The Breaking of a New Day

As we begin our journey back to Georgia, I’m not sure there are words to adequately describe to you what we have witnessed this week. We thank God for His goodness and mercy, His blessings on the ministries, and His protection and provision for our team. Most of all we praise Him and give Him glory for the way He has unified the members of the mission team and brought us together in deeper fellowship with the leadership and other adult members of Ebenezer. As an organization, so much of our focus tends to be on ministering to the children, but for this trip, God has done a great work in our hearts to build mutual respect, trust, and affection with the men and women. In a precious letter received by one of our team members, the matron wrote, “the day I met you was like the breaking of a new day.” Wow. Lord, thank you.
And as we think back to Friday’s breaking of the ground and brick laying ceremony for Ebenezer’s church building construction project, we praise Him again for this breaking of a new day, the beginning of new era in the life and ministry of Ebenezer. Thus far the Lord has helped us. Great is Your faithfulness, O God.

JULY 20, 2013 --- A STEP BACK IN TIME TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN ... LEST WE FORGET GOD'S GOODNESS!!!

I would like to just preface this post by saying that these have been the most amazing, the most stretching, the most humbling, the most...the list of adjectives to describe this journey could go on forever!!!  As we walk among the unbelievable this week in Mbale I felt that I must share this story with our Mission Mbale Family because many of you have never read this, my journal entry written on the back seat of a bus in a pool of tears as we traveled back to our hotel after our first visit to the Namatala Slum.

As you will read towards the end of this journal entry, I asked God to one day allow me to hear the voice of Patricia among the angelic songs of these precious children.  That prayer was answered this past Sunday as I once again sat in the presence of God in Ebenezer Baptist Church in Mbale, Uganda in the midst of a pool of tears(this time though they were tears of uncontrollable joy) watching for the first time my precious Ugandan daughter, Patricia, as she stood before the church, and before God, lifting her voice in praise!!!  It took five years and eight trips but God proved His faithfulness once again!!! YES, God WILL make a way even when there seems to be no way!!  THAT'S MY KING!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!

Thank each of you from the bottom of my heart for standing with us in this amazing journey ... one that this week has proven over and over again has only just begun!!!

HUMBLED AND BLESSED!!!

Warren

DAY 5 --- Mbale, Uganda and Ebenezer Baptist Church



"This is the day which The Lord has made; I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!" Psalm 118:24

 

Our journey today carried us to Pastor Fred Mazune's church which is in the heart of a large slum.  You see, this ultra-poor "community" of humanity has developed, as have so many in this region of the world, around the most viable means of survival known to these people...a landfill covering acres upon acres of land...their jobs, digging through massive mounds of trash for anything of value that can be sold to buy food while always holding onto that thread of hope that they might even find a morsel of consumable food to temporarily silence the rumbling hunger pains crying out from their body! From the toddler to the very elderly this is “life” as defined by the need to survive.



 

This pastor heard God's call for someone to "stand in the gap" on behalf of His people in this environment of unbelievable filth and stench and simply said "Here I am God, send me!"  More than that, several years after establishing Ebenezer Baptist Church, he and his family chose to stay and continue to trust God even after the city government of Mbale decided to literally build a road through their church building.  This resulted in the destruction of most of their church building, rendering them the challenge of continuing to trying to minister over 300 children, most of whom were orphans, by keeping open the school which the church ran for these children.  Although they received no compensation for the destruction of their church they strung up tarps on make-shift frames and have continued to minister for over three years under the tarps and in what was salvaged of the church which is now less than the size of the dens in most of our homes!



Pastor Fred in the midst of his people!

 

Unlike the previous 4 days; TODAY HURT!!!!   God, I know that You are sovereign, that You are all-present, that You truly are Love and I believe this with EVERY ounce of my being... But Father, my heart still cries out “WHY?" And yet even while my heart is crying out "WHY", my Spirit is rejoicing that You my God, in Your perfect love, allow me the freedom to ask this question with absolute peace that Your view of me as Your precious and cherished son will not waver! Oh the sweetness of having learned to LIVE in the FREEDOM of God's grace rather than trying to SURVIVE under the BONDAGES of religion!

 

How do I begin to describe this day?  EASY? Yes, easily one of the most difficult days in my 56 1/2 years on this earth! All had gone pretty well as up until now my day had followed the typical course…being surrounded by a sea of dancing eyes and mile-wide smiles and singing!!!  But then God choose to bring this precious child into my path to turn my perception of what matters in life upside down!!!!!  The rest of my day, with the exception of one long hour, an hour spent in the above stated dialogue with God, in which I was temporarily separated from this precious daughter of the King, was spent with Patricia, a four-year old whose precious little body bore the scars of the hell that life continuously threw at her. When she first appeared by my side, an appearance signaled by a gentle tug on my shirttail, I was stunned as I looked down into hollow, bloodshot eyes buried in a face filled with scars; not the lively eyes cradled by a mile-wide smile that I had become accustomed to over the previous few days.



 

I began trying to free myself from the sea of children, children who possessed some of those smiles mentioned above, that were clinging to the fingers of both my hands in order to reach out to Patricia. After finally freeing up my right hand her fingers immediately latched onto my middle finger and instantly I knew why her eyes didn't dance...this little girl was burning up with fever! We made our way to the make-shift tent and I sat down and coaxed her to climb into my lap and offered her some water. We sat there for a while, her little body feeling hotter and hotter against my chest, until the line at the clinic dwindled down and I took her in my arms and made our way to get some help for her. Diagnosis-malaria :(

 

As we left the clinic I had a picture taken with her because they were carrying her to find her mom to give her the medicine that would bring healing to her broken body.



 

As she left with one of the church volunteers that worked with Pastor Fred in ministering to these precious children I figured that would be the last time I would ever see her.  However, about an hour later I felt another tug at my shirttail and my little Patricia was back, still hot and weary eyed, but this time a weak smile spread across her face which said more than words could ever say! I spent the rest of our time in the village with a small set of arms wrapped around my neck and a beautiful little head with hollow eyes and scarred cheeks resting on my shoulder. The only reprieve to this was for the three minutes it took for the penniesforposho.org team to take her sponsorship photo...a sponsorship arranged by the King of Kings... Welcome to our family Patricia Monodo :)

 

As we exited the sponsorship area a young girl about 7 walked up and took this precious little angel's hand and led her down the litter-strewn "street" towards home!



 

Patricia and her sister (orange skirt) in the center of this picture

As those two children walked away from me, the words of a song by Don Moen began soothing my hurting heart-- "God will make a way, when there seems to be no way ..." Thank you God for assuring me that Patricia is safely wrapped up in your protective arms.

 

As the bus drove away from the village amongst the joyful sounds of children I could only hope that maybe on my next visit to Mbale that little Patricia's voice will be leading that joyful song!

 

Yes God, as I bounce along these bumpy roads some three hours from the safety of our hotel, this one thing I know.  As the end of this day's journey into uncertainty and unanswered questions draws closer with every jolting bump, this simple-minded country boy has been richly blessed through seeing Jesus living HIS incarnate life through my mortal body.  In spite of the pain of a broken heart I will rest well knowing that seeds of hope have been planted on both sides of the relationships formed during these God-ordained appointments some 8000 miles from the comfort of my air-conditioned, padded-pew church.  Father, I thank you that in the midst of the heart-break that I felt today that you met me and in that meeting I can say that I have learned what it means to truly “Experience God”!!!!  REWARDING? Beyond anything my mind could ever have ever hoped to comprehend!

 

But since we are being honest with each other… for tomorrow Lord... I really could use some more of those "big smiles and happy eyes!"

 

And before I forget Lord, thanks for closing this day with a sweet reminder that you're still in charge...



 

 

Philippians 4:19-"ALL my needs are fulfilled in Jesus"

Blessings from Uganda!

 

Trusting HIM in the trenches!

Warren <><

Romans 8:37

Restoration and Celebration

Revelation 12:11 They will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.

It has been another amazing day in Uganda, this one just as yesterday with a Pastor's conference and Ladies Bible study in the morning and Sports camp in the afternoon.  The morning schedule was the same and yet, somehow the fellowship and discipleship seemed to grow even deeper.  We ministered to one another with powerful testimonies--stories of lives filled with tremendous loss and brokenness, pain and suffering but also the transforming power of the saving grace of Jesus and the benevolent love of the church.  We are witnessing lives restored and eternity impacted.





The afternoon Sports Camp felt like a party, a celebration of what God has done and continues to do through Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Namatala slum of Mbale, as well as the seeds He is planting in the red earth of this small piece of farmland in Namabasa.  The local children and young men came again, and we organized to play football (soccer).  The women of Ebenezer suited up for some rather rowdy (and hilarious) matches of volleyball and netball (similar to basketball).  Then under the shadow of the new dormitories and the unfinished school building, the groups gathered for a devotion and the Gospel was shared.  A celebration for sure.



 

Now I am free

Happy Monday!  That really doesn't describe it well--more like delightful, empowering, hilarious, joyful Monday!  It truly has been another incredible day in Mbale, Uganda.  We began the morning by splitting the team--the women went to the church in the Namatala slum for ladies Bible study and the men traveled to the farming community of Namabasa, where Ebenezer owns property for farmland and, now under construction, a school.  There Ebenezer hosted a pastors conference for over 40 area pastors, with teaching led by Eric Marston.  At both locations, the Lord poured out blessings as we studied the Word together and prayed for and ministered to one another.  As the ladies always sing, there is something sweeter than honey...

And for the women, the singing didn't stop when the lesson ended.  After the children had been fed at the church, we traveled over to the farmland for lunch with the men and then a sports camp.  All of the way there on the bus we sang praises to God and rejoiced.  In one of the praise songs, the ladies sang the words, "now I am free."  I think this perfectly sums up the rest of the afternoon.  The remainder of the day was all about fun--freedom in Christ to let go of life's troubles and the struggle to survive and freedom to relax for a moment, to laugh, to play, and enjoy one another's company.

I wish I had recorded the sounds from today--so much belly laughing, giggling, singing and shouting for joy.  And that was just from the adults!  The soccer and volleyball games were incredible, and sometimes incredibly chaotic.  We finished the evening with a devotion and Gospel message.  The best part is that we get to wake up and do it all again tomorrow!

 

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

 

Precious Jesus, I am ready...

Wow wow wow! What an amazing Sunday of worship we have had in Mbale.  We spent the day in the house of the Lord, praising and dancing, praying and studying God's word together.  We heard from all the choirs of Ebenezer, and we were astounded by the way they led worship with excellence--in Spirit and Truth.  Members of our team served along side the church leaders in teaching, preaching and song.  The day was full of so many blessings.

For me, the best part of the day was a special baptism service that was held at First Baptist Mbale.  Around 25 new members of Ebenezer came forward to be baptized.  Before the baptisms began, the choir led in a time of praise and worship.  They began singing a song in the local language, and I watched the countenance on their faces glow with the loveliness of God's grace.  I listened, hopeful that they would--and they did--sing the next verse in English.  "Precious Jesus, I am ready to give you everything..."  In my heart, I sunk to my knees, listening and watching these beautiful people having so little of the things of this world sweetly singing to their Savior that they are ready to give it all to Him.  Everything they have.  Everything they are.  It's all His now.

There were so many amazing photos from today that I could share, but I decided just to share one single picture.  It is a photo of the baptism of a young girl named Hope.  I think her face says it all.  Precious Jesus, I am ready...



 

Heroes of the Faith: Revisiting Hebrews 11

It has been another glorious day in the Namatala slum.  Over dinner tonight, we spent time sharing as a team the many ways we saw God working today.  Papa Warren shared something so precious that I knew it had to be in tonight's blog post.  So even though blogging for the trip is typically my duty and honor, Papa graciously wrote down the sweet words he spoke tonight.  Take a moment to read and enjoy with all the photos, and praise God with us for His glorious ways and for these precious children. --Sherri

This you've just got to read, from Papa Warren:

“But Jesus said, Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

Today in the village was beyond explanation! God continues to manifest Himself in real and undeniable ways and today was no exception.  I spent most of today in awe of my “heroes of the faith”, the young people who comprise over a third of our team…Molly Beth- age 9, Sadie-age 10, Sara-age 10, Mary Joy-11, Nathan-age 13, John Hayden-age 13, Riley-age 17.



I always enter each day that we are with a team in Mbale wondering who God is going to use to blow me away? That’s the beauty of being in the midst of God’s arena of miracles, there is NEVER any doubt that you are going to be blown away by His amazing goodness and as I said before, today was no exception.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that today was going to be special as the moment the doors of the bus opened my “heroes of the faith” went into action.  As adults, God often has to push us into action but not this special group of young people…as soon as the bus stopped they sprung into action.  They sang, they danced, they ran, they jumped, they were extremely silly, and by the end of the day they were extremely dirty…because they had allowed God to use them unconditionally to bring joy to close to 200 children! Oh, that we as adults could grasp this spirit of unbridled devotion to being on mission for God.



As I watched God’s love in action unfold before me the above verse from Matthew 19:14 kept coming to mind but today I came to understand it in a totally different light.  Today I think I truly grasped the real meaning of Jesus’ stern rebuke of His disciples as they tried to work a preset agenda by trying to restrict the children from coming to Jesus because they were “messing up the schedule”!

  

After watching these “children” allow the life of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ flow through their surrendered hearts, God stirred my heart in a very special way.  I truly think Jesus recognized that for His Kingdom to move forward, those children that the disciples were trying to turn away would be the very ones who would be on the front lines charging forth with joy and unbridled love!



How often do we restrict the Work of the Lord by “limiting” the participation of those whom Christ Himself declared were the very foundation of His future earthly Kingdom with the Words “for such is the Kingdom of God."



Thank you my beautiful heroes, for today I experienced first-hand the power of “child-like faith” as you selflessly allowed yourselves to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the “least of these”… Well done good and faithful servants!!!