Through Persecution to Freedom

Miracle of One Shoe

It so happened that I had only one shoe. I didn’t have other shoes at that time and I didn’t have enough money to buy another shoe. I was walking to minister at the church, which was five miles away.

One day on a Wednesday the rain poured very heavily. My old shoe had holes all over in the bottom of it. As I walked to church on those muddy roads of Africa, my shoe soaked up with mud and water.

The church we had at that time did not have money for chairs. The people had to sit on the floor. We put mats on the floor for people to sit on. So, you would have to take off your shoes so you would not make the mats muddy. Then, when your friend comes to sit, he may sit comfortably. Even me, a preacher, I had to take off my shoe.

Now you can imagine, a pastor who is going to preach, and mud had soaked into my sock. It was very, very dirty. That day I felt so bad, I said, "No, Lord, this has to stop. A minister cannot continue like this. With all the shoes in this country, You have some shoes for me."

"My Friend, don’t take things for granted. You may think that shoes and clothes are not very important. But, I tell you, that someone in a certain country, someone in the world today, needs that shoe, and needs those clothes. It is very important to him or to her. And so, that’s the way it was for me. I was praying for just a shoe." - Pastor Kaweesa

So, I took off my shoe, took off my sock, washed my feet and went to the pulpit barefooted and preached the Word of the Lord. The Spirit of God came down and ministered to the people. People were delivered of demonic possession. It was quite wonderful and I didn’t even care that I was barefooted, because I was so much encouraged at what the Lord was doing. I knew that God was training me in His own way.

However, I determined that my situation had to stop. So, I sent the message that I was not going to go home today. I was going to fast and pray and seek the face of the Lord for at least three days. What was I praying for? What was I going to fast for? I was going to pray and fast for a shoe. I wanted shoes for my feet! I am a minister. I have to dress in a decent manner, in a manner which gives glory to the Almighty God.

So, I began to pray........

Bullets like Raindrops

The fighting between the rebels and Idi Amin’s soldiers continued as the rebels attempted to overthrow Idi Amin. We were on the run because soldiers had overtaken our area. We were running aimlessly, not knowing where to go.

One particular time, as the fighting broke out, I was in town. Not knowing what was happening to my wife and children back at home, I began running on the road trying to get to them. It was nearly ten miles back to my home.

As others and I were running, the fighting broke out around us. The exchange of gunfire was very, very heavy forcing us at times to take cover and lie down on the ground. Bullets fell aimlessly like raindrops upon us. Hundreds of people were hit by the falling bullets. But, God is so good. Although I saw the bullets falling right beside me, ahead of me, and at my feet, the Lord protected me. No single bullet hit me.

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
nor of the arrow that flies by day....
A thousand may fall at your side,
and ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Psalm 91: 5, 7

As the guns became silent, I looked around and saw that many had died. Those of us who had survived rose up. I looked at myself. I had no wounds at all! We began running once again. We ran and ran and ran. And, as we did, the gunfire started again.

A bullet passed right over my head. I heard it pass right over my hair. There was a lady who was running in front of me. A bullet hit her, going deep inside her head and she fell down. There was nothing we could do to help her. We just continued to run.

God helped us and we came out of that fire exchange. The Lord had spared my life that day. Had He not, I would have been dead by now. Finally, I made it home to my family and found that they were safe. We went far away. The Lord protects His people.