“We often alert police and local council chairpersons on issues affecting children but they take long to act. In most cases some of these kids have died before seeing justice. Many people see this child suffering but because she is lame, they don’t care. If she wasn’t like this, she would be looking better like her four brothers and two sisters,” Mugambe said.
What then could the father, Nazaria Mukwana, a 42-year-old man, say to save the situation? “If she was a boy, I would bath her but now that she is a girl I can’t help it because I can’t touch her. There is nothing I can change about that. I didn’t cause her lameness,” Mr Mukwana said.
A police officer at Nagojje Police Post, who asked for anonymity because he is not allowed to speak to the press, said most child abuse cases are not reported because people prefer settling them secretly.
“There are many children suffering. However, we deal with cases that have been brought to our attention. But in most cases, people don’t want to report the issues. We had not heard about it (Nakatekere’s case). Although we don’t have transport to go there now, we are going to see how we can help,” the officer said.
There have been similar reports from police in the past where parents have mistreated their children because of their status. For example, while addressing a news briefing recently, Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Henry Kalulu said some people have lost values even on things that they cannot change.
“A woman about 30 years-old dumped a baby in Bweyogerere, a Kampala suburb on grounds that this baby doesn’t grow. If he grows, he grows slowly. He is aged nine months. But according to her, the baby grows slowly and has a deformity,” Mr Kalulu said.
Mr Kalulu added that the woman had insisted she will not take back the baby but rather go to prison and serve a sentence instead of “taking the baby who is deformed, can’t grow and is a burden.”
Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice. The age in which we live is so married to rationalism and cognitive, analytical thought that we almost mock when we hear of one actually claiming to be able to hear the voice of God. However, we do not scoff, for several reasons. First, men and women throughout the Bible heard God’s voice. Also, there are some highly effective and reputable men and women of God alive today who demonstrate that they hear God’s voice. Finally, there is a deep hunger within us all to commune with God, and hear Him speak within our hearts. As a born-again, Bible-believing Christian, I struggled unsuccessfully for years to hear God’s voice. I prayed, fasted, studied my Bible and listened for a voice within, all to no avail. There was no inner voice that I could hear! Then God set me aside for a year to study, read, and experiment in the area of learning to hear God’s voice. During that time, God taught me four keys that opened the door to two-way prayer. I have discovered that not only do they work for me, but they have worked for many thousands of believers who have been taught to use them, bringing tremendous intimacy to their Christian experience and transforming their very way of living. This will happen to you also as you seek God, utilizing the following four keys. They are all found in Habakkuk 2:1, 2. I encourage you to read it before going on.
Habakkuk 2 God Answers the Prophet 1I will (A)stand on my guard post And station myself on the rampart; And I will (B)keep watch to see (C)what He will speak to me, And how I may reply when I am reproved. 2Then the LORD answered me and said, "(D) Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That the one who reads it may run.
Key #1 - God’s voice in our hearts sounds like a flow of spontaneous thoughts. Therefore, when I tune to God, I tune to spontaneity. The Bible says that the Lord answered me and said...(Hab. 2:2). Habakkuk knew the sound of God’s voice. Elijah described it as a still, small voice. I had always listened for an inner audible voice, and surely God can and does speak that way at times. However, I have found that for most of us, most of the time, God’s inner voice comes to us as spontaneous thoughts, visions, feelings, or impressions. For example, haven’t each of us had the experience of driving down the road and having a thought come to us to pray for a certain person? We generally acknowledge this to be the voice of God callus to pray for that individual. My question to you is, "What did God’s voice sound like as you drove in your car? Was it an inner, audible voice, or was it a spontaneous thought that lit upon your mind?" Most of you would say that God’s voice came to you as a spontaneous thought. So I thought to myself, "Maybe when I listen for God’s voice, I should be listening for a flow of spontaneous thoughts. Maybe spirit-level communication is received as spontaneous thoughts, impressions, feelings, and visions." Through experimentation and feedback from thousands of others, I am now convinced that this is so. The Bible confirms this in many ways. The definition of paga, the Hebrew word for intercession, is "a chance encounter or an accidental intersecting." When God lays people on our hearts for intercession, He does it through paga, a chance encounter thought, accidentally intersecting our thought processes. Therefore, when I tune to God, I tune to chance encounter thoughts or spontaneous thoughts. When I am poised quietly before God in prayer, I have found that the flow of spontaneous thoughts that comes is quite definitely from God.
Key #2 - I must learn to still my own thoughts and emotions, so that I can sense God’s flow of thoughts and emotions within me. Habakkuk said, "I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart..." (Hab. 2:1). Habakkuk knew that in order to hear God’s quiet, inner, spontaneous thoughts, he had to first go to a quiet place and still his own thoughts and emotions. Psalm 46:10 encourages us to be still, and know that He is God. There is a deep inner knowing (spontaneous flow) in our spirit that each of us can experience when we quiet our flesh and our minds. I have found several simple ways to quiet myself so that I can more readily pick up God’s spontaneous flow. Loving God through a quiet worship song is a most effective means for me (note II Kings 3:15). It is as I become still (thoughts, will, and emotions) and am poised before God that the divine flow is realized. Therefore, after I worship quietly and then become still, I open myself for that spontaneous flow. If thoughts come to me of things I have forgotten to do, I write them down and then dismiss them. If thoughts of guilt or unworthiness come to my mind, I repent thoroughly, receive the washing of the blood of the Lamb, and put on His robe of righteousness, seeing myself spotless before the presence of God. As I fix my gaze upon Jesus (Heb. 12:2), becoming quiet in His presence, and sharing with Him what is on my heart, I find that two-way dialogue begins to flow. Spontaneous thoughts flow from the throne of God to me, and I find that I am actually conversing with the King of Kings. It is very important that you become still and properly focused if you are going to receive the pure word of God. If you are not still, you will simply be receiving your own thoughts. If you are not properly focused on Jesus, you will receive an impure flow, because the intuitive flow comes out of that upon which you have fixed your eyes. Therefore, if you fix your eyes upon Jesus, the intuitive flow comes from Jesus. If you fix your gaze upon some desire of your heart, the intuitive flow comes out of that desire of your heart. To have a pure flow you must first of all become still, and secondly, you must carefully fix your eyes upon Jesus. Again I will say, this is quite easily accomplished by quietly worshiping the King, and then receiving out of the stillness that follows.
Key #3 - As I pray, I fix the eyes of my heart upon Jesus, seeing in the spirit the dreams and visions of Almighty God. We have already alluded to this principle in the previous paragraphs; however, we need to develop it a bit further. Habakkuk said, "I will keep watch to see," and God said, "Record the vision" (Hab. 2:1,2). It is very interesting that Habakkuk was going to actually start looking for vision as he prayed. He was going to open the eyes of his heart, and look into the spirit world to see what God wanted to show him. This is an intriguing idea. I had never thought of opening the eyes of my heart and looking for vision. However, the more I thought of it, the more I realized this was exactly what God intends me to do. He gave me eyes in my heart. They are to be used to see in the spirit world the vision and movement of Almighty God. I believe there is an active spirit world functioning all around me. This world is full of angels, demons, the Holy Spirit, the omnipresent God, and His omnipresent Son, Jesus. There is no reason for me not to see it, other than my rational culture, which tells me not to believe it is even there and provides no instructions on how to become open to seeing this spirit world. The most obvious prerequisite to seeing is that we need to look. Daniel was seeing a vision in his mind and he said, "I was looking...I kept looking...I kept looking" (Dan. 7:1,9,13). Now as I pray, I look for Jesus present with me, and I watch Him as He speaks to me, doing and saying the things that are on His heart. Many Christians will find that if they will only look, they will see. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. It is as simple as that. You will see a spontaneous inner vision in a manner similar to receiving spontaneous inner thoughts. You can see Christ present with you in a comfortable setting, because Christ is present with you in a comfortable setting. Actually, you will probably discover that inner vision comes so easily you will have a tendency to reject it, thinking that it is just you. (Doubt is satan’s most effective weapon against the Church.) However, if you will persist in recording these visions, your doubt will soon be overcome by faith as you recognize that the content of them could only be birthed in Almighty God. God continually revealed Himself to His covenant people using dream and vision. He did so from Genesis to Revelation and said that, since the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2, we should expect to receive a continuing flow of dreams and visions (Acts 2:1-4). Jesus, our perfect example, demonstrated this ability of living out of ongoing contact with Almighty God. He said that He did nothing on His own initiative, but only that which he saw the Father doing, and heard the Father saying (Jn. 5:19,20,30). What an incredible way to live! Is it actually possible for us to live out of the divine initiative as Jesus did? A major purpose of Jesus’ death and resurrection was that the veil be torn from top to bottom, giving us access into the immediate presence of God, and we are commanded to draw near (Heb. l0:19-22). Therefore, even though what I am describing seems a bit unusual to a rational twentieth century culture, it is demonstrated and described as being a central biblical teaching and experience. It is time to restore to the Church all that belongs to the Church. Because of their intensely rational nature and existence in an overly rational culture, some will need more assistance and understanding of these truths before they can move into them. They will find this help in the book.
Key #4 - Journaling, the writing out of our prayers and God’s answers, provides a great new freedom in hearing God’s voice. God told Habakkuk to record the vision and inscribe it on tablets...(Hab. 2:2). It had never crossed my mind to write out my prayers and God’s answers as Habakkuk did at God’s command. If you begin to search Scripture for this idea, you will find hundreds of chapters demonstrating it (Psalms, many of the prophets, Revelation). Why then hadn’t I ever thought of it? I called the process "journaling," and I began experimenting with it. I discovered it to be a fabulous facilitator to clearly discerning God’s inner, spontaneous flow, because as I journaled I was able to write in faith for long periods of time, simply believing it was God. I did not have to test it as I was receiving it, (which jams one’s receiver), because I knew that when the flow was over I could go back and test and examine it carefully, making sure that it lined up with Scripture.
You will be amazed when you attempt journaling. Doubt may hinder you at first, but throw it off, reminding yourself that it is a biblical concept, and that God is present, speaking to His children. Don’t take yourself too seriously. When you do, you become tense and get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s movement. It is when we cease our labors and enter His rest that God is free to flow (Heb. 4:10). Therefore, put a smile on your face, sit back comfortably, get out your pen and paper, and turn your attention toward God in praise and worship, seeking His face. As you write out your question to God and become still, fixing your gaze on Jesus, who is present with you, you will suddenly have a very good thought in response to your question. Don’t doubt it, simply write it down. Later, as you read your journaling, you, too, will be amazed to discover that you are indeed dialoguing with God. Some final notes: No one should attempt this without having first read through at least the New Testament (preferably, the entire Bible), nor should one attempt this unless he is submitted to solid, spiritual leadership. All major directional moves that come through journaling should be submitted before being acted upon.
If you were to Die today where would you spend ETERNITY? HEAVEN OR HELL?
NOT SURE! Then please go with us down the Romans road to SALVATION!
1. Everyone is born in an unrighteous state. "As it is written: "There is none righteous no not one." Romans 3:10
2. We have all sinned which separates us from God. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
3. Because we have sinned, death has enter through that sin. "Therefore just as through one man sin entered the world and death through sin and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Romans 5:12
4. Sin brought us death, But God's gift to us is eternal life through Jesus. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
5. Jesus Christ loved us so much he gave His life for us. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8
6. You can have forgiveness and eternal life through confession. "That is you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." Romans 10:9-10 "For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13
Here is an example of what to pray to be saved:
"Dear God, I am a sinner and need forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood and died for my sin and then rose again. I am willing to turn from sin. I invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal savior."
If you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, then welcome to the family of God. Please let us know of your decision to make Jesus your Lord.
Please contact us today. ABA FOUNDATION MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL.
Sandra was brought up by a single parent, her mother. She went to school up to class seven. She started the business of prostitution at the age of 14 years. “At the age of 15, I got a job as a bar maid in Kampala, from where one of the customers impregnated me. I then deliver a baby boy through Cesarean section because doctors said my muscles were not strong enough to support a normal delivery” Sandra recalls.
The man who impregnated Sandra later married her for a short while before they separated shortly after the child allegedly died of pneumonia.
“For a short time, I charged shs. 2,000/= ($1) if the client wanted to have sex with me for the entire night, I charged shs. 4,000/= ($2). We negotiated whether to use condoms or not, I doubted the price for those who wanted sex without condoms” Sandra now at our rehabilitation centre narrated.
Sandra who is HIV positive worked with a group of 9 young girls. “Some men are very rough, some beaten me up. Some refused to pay after having sex with me the all night, while some deliberately refused to use a condom and refused to compensate me for it”. Sandra who lost her mother last year, complains.
Many young girls in the slums of Kampala city within the age bracket of 13 – 17 engage in open prostitution. They are lured into sex business because of absolute poverty. They are not aware of the dangers of HIV and even how it is transmitted. The rate of HIV infection and underage pregnancy amongst these young girls in this area is alarmingly high.
Within our organization, a number of children are HIV positive, of these 85% are girls. There are some two, one aged 5 whom we suspect acquired the virus from her mother and another one aged 9 who was defiled by unknown assailant!
The objectives of ABA Foundation is Helping People Live Better Life and to Promote the Socio - Economic Welfare of the Vulnerable Communities especially the Destitute Children, Orphans, Widows, Disaster Affected People and Poor Families affected by HIV / AIDS among others.
