They were Serving the Poor......

In Jesus name, Moses and Adam were serving the poor. They were serving Christ as they were serving others.

In the midst of a brutal Oklahoma winter stretch (African Children's Choir canceled last week / kids out of school all this week and another approaching major snow storm this weekend) , yesterday I received a brutal phone call from Uganda. The worst kind of news I wanted to hear. From what we understand, while returning from buying coffee on Mt. Elgon the truck went out of control and over a cliff. Moses Kimeze, 36, and Adam Langford, 28, are gone. Moses leaves behind a wonderful wife, Irene, and four young children (one is an adopted AIDS orphan). Adam leaves behind a wonderful and faithful set of parents and 2 close brothers and many more family and friends.

Right now I am shocked, sad, mad, frustrated, confused, and much more. So many questions for God right now. Why? Why would you take two of the most talented, creative, energetic, hard-working, humble, faithful men that I have ever known? Why would you do that especially in a land that desperately needs people with the skills, talent, faith, and servant leadership as they had? They were serving the poor! Don't you want people to live out Matthew 25? These two men were just hitting their prime in serving others and caring for the needy. They had just bought coffee at a fair price keeping the coffee farmers' interests first in mind. They were going to sell it and use the profits to help care for Ugandans suffering with AIDS (and many other good ministries). This is the amazing 1-2 leadership punch at The Source and so many other good Kingdom-building projects! They were doing so much good. Why take them now?

And then I settle down and focus on God. God is so much bigger. My questions are so small and so human. God is faithful. We can't always comprehend it but God is faithful. God is everywhere. He is with all the Ugandans who benefited from Moses' life and who are mourning him now. He is with Irene and their young children. God is here. God is moving in amazing ways right now through Adam's life. I can't understand it all. I just believe that God IS amazing and He IS working despite the pain we all feel. God is good. God is not just good, God is great and awesome!

May Moses and Adam's lives inspire us all to serve Christ more by caring for the needy and serving others.



More on the incredible lives of Moses and Adam to come in the following days. For now, we plan to bury their bodies. Moses' burial will likely be Friday or Saturday deep in his home village in Uganda. Adam's funeral will likely be next week sometime after his body arrives here in Oklahoma (hopefully by Sunday).

If anyone can help, there are a lot of emergency expenses being incurred right now. Adam's family (brother Ben and family) returning from Uganda, the Jinja teammates travel, Adam's burial and funeral in Oklahoma, Moses' burial and funeral in Uganda, former teammates flying over to Uganda right now to mourn with and encourage the Ugandan Christians, etc. Here's how you can help....

Funds can be sent to:

Rochester Church of Christ
250 W. Avon Road
Rochester Hills, MI 48307
attn: Jinja Emergency Fund

This fund will cover missionaries' travel expenses back home, those traveling to Uganda and Moses' burial / funeral expenses in Uganda.



For the Langford family and funeral expenses, donations can be sent to:

East County Church of Christ
24375 SE Stark
Gresham, OR 97030
attn. Langford Family Fund


More information to come regarding a memorial fund to benefit Moses' children and their future.