"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will not pass away." Matthew 24:35
TeamMbaleOctober2019 is back on the ground in America and trying to get re-oriented to life in the fast lane. Thank you for your prayers that have helped make this an unbelievable trip. Although every trip is awesome and fulfilling, this trip was extra special in that we were able to see undeniable evidence that the Gospel is taking deep root in the village surrounding Ebenezer Christian School. The classroom that hosts the 6-week old church plant-Ebenezer Baptist at Namabasa, was beyond packed with many sitting outside on the porch. The Spirit of the Lord was truly in that place as the people rejoiced, danced, prayed, and gleaned great wisdom from God's Word as Mike Emeott preached his first sermon at the new church plant. However, the greatest of all the blessings was that an older Muslim man and his wife came forward to accept Christ, along with seven others, and Pastor Chad Cooper, Mike, and I had the honor of baptizing them along with 31 other new brothers and sisters in Christ on Sunday afternoon at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Since the baptism pool was completed in July 2019, ninety-one people have gone into those waters to tell the world that Christ is now the Lord of their lives!!! God is at work in a mighty way...ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS NAME!!!!
As I sit here some 9000 miles removed from my Ugandan family, my mind races with many thoughts. Most are simply reflections of the beauty, the victories, the joy, and the "WOW GOD!" moments that defined every step of this amazing journey back to Mbale as well as of the many before. I thank you in advance for taking the time to read this post as it is very crucial that we remain committed to keeping the main thing the main thing as we continue our faith journey together!!
I beg you now to allow me to bare my heart in the following paragraphs concerning those "What If" thoughts (and questions) which are ALWAYS going to exist when doing Christ-centered ministry in a self-centered world. As Pastor Fred always says: "Where there is vision... There will always be provision." Praise God, this trip has strongly confirmed that the vision for sharing the Gospel in Mbale has NEVER been stronger than it is today! As you read the following words, hear me very clearly in that I do not write this post out of a spirit of fear or doubt about the future of Mission Mbale's ministry presence in Mbale, Uganda. It is simply a reflection on the realities of doing ministry in the real world and the challenges of learning to Stay the Course even when the "course" is constantly changing!
Matthew 24:35 above states that "Heaven and earth WILL pass away" and the reality is that ministry efforts are not immune to this declaration by our Lord! To believe that Mission Mbale could not be impacted by events such as political upheavals, a world-wide financial crisis, wars, terrorism, etc would be a very unrealistic and unhealthy ministry plan! Just as dangerous though would be for us to begin focusing on the "What Ifs" is and begin pulling back in the ways that we are helping expand the Kingdom of God in Mbale because of a fear of the unknown! To abandon our dreams and visions to spread the Life-transforming Gospel of Christ's love IS NOT an option!
The past four years have truly been a beautiful display of God's perfect timing and provision. However, I fear that the things that stand out most in people's minds are those earthly things that will pass away... Buildings, farmland, school buses, etc, etc! However, those of us who have walked on the ground in Mbale can tell a much different story about the unbelievable life-transformation that is happening in that place! The last thing we want to do is become numbers-driven but yet we must also not fail to point to Jesus and rejoice in what our Lord is doing there as marked by the ninety-0ne baptisms since July.
My "keep the main thing the main thing" challenge for all of us in the Mission Mbale family as we move forward together in ministry is found in the Words of our Lord in Mark 16:15--And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation." We will continue to build and go as the Lord makes provisions for these things but they will simply be an outflow of blessings that come as we faithfully share the GOSPEL of Christ's love to the people of Mbale. Why? Because of the promise found in the last part of the verse which started this post: "God's Word WILL NOT pass away!"
To those of you who have stood with us over the past few years... THANK YOU! Your faithfulness has rang out this unmistakable message loud and clear: Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness! We are humbled and blessed to have each you surrounding us and simply ask that you commit to staying the course with us in the months and years ahead! Though we may not know what the future holds... WE KNOW WHO HOLDS THE FUTURE! AMEN? PRAISE GOD! HALLELUJAH! AMEN!
Although there may come a day when the Mazungu's (white people) will not be able walk freely in the villages that we have come to love, if we remain true to doing what we have been called there to do...Proclaim God's love for the precious people of Mbale, the work that God has begun there will continue on because of this promise ... the Words of God WILL NOT pass away!
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:1-3
ALL FOR GOD'S GLORY!
Warren and Mary Faye
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