Alleluia! Sing to Jesus! His the Scepter, His the Throne ...

A few weeks ago, on All Saints Day, I stood with dear African friends, Theo and his wife, Paula, while singing the beautiful hymn “Alleluia, Sing to Jesus.” In verse one, the lyricist writes, “Hark! the songs of holy Sion thunder like a mighty flood; Jesus out of ev’ry nation hath redeemed us by his blood.” Truly, Jesus has redeemed us out of ev’ry nation. His blood which was shed on the cross is sufficient for everyone.
I’ve always loved this hymn, but sharing it with my friends made it even more special. Theo is an orphan from Rwanda who studied at Sonrise School for Orphans when I taught Bible to 450 children there, most of whom were orphans.
When I first arrived, Theo was in 2nd grade. I learned that he had no memory of his parents. Later, his only sibling, a sister, ran away to Uganda—never to be seen again. Over the years, Theo and I have bonded, and I slowly became “mom” to him. Paula, originally from Uganda, is a poised young woman. She has two Master’s degrees and currently studies on scholarship in Germany with the hope of receiving her Ph.D.
How does their story connect to the Dufatanye Organization (DO) in Nyanza? Theo lived for several years with the director of the DO, Karema Godfrey, and his delightful wife, Diane. Theo graduated from university in Nyanza and worked in different capacities with Godfrey at the DO. During this time, Godfrey met Paula’s mom at an international Christian conference and invited Paula to come to the DO for a few months. She came, and as God would have it, she and Theo fell in love, got married, and now have a precious two-year-old daughter, Malaika, which means “angel.”
This account is just one example of how our Lord leads his people through tragedy into triumph. Most of our friends at the DO and many at our Villages of Hope have known horrific heartache. Many women, for example, acquired AIDS when they were violated by genocidal perpetrators. They were subsequently kicked out of their homes and left alone to forage on their own.
But just as our Lord enabled the widow of Zerephath during the drought in Israel to continuously feed her son along with the prophet Elijah using only a little jar of flour and an almost empty jug of oil, so also the same Lord met these dear people in their times of terrible despair by bringing them to the DO. Whether on All Saints Day, or now during Advent, let us rejoice, “Alleluia! Not as orphans are we left in sorrow now: Alleluia! He is near us, faith believes nor questions how.”
Malaika with Heidi, one of Martha’s two longhaired Dachshunds.
More in News
February 4, 2025
Why Do We Have Music In Church?February 4, 2025
God Provides Even in the Midst of a Snow Storm!February 4, 2025
Special Rector’s Forum and Meet and Greet: Uganda Christian University Partners