UCE Team brings healing to war-torn northern Uganda
Uganda National Coordinator, Walubo Jude, established a new team in Gulu
This month we began outreaches in Gulu, northern Uganda. This is the area where terror, by a rebel group called 'the lord's resistance army,' led by Joseph Kony, began 20 years ago. The people here have endured great suffering. The scars of that tragedy still remain, and the memories are vivid in the minds of the people. Kony and his men carried off children to be child soldiers, committed rapes, and killed many people, sometimes whole villages. The priests in the region have been asking for UCE to come for over 2 years. At long last, due to successful fundraising in the USA, we were able to reach our brothers and sister in the north.
The spiritual ground here seemed a bit tougher than usual. We arrived in Gulu with great expectation and excitement, being convinced that our God is able to do for Gulu what He did in Mbale, Kasese, and other places where UCE is reaching the youth. Fr. Phillip Okello, our host, told us of a common song that plays in Gulu called No more Virgins in Gulu. We stayed at a hotel the first night. As we tried to sleep, we could hear the song play into the dark night and through the streets. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to intervene and for God's message to be received well in Gulu. He did not abandon us.
In Gulu and nearby places, where unimaginable evil prevailed, we witnessed special grace that abounds all the more. I agree with our host Fr. Phillip Okello who said that the Lord sent UCE to Gulu for a very specific reason. In five days of outreach we saw an extraordinary response to the UCE message.
In the week that followed the training of new volunteers, we experienced God's faithfulness as we did in Mbale and other regions. God began to move upon the youth as we conducted outreaches. We watched as God poured out his love, mercy, forgiveness, hope, healing, and new life upon the youth. Many were touched by the message: tears turned to joy and bitterness turned to forgiveness. Over 5 days, we managed to reach 7,900 youth, and 6,640 made a commitment to abstain from sex until marriage and be faithful thereafter! Jesus Christ is truly the same yesterday, today and forevermore, He is transforming lives in Gulu!
Read the entire story from Gulu, including testimonies from several young people who were reached by the team here.
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Please Pray for UCE Burundi!
Political unrest in Burundi has created a dangerous environment for team members, youth, and the population in general
 The UCE Burundi Team has reported that they, and their families, are all safe after a month of political unrest that caused 100,000 people to flee the country. They have asked us to pray for peace. Please add them to your prayer list.
If you have a heart for UCE and prayer, please consider joining the UCE Prayer Warriors. The UCE Executive Director sends out monthly prayer requests from the teams on the ground. |
Universal Chastity Education, Inc. (UCE) is an educational organization established in 2004 and determined to be a public charity, exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Its promotes through education sexual abstinence until marriage and marital fidelity as healthy lifestyles free from sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. UCE operates in rural Uganda. and launched in Burundi in 2007 and Tanzania in 2009 and in the USA in 2012. Visit the UCE website
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UCE Club encourages Tanzanian youth to abstain by recording and performing song, "Abstinence for Life"
Composed and performed by:
Fredrick Godfrey and Shadrack Kamenya
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| | Abstinence for Life, Universal Chastity Education (UCE) Club Njombe High School, Tanzania |
UCE Chastity Clubs do much more than simply train youth in chastity. Youth also become chastity ambassadors and learn important life skills like: leadership, public speaking, teamwork, integrity, and many others. The clubs help the youth to become complete, well-rounded people. Most clubs meet throughout the week so that members can encourage one another in their walk of purity. The Chastity Club at Njombe High School felt compelled to spread the life saving message of chastity to their fellow youth.
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A God of Second Chance: Scovia's Story
Scovia tells the story of how Christ, through the message of chastity and forgiveness brought by a UCE team, saved her from prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography, and shame.
Many young people including me have confessed that before signing the UCE commitment card, they would make resolutions to stop fornicating, but would fail to overcome the temptation. Yet, from the time they signed the chastity commitment card, there has been a supernatural power that helps them to control their sexual feelings, and to use those feelings in a Godly way.
A friend invited me for a youth conference, at her Church in 2006, where university students were going to share their experiences. "University students are known to enjoy immorality, sexual intercourse, and having multiple sexual partners," they stated. They said that this was a misconception that was caused by a lack of awareness. They proved to us that sexual abstinence was not a myth, but a reality as they told us of their experiences. The students talked about cards whereby they had signed and committed themselves to such a lifestyle of abstinence until a faithful marriage.
I admired those beautiful and handsome young people who gave me such a message. I imagined how proud they were having managed what is called an impossibility by many. I desired to be like them, but who would guide me in that procedure? My heart was willing to abstain but I asked myself, "What about the body that bears sexual feelings?" Those students must be managing because they have tangible reminders (the cards), and a physical witnesses. I, Scovia, who did not have these things ran to my Church. I knelt before Jesus, wept, and made a promise to stop fornicating, and prayed for the grace to be resistant to sexual temptation. Still, I desired that the change of my heart could have a physical witness, and I could have a card such as those university students who came and talked to us.
Now, in August 2010, I was invited for three days Universal Chastity Education (UCE) training. They invited the youth of my diocese, Kasese, where they would soon begin reaching out to secondary schools. Now, I received my long awaited heart's desire. I and other youth signed chastity commitment cards on the 25th August, 2010. We were prayed over by our youth chaplain. This time, my heart's long time desire, of a tangible reminder and physical witnesses, was met. So whenever I am sexually tempted, I also recall the words of my commitment, "Believing that true love waits..." I also used to fear shame before my witnesses. I no longer live in shame.
Read Scovia's complete Testimony here
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