“Guilty until proven innocent!” This statement is considered truth in many places of Uganda. If someone is accused of a crime, he could immediately be sent to prison without any evidence to convict him. Unless a bribe is paid, he could remain in prison for up to a year until the trial. The only chance for freedom is if no evidence is presented or if the accuser does not appear in court. Just imagine—a year of life lost simply because of a malicious and often unjustified accusation!

This was the situation with Eliab Mugarura, a man working for the Church of Uganda (similar to the Episcopalian Church). When asked to be involved in a fraudulent deal, he refused. He was then accused by those involved of embezzlement and was sent to the Kyamugoran Prison. Yet, God had a plan for Eliab’s life. Just as Joseph in Scripture was erroneously sent to prison, God meant it for good. It was through this imprisonment that Eliab would truly be set free.

Several years ago on one of my regular visits to the prison, I met this fifty–three year old man. He attended one of our prison services and received Christ as his Savior and experienced true freedom in Christ. He was very attentive to hearing God’s Word and desired to know more.

He expressed interest in attending our Bible Institute once he was released; however, he was concerned because of a lack of finances. I informed him that this institute was a ministry of our local Baptist church and that there was no tuition besides a minimal book fee. He was overjoyed and looked forward to his release with eager anticipation!

A year after his imprisonment, Eliab had his court hearing. Because his court file could not be found, he was released and freed to return home. What a joy it was for him to return to his family, having been freed from both his physical captivity as well as from the bondage of sin!

Soon after his release, he was baptized, joined our church, and began attending our Bible institute. His home was about six miles from our church in Mbarara town, yet he was faithful to walk the long distance required each week. The Lord rewarded his faithfulness through the Open Door Baptist Church in Missouri, which sent him the money to buy a bicycle.

Eliab’s zealous love for telling others of His Savior was evident, for it was not long before he had won his family to the Lord and had the joy of seeing them baptized. However, Eliab was not satisfied with only his family being saved; he wanted others to know of this great Savior. A few months later, he shared with me his burden to reach his home village of Kyahi. We went out to meet the local officials, and they allowed us to use a small portion of land on Saturdays to hold a Bible study. As we began preaching, people began getting saved and desiring to begin our discipleship program. Yet, that was not enough for these young converts. Soon the people came to us saying that they were “getting lost” during the week (their way of saying that they were searching for more spiritual direction) and wanted another service in addition to Saturday. This resulted in our adding a Wednesday evening service. In the natural progression, the people soon desired not just a Bible study but a church, so we began Sunday services, and thus, Eliab’s vision of a church in his home village was realized.

We then began praying about some land where we could build a permanent building. There were several sites that we looked at, but we ended up buying land from one of the men in the church. As the Lord provided the finances, we began constructing a building that would seat around two hundred people. After many months of praying and giving, the building was finally completed. What a delight for the people to see God’s provision in answer to their prayers and labor!

To watch the progress of the church building was exciting to the people as well as to the community, and yet there was a more important progress going on—although invisible—in the hearts of the people. They were growing and developing spiritually into mature Christians. Pastor Eliab also was growing into a strong, godly leader for this new congregation.

It was at this time that I began giving more responsibility to Pastor Eliab and other men in the church, encouraging them to use their abilities for the Lord. Eventually when necessary, Pastor Eliab did more of the preaching, baptizing, organizing of church ministries, and administering church discipline. This was a training ground for him, and within a few years he was the acting pastor and shepherd for this flock.

This past November, Brother Eliab was officially ordained by the Independent Baptist Church of Mbarara. The ordination board consisted of both missionaries and national pastors, and it was evident to all that God had called and enabled this man for the ministry.

We praise the Lord for the work God is doing through Pastor Eliab. It is a miracle to see where he was and where he is today. He is now pastoring a church, recording programs for a Christian radio station, teaching in the Bible Institute, and working on Bible translation projects. His wife is also active in the Lord’s work and is administrating a Christian day care for over one hundred children.

With our human eyes, we could never envision what God had planned for this man when we first saw him in prison. Yet, we praise the Lord for His miraculous saving power, which can take a man from the prison to the pulpit!