Hi
Thank you for stopping by, since everybody has a story, I will tell you a bit about my story.
I was born in Uganda under the dictatorship of Idi Amin, grew up as an orphan, surrounded by death as Amin tried to turn the country to an Islamic state.
Christians and missionaries were punished or deported, and many citizens were killed.
During that chaos and confusion my parents raised me in a Christian environment.
and so, I held steadfast that God was the only one that could help carry the load that had become too heavy to bear alone.
I imagined how horrible life would be without a home, family and friends to enjoy all that life has to offer.
I reasoned and thought about what it meant not having people who would have the most important role to help shape and influence my life, it seemed like it was going to be a long disastrous journey.
Somehow, God had something completely different in mind. A non-profit organisation from the United States came to Uganda and started orphanages.
It conducted and created Children's choirs that traveled around the world to raise funds to support kids orphaned by war, and violence.
Eventually, I was one of the receipients who traveled with the African Children’s Choir, founded by a Washington-based organization.
During the travel, I would tell my fathers story, how he was brutally murdered and I was placed in an orphanage and would ask people to give to this cause I represented.
I invited people to sponsor and invest some of their resources in the lives of hundreds left orphaned by a dictatorship and war.
Everytime I would tell my childhood story, I would re-live the past, and deal with the trauma, and fight emotions from the pain.
Talking about my past also had a healing and cleansing effect.
It showed me how God was indeed working and doing something good in my experiences according to his divine plan and purpose.
What amazed me was that people responded overwhelmingly.
They gave donations, offerings, some people housed the orphaned children on tour, others committed to sponsoring children back in Africa, and others made long term financial commitments to the organisation.
We toured five countries in Europe and almost 1/2 of the entire United States with a 1/3 of western Canada.
We visited more than 200 churches, averaged four concerts a week, for 20 months. I cannot begin to count how many people housed us while on tour.
I am indebted to Robinah, Lubwama, the director of the orphanage, known to us as mommy Robinah who stepped into the gap and served many children dispersed by war and diseases.
She displayed unmeasurable kindness and selfless love, she gave me an incredible opportunity to travel the world and raise awareness of the needs in Uganda caused by political instability and HIV.
On tour, I met Sandy and Gary Vandergriend, of Lynden, Washington who adopted me into their family.
They shouldered the burden of helping me deal with change by creating an environment for a smoother transition to my new American way of life.
They sent me to school, I began a journey that led to discovery of what I have come to believe was my God given call to serve.
First, I attended Shoreline Community college and later transferred to Seattle Pacific University where I earned bachelor of arts degree in religious studies.
My adoptive mother, Sandy once suggested that I consider preaching. I wasn’t immediately convinced that being a pastor was my calling and the direction God wanted me to pursue.
Not to long after my conversation with mom, spring 2002, while sitting in Chapel at Gordon Conwell in South Hamilton, I heard Dr. Haddon W. Robinson preach, he was chosen as one of the most effective speakers in the english speaking countries in the 21st century, I didnt know that at the time.
As he explained and provided proof and applied the scripture, He preached the entire book of Job in one sitting, that message hit me.
It awakened in me the sense of the call right there and then, I cannot describe what happened to me.
His explanation and application of the bible was so convicting that it was like lighting a fire in my bones. I’ve never heard anyone apply the Scriptures like he did.
Growing up, I was exposed to ministry, a life of public service and church work, my father was a well-known preacher and Bible teacher around the country.
Yet, my attendance at Gordon Conwell-Theological Seminary, which has two Massachusetts campuses, attending Gordon solidified my interest in preaching and teaching the Bible.
While finishing seminary, I met Dr. Scott Gibson and Haddon Robinson who began teaching me and mentored me throughout my seminary training.
They taught me discipline and other life lessons.
Chuck Swindoll summarizes those lessons
1. Know who you are. 2. Accept who you are. 3. Be who you are.
Both Robinson and Gibson’s love for preaching and commitment to their students made a difference in sharpening my ministry skills.
I am indebted to Dr. Robinson and Dr. Gibson, Dr. Kent Edwards, and Dr. Jeffery Arthurs for helping me discover my God-given potential.
They invested in me and taught me how to take God’s word seriously and faithfully explain it and apply today.
I received a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Theology in Preaching from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.
I developed a philosophy that guides my life, "my heart for God and devotion to him is the driving force in life.
My service and gifts to him are an expression of the loveI have experienced.
I am currently serving at the United Church of Shirley, Shirley Massechussetts.
As a preacher, my aim with every sermon is to apply the ancient text of the Bible to the modern world.
This is a life long journey.
On this journey, I am not alone I am standing on the broad shoulders of many good, gifted preachers, like Haddon Robinson, Scott Gibson, Fred Craddock, Andy Stanley, Chuck Swindoll, Ed Young, Bryan Wilikerson, Tony Evans, Bishop TD Jakes, and Bill Hybels are some of my favorites and distant coaches.
It is my goal to help people understand the incredible gift that God accepts and loves people not based on performance but based on relationship with his Son Jesus.
God loves you inspite of who you are or what you do. He just does. I marvel at that and wonder because it includes you and me. Here is the proof Romans 4:5
I am always working to find a better way to tell and show or make the message from the bible connect with my audience without changing the Bible’s message.
I also enjoy people’s stories, and hearing about their experiences it drive energy and fuel to my soul.
It is interesting that God would write a story and include human beings in his story-that is what so amazing about grace.
I am forever grateful to all the people that have contributed to my life, people who have shaped my life and influenced it in a small way or a big way.
Along the men I mentioned earlier, there are are women who I think have had the most influence in shaping my attitudes, values, and beliefs.
I want to thank my mother, Sandy Vandergriend, Tami Anderson, a college mentor and counselor, prof. Karen Winselet from Seattle pacific University, and prof. Carol Kaminski from Gordon conwell proffesor during my study.
And most recently, Janet Kolodzy a journalism professor at Emerson college, I hold all these women in high esteem and hold a special place and memory because of their guidance and instruction.
There is also a long list of other people, family members, friends, colleagues that are not mentioned in this note that have contributed to my life, it reminds me of an old African proverb that "it takes a village to raise a child," it is true.
I am who I am because of their investment of time, treasure and talent in my life.
I feel incredibly blessed!
Recently, I joined Emerson College in the broadcast journalism program, to fulfill one of my life goals of growing as an effective communicator of God's Word.
I am looking to see where this new journey takes me.
