a boy played in joy
a girl sang about love
a woman dug with hope
a man built for the future

    where DEATH is reality

malaria strikes
accident flashes
AIDS consumes
poverty destroys

    where DEATH is reality

who will play in joy
who will sing about love
who will dig with hope
who will build for the future

    where DEATH is reality


Our experience of Uganda throughout the last nine months has left us understanding death in a new way. It is real. It is here. We continue to grow closer to death and its reality in our lives as Ugandans.

The overwhelming reality is that everyone has been affected by this curse. But I realize its deeper effect as we continue to become part of Uganda. Here, death reveals itself every day. And here, people live with death every day. Death is a part of society; it is common.

Roads are lined with coffins... a carpenters most profitable and beautiful business product. The sadest sight is the many small 2 feet long coffins designed for infants and young children. They are cut and formed from most gorgeous mohagany and designed skillfully. The amount of coffins throughout any given town brings an awareness to the reality of death.

Over the last nine months, four neighbors died, two were young boys sick from Malaria. Over 10 close friends and ministry partners have had immediate family die - many of them I knew. Accidents, AIDS, sickness, sunstroke. All of our children in the Juna Amagara program have lost one or most likely both of their parents. The children in our Amagara Home have also lost most of their extended family and gaurdians. Death has created desperate situations in Uganda, 2.3 million orphans, a huge generation gap, and twelve year old kids as the head of a family.

Death, the curse of God upon man which was never intended to exist is now... common.

This is the extreme opposite of my experience in the USA, where throughout my entire life one neighbor and only two people I knew died. My Great grandma Bebe and Ivan, a fellow UnderFiveNine ska band member. Out of 25 years, only three. Now in nine months over 14. What does that mean for a country where death is reality? Uganda needs LIFE.

We are priviledged to be working with Juna Amagara Ministries. Juna Amagara means 'saving life' in Rukiga, a Ugandan dialect. We are in the business of sharing the saving life of Jesus Christ. As I continue to experience life and death in Uganda, my desire is to see the life of Christ victorious of the curse of death.

"Death has been swallowed up in VICTORY. 'Where, oh death, is your victory. Where, oh death, is your sting.' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us VICTORY through our LORD Jesus Christ." I Corinthians 15:54-57