Please Meet...

...Danze.

A few month ago I introduced you to a dear friend of mine, a remarkable young woman named Fauza. You can read about Fauza in a post here.

I have another young person I'd like you to get to know - Danze (pronounced Dan-zee) Fred.

Danze

Honestly, I have met few young people like him - either in Uganda or in the U.S. - someone who is sold out to Jesus, incredibly passionate about sharing the Gospel, focused on his goals, and a very hard worker.

Danze is a relatively young Christian, yet you wouldn't know that by the great strides he has made in his faith and witness.

One of 12 children born to poor parents, Danze saw it as a "God-made" opportunity for him and his brother to be taken in by an uncle who lives on the islands. Danze was in primary (elementary) school at the time and the uncle began paying for the boys' school tuition. The opportunity later disappeared, though, as the uncle went bankrupt.

Danze's yearning for studies motivated him and impressed his teachers. When sent home for lack of money for tuition, Danze would make charcoal, having to miss two to three weeks of classes at a time. At other times the teachers took pity on him, and allowed him to stay. Because of his hard work and dedication, Danze was selected in 2011 for sponsorship by SHIM.

Though not yet a born-again believer when he enrolled in our island secondary school in 2009, Danze's thirst for the Word of God propelled him to attend anything he could to learn more, including Bible studies, Sunday and mid-week services, and prayer times. He couldn't seem to get enough of God's truth.

Yet, there was an intense battle for his soul and eternal destiny.

One evening after classes in his second year, as he returned to his small rented house in the village, Danze suffered a demonic attack. His body became paralyzed, extreme cold overtook him, and he was unable to see or speak.

"They (the demons) were claiming my life," Danze recounts. “Today we are killing you,” the spirits told him. However, another "Voice" instructed him to call on Christ. Though unable to speak, Danze cried out for Jesus in his spirit.

As he cried out for Christ, he began to recover. A bright light then appeared in the house and the Voice asked, “What do you see?” When he said he couldn't see, the Voice replied, “Open your eyes and see…You are seeing darkness, but light has come into this house.”

Danze was told to open his Bible to John 11:25 - “Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone one who believes in me will live, even after dying.’” The same chapter tells of Lazarus’ resurrection and indeed Danze felt as if he was like Lazarus, - once dead, but raised to new life. 

That very evening, Danze trusted in Christ for salvation and and eternal life. As instructed by the Voice, he shared John 11:25 with his fellow students in a service the following evening. A short time later, Danze was among a group of local believers, including a number of students, to be baptized in Lake Victoria.

Danze, second from left, is baptized March 13, 2011. Also pictured are David, former school guard, Pastor Andy Smith, and Peter, a former elder in the local church.

Danze has been an impassioned minister ever since - faithfully sharing with his peers, the local believers and islanders, and more recently in the largest school in Jinja, on the streets there, in the hospitals, and wherever God calls him. The year after his conversion, Danze began chairing the island school's Scripture Union, a student-led mid-week service, as well as faithfully counseling and encouraging his fellow students.

Graduating at the top of his class in 2012, Danze left the island to attend junior college and continue his pursuit of medicine.

This week Danze begins his second year of junior college. While dedicating much of his time and energy to his books, Danze still puts God's work as a high priority in his life. Once the chairman of the Scripture Union for our small school, he now chairs a similar group at his current school - the largest school in the Jinja area, and is a coordinator for the same organization, overseeing 33 Jinja area schools.

It is obvious to me that God has a very special plan for Danze. He stands out from others, like Daniel did, because of his remarkable character, leadership, drive, service, and passion for Christ.

He is the only one of his immediate family to have reached this level of education, and yet he desires to in turn raise his family and others from their "miserable" burden of poverty.

Danze is striving to help his world both physically - aspiring to someday be a doctor, and spiritually - "I cannot leave the Word of God and preaching."

Would you join me in praying for this young man - that God would continue to be with Him and guide him in His ways?