2019—THE UNFOLDING OF GOD’S GLORY!!!

“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.

  THE GREATEST CLASSROOMS IN UGANDA

  INAUGURAL CLASS OF EBENEZER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

  UNFOLDING THE GOSPEL THROUGH THE JESUS FILM

  TEAM MBALE JANUARY 2019

  OPEN DOORS…IN-HOME BIBLE STUDIES

  TEAM MBALE JULY 2019

  UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE..

  50 + NEW BELIEVERS BAPTIZED

  POURING OF CHURCH ROOF

  SWEET WORSHIP TO OUR GOD AND KING!!!!

(770)313-5394     ONE CHILD AT A TIME!!!      MISSIONMBALE.ORG

Just the Right Moment

The only thing more difficult than explaining the last day of our trip in a few words may be choosing one picture to go with the summary, but I'll do my best.  The last day is always hard--your heart is so full of love but saying goodbye is bittersweet, even when you know it is just 'bye for now.'  As we walked through Namatala this morning, we greeted those who were out and about, holding hands with children and taking photos along the way.  Through an alley way I caught the eye of a baby girl and tried to get the perfect artistic shot.  I only had a moment as we continued to move down the dirt path, and just when I was about to complain for missing my photographic opportunity, another young girl came bounding into view from behind a home.  She stopped and smiled, posing for my camera under dripping wet clothes hung out on a line, and then she was gone again.  So many other incredible events occurred today, but I just kept thinking of that precious girl.  God continues to reveal His sovereignty through the people of Ebenezer and Mission Mbale.  At just the right moment, He has provided for our every need, according to His plan and all for His glory.  Thank you for standing with us.  Tomorrow we begin the journey back to the US, but with every visit, we leave more of ourselves behind, here in this beautiful place.

The Seeds of Possibility

Today the men stayed at Ebenezer Baptist Church for a Pastor's Conference and the women and girls went to visit Ebenezer Christian School.  In both locations, we spent the day cultivating relationships.  Pastor Eric brought an incredible word to encourage pastors from Mbale and the surrounding mountain region.  It was such a great time of discipleship and fellowship.  At the school, the women and girls attended classes to observe and encourage the incredible teachers and their students.  The P3 class was learning about the germination of seeds into plants, and tonight some of our girls even came back to the hotel with homework!!  The men joined the women in the afternoon to lead a sports camp with soccer, volleyball, games, and lots of giggles.  All around the property playing were church members and students of Ebenezer, as well as many small children from the surrounding village.  These children are mesmerized to see a white person, much less shake hands and greet one.  Most speak no English, but that didn't stop anyone from enjoying our time together.  All this in front of a back drop of a school in operation, with one building and 2 temporary classrooms, dormitories, farmland, and another wing of the building halfway through construction.  So many seeds of possibility, we cannot wait to see what--and who--the Lord will grow up out of this fertile ground.