As told by Pastor Mesulamu to Maria Nakirya and Ochieng Baptista (both BROSDI Staff)
“This church you see (see picture below) is a result of BROSDI’s niche especially on that thing called internet…you see those daughters of mine Maria and Ednah deserve abundant reward from God. Do you know why?” Pastor Mesulamu asks.” I was immature, purely illiterate, because those buttons extremely scared me”
Those were words of Pastor Mesulam Maisonswa who owns a small church in Mayuge district in a village near Magamaga town about 7 kilometers away from BROSDI center.
He said that people used to tease him as he sloped to the center almost daily trying to learn the machines that he had heard can be used to communicate so many miles away. They wondered whether an old man would ever be able to learn the machines as they claimed they were so hard even for the youth. But he never lost hope as he got encouraged whenever he would surface at the center.
The pastor was pleased to mention that, BROSDI work is appreciated by those who make good use of it especially the clients who cautiously look for its help. One is not only allowed to use free internet for the first 30 minutes but is also taught on how to use the computers and the internet; and how it can help you achieve your goals.
At one point he said he had sent so many mails that he thought he was wasting time. However, he says these emails encouraged him not to give up. At first he would visit internet cafes in Iganga and Jinja which is far and he didn’t have enough transport to travel most of the time. So at times he had to ride his old spoilt bicycle up to these towns, repairing it at certain points. This was so tiring.
He also had to pay for any tiny services offered yet he had to ask the people there to send for him the mails. This would give them chance to read his mails and at times leaving them open. But at BROSDI it was different. Much as the staff would help him send some mails, they also taught him to do it himself and now he is glad that he can open, read and type his own mail in addition to a few other computer skills he has learnt thought he is still slow.
He noted that he was in pain to better the church standing at low ebb thatched with Banana leaves, later using rice stalks which could decay in no time. He also noted in grief that at times Caterpillars would drop like heavy rains of the desert on people as they prayed in the church! Rain also used to pass through the banana leaves so it was really hard to pray during the rain seasons. Because of the poor conditions, some people had started running away.
Now that is history, those days ended as he stiffened at BROSDI. All maims are becoming legends since now support prevails from abroad all the way from Australia.
“These nifty daughters of mine helped me through yet at that time I didn’t even know how to pinch those white things of the flat plastic”. (literally meaning the key board). He boasted that now he communicates to whites all the way in Australia and; he has been able to get funds to improve his church.
He explained that what made him establish a church was that one time he and his wife prayed for a sick woman who was suffering from AIDS and showed her love, through counseling and of course food but sadly she died shortly. During burial ceremony he preached and got 12 converts into his denomination. But since it was too distant to move to attend services in his church in Wainah, he decided to establish a church in the area but what he lacked were the funds to start. He constructed a small church roofed with banana leaves where people used to come and attend prayers. He now rides a bicycle about 7 km to attend to the church at times spending a night with them praying overnight using a candle as source of light.
He recalls his first time in a new village; Lukoli where his church was established. He rented with his wife but was chased away and when they went to a nearby village, the same incident happened.
As he kept on communicating to Pastor Ken in Australia with the help of BROSDI’s free internet and machines, explaining his problems to him; he and his friends donated some money which facilitated to start the present Baptist church in Lukoli ¼ km off Iganga Jinja road near Magamaga trading center. He was able to purchase land, remove the banana leaves replacing them with iron sheets, put doors and windows and also construct a descent alter using the donations.
Pastor Maisonswa (in picture above at BROSDI Development Office) thanks GOD that the church is now strengthening every moment, thanks BROSDI and Pastor Ken for the support.
