A missionary's report: snakes, evil and rebels By John H. Adams The Layman Online Monday, June 7, 1999
So it goes in the life of missionary-educators Kevin and JD Barkovich, members of Blacknall Presbyterian Church in Durham, N.C., and World Harvest Mission team members in western Uganda. Through the Barkoviches' correspondence, a reader gets a lens into the evils and perils many missionaries face. The cobra adventure Referring to "our adventure with the cobra in our kitchen," Barkovich said recently, "Little did we know at the time that the serpent in the kitchen would foreshadow a dramatic increase in activity in Bundibugyo by the one who took the form of a serpent in the Garden of Eden. "As Martin Luther wrote in 1529: 'The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.' " Barkovich, an elder, is a Ph.D. mathematician who taught at the N.C. School of Math and Science in Durham before joining World Harvest Mission. JD, his wife, was a student at the science and math school. She studied economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In Bundibugyo, Uganda, the two were given the responsibility of developing the new Christ School, with Kevin serving as headmaster. It got off to a roaring start with 50 students on March 1. On March 15, it closed. It recently reopened on what is undoubtedly a day-to-day existence – or breath-to-breath. Because of the danger, JD and the couples' infant son, Joseph, have moved to Fort Portal while Barkovich remains in Bundibugyo (as of his latest correspondence). Spiritual renewal, backlash He describes the events, including a visit from a team of pastors. "They did this tirelessly for nearly two weeks, and many people were eager to receive their message and their ministry of prayer. Even so, storm clouds were gathering … opposition that intensified the longer the prayer team was here," Barkovich said. He said there were attacks in the area conducted by members of the Allied Democratic Forces, whose name he calls ironic: "…there is nothing democratic about the ADF and their only alliance is with the devil." When the prayer team concluded its ministry, Barkovich said, "we were grateful for this group of humble men who came so far and at such high personal cost … at the same time, though, we wondered about the possibility of a 'spiritual backlash.'" Rebel activities threaten area There was a backlash. Rebels began activities within kilometers of the school. Thousands of people fled their homes. Barkovich said the population of Nyahuka, a village in the district of Bundibugyo, swelled quickly from a few thousand to around 25,000 – "a community health nightmare." Because of the instability, the school closed and mission team members were evacuated. "And so with great sadness over this work that we had labored so long for, we closed Christ School on March 15, two weeks after first opening," he said. There was even greater sadness. Two friendly soldiers, fathers of students at Christ school, were killed. Other relatives of students died when rebels ambushed a village a few kilometers from Nyahuka. Thankful for wrong word A student riding in a pickup truck leaving the mission center fell from the truck and was seriously injured. The mission team was told that the student died. But, Barkovich said, "we felt a tiny ray of hope because of a vague understanding of the English word 'death' among the local people. Indeed, much to our relief, a week later we learned that Baguma had survived." As headmaster of Christ School, Barkovich seems to have discovered an uneasy routine. "Despite all this craziness, life for me from day to day is fairly normal (in the Ugandan sense of the word). School meets five days a week from 8:30 to 4:00, then I spend the rest of the day working on all the projects JD has given me to finish before she comes back. "I miss JD and Joseph terribly, but my stress level would be much higher if they were here with me now. I fly out every two weeks to spend the weekend with them, but those are bittersweet visits at best. We don't know when families will return to the mission, but we trust that God will sustain us and protect us during this separation. We know we are where we are supposed to be, doing the work we are called to do." |
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