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In the middle of February 1977 Christian leader Janin Luhan was summoned to the office of
Idi Amin, the infamous dictator of Uganda. It would be the last day of Luhan’s life. He was shot to death possibly by
Idi Amin himself. The tragic event had an eerie resemblance to the rule of another Ugandan dictator – Manga, who himself
in the year 1885 began a reign of terror by having an influential Christian leader executed. It was also during his reign
that the first major penetration of Uganda with the gospel took place, which was followed by an intense persecution. By the
end of his first year in power, Manga for entertainment roasted three Christians alive, the following year thirty-two Christians
were burned alive and another two hundred were torn limb by limb. "There are powers of darkness behind these people that
you are looking at, which were tearing apart this nation. " Still the love of the Lord could not be stopped from taking
root into peoples’ hearts. Luhan’s death in 1977 added but a single digit to the list of Christians, around 400,000
in all, who were slaughtered or driven into exile during Amin’s seven years in power. "What they knew about Idi
Amin was the towering figure, one who threw around his weight and one that his presence feared all over" Uganda’s
troubles do not end when Amin was driven from the country in 1978. The darkness which had ruled through Manga and Amin continued
to pattern on unspeakable cruelties during the return rule of Milton Obote. And these of course were on top of the usual litmia
problems afflicting Uganda and other Sub-Saharan African nations: Rapid corruption, civil war and economic chaos. To many
around the world Uganda was hopeless. But unknown to the rest of the world the seeds of change had already been sown by the
Holy Spirit several years earlier. During the 70’s far from the centers of power, the Spirit of God began to move hearts
to intercede in what would later be called the Jungle Prayer Meetings, believers met in secret to pray for the move of the
Holy Spirit in Uganda. "They were times when they had to go to the swamps and stay in the water , hidden in the papyrus
reeds so that they would spend the whole day there and in the night they would come out and they would get together and pray."
At risk to their own lives Ugandan believers surrounded by popular village witches and the ruling political powers continually
called upon the name of the Lord for revival. The first major break over the region came with the overthrow of Obote in 1986,
ending decades of tyrannical power over the people. Though the political situation improved, the country still faced an even
more serious threat – the worst AIDS crises in all of Africa. Based on the numbers, one out of 10 Ugandans were infected
by the virus. The World Health Organization in 1991 predicted the total economic collapse of Uganda by the end of the 1990’s.
But the Lord had other plans. Now pastors in major cities began to seek the Lord together, and tapped into the work of God
in hearts by orchestrating cycles of 40-day fast with lay people as active participants. The long standing struggle with deep
magic finally began to break and for the first time in 100 years, associations with it were viewed as shameful and wicked.
All night prayer meetings have become the passion of the church of Uganda. The presence of the Lord has not only
joined the battle for souls, but has literally exploded over the pearl of Africa. "So churches began to pray in zones,
hears like bees. You can hear bees through the night bzzzz. Every community praying, every zone praying." The Gospel
of the suffering Jesus and the resurrected Lord has gripped the hearts of Ugandans. Congregations were going faster than houses
of worship could be built. For example one congregation has to hold 7 services on Sunday to accommodate its 35 000 new
members. The International Labor Organization reports that Uganda is undergoing an economic revival, growing by a staggering
8 percent annually. Christians are spicing up the Government by upholding moral standards. Even to the point that the Department
administrated that ethics has been created by the new president – also a professing believer. "I believe Uganda
is in a new beginning politically and in divine timing God brought leadership, God began to put people in place." "God
is working in this country." Today the spiritual atmosphere of Uganda has been changed. One in every 2 Ugandans is a
praying believer and the lost are hungry for the gospel. On December 31, New Year’s Eve in the year 2000, the capital
city of Kampala had a gathering of over 60 000. Ugandans held the unique millennium celebration in which the dark history
of Uganda was renounced and the Lord was officially invited to touch the hearts of Uganda by their president and his wife.
"Covenanting our nation Uganda to the purposes of God and to the Lordship of Jesus Christ - Amen!" Reading like
an Old Testament passage the nation was literary covenant to the honor of Jesus Christ. Pass the word along: The Lord is on
the move in Uganda.
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