Midway Through, But Still So Much To Do

Our Final Team Picture

Goodbyes are never easy, even when you expect to see each other in a short while. This proved especially true last week, when we sent half of the team back to the USA. We were blessed to have such a team for the past six weeks, and the impact they made with the Gospel cannot be undone. We continue to pray for them, as they integrate back into American culture - but not becoming part of it, hoping they remember all they have seen and done in the name of Christ. Their departure marks our halfway point, and there is still much to do.

Before I move on to last week, I want to capture in a snapshot what God has allowed us to be involved with as a team. Since arriving in country, our team was blessed to minister through preaching, teaching, and evangelism throughout six towns and villages, two prisons, three schools, and one radio broadcast covering over six districts, reaching over 8,000 people with the life-saving Gospel of Christ. What a wonderous God we serve!

Since we had a slower week, as we reorganized our ministry team and plans, I would like to focus on those who have worked beside us that are often unsung heroes in the ministry. Janet is one of my sweetest friends, whom I have known for 4 years now. She is a widow, and has six living children, whom she works tirelessly to provide education and a good living for. While we are out in the field, she keeps our home, helps us cook, and even does our laundry...which we really do try to assist with. She has never asked for anything, nor does she complain about what she doesn't have. She is a humble, loving, servant of God, who loves helping those in ministry. Her friendship is what we value most, as she spends many hours with us. Janet told me that she asks God to not give her too much, so she will never forget to depend on Him. She also asks him not to give her too little, so she will always be able to help others and give back. She prays for just enough...wow, so humbling and beautiful of a prayer. I pray, I too will be satisfied with just enough, when that is all I have. We pray God continues to bless Janet's faithfulness, by helping her provide what is needed to help her children, and take care of her family.

Janet is often helped by Immaculate, who is her dear friend. Immaculate is also a widow with 13 children. Her daughter, Scovia, is currently being sponsored by our friend Rachel from Church of the Open Door in North Carolina. Immaculate helps Janet take care of us, while we are in the field, and is always kind and loving. Both of the ladies are members of Rock Baptist Church here in Tororo. We are blessed to have them in our lives.

Our best friend and confidant in the ministry is Julius Odungo. We have known Julius since 2012. He is Janet's son-in-law. He and his family have been like family to us since our first time in Uganda. Julius has served as our translator, driver, ministry partner, and friend. He teaches Bible Study at Rock Baptist, and his wife, Beatrice, serves as the Worship Leader. They are blessed with two beautiful girls, Peace and Jemimah. Julius took a risk by leaving his job in town to be part of this ministry. He knew God would provide, and He has indeed. Julius says he is blessed to serve with us, but we are the ones who are blessed to know and work with him. Our prayer is that Julius gets a job that actually uses his talents and abilities, rather than menial labor. He wants to provide for his family, and he is a wonderful Christian husband and father. It is rare to find a man who cares so much for his family here in Uganda. His friendship and help to us is a treasure.

Julius has traveled with us from town to village, to the mountains. God has blessed us with a brother and a friend in this guy. We would surely be struggling without him.







We of course must also thank Pastor Philip Njoroge for helping us organize our visit this year. He helped us secure transportation to and from the airport, a place to stay, and communicated with area pastors to work with for area evangelism. He is currently working in another district, but we are grateful for his help in the ministry.

This blog has been shorter than usual, but I pray it captures the love we have for our friends, and the love they have for the ministry. May God be glorified in all of these efforts, and may He continue to use us for the remaining time we have in Uganda. It is for His sake alone that we do what we do. Your prayers are appreciated, as we continue this journey. May many who have heard the Good News, respond in obedience and love of their Savior.

"Whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men..." ~ Colossians 3:23

Blessed Be the God of All Creation

As I write this week's blog, I find it difficult to fathom that half of our team will be returning home in three short days! As their journey and adventure in Uganda comes to a close, our prayer is that their passion and fervor for reaching the lost will continue, with an urgency that comes from knowing how fast time is passing. Each of them have been a blessing and an added joy to the ministry. This year, we have covered more ground, and reached more souls with the message of the Gospel, than ever before. I praise God for their work, obedience, faithfulness, and love they have all shown to the people of Uganda. And while five of them are heading home, the rest of us are only half way done with our time. We have a remaining 6 1/2 weeks to continue working through the land. Please do not refrain from praying for those heading home, and for those of us with work left to do.

Traveling in Style

Carrying the Good News to the mountains of Kapchowra

However, refusing to slow down, the team traveled to the mountains of Kapchowra this week. We were close to Mount Elgon, near Sipi Falls (beautiful waterfalls). As you can see from the pictures, the topography and scenery were breathtaking (yet they do not do justice), but the ministry was even more wonderful. And although our time was short in this area, it was not in vain. We had only two days of evangelism, with five teams, as Jim, Jon, and Jack led a Pastor's Conference, but the amount of people reached, and the response of many who heard the message, was so encouraging.

Heading into the field

The magnificent views

  

Emily and her translator

This area has very strong tribal ties, with dark practices and skewed doctrinal beliefs. Teaching the regional pastors how to study, practice, and teach strong, true doctrine is critical to combat the tribal strongholds of this area. This is exactly what the men taught at the conference, and it was very well received. Please pray for these pastors and their churches, as they fight against ungodly, cultural practices, that do not align with Christian practices or behavior. As the Bible states, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." ~ Ephesians 6:12

Our team, translators and those attending the Pastor's Conference

The leaders of the Pastor's Conference

Our evangelism teams walked very far, up steep mountainous terrain to reach many. We were greeted with smiles and squeals of excited children. While there were some very stubborn, hard hearts, the majority of those we preached to were, at least, receptive and humbled by the message. We were blessed on Saturday with another opportunity to evangelize to prisoners. This came as an unexpected event, but it was fantastic. While Zach went home to home, Julius, Emily, Sydney, and I, (Chrissie), visited Kapchowra Prison, with 164 male inmates, 6 female inmates, and 3 juvenile inmates. We spent about 90 minutes presenting the life-saving, and freeing message of hope and salvation. Jesus said he came to set the captives free, and while the prisoners must serve out their earthly sentence as a consequence for their crime, their eternal soul can be set free, by the One who is Mighty to Save! What a joy and a privilege to be able to minister to those who seem so hopeless.

The Kapchowra prison guards with some of the team

Outside the prison

Appreciating God's amazing creation

Bridge over the rivers of Kapchowra

Pastor Peter Kwemboi is the pastor at Grace Hill Baptist Church in Kapchowra. He is a humble, kind friend who we've worked with for over two years. His church is healthy and growing. Peter started a ministry for children who have lost one or both parents. He cares for over 100 children now, but is only provided support for about 30 of them. However, in the midst of pastoring a church and caring for orphans, he has a story of his own that is heartbreaking.

Peter is married, and has 4 children. When his son, Daniel, was five years old, he was in an accident that broke his leg. Peter took him to the hospital, where he thought he would be seen and treated by a legitimate doctor. But, unbeknownst to Peter and his wife, the man was a witch-doctor, and the unthinkable happened. Instead of his leg being reset and casted, a tourniquet was tied to Daniel's leg. Then, to keep it immobile, the "doctor" ordered the staff to tie it to the other (good) leg...for five days!!!  This procedure stopped all blood flow and killed the limbs from the knees down, resulting in double amputation. Even as I write this, I find it hard to not be sick or cry. I cannot imagine the pain and anguish felt by both parents and Daniel. Today, Daniel wears poorly-fitted, wooden limbs, that are painful and inflexible. I do not intend to make this sound like a pathetic, emotional commercial, where people beg for money. But, my prayer is that God will raise up a faithful, compassionate, charitable doctor or medical team who will desire to provide prosthetic limbs for Daniel.

Daniel doing his Bible verse presentation

Daniel seated with his little buddy

Our last departing team member, to contribute to our blog, is Emily Rexford (17 years old). Here are her thoughts...

"Well, first off I have to say that this photo makes me look way more thoughtful and smart than I actually am. Secondly I suppose I should give you all some wise thoughts of wisdom and knowledge that I have learned over the past six weeks. The difficult thing is I have learned so much over this time it's so hard to choose what to share. I learned that God grows you in the areas that you need to grow, not the area you want to grow. I have learned how to live in a relatively small space (at least smaller than we spoiled Americans are used to) with eight very different people. I have seen the joy that these people have and I am astounded, and I now know that if I stop shaving for three weeks my leg hair gets longer than Eli's. However, what I really want to talk about is what I have been learning over the last two weeks, and that is finish strong. I have missed home since week one, however these last few weeks have been the most difficult. I was finding it hard to focus because I just felt guilty about being homesick. Others on the team had a passion that I longed for and thought of nothing else but the field. I felt I was letting people down because I was looking forward to going home instead of dreading it. But then it hit me. We all have different callings. I have been called here for six weeks, and while I have loved it here, I have not been called here for longer. However, that is not an excuse to not focus on the right here and now. The point is not how long we are called to be here, (whether 6 weeks, 3 months, or years), the point is that we all have been called here now. I cannot compare myself with others and what God has given them, I have to ask myself if I am doing what I am supposed to with what God has given me. So yes, I am excited to go home in two days, twelve hours, and thirty-five minutes, (not that I'm counting or anything), but I am also so grateful for all the times that I have had here and the growth, (however painful), and the few days I have left. I have had to rely on God and I am so thankful for the people who have been on this journey with me. So as one last thought, I would like to leave you with this picture: 10 very tired people packed into a 5 person car singing Christmas carols in July in Uganda, Africa at the top of our lungs. Yup, I will never forget these times.

"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 3:14

You Will Shine Like Stars in the Sky

Today marks the fifth week of ministry for our team, and it's hard to believe we've been here that long. We have had the privilege and joy of working with four churches, so far, with one more to accomplish prior to the first group departure. Each place has had its share of blessings and challenges. Yet, in it all, we have seen God's hand in the ministry and the areas we cover. What an honor it is to be a Proclaimer of Truth, a Minister of Justice, and a Messenger of the King!

      

This week we were supposed to have been working in the village of Kochomo, but for challenges beyond our control, we had to postpone this visit. The team remaining here will reach Kochomo at a later date, and we are excited to see what transpires there. The church was thrilled to have us, but they were not prepared with information or translators. However, the return visit will be wonderful. 

So, although we had a huge shift in our schedule, it allowed us time to do other things locally, or get some needed rest, as many of us were fighting terrible colds and coughs. God's timing remains perfect.

In our preparation to come here, the team was briefed on the expectations and conditions we had experienced during our previous visits. We tried to prepare them physically and spiritually, as a day in the field is quite exhausting. We told them to prepare to have a very repetitive diet, as often the menu doesn't change. We explained the possibility of being without power, hot water, and the likelihood of riding motorcycle taxis to every village. To our surprise, and their delight, we have been blessed with a vehicle that belongs to our landlord...he is a Christian! He has a beautiful home, with a gas range and toaster oven. We found a market vendor that sells green beans, broccoli, and lettuce, which I've never seen here before. We eat beef, pork, and chicken weekly, and the churches we visit feed us a feast everyday. We haven't had hot water, but this week the water heater was installed which allows the water to be at least lukewarm. :)  The work in the field is difficult, but we have had more amenities than we expected or even deserve.

We had another opportunity to visit Nyangole, where we celebrated Sunday worship, and watched the church distribute many of the pillowcase dresses and shirts donated by some of the ladies back home in North Carolina. Dresses were handmade by ladies from Church of the Open Door and by Margaret Guy. Many of the kids that received clothes have only one or two other sets of clothes to wear, so these dresses are indeed a blessing to all who received them.

 

This week we start off with a Pastor's Conference today, where Pastor Jon, Jim, and Jack are preaching and teaching pastors in the Busia area. This is an all day event, which we pray proves to improve the knowledge, discernment, and wisdom of the area pastors. Many wonderful men who desire to teach truth are often limited here with their doctrinal knowledge. They have often fallen under poor teaching, which compounds the problem. Thus, this conference, which will teach and help these pastors to be biblically sound and discerning in their own studies, which will also reflect in their preaching to their congregations. Please pray for truth to be preached and wisdom to be given as these pastors proclaim the message of the Gospel.

Later today, we will evangelize in the marketplace within Tororo. There are several groups and individuals that we intend on preaching to. Those we plan to talk to are taxi drivers, Muslim vendors, and Hindu shop owners. This is a blessed opportunity, which I pray God will harvest from. May our efforts not be in vain, and may souls be saved, by His grace.

Tomorrow, we will be heading to Morkatipa Prison, to minister to the prisoners there. The team will divide men and women, to reach both groups. Our prayer is to bring a message of conviction and hope - of truth and salvation. We then leave for the mountains of Kapchowra on Thursday, where we will stay until Sunday afternoon. We will evangelize and preach throughout this region, which has some very dark, cultural practices. While outwardly, the people may not appear any different than we have previously seen, the tribal beliefs and practices are stronger here. Please be in prayer for the team and for the souls that will hear the message this week.

Finally, our featured team member today is Jack Wixtrom (18 years old).

"The past five weeks have been filled with fun, fellowship, and frustration. Moving from town to town, village to village, the team and I have met and left new friends. I have greatly enjoyed my experience thus far and mourn the brevity of time that remains. The most exciting experiences that I have had so far have not come from the exhilarating evangelism episodes, but from the leadership opportunities that I have received. Over the past three weeks, I have been privileged to lead Sunday school at the churches we are ministering to. Through these lessons, I have found that my learning has increased in addition to my leading abilities. I also had the opportunity to teach at a pastors' conference at Kidera with my father and Mr. Brockman. This week we are going again to two conferences, and I eagerly anticipate leading again. I would appreciate your prayers for clarity of speech and that the Lord's message would be communicated in accordance with His will."

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in his holy people..." ~ Ephesians 1:18

Messengers of the King

This week we finished our third week of ministry in country. We also had Pastor Jon Wixtrom from home join us for the next three weeks. We spent the week evangelizing in Kidera with Pastor Joseph Odongo. Since the team arrived here, we have kept the mindset and attitude of, not ones who can save, but rather, ones carrying a message from their King. This has provided a freedom from guilt - for those who refuse to heed the message. But also, they carry a confidence and joy as they deliver the Good News throughout the land.

     

While in Kidera, our team was blessed to spend time with students from Mama's Heart Nursery and Early Primary School. We had opportunities to teach, play, sing and dance with the children. Ella spent a whole day as a teacher, while the rest of us took to the field with evangelism. On Sunday, Emily taught the kids, while Ella and Sydney helped. Working with the children was a fantastic experience. Jack had another opportunity to teach adult Bible Study, which was wonderfully received and encouraged good discussion. 

The people of Kidera were very welcoming and treated us like family. And while only God knows who is responding to the message, it serves as a great encouragement to see people each Sunday that we reach during the week. 

                                                   

As of today, all of us have been downtown Tororo at least once. It is quite a sight for the westerner. Shops, shanties, and open air market vendors litter the area. And with regards to litter, it adorns the streets and walkways, like flowers in a garden.

But despite the strange sights and smells, it always promises a beautiful sunset. In fact, Ugandan sunrises and sunsets are stunning, and the magnitude of their beauty cannot be captured in photos. Even more beautiful, are the faces of the people we meet. How privileged we are to be part of such a ministry that brings life.

  

Five members of our 9 person team have only 2 1/2 weeks left! Time is flying too quickly. They are getting excited thinking of returning home, yet sad to leave the wonderful new friends they've met here. Our prayer is that all of you back home will continue to pray for their remaining weeks here, that the Lord will continue to use them for His glory. I also pray that you will hear their stories and be encouraged and strengthened in your own walk and faith. We pray you will all be proclaimers of the truth - messengers of the King!

Now, we are featuring thoughts from another team member - Sydney Wixtrom (16 years old)...

"I have really enjoyed my time in Uganda and I can't believe I have just over two weeks left. The ministry has been wonderful. I have gotten to speak to very different people while evangelizing. Sometimes, I leave a home joyful and encouraged. Other times, I leave exhausted and discouraged. Yet, no matter the response of the people, I know I am where God has called me and that gives me an incredible peace of mind."

"Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage  - with great patience and careful instruction." ~ 2 Timothy 4:2