Monday, February 19, 2018

Life Impacted: Edwin Eregwa


Special Post: Through your prayers and support, our family has had the distinct privilege of investing in the lives of some amazing people here in Uganda.  This post is about our good friend Edwin Eregwa.  Thank you for standing with us so that we can stand with people like this.  We hope you enjoy!

One of our first pictures together
I, Josh, met him in 2011 when we first arrived.  He was a recent graduate of Kampala International University and longtime member of United Faith Chapel (UFC).  He had just agreed to stay in Kampala for a year or two in order to help in the leading of ministries for UFC.  When I met Edwin, I immediately saw a man who loved Jesus with all his heart and desperately desired to minister to others.  My friendship with Edwin began to grow and Edwin quickly became a very important part of my life.
Edwin's UDM Photo

Fast-forward to 2017 and I have been back and forth from Uganda and the USA twice.  Edwin, a Kenya native, has stayed in Uganda this whole time and continued to serve in the university ministries.  The ministry is now  called University Discipleship Movement and Edwin found himself as the leader of a campus group meeting at Cavendish University. Edwin has impacted hundreds of students.  He began the ministry at Cavendish with 0 and has seen numbers reach 40 and 50 during their weekly meetings.  I had the pleasure of working side by side with Edwin at Cavendish for about a year in 2014-2015.  I look back on those days with great fondness.

Elizabeth and Cianna meet
A lot has changed for Edwin since we first met in 2011.  He has married Jeannette and now they have 2 precious little girls.  I had the privilege of traveling to Rwanda to celebrate with Edwin and Jeannette for their Introduction (a pre-marriage celebration). I have watched Edwin become a great husband and now a great father.  Learning the balance of family life and ministry was not easy but he did it with much grace and faith in Jesus.

I have learned a lot from my time with Edwin.  For a season we would pray together weekly and encourage one another. Edwin became a confidant for me. During one of the most stressful seasons of my life he was a rock for me to turn to.  I learned a lot about sacrifice.  I watched Edwin sacrifice MUCH for the sake of serving Jesus.  His position within the university ministry did not come with a lot of money and sometimes it came with none.  There were frustrations and broken promises along the way.  However, the fire in Edwin’s eyes never diminished when it came to serving Jesus through this ministry.  He knew Jesus was using him and that lives were being transformed.  That was enough to keep him going when any other man would have walked away.  There will be many in heaven who will approach Edwin and say, “thank you!” They will just have to wait for me to go first. 

Edwin and Caleb were good friends
Edwin has moved on from the university ministry here in Kampala.  It is now 2018 and Edwin and his sweet family are living in Kigali, Rwanda.  They don’t know exactly what is next.  There is no job lined up or stable income, yet they are at peace that this is where Jesus wants them.  There was no grand send off or party to thank him for his years of ministry here in Kampala.  But that hasn’t fazed Edwin one bit because acclaim is not what Edwin is looking for.  Just last week he sent me a message asking for prayer.  Not prayer for money or a job.  Prayer for his ministry.  You see, Edwin is already leading a discipleship group there in Rwanda.  This man who poured years into a ministry in Kampala and decided it was time to move on, has not taken a moment to pause and consider if ministry is something he should keep doing.  He knows it is what Jesus wants him to do.  He knows that wherever we find ourselves, we will find people who need to hear of the love of Jesus.  And so, he will keep trusting Jesus to provide for his needs and while he trusts, he will invest in the lives of others. 

I have been blessed by the friendship and example of Edwin Eregwa. I have learned a lot from his example.  I pray God continues to use him wherever he goes and I pray that I will follow the example of my friend.  There are always people around us who need to know the love of the Savior.  Will we tell them?

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