We have been blessed this week to have Selvin and Laurel Jeremiadoss and their family join us at TCBC. Selvin and Laurel are our strategic partners serving with the IMB in Uganda. Partners like them are one way that we are able to take part in pursuing faithfulness to the Great Commission and seeing the Lord’s kingdom advance around the world. Read the following Q&A with Selvin to learn more about their ministry and how we can partner with them in prayer!
Kaabong, Uganda, is in the middle of nowhere. So… why Kaabong?
It began with a secular agency, Invisible Children, working against political unrest in the region. The more we prayed and thought about it, the clearer it became to us: the only real solution to the conflict was Jesus. We prayed more, then applied to the IMB. And God gave us the opportunity to go!
Can you share some of the great things you’ve seen God do since you’ve been there?
When we arrived five years ago, there were six believers and no churches. The Lord gave us a vision: that every Karamajong would have access to a healthy reproducible church that will grow them into mature believers.
Today, there are eight healthy churches and over 1,500 believers!
Seeing witch-doctors turn to Jesus is an amazing thing, as is being able to share Jesus with people who have never heard of him before. And then there was the day we saw 400 people baptized at one time!
Can you talk about the role of prayer in the work you do?
We are at war. Spiritually. Every single day. Because of this, prayer is critical for us. Without prayer, our work is dead. We have learned to pray desperate prayers — prayers that come from having no human safety net, no back-up plan. The truth is, we need the Lord to work. Without him, we are nothing. And these are not only our prayers, but the prayers of partners around the world. Even our daily strategy is bathed in prayer, because, simply put: we need the Holy Spirit to let us know what the next steps are.
What are some of the harder things about this work? How can we be praying?
Every single day is a spiritual battle. Satan does not want us here. And every time we turn around, we feel that. The spiritual oppression in this place is almost palpable. It affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually. And so to know that the church is praying for us is a big thing. In our loneliness and difficulties, we can feel the prayers of those of you, at TCBC, praying for us. When we’re down, we know it’s the prayers of the saints that keep us moving forward.
Also, for wisdom sharing the gospel with people in extreme poverty. How do you talk to a person who hasn’t eaten in three days? Or who is grieving the loss of a child? This requires a careful approach and great godly wisdom.
And finally, for wisdom to deal with spiritual strongholds like alcoholism, sexual immorality, and witchcraft. People have been held captive by these things for years and years.
What are you most looking forward to in the next 6–12 months?
We’ve been in the U.S. on furlough for 8 months. So we’re really looking forward to getting back to Kaabong next month!
In the coming year, we are hoping to see God open doors to more villages that we’ve not previously had access to, and then to see the Lord plant churches in those areas!
And then, to train more leaders. We have 21 pastors, and we look forward to continuing to see them grow and mature, as well as to identify new leaders that can be trained for the work.
We are thankful for Selvin and Laurel and their gospel work in Uganda. Please use the requests above and commit to continually praying for them and the Karamojong people!