GoMission
Obedience to the Hard Places
God doesn’t call everyone to comfort, but He does call everyone to obedience. In one of the hardest regions of eastern Africa, Brother David obeyed God without funding, support, or security, and watched the gospel take root among unreached nomadic people. This episode challenges comfortable Christianity and asks a simple question: what would happen if we actually went where God sent us?
Mark Gillmore interviews Brother David about obedience and gospel work among nomadic people in the Karamoja region near Uganda’s border with Kenya. David describes following God into a difficult setting without the comfort, funding, or security many would expect. The episode challenges listeners to consider whether their own Christianity is willing to obey wherever God sends them.
Topics Discussed
- The Karamoja region and nomadic communities
- Brother David’s call and obedience in a hard place
- Gospel work among unreached people
- Comfortable Christianity versus costly obedience
Key Takeaways
- God’s call is not limited to comfortable or secure assignments.
- Obedience often begins before resources and outcomes are visible.
- Understanding a people’s culture and circumstances is important for faithful gospel work.
- A burden for unreached people should lead believers to ask what obedience requires of them personally.
Do you have a story of gospel advance or a burden for a specific people group? We’d love to hear it. Whether it’s a few sentences or a detailed update, send it to gomission@theegeneration.org.
GoMission, hosted by Mark Gillmore, is a monthly missions-focused program that introduces young people to the people, stories, and opportunities God is using around the world to build His church.
If this episode encouraged you, please take a moment to leave a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube Music. Your feedback helps others discover the Thee Generation and be challenged to live a life of total surrender to God.
Mark Gillmore: Hello, once again, I’m Mark Gilmore here with our GoMission podcast. And today I have the privilege to come to you from Uganda on the eastern side of Africa. And we are actually on the eastern side of Uganda, right near the border between Uganda and Kenya. And sitting with me today is a brother in Christ who has given to me such a great blessing in his testimony. And I determined I must share this with our listeners. So welcome, Brother David. Thank you. It’s a joy to meet you. And you are, as a missionary, here. Yes. And where are you from originally? Kenya. From Kenya. Yes. Pretty close to this side of Uganda? Yes. Inside of Kenya? Yeah. All right. Yeah. And we are here. I want to hear more of your story, but let’s describe this region of Uganda. The name of it is? It’s called Karamoja region. Amudat district. All right. Yeah. And the people especially we are ministering to here. Are Karamojans and Pokots mainly. Yes. Yeah. And we have been in a Pocot village even, right? And their lifestyle, what is their lifestyle?
Brother David: They are nomads. They do the herring of cows and they move from one place to another.
Mark Gillmore: Yes.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: I have thought for maybe the first time in my life, I have seen what Abraham’s life would have looked like. Because they are moving from place to place. They herd their sheep, their goats, their cattle. There’s even camels. Yeah, there are camels, yeah. Even donkeys. And donkeys. Yeah. And really, they appear to be very, you know, just poor. Yeah. But yet their flocks and herds should make them very rich people.
Brother David: Yeah, they are few rich. Most of them are poor because the area has been an area of cattle rustlers. Yeah. So that has made some to be very poor, that’s a rich.
Mark Gillmore: So theft is there and even strife and conflicts like that. Yeah.
Brother David: And mostly they don’t do farming, they do just rare animals. So that’s their main dependence for life.
Mark Gillmore: Yes. So they’re always moving from place to place, finding new pastures. Yeah. And even this is the savannah type of geography. Yeah. So it can get very hot. It is very hot. And the trees, all the green goes away. Gold greens goes away. Yeah. And they’re very short. Just a very short growing. The trees are short. Yeah. So it’s a challenge to live in this region. It’s very true.
Brother David: It’s very true that it’s very hard to live in this area.
Mark Gillmore: And yet the spiritual need is here.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: And God has called you to come and minister here. How did God lay that burden on your heart?
Brother David: First, I got saved in 1998 as I was a young child. And it happened that one of my brother to my father was killed by cattle rustlers. And as I grew up, I came to realize that if you die without Christ, you’ll go to hell. And I have seen the need to take the gospel to these people because they do fight always frequently about animals. And they don’t know that without God, if they die, they go to hell. So they are being told that if you die following animals, you are a great warrior. You are a man, but if you die without God, you are going to hell. So I felt that burden and I saw the need that there are people who are very unriched because the area is hostile. So many people will not access to this area.
Mark Gillmore: So God put that burden in my heart and I have come. And it’s like God used that incident in your childhood when a brother was killed by this type of people. Yeah, the same. And now God is sending you back to them. Yeah. That’s amazing.
Brother David: I saw the need. Yes. Because at first, while we were young, we were told animals are ours. So when they do steal, they don’t steal. They take what belongs to them. But in reality, after coming to realize that, I need to teach them that that is stealing. Taking someone’s property is not your right. And they need to see God. It’s almost like their animals are their God. Yeah, they believe, sure. Without animals, they don’t treat you as human beings. Yes. They treat their animals better than they treat each other,
Mark Gillmore: better than they treat their wives.
Brother David: They see animals as a source of life. That’s why they do it, do or die.
Mark Gillmore: Now, as you have come here, you are now in your mid-30s, but some 10 years ago you were married. Yeah. And you have several children. I have three boys. Three boys. And yet you are here in this Savannah desert place ministering. What steps of faith was involved? and were involved in coming to this place? Mostly they believe in spirits.
Brother David: They believe in divines. So they believe in their gods. So when I came to preach them about the word of God, they see it as a very new thing that they have not heard it before. Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: And how would you say the receptivity has been as you have come and begun to minister?
Brother David: How they have accepted? Yes. Yeah, most of the time they have had some rejection because they are not used to. But for some time now they have come to realize and most of them have given their life to Jesus Christ. Yes. Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: So people are responding. People are responding. Sure. Now, you first came four or five years ago. Yes. And when you first came, what did you do?
Brother David: I came and I learned some of their cultures. And I be friends with them. I worked with them, being friendly, teaching them about the word of God, discipling. We started with two people. We decided, discipled them. They came to the realization. They gave their life to Jesus Christ. And now we started there. We prayed on Wednesday, house to house, evangelism. After that, we go to their home. And God has blessed us. And to this far, we have baptized more than 150 people. Praise the Lord. Amen. So lastly, we did last month, we baptized 40 people. So now being a disciple in our church every Sunday, and I’m seeing God working miraculously.
Mark Gillmore: And I have been here. You built a beautiful little church building, but it’s too small.
Brother David: Too small. And in fact, they come and just sit down and they hear the word of God. And it’s our prayer that God will help us. We build a bigger church because God is doing his great work. Yes. Yeah. Now, you took a big step of faith when you came.
Mark Gillmore: Yeah. Because no one was supporting you. No, but you just obeyed. Yeah. Describe to me how that call and how you obeyed.
Brother David: So, after God putting that burden in my heart, I shared with my pastor. And he hesitated and said, many go to those hard areas and they come back. Try. I had the faith and I have come and I said I have to wait and obey the word of God that he said I am with you until the end of the age so I had the confidence in God and I believed that God is with me I came and I have seen God working and it’s my happiness that now many people in this area have accepted Jesus Christ and have turned their faith from those belief that they believe and now turning to God. It makes me happy.
Mark Gillmore: That is, I can see it on your face and in your ministry, that is the greatest joy. Yeah, that’s the greatest joy. When folks come to Christ. Yeah. Especially where the gospel was not there. They are not there. And now they are receiving. Yeah. I would agree so much. Those opportunities in my own life seeing God do that is, I think, the greatest joy. It’s always so hard. Yes.
Brother David: Yeah, that’s the joy. Even if you go to evangelism, they listen to you. They call each other, come, we listen. And when they turn, the goodness is that they just hold it firm.
Mark Gillmore: Yeah. And they have stayed strong. So no one is supporting you financially. Nobody. You have just come. Yeah. And have you seen God meet your needs?
Brother David: Yeah, I’ve seen God. using the work of my hands. God has blessed me. And God has blessed me the good wife. She has been supportive. Yeah, she does a saloon. So God has been blessing us through that.
Mark Gillmore: And he has a small job on the side here. And with the hairstyling, that kind of thing, right? And now you are over here. You are maybe two hours away from where your family is living?
Brother David: Yeah, two hours drive.
Mark Gillmore: Two hours drive. So you come and minister for five days. Yeah. And then you go back home for two days with your family and then come here five days like that.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: And when you are here, you are just living with the people. I’m living with the people. Sleeping with the people.
Brother David: Even outside. Even outside. Yeah, like the bone, we put out the fire like that when we sleep.
Mark Gillmore: We sleep outside beside the fire as it dies in the night. Yeah. And in the morning you are with their children. Yeah, I’m with their children. And you teach them? Before they go to look after their earnings. The children are often watching over the flocks and herds for their parents. Yeah. So before they go out, while it is still just sun is coming up, you are with the children.
Brother David: Yeah, I’m with their children. And you teach them? I teach them, we pray together and they go. And they go. The only people we meet at the nights, evening.
Mark Gillmore: In the evening.
Brother David: Yeah, we pray together, we share the word of God.
Mark Gillmore: Yes. Yeah. So it is a constant daily rhythm. You have your life. Yeah. With the people. With the people. Children, adults, praying, teaching, discipling. Yeah. Evangelizing. Yeah. Praise the Lord. Amen. It is not just a Sunday thing. Not a Sunday thing. You’re not just planning big Sunday services, hoping everyone will come. No, no, no. No. It’s a daily day-to-day activity evangelism. And continual involvement with the village, visiting. Visiting households.
Brother David: Yes. The problem is that most of them are not learned, so we need to take them daily. Yeah. That’s another factor that limits people. They have not gone to school. Yes. Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: So many cannot read. Now there is a Bible in the language. But it’s really not available. It’s not available. Yes. Although I did see an app on the phone that had the local language and the English for the whole Bible. Yeah, for the whole Bible. What a powerful tool that is. And I think that would even help you learn the language. Yeah, that’s it. You learn the language easy. So the tools are there. but the laborers the laborers are few are what we need yeah
Brother David: mostly and you have become one of those I am one of those and I’m praying God as Matthew 9 38 says let’s ask him so the harvest is plenty but laborers are few yes because most people don’t give themselves to these hard areas
Mark Gillmore: yes area. I know many missionaries here may go to the city. Yeah, they like the city, comfort. It’s a
Brother David: little more comfortable there. Things are available there. Things are available here. Like here, you get once a week a market day. The whole week, there’s nothing to eat. If you don’t buy enough for a week, you can stuff until… It never comes. Just once a week, you must buy.
Mark Gillmore: and then you just live on that. So there’s sacrifice to live in these conditions. But the greatest joy is there also. That they surrender their life to Jesus Christ. That’s the greatest joy. I think Jesus said, what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Which means that the value of a soul is greater than the whole world. So even one soul is worth it. Yeah. And yet you said over 150 have come to Christ, been baptized. Even more.
Brother David: But those who have been baptized is more than 150.
Mark Gillmore: That is fantastic. Yeah. Praise the Lord. Well, I’ve had the privilege to get to know you and to see this region. Yeah. And it just makes me want to spend more time here myself. Yes, you’ve been coming. In fact, I can think even maybe in our podcast could be someone listening who would come and visit you. Yeah, I’ll be so happy. So welcome.
Brother David: There is good. Our God will keep you in these areas.
Mark Gillmore: No problem. Absolutely. I enjoy your faith and your fearlessness. You’re not living in fear. No.
Brother David: God will protect you. God has the spirit of courage. They have the fear.
Mark Gillmore: That’s exactly it. And young people, if you would come and make a visit, you could take that same spirit. Yeah. Or wherever God would send you. Yeah. We don’t need to fear the potential problems. Yeah. He will be with us. Yeah. And you would not be here if that kind of fear was in you.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: And you would not be here if you waited for someone to fully fund you and send you.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: You had the call. I had the call. The personal burden. Yeah. And you just obeyed. Yes. You are a man of obedience, a man of action in that way. Yeah. And we need that. We need that kind of faith. Thank you. I need it. Yes. I’m so happy. So here’s an invitation to come and visit Uganda and see this desert savannah region. It’s really got its own beauty.
Brother David: Yeah.
Mark Gillmore: You will enjoy it, but you will see the far greater joy of bringing the gospel to people that are in a hard area. But God is working, and it’s a joy to bring this testimony to you. So please pray for Brother David, his wife, his three sons, that God will sustain them and more labors will come. And remember that the only way to stay at peace in a world of turmoil and uncertainty is to stay on mission with Jesus in his Go Mission.
Mark Gillmore: Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Thee Generation Podcast. If you have an issue you need help with, we have a resource that can help you. The Battle Plan for Victory is an online resource designed to help young people deal with personal sin issues through the Word of God, and ultimately,
Find an issue in this transcript? Let us know at website@theegeneration.org.
Mark Gillmore is missions pastor of Falls Baptist Church, faculty member at Baptist College of Ministry, author of The Obedience Pathway discipleship series, and strategist for world missions. He and his wife, Joanna, have 9 children.
