By Andrew Dernovsek, (August 2013)- UCE began nine years ago with the idea that God has shown us how to live healthy lives. Today over 240,000 young people have confirmed this idea by making a choice for Christ, and making a choice to abstain until a faithful marriage. That is almost a quarter of a million lives saved! Or to look at it another way, this ministry, through the assistance of UCE supporters, has helped to put 3 Broncos stadiums worth of Jesus fans before heaven’s throne! If you have supported UCE in any way whether it be through prayer, volunteering, or financial support, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This past year, during our annual program review, I was blessed with the opportunity to go on outreaches with our teams. In Tanzania, I joined an outreach to one of the most remote schools UCE has ever visited. We drove for more than 4 hours on a dusty African road until the road ended. Then we drove further. Seated under trees in the burning African heat, the UCE team gave a message of abstinence. After the UCE team had finished, a student leader stood up and said, “No one has ever cared about us enough to bring us a message like this. No one has believed in us, or even told us that there is another way to live. We have heard your message, and I promise you that from today forward we will change our lifestyle.” On March 7th, 2013 I watched as that student and 271 of her peers from Ukwega Secondary School committed themselves to live anew, to strive for purity, and to abstain until marriage. The joy I saw on their faces was evidence of hope fulfilled and truth found. It was the joy that only Christ Jesus can bring.
For our teams to reach 1 secondary school it costs us $250. At Ukwega Secondary School, past the end of the road in the mountains of Tanzania, one of our faithful UCE donors sponsored an outreach at a monetary cost of less then $1 per commitment made. 272 lives were saved. Ukwega is also one of the smaller schools that we’ve reached. Many times the teams speak to 2,000 or more students at a single school.
Honestly, when that young girl stood up and said, “No one has ever cared about us enough to bring us a message like this. No one has believed in us, or even told us that there is another way to live.” Part of my heart leapt for joy that we reached her school, but at the same time my heart was covered with sadness as I thought of all those that we have not yet reached. There are literally hundreds of schools in Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, and even right here in Colorado that are crying out for the UCE message.
At this year’s UCE Braai Fundraiser, we had a record number of people step forward and sponsor schools for an outreach. They stood with us, and said ‘yes, we care about the youth, we believe in the youth, and we will help you bring Christ’s message.’ I want to ask you, if you are reading this, to look into your heart, and see if you are called to join us in this great cause. Join us in bringing the message of Christ to just one school! After the UCE teams completes their outreach they will send you a report on which school you sponsored, and what happened at your outreach. If you are unable to join us at that level, you can join us at a lower level, in prayer by becoming a member of the UCE Prayer Warrior Team, or you can volunteer in Colorado or Africa! If I can tell you one thing it is that the feeling that you impacting lives is one like no other. At UCE we are in the business of saving lives, not only here on earth, but also for the Kingdom of Heaven. As they say in Africa, Come, join us! Click here to donate now.
You can see the students of Ukwega at the conclusion of our UCE video: