The Robber Did Not Get the Jewels!!

Thank you ALL so much for your prayers — the Lord is so faithful!

Over the past several weeks here in Karamoja, we have sensed both the incredible work of God and the reality of the spiritual battle taking place over these precious villages. We have seen people responding to Jesus, gathering to hear Bible stories, praying together, and beginning to walk in unity and freedom. But we have also become very aware that the enemy does not want to let go easily.

One night during the last week of April, Frank woke up at 3 a.m. after having a vivid dream. He immediately wrote it down:

“I was walking down a street and went into a jewelry store where I greeted the owner, a distinguished older man. He and I were looking over various pieces of jewelry, and we had many items out of the locked cabinets.

As we were busy discussing the merits of different pieces, a robber burst in and began packing up some pieces as he prepared to leave. The robber ignored the owner and me while we were thinking of ways to stop him and prevent the loss. The owner reached into a closet under the counter and presumably pressed an alarm, calling for backup. At that point I woke up.”

As Frank shared the dream with me, we both immediately sensed that the jewels represented the people in these villages — precious lives that belong to Jesus and are deeply valuable to Him. The robber represented satan trying to snatch away those who have begun responding to Christ.

We felt the Lord was sounding an alarm, calling us to pray and to ask others to stand with us in prayer for the work here.

That same night, one of our Karamojong team members also had a dream where he was protecting people from a violent windstorm crashing against a house. We knew the Lord was preparing us for something.

Around this same time, we learned that two village chairmen had participated in a traditional animal sacrifice after sickness spread among their cattle. These two leaders are very special to us because their villages used to be enemies. Yet through the gardening projects and Bible story-telling that Isaac and Gabriel have been doing, God has brought them together beautifully. They now sit together, garden together, plan together, and encourage others in their villages to come gather for Bible stories and prayer.

They were also the ones who had told us, “Jesus is in our midst. He is walking with us.” They spoke often about sensing His presence among them.

But after the sacrifice, they began avoiding us.

As Frank and I prayed about how to meet with them privately, the Lord reminded me of something from more than a month earlier. I had commented that the two men always seemed to wear the exact same type of blanket, and one of them jokingly said they should have matching shirts as well! So we told them that because we were leaving soon, we wanted to bless them personally with gifts and needed to meet privately at one of their homes.

When we sat together, we first thanked them for the way God has used them in their villages. Then we gently began asking about the cattle and the sacrifice. They shared that they had lost around 50 cattle and that there had been pressure from village elders after one elder claimed to have a dream instructing them to make the sacrifice.

But as they talked, it became clear they knew it had been wrong. They openly admitted they should have prayed to Jesus instead. They spoke about feeling guilty and grieving the Lord. There seemed to be genuine repentance in their hearts.

As we listened, the Lord put it strongly on my heart to share the story of Peter denying Jesus. I told them how Jesus did not cast Peter away after his failure. Instead, after the resurrection, Jesus lovingly welcomed Peter on the shore with fish and bread waiting for him. He restored him and recommissioned him to care for His sheep.

Gabriel then shared powerfully about Jesus being the ultimate sacrifice — that there is no need for any other sacrifice because of what Christ has already done for us on the cross. We talked about how believers overcome satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. We also explained clearly that following Jesus means renouncing and forsaking witchcraft, sacrifices, and the old practices rooted in fear and bondage.

Then, in a beautiful moment, the two men followed Gabriel in renouncing the sacrifices, witchcraft, and former practices. We were overwhelmed with gratitude to the Lord. What the enemy intended to steal away, God redeemed through repentance, grace, and restoration. Frank’s dream warned us that the robber wanted to steal these precious jewels. But through prayer and the faithfulness of God, the robber has not succeeded.

Please continue praying for these leaders — Albert and Andrew — and especially for Albert’s health as he is quite old and has some health challenges. Please also pray for continued freedom and breakthrough across these villages in Karamoja.

All glory to God for what He is doing here.

By Sue Robb, Founder of TCI