Today was a tough day for us as we passed through another ramification of sexual betrayal and sin. Today Eric pled guilty in a federal court to “having sex with Ugandan female minors as young as age 14 that were under his organization’s care.” After we left Uganda, allegations of this were reported to the US Embassy in Kampala, it was then handed over to the Department of Homeland Security and US Attorneys in Georgia. Because America has its own laws regarding the behavior of its citizens in foreign countries, this is a federal case and will remain in America. (Eric will not serve time in Uganda for this). Because he is pleading guilty, there will be no trial and he will receive his sentencing in a few months. The sentence for this type of crime is generally 7–30 years and he will be listed as a registered sex offender.
…Recently, I read the book What is a Girl Worth? by Rebecca Denhollander. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it! I also read another book on predators, which I don’t necessarily recommend to the average person, but it was very eye-opening. Since then, my focus has turned and my heart has been so broken for his victims. It took so much courage to speak up about a “rich, white, powerful man” and I am so thankful. The girls in Uganda may be from a slum, they may be poor, they may be vulnerable, but they are made in God’s image and as such, they have great value. I praise the Lord for the US Attorneys and agents at the Department of Homeland Security who saw the girls of Uganda as people and worked very hard to speak for them when they could not speak for themselves. (Proverbs 31:8–9) The power of a first-world nation was used rightly in this case, and I am so thankful! I’m also thankful to the leaders of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church who did nothing to cover the sin, but they believed the victims and they worked to bring this darkness to light. They worked with the government to help in every way they could. I’m also thankful for some of my co-workers in Uganda who did the same and have helped in this case in amazing ways. Read more»
Dianna | “Life Update Post” | Feb 2, 2022
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Grateful that the mission and the OPC acted swiftly in response to evidence of a crime, which has been confirmed by his admission of guilt.. Let us pray for a just sentence and true repentance on the part of Eric, for his former wife and his children, and for those abused in Uganda.
Thank you for this, Dianna, and thank you, Dr. Clark. I saw the news article and was stunned, but this gracious post helps me by revealing that evil was chosen, not an “accidental” slip; moreover, it helps me to be better informed in prayer for the family here and the community in Uganda. “What God ordains is good indeed,” and that remains faithfully true especially in profoundly terrible circumstances. May the wounded be given grace to experience God’s benevolent, just grace.
That should read “God’s benevolent, just goodness.” And I didn’t mean that this sin could be accidental. I had been thinking all day, “oh, no, Lord, how can this be?” Naive. Evidence of what the German bishop called an inadequate view of sin