TRANSCRIPT

NATHAN JONES

This month, we are back in Uganda, this time we are speaking with Anita Mulwana, who shares powerful stories of how Spirit-led stewardship has played out in her life, work, and church in deeply meaningful ways.

My name is Nathan Jones, and it's my privilege once again to serve as your host on this episode of the Inspiring Stewards podcast.

Anita, thank you for your time today. It's 4:30 here in Denver and I know it's around lunchtime in Uganda. So, I would love to begin by just telling us a little bit about your background, where you're from, where you grew up, that sort of thing.

ANITA MULWANA

I’m from Kampala, Uganda. That's in East Africa. I grew up in a number of places because we kept moving house depending on what job my mom had. I was raised by a single mother. My parents separated when I was really young, maybe about three years old. And she raised six kids and I have a twin brother who is a few minutes older than me. I currently work with Total Energies Uganda, and I've been here for 14 years now.

NATHAN

Wonderful. Well, tell us a little bit about how you came to relationship with Jesus and what impact that then had on your life.

ANITA

I was aware from the age of six that there was something or someone bigger than me. But I was raised Roman Catholic. So, I used to go to church on Sundays but I knew that there was more than that setting that I was in. 

God was pursuing me for years until I go to university. I got to a point where I had to make that decision. I thought I would delayed it for as long as I could because I wanted to have the university experience: go clubbing and everything.

But someone in my class who I was close to died very suddenly. She died in a car accident. And I thought, “Oh my God, that could have been me!” because she was on her way to a party at another university a little far from ours and I could have easily gone with her.

And when she died, that's when I was like, “Okay, maybe it's time.” There wasn't an altar call or anything like that. I was overwhelmed with her death. And I just got home and I told God, “Okay, now I'm ready,” and knelt right there and then in my room and asked Jesus to come into my heart. And I've never looked back. That was 22 years ago. 

NATHAN

Praise the Lord. He drew you to Him. I'm sorry it was such a tough way, but certainly very pointed reality about the shortness of life, yeah.

Well, you mentioned you work with Total Energies. What else does the Lord have you involved with today ministry-wise, life-wise?

ANITA

I go to a church called Watoto Church here in Kampala. And they have what we call “cells.” And that means that the church members sort of have to go to a home in their neighborhood. So, you'll be anywhere from 6 to 14 people meeting regularly every week. So, my husband and I host that at our house every Wednesday.

But I went through something profound maybe three years ago. I thought of knew what deliverance from the Scriptures and what happened to the Israelites, but I didn't understand what it meant for me today, you know, in 2021, 2022, and so on.

We were introduced to a certain gentleman as a family, a few of us, my siblings, and some of my first cousins. And we did what is called spiritual mapping. And what happened was our family tree was projected and we just started to talk about certain things: some patterns that did not look okay like children die really young, the male children not making it very far in life dying really early – the oldest was maybe in their 40s – miscarriages and things like that.

The goal was to address those things in prayer. And to understand that yes, the world tells you that these things happen or it's normal, you could lose someone and it happens, but you can actually address it and make sure that it doesn't go beyond your generation.

So, I got to understand prayer in a much deeper sense and that really changed my life. And the gentleman who took us through this walk introduced me to a church I hadn't been going to. It's called All Saints Cathedral in Kampala. It's an Anglican church, but they have a really powerful prayer and intercession.

So, I got introduced to that as well, and I served there as well. I’m part of the prayer and intercession department of that church. So, I got to Watoto, mostly out of submission to my husband because he still goes there and then, I also serve at All Saints. It's mostly online, and then we'll meet once in a while physically at the church.

NATHAN

Wow. So, the cell church at your home, is that a part of All Saints or a part of the other church?

ANITA

It’s part of Watoto.

NATHAN

Okay, wonderful. Well, you know, this being the Inspiring Stewards podcast, how are you seeing the principles of stewardship play out in your world today?

ANITA

I think it's Faith and Finances – the course that really opened my eyes to what stewardship really was. And I will start with stewardship in the sense of money because that's what I was taught. And I had learned so many things over the years. But one of the biggest things that was a shift for me was the pattern on giving. Most of the things I'd been taught was giving was down to a percentage.

You know, so you give you give 10% to church. You give a 10% to someone in need. But in Faith and Finances, you learn that it might be 100%. And that was very new to me. And they really emphasized that it was important to hear from God directly. Don't just go and give 100%. Keep having conversations with God.

And I began to apply that. And I've seen God moving in such amazing ways. I'm doing things right now that I'm like, “How is this even happening? How am I managing to do all these things just financially? 

After I did that course, I began to look after two children. They are my niece and nephew by marriage. Their dad is my husband's big brother and he's had a kidney problem for more than a decade, so he doesn't work. And his wife took a job out of the country. So, they were living somewhere but there were issues there. 

And I felt God lead me to be an intentional mother to them. So, I began to bring them to our house but now they're staying at our house more and more. And that means that there are things that need to be done whether it's school shopping or paying some of their tuition because their mom not able to pay all of it and things like that. But before Faith and Finances, I would have said, “I can't afford it.” That was one.

Then, my brother-in-law as well. He had been home since COVID. 2020 he'd done his A-levels and his siblings told him there was no money for him to go to university. And again, I had God tell me clearly to walk with him in that and he enjoined university.

I had no business even getting involved in that discussion, but I did, and he was admitted and he's studying now. He's in his first year. I was able to pay his tuition at least for the first semester. And like I said, I don't know how I'm managing, but I am. I'm not in debt.

God is doing something. And I should have been able to say, “No, I can't afford it. I can only give 10%,” and that does really nothing. But sometimes what I would have put towards something else, I put completely towards these needs that need to be met, you know, and that came from Faith and Finances and God has been faithful.

But now it's more than that. It's stewardship even at the workplace. At my job, these people who are reporting to me… one day when I'm standing before God, what will I tell Him? How was I able to impact them?

And it doesn't have to be a sermon or I don't have to preach or pull out my Bible. It's just walking in love with them, understanding them, showing them a different way because in the corporate world, that's not what you're taught.

And I think I’m strange to most people because you're applauded when you are the kind of leader who you're not very kind, you know, you’re result-oriented and you want your things when you want them and you don't care what's going on with someone's life. But sometimes you understand that you need take what this person's work because they're at someone's bedside last night or there's something going on with their family.

So, I think my work is a bit different and sometimes I wonder if I'll go very far because that's not applauded. You sort of supposed to be a certain way, and I don't fit because I am the person who is laughing with my team. It's sort of supposed to just hang out with fellow managers and things like that. So, I wonder where it will go but that's where I'm right now. 

NATHAN

That’s great to see the different sides of what stewardship looks like in different parts of our life. You've kind of started to answer this question, but any other thoughts that come to mind around how you're seeing God at work in our world today? 

ANITHA

I see Him at work in so many ways, even just with what I'm doing with GTP. When you log onto the call and there are people from different parts of the world and they are appreciating the information the same way you are and you're responding in the same way, I think He's doing something.

I'm not sure what it is, but there's a movement. There are people who understand. If I'm around them, I'm not weird like sometimes, I feel I am at the workplace. Like they get it, like this is what it's really about: stewardship.

I'm currently doing another one called JOE – Journey of Empowerment. I'm amazed as I was with the other one as well with Faith and Finances to have that appreciation that it's not a competition. There's a part each of us has to play, and if we do it together we will be able to accomplish so much.

So, I'm seeing it's mostly with GTP. That’s what comes to mind right now. That you can come from different corners of the world and connect and understand the asssignment.

NATHAN

Thank you, Anita, for your time. Any final thoughts you have for those listening on anything we've shared, talked about, or anything else that comes to mind.

ANITA

Just to be open, sensitive to what God is doing. I felt like God led me to GTP when I needed GTP to come. But even deeper than that, I did Faith and Finances exactly when I needed to do Faith and Finances, and that changed a lot. 

Then, I tried to do JOE but somehow it didn't work out, but even in that I saw God because I ended up doing another one called When Money Goes on Mission. And at that point, I was asking God certain questions about impact and legacy because I'm getting older and what impact do I want to make when I was thinking something around these children.

My three and these two have taken on maybe we could set a foundation. Those are conversations I was having with God. And then this course came up, When Money Goes on Mission, and that was amazing.

Then, I came back to JOE. I'm just amazed at how God will just walk with you day by day and He'll usher you into spaces that you didn't even know existed.

Yeah so, I would say stay open, spend the time with God every day, listen to what He is saying, and be obedient. Move your feet as He leads you and see where that goes because nothing is more important than that: doing what He placed you here to do whatever hat you're wearing, whatever position you hold. 

Because like, for me, it's many things. It's the workplace, as a mother, as a wife, you know, as an intercessor and everything. Yeah, so, it's just day by day, what is He telling you to do today? 

NATHAN

Yeah, such a such a good reminder of what that abiding moment-by-moment relationship looks like.

Anita, thank you so much for your time today this has been wonderful.

ANITA

Thank you, Nathan.