MISSION MBALE Blog: August 2019

“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

As I reflect back on 2019, the word “UNFOLDING” just keeps resurfacing in my mind. God continues unfolding HIS plans for transformation in the lives of the people of Mbale, Uganda through the faithful, relentless sharing of Jesus’ unsurpassable love. KEEP PRAYING!!!!

JANUARY – Our sixth major trip was anchored by a team of thirteen missionaries. The team led in-home Bible studies, ran evangelistic sports mini-camps, took a day trip to the mountains to encourage the pastors serving there, and deepened our relationships with our children. We witnessed the ongoing construction of the new church…Ugandan construction is truly something to behold! At the school site we marveled at the finishing touches being made on the first three classrooms of Ebenezer Christian School in Namabasa. God also opened the door for us to move out into the village surrounding the school to begin in-home Bible studies. Several Muslim residents accepted Christ as their Savior…YES GOD CAN!!!

FEBRUARY –FEBRUARY 4th--OPENING DAY OF EBENEZER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. Plans, preparations and prayers were answered as 73 students excitedly walked into their new school for the first time…TOTALLY INDESCRIBABLE! By God’s blessings, school began with Primary Grades 1-4 and the lives of the children are being bonded together through the love of Christ. The Gospel also reached deep into the village when the Jesus Film was shown on the side of the school building to over 100 residents of this predominately Muslim village!

MARCH – Pastor Chad Cooper and Pastor Stephen Peeples had returned to America in January and shared with their churches of a need to rebuild the home of Pastor David from the mountains who suffers from advanced stages of diabetes. To God’s glory that home is now complete! The concrete roof on the church was completed and the process of preparing Ebenezer’s new sanctuary officially began…a twelve-year vision is now a reality!!!

APRIL – The daily feeding program of the children continues to grow and Ebenezer Christian school is thriving! A great celebration took place on Easter weekend as the first services were held in the new sanctuary to the glory of God. It is now very functional and finishing work continues as funding is available. And ALL the time God is good…AMAZINGLY GOOD!!!

MAY – Even as heavy rains and flooding destroyed homes and crops, the Kingdom work continued. We often received word of lives being transformed though the matchless love of Christ as it flowed through the lives of the dedicated members of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Many Bibles were distributed to those who received Christ as they completed discipleship classes. The Bibles were purchased with funds provided by our generous supporters.

JUNE – God’s plans continued to unfold as we were blessed with adequate funding to begin construction of the next three permanent classrooms at ECS. The family of Ebenezer bonded together and cooked and fed many hundreds of people in the villages surrounding both the church and the school as a result of the growing famine due to extensive flooding.

JULY – Twenty-five team members returned to Mbale to serve and worship with our Ebenezer family in their new sanctuary! Many witnessed a baptism for the first time as over 50 new Christians were baptized in the new baptism pool following our Sunday service. As in years past, we hosted a Pastor’s Conference, evangelistic sports camps, a women’s Bible Study, and in-home Bible studies. The school enrollment has now increased to 91 students with 36 now living on site full-time. The American team was blessed with a special program of music and scripture memorization by the students. The American teachers were honored by being able to present lessons in the classrooms. Around twenty accepted Christ during the week and many more seeds were planted.