We came to Uganda to serve, learn and be humbled under World Outreach Ministry Foundation (WOMF) and as God always does, he was orchestrating a brilliant plan for all of us. We’ve spent a lot of time asking questions to local pastors, seasoned missionaries and especially picking the brain of Pastor (Papa) Ron DeVore, the founder of WOMF. He’s an elderly man who has seen much and knows much. We often sit around the table with him and hear his thoughts, his advice and marvel at the extremely romantic love between him and his wife even in their late 70’s! The two have known each other since age 10 and have been together since they were teenagers. Their actions are a testimony that they still love each other more than anything: almost like they were still in their 20’s.

“You should write a book on marriage for missionaries,” I told Papa Ron.

He went on to tell us some awesome advice on marriage that we have to make up our mind that we will love each other no matter what.

“You don’t have to know how the brain of a man or a woman works… If you love them, your love will cause you to learn them like no other book can tell you.”

Another piece of wisdom was out of Mark 10:29.

“…no one who has left home or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or fields for Me and the Gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in the present age and in the age to come,”

 Notice that this verse mentions fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters . . . But it doesn’t mention anything about leaving your husband or wife. Wherever one goes, the other should go.

“A wife is not meant to be left behind at home. She’ should be on the frontlines, beside her mate,” Mama Shirley added. Mama Shirley is Ron’s wife.

Being young, inexperienced and sometimes overzealous, we were wondering where we could really help WOMF. After all, we are not here for very long so we can’t take tasks as large as their full-time missionaries could...

Until one day Papa Ron brought up the organization’s huge need for a person to do nothing but photography and videography. He brought up the trouble they were facing with the growing need for someone who is skilled in these areas and how he’s not a technology guy at all. . . The year was nearly through and they had a very limited amount of media to present to their American audience.

Immediately, Andrew and I knew exactly what God had brought us here for. Media can sometimes make or break an organization, because it’s the tool used to raise funding in the USA. Today, it’s becoming tougher for wholesome organizations to keep up with the large marketing and public relations campaigns that other humanitarian groups do like World Vision, UNICEF and Compassion Int’l.

Papa Ron went on to say, “I’m not a media person and even if I was, I don’t have time to train someone how to do it! We need someone who can think like me and capture what I am envisioning to tell our partners. We need someone who sees media as a valuable part of missions and ministry, if that is even a possibility…”

At that point, Andrew had not even taken out his professional SLR camera. He had not mentioned anything about his photography and video background. We immediately offered to help WOMF in this area by going to places where they worked in the country to just get media.  Ron told us that this was an answered prayer. He had been praying for years about this matter but yet had never made an appeal for it because he didn’t even know it was possible to recruit media missionaries.  

As we began traveling around Uganda with him to film the different parts of the ministry, he started saying, “Are you sure you’re not called to help us in Uganda?” We always answer, “Are you sure you’re not supposed to send some of your people to DR Congo to help us??”

What’s awesome is that this relationship is a give-take. Andrew is sowing his time and energy to do media for WOMF (most of the time, he would get paid to do something like this). Ron and Shirley are sowing their wisdom and knowledge into us. We know that we reap what we sow… So if we sow media into this ministry, God will bless us one day with media people for our ministry. . . 
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Papa Ron praying over those who are sick at a crusade.
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Pastor Steve Mayanja at a crusade, delivering a powerful message.
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Some curious onlookers at a village celebration.
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A prisoner accepting Jesus Christ at a prison outreach.
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A pastor praying over someone at a pastors conference in the remote bush.
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A Muslim man at a village meeting, who was surprisingly receptive to Christianity.
12/21/2010 03:00:50 pm

I don't wanna say goodbye for the summer.

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3/3/2011 11:21:19 am

Many things make people think artists are weird and the weirdest may be this: artists' only job is to explore emotions, and yet they choose to focus on the ones that feel bad. It's strange.

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1/27/2012 06:02:56 pm

nice post

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1/28/2012 08:27:25 am

good post

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3/21/2012 02:09:42 pm

Nice one info, thanks

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3/24/2012 08:29:32 am

THX for info

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3/30/2012 08:31:47 pm

Thanks for info

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