Wednesday, May 30, 2018

AND THE WHEELS ON THE BUS GO ROUND AND ROUND ...

WHEN THE CUP RUNNETH OVER ... THE WHEELS ON THE BUS WILL GO ROUND AND ROUND!!!


"Give, and it will be give to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure---pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."  Luke 6 38

From the very first day that God invited us to join Him in the work that He was doing in Mbale, Uganda, He has proven Himself worthy to be praised.  My friends, each day is literally a new adventure in NOT understanding but yet knowing without a shadow of doubt that we have taken the right path.  Over and over and over again we have experienced the freedom that the above verse promises in that God's blessings have continued to overflow upon everything that we have followed Him in doing since our partnership with Ebenezer Baptist Church was established on July 20, 2013.  Yes, there have been many times that it seemed that the road may be coming to an end, but rather than ending it just became more and more glorious as God has continued to rain down blessing upon blessing on the ministry and this update is about the latest stretch of road that we have traveled down! WOW!!!

There are so many things that have happened prior to what I will share with you today but this "running over" event has so many other evidences tied to it of God's willingness and joy in overflowing our cup that it couldn't be contained any longer!!!  Mary Faye and I hosted our first "mission team" to Uganda in October 2015 when we carried Rickey, Dena, and Garrett Donalson to meet our family there. As the verse at the top of the page states: "Give and it will be given to you..." , and since Dena and her family went with us to Uganda in October 2015, we have seen hundreds and hundreds of people come along side of this ministry to give of themselves and their resources to help further the Lord's work in the Namatala Slum in Mbale, Uganda.  As a result of these precious people's commitment to His work, the Lord has poured into our laps "A good measure---pressed down, shaken together, and running over".  But the outpourning really started on Sunday, August 24, 2014, when Dena courageously stepped out in faith and courageously challenged her pastor and her church to take a bold step in missions by helping to dig a well and help start an orphanage in Africa.  It was out of that act of faith that God officially began what is now Mission Mbale, Inc, a 501c3 non-profit ministry.  Her step of faith on that Sunday morning ultimately led the members of her church, Fellowship Baptist Church in the southwest Georgia community of Brinson, to take a HUGE leap of faith on Sunday, September 28, 2014!  On that day the 140 members present on that rainy Sunday morning placed over $40,000 into a plastic bucket under the spout of a replica of a Ugandan hand-operated well pump ... and there the journey began and God has been running full-speed ahead since that day!  Dena is now serving as one of the board members of the ministry and we are truly blessed that she is still a strong and vital part of the team!

It has now been over 3 1/2 years since God first opened the floodgates of His blessings upon the beautiful people that we are now privileged to call "Family" and the following is one of the many amazing testimonies of how God continues to work among us to bring hope to the children and families who call the Namatala Slum their home...

AS OF TODAY, May 30, 2018, Ebenezer Baptist Church and Christian School is the blessed owner of a 30 passenger school bus...the one that is in the pictures that are a part of this post!  As I said above, the provision of this bus represents so much more than just that of having a bus!  This bus represents the final hurdle that was standing in the way of being able to move the 29 children that have been living in the tent on the church property in the slum village, into their newly remodeled permanent homes out at the farmland.  Although the houses have been ready for some time we were unable to move the children because the farmland is about 15 minutes out of town and we had no way of transporting them back into the city to attend school.  God has now taken care of that issue and very soon these precious children will be sleeping with a real roof over their heads, something that many of them have NEVER experienced in their young lives.

Please join us in celebrating this amazing blessing and continue to follow as we bring you up to date with all that is happening across the "big water" as the people of Mbale refer to the Atlantic Ocean.  May God richly bless you as you continue praying for the work that He is doing through Mission Mbale as we serve along side the faithful members of Ebenezer Baptist Church to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to the people of Mbale, Uganda!  And ALL the time God is good ... because that is His nature!!!

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Warren, Mary Faye and the entire Mission Mbale Family

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

June will mark four years since we watched God miraculously make provisions to complete a six-month quest for the first piece of property that we were able to help Ebenezer Baptist Church in Mbale, Uganda acquire. And if we are to be totally honest, it was ALL that we had intended to do ... not because we didn't want to continue serving God but mainly for the reason that we honestly didn't understand how we could be of further use to Him in that area of the world!!!

BUT, God had different plans and today, although we still struggle with the "understanding" part, we are so amazingly blessed that HE is so much bigger than our inadequacies. What an awesome journey this continues to be and our fears have turned to expectant anticipation as we realize without ANY doubts that HE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!

As we approach this huge milestone we will be sharing often of the many things that God is doing, but today we just wanted to share a little of our heart that is so full of gratitude and give you a glimpse of why we have chosen to stay the course.

People often ask us what it is that strengthens and enables us to continue in an ever-expanding ministry to the precious people who live in this filthy, smelly place known as the Namatala Slum! There is only one way to answer them and this is it ... we move forward in faith, a deep and abiding faith that is grounded in the fact that God has met EVERY need we have encountered in the past 4 1/2 years with overflowing sufficiency!!!

His faithfulness alone during this time provides ALL the peace and assurance that we need to continue the journey!!! It has also given us the ability to accept the fact that "understanding that we don't have to understand" is perfectly OK!!! WHY? Because He is good and HIS ways are ALWAYS PERFECT!!!

Thanks to each of you for your continued faithfulness to stand with us in ministry in so many ways but most importantly, through your "effectual, fervent prayers"! YOU ARE LOVED!!!

"And God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that having ALL suffiency in ALL things, at ALL times, you may abound in EVERY good work!" 2 Corinthians 9:8

ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

Warren and Mary Faye and the entire Mission Mbale family!!