By Charles Ssuuna
“Mwami ssuuna, mbadde nsaba kwogerako nawe.”
A tall woman I’d never seen spoke Luganda. Translated to English, the message was: “Mr. Ssuuna, I would like to talk to you.”
My eyes were full of sleep as I focused on the visitor and what she held – a live, brown chicken.
Just prior, her knock had roused me from my elephant grass bed. It was 6:20 a.m. on a rainy Sunday at grandmother’s house in Central Uganda’s Kasawo town council. The date was June 18.
“I kept this just for you, as God used you to answer my prayer,” she said. Handing me the restless chicken, she proceeded to explain that I had an impact when I delivered a message through a loudspeaker four to five weeks ago. The day those words were delivered through my home village in Kasawo, Mukono District, was May 3.
I recalled that early May speech at my village community radio channel–Kasawo Information Center. I preached a message specific to teens and youth through age 30. I quoted Romans 6:23 which states that “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
I talked about the pitfalls of drug abuse and sexual promiscuity that can bring early pregnancy, disease and depression. I spoke about the sin of rape and murder. One National Institute of Health report shows that seven of 10 youth in Uganda have used alcohol and drugs. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, one in four girls are pregnant or have children by age 18.
Among listeners the day I spoke was 23-year-old Joel (full name omitted for confidentiality protection), a school dropout, a drug addict and the son of the lady with the chicken. As the young man embraced drugs for perceived happiness, his parents prayed for his release from them.
“That evening, my son came back home different,” the woman at my door said. “He came and knelt before me saying ‘mama am so sorry’… the Lord answered my prayer.”
It was that morning that I learned Joel was among 12 people who gave their lives to Jesus Christ and turned away from their bad behaviors after May 3. My humble response was to praise God for using me in that way.
With the chicken’s legs held tightly in my right hand, I raised my left hand in prayer.
“Dear God of Israel, we bless your mighty name. Your word is power and healing. That you healed many that day including this woman’s one and only dear son, and Lord as we pour our hearts to you, we pray that you bring total healing to many in Jesus’ name, amen.”
That June evening, I thought about that unexpected impact as I consumed the chicken during dinner with six others. We may not instantly – or maybe ever – know how impacting our words and deeds are in other people’s lives. To God be the glory.
