Mark Gillmore: Hello once again and I am with you here today from the country of Uganda. I'm Mark Gilmore here with our Go Mission podcast. And sitting with me here is a very special gospel laborer that I have met on my journey here, Brother Cira. Welcome.

Brother Cira: Yeah. Thank you.

Mark Gillmore: It's a joy to meet you, brother.

Brother Cira: Yeah. Thank you.

Mark Gillmore: And as we have been together in some meetings, I have heard your testimony.

Brother Cira: Good.

Mark Gillmore: And your testimony gave me such joy to see and hear of the hand of God.

Brother Cira: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: In your life and your ministry.

Brother Cira: Okay.

Mark Gillmore: Now, you were telling me about how you were born on the north side of Uganda.

Brother Cira: Mhm. Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: And in that, as you came religiously, you were part of the Catholics.

Brother Cira: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: Now you were in a, you became an important man.

Brother Cira: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: As a Catholic, what was that like? You became a catechist?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: And so were you helping the churches? The Catholic churches?

Brother Cira: The Catholic church, yes.

Mark Gillmore: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: When did they. They elected you a catechist?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: You are not a plant. Another church. They put you in a place where you preach the the Word of God in the Catholic.

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: Not the plant. Another church? Right.

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: So you remain in this Catholic church?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: The priest has placed you there. And you are running that church while he is out?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: You are leading that church?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: So you had some training that way. And you are a reliable man?

Brother Cira: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: For the Catholic Church?

Brother Cira: Yes.

Mark Gillmore: But then what happened? One day you said you were walking on the road. What happened?

Brother Cira: Uh, when I a missionary or.

Mark Gillmore: No. Before a missionary.

Brother Cira: Uh. When? Yes. Yeah. Uh, every. Every day. I only drink the alcoholic. But Sunday, I'm going to teach people in the church. Yeah. Uh, I don't want those of believers called pastors are to come, not to come when I preach the word. When they reached my home, I will beat them. Drove them away. Because I think I'm. One hundred percent true. Stand the true.

Only the other day I'm passing, uh, going to somewhere. Mhm. I had, uh, those pastors are preaching the word in the another village.

That guy. They preached the the book of Matthew, chapter eleven, verse twenty eight. That word touched my heart. That word touched my heart.

I stand there, one leg up like this. Fifteen minutes. My body just started shaking. Uh, I started from now I, I go through to those people. If those people saw me like that, they thought that I'm going to beat them. They start to run. I told them, don't run. Uh, pray for me. I want to take Jesus for my personal savior. They ran. But some other people say, ah, stand! Don't run. Let him come.

I'm going with the tear when I reach there. They prayed to me. I got saved.

Mark Gillmore: Praise the Lord.

Brother Cira: Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: It reminds me of when Saul was saved. All the believers ran from him. But Ananias came and he met him. So they were afraid of you? Because you would beat them and. But you were convinced you were in the right way. Even Paul was convinced he was in the right way.

Brother Cira: When I came to read, I found it just the same. Like Paolo?

Mark Gillmore: Yet? Um. But your life was not changed since you were before you were drinking alcohol. And yet leading the Catholic church.

Brother Cira: Yeah. When I'm Catholic, I will drink the alcohol when they are offering, uh, put the offering of dirty offering. Cannot reach in in the mission. We will take it up.

Mark Gillmore: You would even take some from the money from the offering.

Brother Cira: Yeah, I'd drink it to use it for drinking. If there is no offering today, I will put it the Bible, which he called Dominica. Yes, I will put it the other woman. I will tell him that my Bible should stay here. I leave the the money at home. When I go there, I bring the money. I will come and take this Bible back. There is no money.

I want to drink only I will come to ask if that woman on a Sunday evening. If you have not yet give. Give this Dominica tomorrow. No prayer.

Mark Gillmore: So you were even using your Bible as a means of getting more drink and money for alcohol? Yes. Oh That's amazing. And yet when you are walking down the street, you hear that preaching? And God gets your attention. Wow. Matthew eleven twenty eight.

Come unto me. And immediately you know it's the truth. What a testimony! Yes. That's truly the power of God. Mhm.

Now you joined those believers. And you went off for some Bible training? Here in this area. Northern Uganda.

Brother Cira: First I was twenty here and I second my, my my brother told me. Yes. Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: To another place for Bible training. Mhm. And then while you are in that time they select you. Yeah. They choose you.

Brother Cira: Yeah. They choose me.

Mark Gillmore: We want you to. What did they choose you for?

Brother Cira: They choose me. They, they saw are all security work through my body to to do the will of God. Also that they have chosen me. To go to to send me as a missionary.

Mark Gillmore: They recognize the Spirit of God in your life? So they chose you to go. And they were sending you as a missionary? Yes. And so you went as a missionary across the northern border into South Sudan? And that was two thousand and eight, right? And what was your goal as you were going to Sudan?

Brother Cira: Uh, we, uh, our director, we go together. We we are. We are five. Mhm. Uh, who sent to, uh, missionary. All right. When we reach the place called APA that is in South Sudan. Mhm. We slept there every everyone pitch a tent. Mhm. At six he, the director told me. You will be here? Yes. To preach the word. They. They leave me on on the roadway. Just like that. I don't know where I'm going. I enter in my my my tent. I start to pray. I pray, I pray.

When I finish a prayer, I open my door. I come out. Another woman, rich. She she asked me, are at night. I saw very many tent here. Uh, who are you? Where are you come from?

I say I'm a missionary. Uh, who sent here to preach the word? He she asking me now, where are you going? I don't, I say, I don't I was, I was left here, but he preached the word, but I don't know where I'm going because I'm just here.

She told me that if you are a person of God. Uh, let me take you a you a language at home. You see, that is the, ah, man of peace. A woman of peace. Ah, I found Jesus. Yes.

She took my everything at her home. She went and called. Ah, neighbors or I have relatives in front of me. I start to to preach the word. They all accepted. We stayed together with them.

Mark Gillmore: And that was even the first day.

Brother Cira: Yeah, that's the first day only. Ah, for only one day you wake up in the one day I already planned the church. One day and one day.

Mark Gillmore: Hallelujah. Mhm. So the group leaves you as a lone missionary with your tent.

Brother Cira: When did they. When did they. Uh, those people are returning. They. They found them now. are discipling people.

They knew they had chosen the right man. Yes. You in your tent, you pray. God, I need your help. You come out immediately. This woman is here who invites you, who gathers more? You have a place to stay. You have new believers and you begin discipling just like that?

What an amazing hand of God. And since that beginning day in two thousand and eight, what have you seen? How many churches have you gathered and planted?

Brother Cira: I plant, I plant very many churches. Twenty seven. I told you, twenty seven.

Mark Gillmore: Churches as of now. Yeah. And in each one of those churches, you have a group you have already discipled.

Brother Cira: Yes. Yes. Five. Five. Five. At least five. Discipled believers. Yeah. In each one they are very strong, strong, leading that church. And they are leading that church together. Yes.

Mark Gillmore: Hallelujah. Five times twenty seven. In quick math, that is over one hundred and twenty five. That you have personally discipled. Yeah. Now they are all leading their own churches like that. And it is growing. Yes. Praise the Lord.

And I'm sure God has led you. From which village? To this village to the next village. Can you maybe think of some time where a story where God showed you how to get to the next village. How do you find which village to go to next?

Brother Cira: Yeah. Ah, first. Ah, I, I planned the first church. I trained five. Ah! Disciple of five. Five disciples? Yeah. We we are gathered together with them to to first. Fasting and prayer. Yes, we have made just like, uh.

You see, the Holy Spirit will tell me. You go, the other side is there, and and and I plant another church. We can gather. I will gather these believers together. We will go and preach there. And I planted that church. Just like then the up to twenty seven.

Mark Gillmore: So you gather with that church you have just planted in times of fasting and prayer. As they are growing, the Holy Spirit tells you, now it's time. The next village? When you go to that village, you gather those same believers you are with. And they assist you?

Brother Cira: Yes. As you go and plant another one. The next village.

Mark Gillmore: Hallelujah. And that has happened again and again twenty seven times.

Brother Cira: Yes, yes.

Mark Gillmore: Praise the Lord. It is so simple, but so powerful.

Brother Cira: It is not easy to plant another church. There is very many challenges.

Mark Gillmore: Yes. Yeah. So it would be easy to stay with the church you have just planted.

Brother Cira: Yeah. When you are the church which you have planted, it is easy for us because you are, you are, you are preaching and go and preach near. Near there. Uh, April, you you want to take a journey to go another place?

It is very hard because, uh, at that time, Arab and SPLA are fought there at that place. They they put mine. Mhm. Uh, they were going on when I'm there, they were going, is going in. Yes. Yeah. They put mine or land mine on the road side? Yes.

Mark Gillmore: Yeah. So let us begin to talk about that. How God has protected you. Mhm. Um, but I don't want us to forget this big lesson you have just given to us that after you plant a church, it becomes easy to stay with that church because everyone is there. You are growing.

And each time you have to go plant another church, it's a new difficult thing. It never becomes easy.

Brother Cira: Not easy.

Mark Gillmore: Uh, but you have done that twenty seven times doing the hard thing. Mhm.

Brother Cira: Three, three churches have planted alone. Yeah. Twenty twenty four. We plant together with those believers.

Mark Gillmore: Amen, brother. Yeah. So now you shared with me how you have seen the hand of God protecting you along the way? Tell me about that.

Brother Cira: Yeah, when I was there. God is so good. Yes. God protect me. God protect my life. Uh, when I'm going to preach the word. I enter in the embassy three times.

Mark Gillmore: Three ambushments. Yeah. Have happened to you or were happening around you?

Brother Cira: Not. Not in the way where? When I'm going to preach. Yes.

Mark Gillmore: Right down the way.

Brother Cira: Yes. Uh, at the first day I enter in the ambush. When I enter in ambush just like this, some some other people come behind me. I mean, after me when I pass it through. Uh, this ambush, those are those. Those people enter in the ambush. I'm now out. They start to shoot. They shoot those people. When I was near. Just like that.

The other one also. I enter into ambush. Only the other day. Also, I enter in the. In that ambush. Two people was also killed. Yes. When are now pass through? the ambush

Or third. I enter in the ambush. That is in the evening, around around ten or ten am. Evening. Mhm. Ah. I, I feel I enter in in a very bad place. The gun, the They got it smelled okay. Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: You smell The gunpowder?

Brother Cira: Yes, yes. Like that. Ah, my my body. I was not feeling okay. I know I enter in the very bad place. But those people are not. Ah. Arresting me. They are. They're quiet. I pass through, reaching at at three, three, three am. Yes. At night? Those people went and arrested another person. Near. Near? Just dead in the kitchen My? house is there. They came and arrest there another person there.

But they have not reached at my time there. Yes. Three time.

Mark Gillmore: Three times.

Brother Cira: Yeah. You were, uh, second. I ii pass it through land. Mine? Yes. When I, I reached there. This is mine. Mhm. Uh, I exposed reaching forty just like this. But I'm still alive.

Mark Gillmore: Maybe forty times.

Brother Cira: Yes, forty times I pass it. I pass uh, it will come uh, a bit a dog. Some men even. When I pass this road

Mark Gillmore: the same road. Yeah.

Brother Cira: No different roads.

Mark Gillmore: Different road. Over forty times. This is a region you were saying where there has been war. Civil war? Between Arabs and other people. Tribes called. Uh. You also end up there?

Brother Cira: Yes. Yeah. Very many.

Mark Gillmore: So they put these mines there. And forty times you have passed down this trail, and after you were there, someone exploded behind you. A dog one time. How many times has it been a dog? Sometimes a dog,

Brother Cira: a dog two and a. Killer. Four months. Yeah, that is it.

Mark Gillmore: So God has protected you? From the explosion of the landmine.

So what have you learned about God. What do those experiences show you concerning God.

Brother Cira: : Yeah I think when I was there in the place of honor, I should not die because of the, the the the mighty of hour of God.

Mark Gillmore: The power of God.

Brother Cira: The power of God. I know he is the one who sent me there to preach His word. Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: And you do not have to fear death.

Brother Cira: I'm not a fear. I'm not afraid of that.

Mark Gillmore: So many believers struggle with fear. Yeah, we struggle with fear.

Brother Cira: Uh, those who believe us, that they are at a dirty place. They know the place is all very bad. Sometimes they told me, don't go there. Now you have the touch. When you go preach another place there. Mine will kill you. I will tell them no. God is the one who protect me. I will go.

Sometimes they they will not follow me because I have a land mine. They stay back. But all, every day I will go and preach it.

Mark Gillmore: But you must go.

Brother Cira: Yeah. Footing. Footing. No bicycle. No motorcycle. I will. I am now just footing. Just footing

Mark Gillmore: by your feet.

Brother Cira: Sometimes I am going ten miles. Five miles? Five miles to preach the word. Yes. Yeah. All by foot. By foot? Yes.

Mark Gillmore: And other believers are warning you. That is also like Paul. The believers in Ephesus said, Paul, don't go. They are going to bind you. They are going to try to kill you. And Paul said, no, I will go. God has told me to go. He will take care of me. He will protect me. And that is your story as well.

Brother Cira: Only the other day. Uh, though I, another chief arrested me. Put him in uh, in the jail. Because of preaching. Yes. Yeah.

When I stayed there That one week in the jail? Yeah, in the jail there. After that, they released you released me? Yes. And no more problem. Yeah.

Mark Gillmore: So in South Sudan, they still can arrest you for preaching the gospel. It's possible I.

Brother Cira: It is possible. Yes. They accept a person to preach. Yes.

Mark Gillmore: Wow. Mhm. Well, it is a humbling thing to hear your story. Because you are a great testimony of gospel advance. And of boldness. And of being led by the Holy Spirit. And of being protected by God's hand.

And I believe he will continue to do that.

Now, I should say something. This particular podcast, this recording is mostly listened to by teenagers. But today I'm not speaking to a teenager. You as when you went to the mission field, you were, uh, fifty nine years old. Fifty eight years old.

Brother Cira: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Fifty eight, fifty eight years old. Yes.

Mark Gillmore: And you have been now on the mission field for seventeen years? Yes. So you are now seventy five or so or my my, my, your age now is sixty six.

Brother Cira: Sixty six?

Mark Gillmore: Yes. Okay. So no, you did not go at fifty nine. You went at forty nine. Yeah. Forty eight. Forty nine years old. Yes. Is when you went to the mission field? Yes. So that tells us that, um, God can send us also when we are older as well. Not just a teenager, but if you are forty eight years old, it's still time for you to go to the mission field. Amen. Yeah. And God wants to use you. Well, well, brother Cira, thank you so much.

Brother Cira: Thank you, too,

Mark Gillmore: for sharing your story. Good for obeying the Great Commission and for encouraging us. About how God wants to work. Praise God for twenty seven churches planted. Not one was easy. Each one was a step of faith.

And that reminds us to continue to take those steps of faith in our own lives.

So I want to remind us once again that the only way to live at peace in a world of turmoil and uncertainty is to live on mission with Jesus in his GoMission.