“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Six years ago on September 28, 2014, God made an unmistakable statement in the sanctuary of Fellowship Baptist Church in rural South Georgia. He moved in a miraculous way in the hearts and lives of the members present on that rainy Sunday morning to prove that His plans for transforming the futures and hopes of the people Mbale, Uganda were far greater than we could ever imagine!!
UNIMAGINABLE…that is the only way of describing what has transpired since that beautiful day as God has continued to raise the bar of faith higher and higher while proving His provisions will ALWAYS be more than enough. We began 2020 with many big plans which included three major mission trips. As I arrived home on March 7th from our first mission trip of 2020, I returned to a world being turned upside down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we, along with the leaders of Ebenezer Christian Ministries in Mbale, sought God’s wisdom in how He needed us to respond during the uncertainty that was mounting, the government began issuing orders that ultimately resulted in an almost total shut-down of public life of the Ugandan people. Unlike the restrictions that we faced here in the U.S., the lockdown by the Ugandan government was just that…a LOCKDOWN! All public transportation was shut down, private vehicles were restricted from the roads, a majority of the markets were shut down, and people were prohibited from leaving their homes…even to go to work. One of the hardest things that we had to accept was that the orphans that have called Ebenezer “HOME” for the past 4 ½ years were forced to leave the only real family most of them had ever known and were sent into homes of struggling relatives, church members, or good Samaritans. It was immediately apparent that the daily struggle for survival of the Ugandan people had suddenly moved to a new level.
God began to reveal to us that food was going to be a very huge issue for the people. In Uganda, it is a way of life for a family’s daily meal to be the evening meal which is made possible by the wages earned from that day’s labors. The government leaders reached out to Pastor Fred to say that they were extending their hand of favor to the leadership of Ebenezer Christian Ministries by establishing Ebenezer Baptist Church as an Emergency Response Station for the distribution of food and emergency health care. In addition, both of the vehicles and both motorcycles used in the day-to-day ministry of the church were given diplomatic permits which allowed them to be operated throughout the 6+ months of lockdown to deliver food and other necessities to those bound to their homes! The rest of this newsletter is dedicated to highlighting the many “Only God” examples of how HE chose to reveal His love to us and to the people of Mbale during the uncertainties of 2020!
· From the onset of the COVID-19 shutdown in Uganda in March, our awesome supporters have responded to God’s voice by providing over $2000.00 per month above our normal receipts to buy food for distribution!
· April 1st –First of many food distributions which to date have provided a two-week supply of food to over 30,000 people
· May--Donation of a second motorcycle greatly enhanced the ability to distribute food to the many children displaced by the Lockdown. Required lightening arrestors installed at Ebenezer Christian School
· June--Food distributions continued along with “virtual learning” being launched with bi-weekly distribution of lesson assignments prepared by teachers at Ebenezer Christian school being delivered along with food
· July--food/lesson assignments continue and FBC Newnan youth raised funds to provide over 80 Bibles for the youth of Ebenezer Baptist
· August--Over 1000 textbooks were donated to Ebenezer Christian School by an Elementary School in Georgia. Food distribution/ “virtual teaching” continued
· September 27th—Churches began reopening after six months of shutdown but with strict guidelines which presented economic challenges for many churches
· October 11th—Remote mountain churches re-open through the generosity of our supporters who donated funds to purchase 25 Thermometer Guns and Personal Protective Equipment. Feeding and schooling continues!
BECOME A CHILD SPONSOR AND TRANSFORM A LIFE FOREVER … LEARN HOW AT: missionmbale.org
MISSION MBALE, INC
P.O.
BOX 73975
NEWNAN, GA 30271
Phone: 770-313-5394 (Warren)
Email:
missionmbale@gmail.com
Website: missionmbale.org
Facebook: Mission Mbale, Inc.
Mission Mbale is an IRS approved 501c3--Donations Are Tax-deductible
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