Christ Raised my Head from the Dead
Together with his wife, Grace, and their four children, Daniel Pratt Morris-Chapman is currently serving as a Mission Partner with the Methodist Church in Uganda. He recently shared this update:
On 3rd October I was asked to do an assembly at the Methodist school here in Jinja. I always find assemblies to be a special time and I always try to share my testimony as God has really transformed my life (here it is):
“I really struggled when I was at school. Though I didn’t know until I was 17, and had almost finished school, I am dyslexic. I didn’t know why struggled so much and I always felt trapped somehow at school. I understood stuff but I couldn’t explain it on paper. My frustration often got the better of me and many school reports displayed the confusion - “is Daniel lazy or just plain troublesome?” I nearly failed my GCSEs and though I managed to get admitted for A Levels it was just so difficult for me (it took three years instead of two). However, everything changed when I became a Christian. A retired Methodist Minister mentored me, prayed with me, and by God’s grace I managed to make steady progress. I got into Cliff College, went on to Wesley College Bristol before (and this is really a miracle) getting admitted for Doctoral studies at the University. However, it was still a monumental battle. My first supervisor raised so many questions about my work and I really was unsure as to whether I should continue. In the end I started again, from scratch, on a new topic and after 7 years I finally passed. I see this as an act of God’s grace, and a demonstration of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ working in us – Christ raised my head from the dead.”
After sharing my testimony in the assembly, I asked the children if they had anything they wanted to ask or share. One child standing at the back put up their hand. He was 7 years old and his name was Raymond. “Dr Chapman, I want to share something about what God has done in my life. My mother couldn’t afford to pay for school fees and I was worried I cannot come to school on time. I want to say thank you to Jesus because when we all prayed together as a family God answered our prayer and we have managed to pay the school.” I nearly cried.
Life is so difficult here. Whatever challenges I may have had, the UK government has always provided me education (or low interest loans). Here there is no support whatsoever for those who cannot pay. So many young people are unemployed. This is very worrying as the majority of the population is under the age of 30.
Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world. Indeed I find it amusing that, at 41, more than 80 percent of the population is younger than me. Tragically, unemployment among the youth is a huge problem and the number of young people actively looking for a job is considerable. This is vivid in the church here. There are so many young people, they have so many hopes and dreams, but when they finish school (if they manage to pay fees) they are struggling to know what to do. Many get so profoundly discouraged by the situation.
Please pray for Uganda, that its young population will be a force for renewal and transformation in the nation.
Please pray for the many young people who are so discouraged by the challenge of unemployment and for those who are losing hope.
Please pray for us, that we can inspire and support those discerning their future in this challenging situation.