Thursday, January 25, 2018
Photos Before We Go
More photos to come, hope you enjoy these! Thank you for praying for us this week--God has done a mighty work! We will be traveling by bus all day today, boarding a plane tonight to travel through Amsterdam and then home again. I think it's safe to say that we are leaving pieces of our hearts behind! Praise the Lord, He is good.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Beautiful
This week we have had a wonderful time of discipleship with the teenagers and adults at Ebenezer. We are so encouraged by the way in which the church members desire to study God's word together, to discuss and share testimony of how God has transformed their lives, and to listen to one another with love and compassion. The men have studied together with the teenage boys and have had a powerful time of testimony as they walk through the book of Ephesians. In the tent, the women have studied together the amazing Old Testament story of Ruth. Through teaching and discussion, the Holy Spirit moved and one of the women made a decision to accept Jesus as her Savior and become a christian. The teenage girls have been learning about self esteem, about how to see themselves as God sees them, and how to trust fully in God's love in order to have hope for the future. We were able to explore these truths with an art project, and the girls used mirrors to observe themselves and draw a self portrait. As I watched them each look into the small mirror, I prayed that as they grow into women, they will hold tight to the truth and the power of God's love, that it would fill every part of them, and they will never forget that because they are fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who loves and adores them, they are beautiful.
Monday, January 22, 2018
Glimpse of Heaven
I must begin with an apology. Our wifi connection at the hotel in Mbale has been very unreliable (more so than normal), and I have not been successful posting to this blog or even publishing pictures to the Mission Mbale Facebook page. If you are a Facebook user, I want to encourage you to follow Mission Mbale for quick updates and picture posts as I am able to load them.
A luggage update: We have received all the personal bags and most of the supply tubs that were missing, only 5 remain MIA (and we know that 3 are being held up by customs officials). We are grateful for your prayers and ask you to continue to pray that what is lost will soon be found.
Now for the good stuff. Yesterday was a wonderful Sunday of worship at Ebenezer. We sang, we danced, we shouted, and we praised the Lord for the mighty work He has done. We are so grateful to be refreshed and renewed--and so incredibly blessed--by the authentic worship we witnessed among the church members here. Indeed, it was a glimpse of heaven.
At home, whenever someone asks what we are going to build in Uganda, I usually say "relationships." And that was what today was all about. Our team split into two groups, with some of the men leaving with Pastor Fred to visit with church leaders in the mountain region around Mbale. These are the same pastors who traveled to Ebenezer for a conference in July, and we are praying that this will be an excellent time of fellowship and discipleship, a family reunion of sorts.
The rest of the team remained behind at the church to visit with the women and children and lead Bible studies in the afternoon. It has been amazing to see the physical growth among the children (they are all getting so tall!) but even more encouraging to see how much they are growing in their faith. Late in the day, I was chatting with some of the teenage girls. They told me about the language education in Uganda and taught me some basic words in their local language, and then sang a song for me in Swahili and English. For just a moment, I was reminded of scripture's promise that one day all believers will be together for eternity with Jesus, people from every tribe and every tongue. And this happiness that we feel now at the wonderful, miraculous way the Lord has brought us together from around the world to be church family is only a shadow of the joy that is to come. Another little glimpse of Heaven.
A luggage update: We have received all the personal bags and most of the supply tubs that were missing, only 5 remain MIA (and we know that 3 are being held up by customs officials). We are grateful for your prayers and ask you to continue to pray that what is lost will soon be found.
Now for the good stuff. Yesterday was a wonderful Sunday of worship at Ebenezer. We sang, we danced, we shouted, and we praised the Lord for the mighty work He has done. We are so grateful to be refreshed and renewed--and so incredibly blessed--by the authentic worship we witnessed among the church members here. Indeed, it was a glimpse of heaven.
At home, whenever someone asks what we are going to build in Uganda, I usually say "relationships." And that was what today was all about. Our team split into two groups, with some of the men leaving with Pastor Fred to visit with church leaders in the mountain region around Mbale. These are the same pastors who traveled to Ebenezer for a conference in July, and we are praying that this will be an excellent time of fellowship and discipleship, a family reunion of sorts.
The rest of the team remained behind at the church to visit with the women and children and lead Bible studies in the afternoon. It has been amazing to see the physical growth among the children (they are all getting so tall!) but even more encouraging to see how much they are growing in their faith. Late in the day, I was chatting with some of the teenage girls. They told me about the language education in Uganda and taught me some basic words in their local language, and then sang a song for me in Swahili and English. For just a moment, I was reminded of scripture's promise that one day all believers will be together for eternity with Jesus, people from every tribe and every tongue. And this happiness that we feel now at the wonderful, miraculous way the Lord has brought us together from around the world to be church family is only a shadow of the joy that is to come. Another little glimpse of Heaven.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Love Breaks Through
Dear Friends, the last four days have been quite an adventure! Our team was prepared for a long journey but none of us expected that our stamina would be tested and stretched so much. We have endured snow, ice, wind, rain, flight delays, re-booking issues, random unexplained ticket cancellations, extremely long lines and 25 pieces of lost luggage—ALL of this just to be here in Uganda.
At every moment, when hope seemed lost, the Lord opened a door, or a window, or literally a seat assignment just in the nick of time. He has blessed our compression socks off with tiny traveling miracles and answers to prayers that sounded more like groans than actual words. From the beginning of this trip, we’ve been brought to the end of ourselves and we are learning how to trust Him fully for every next step.
Upon our arrival at Ebenezer Baptist Church, our Ugandan brothers and sisters welcomed us with open arms and soul reviving excitement, and we give God the praise for this blessing. Our friends here truly know what it means to seek after Him and love one another (and us) with audacity and purpose. After a short visit, we drove over to the farmland (which I believe is going to need a new nickname soon!) and stood in awe at the wonder of God’s work. The construction of Ebenezer Christian School is under way and we are grateful that God has called Mission Mbale to partner in His kingdom expansion.
As we walked along the newly constructed fence at the back of the property, the setting sun broke through the clouds with such brilliance that we all knew God was blessing us again. No matter the clouds of our momentary situation, the Son will have His say. He will remind us all again that He is good all the time, and all the time He is good. It is His nature, this Love that breaks through. And as our Ugandan friends say, WOW.
[gallery size="full" ids="1400,1406,1404,1402,1405,1403,1401,1411,1399,1398,1408,1410"]
At every moment, when hope seemed lost, the Lord opened a door, or a window, or literally a seat assignment just in the nick of time. He has blessed our compression socks off with tiny traveling miracles and answers to prayers that sounded more like groans than actual words. From the beginning of this trip, we’ve been brought to the end of ourselves and we are learning how to trust Him fully for every next step.
Upon our arrival at Ebenezer Baptist Church, our Ugandan brothers and sisters welcomed us with open arms and soul reviving excitement, and we give God the praise for this blessing. Our friends here truly know what it means to seek after Him and love one another (and us) with audacity and purpose. After a short visit, we drove over to the farmland (which I believe is going to need a new nickname soon!) and stood in awe at the wonder of God’s work. The construction of Ebenezer Christian School is under way and we are grateful that God has called Mission Mbale to partner in His kingdom expansion.
As we walked along the newly constructed fence at the back of the property, the setting sun broke through the clouds with such brilliance that we all knew God was blessing us again. No matter the clouds of our momentary situation, the Son will have His say. He will remind us all again that He is good all the time, and all the time He is good. It is His nature, this Love that breaks through. And as our Ugandan friends say, WOW.
[gallery size="full" ids="1400,1406,1404,1402,1405,1403,1401,1411,1399,1398,1408,1410"]
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