Worth It

It’s no small thing, traveling thousands of miles by air and very bumpy road.  Roughly 18 hours of flying time plus 2 hours of layovers and over 5 hours on a bus doesn’t exactly make for an easy trip.  But, as a member of our team and first-timer in Mbale shared:  once you set foot on the ground at Ebenezer Baptist Church you know—it’s worth it.

Following the Lord in obedience to His call always is.  Today was a joyous reunion for some of us and a fantastic beginning for the rest.  The crusade is in full swing (literally, there was so much dancing!), and many people are coming to faith in Jesus.

We set out on a mission, we can’t ever really know what the outcome will be, but God has called us to trust Him fully.  We stepped out in obedience and have witnessed His purpose in every detail of our itinerary so far.  He has also revealed Himself when our plans have changed unexpectedly.  He even used the one and only lost piece of luggage to give our team an opportunity to share Jesus.  Our heads hit the pillow tonight in need of rest but also already excited, anticipating what He has in store for tomorrow.

We want to continue to express our thanks to you for loving us and supporting us on this journey through your prayers and giving.  We hope these pictures will be evidence to you that your faithfulness and sacrifice as been nothing less than absolutely 100% totally worth it.

Sherri O'Mahoney

Kelly Preston with children

Mike Emeott and Johanna Beyer with Sister Lorna and Mama Olive

Kasey Phillips with a new friend

Tiffany Powers with Cathy and baby sister

Mama Mary Faye Moore and Sheena

Pison

Beautiful girls of Ebenezer 

Sherri O'Mahoney and Blessing

Newest member of Ebenezer family

Warren Moore with Precious

Noah Phillips and new friends

Ebenezer Adult choir on stage at the crusade

Mike and youth choir dancers leading worship

More dancing!

Far More Abundantly Beyond

It's time!  As the team makes final preparations for our trip to Uganda, as we zip up the suitcase and lay our heads down in our beds at home for one final night, I want to extend an extra-large thank you to all of you for your prayers and support.  Tomorrow our 30-person team will board a plane headed for Uganda.  Some of us have never flown before.  Some of us will earn our first passport stamp.  Some of us have never been to Africa, and some of us are returning to our home away from home.  Praise God for the way He has assembled this team, and praise Him for bringing so many into the family of Ebenezer and Mission Mbale.  We hope you will continue to check this blog site, as we update it regularly during our trip, so that you can follow along on our journey and continue praying. 

This week I had the opportunity to speak to campers at Camp Sonshine about Ebenezer Baptist Church and Mission Mbale.  I enjoyed answering their questions about the village, and I was absolutely humbled by the prayers for Uganda lifted up by these precious kids.  It was such a joy to share God's story of Namatala, to tell about the beautiful children whose lives have been transformed by the love of Jesus through the family of Ebenezer.   At the end of my slide show of pictures, the campers and I read aloud a scripture verse that perfectly summarizes our purpose, our motivation, and the direction of our praise.  For we can already testify to the amazing way that He has done far more abundantly beyond what we could've imagined.  And as Warren loves to say, the best is yet to come...


"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen."  Ephesians 3:20-21

As Cold Water to a Thirsty Soul

Friends, I have good news from a far country!  Our team has traveled the last two days through the mountain districts near Mbale.  We’ve met with two dozen pastors and their congregations all over this beautiful countryside.  We’ve worshiped and prayed with them and encouraged them with gifts and shared meals.  Along the way we have met men who serve with Operation Christmas Child and Gideons International.  We’ve visited church plants of churches that were started by the Foreign Mission Board decades ago.  And we’ve listened as pastors have expressed the joy that was brought to children of the village with OCC shoeboxes.  Friends, we have seen the fruits of your labor and your faithful giving!  We have seen God’s work in full circle.  Truly, the Lord is doing a great and mighty work in even some of the most remote places of Uganda, and we are just beginning to get a glimpse of a full picture of the family of God.  We ask you to continue to pray—just as you did when you gave your Lottie Moon offering, or donated to the Gideons, or packed a shoebox—pray for the pastors and for the people on the other side, that they will be encouraged in their faith, that they will continue making disciples, and reaching new places and new people with the Greatest News of all.  Praise God.