed is something very new here. It is almost unheard of.) He has learned how to mix rations for the cows and how to put together a health program. The cows’ production continues to rise. He has learned better milking practices, and has put together a business plan for the future. His last phrase was “This place has inspired us to farm differently.”

What I was hearing were not stories of devastation or despair, but hope and excitement.

As I was taking this all in, Tonny started talking of restoration. How the Bible says we are to be restorers of this broken world and how this farm is “restoring the age-old foundations of agriculture in Uganda.” “This farm is bringing life back to these people.” That was his final statement, and as he sat down, I looked at my dad… It was his turn next and I could see the wheels turning as to what he was going to say… As he started talking, I have to say I tuned him out a bit… (That really shouldn’t surprise him to hear me say that…) But all I could think was how God is using my father, his friends on the advisory board, our family, our many other friends and supporters and these wonderful Ugandan people to bring restoration to this beautiful country. They are showing these people that hope is not lost; the spirit of despair is no longer welcome. Their ashes can be replaced with a garment of praise and a beautiful crown. God’s restoration and renewal is on the move in Gulu, Uganda!

“They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.” Isaiah 61:4