Sunset is Fast Approaching...

Though this post could be my longest, I am keeping it short, so I can savor every moment with our family and friends here. By this time tomorrow, we will be at the Entebbe Airport, preparing to board the first round of flights home. My heart is full, but it is also aching as we have started our goodbyes.

 This week was full of goodness and love, and it was topped off by a super-fun children's gathering this morning. We had the elementary-aged kids from Rock Baptist Church and our Backyard Bible Club kids all gather for games, icebreakers, dancing, prayer, and a lesson on being salt and light to the world. And in typical church style, we finished with food (pizza and soda). We pray that new friendships were forged and will grow over the next several years. 

We are spiritually tired and physically spent, but we are encouraged and full of joy for all the Lord has done. I will write a final post for this journey that captures more details of our final week, after decompressing at home for a bit.

We will hit the ground running at church on Sunday, and in early October, we will be traveling to Ohio for a friend's wedding. May God continue to be gracious and help us plug back in to American life and all that entails.

We are so thankful to you all who have followed us for these 12 weeks. Your love, prayers, and support have been felt and have gone beyond our expectations. Our mighty God has done much with what has been shared. To the Everlasting God alone be glory, honor, and praise. 

Until we see you again...may He be gracious and Tuonane!

Jim and Chrissie

Photo Link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pUgTsS8aWEe44ZLK7 

Rainy Days and Wedding Plans - and Only One Week to Go

Habari Friends! We greet you in the mighty name of Jesus, who, by His grace, has saved our souls and is and the reason we do what we do. It is because of His love for us that we are here and have such love for others.

I’d never call any day here a lazy day, because we always try to be engaged with some kind of ministry or to spend time with people. Some of these people are those we’ve been with for decades, while others, we’ve just come to know.

We’ve shared a lot of sweet and special moments with our Backyard Bible Club kids. Some days we are in high gear with relay races, musical chairs, and what seems like dance marathons. Other times, the kids just climb onto our laps, try to plait (braid) our hair (even Jim’s); they examine our eyes, ears, mouths and study every freckle and mole. We then talk about how each of us is made unique by God Himself. None of us are exactly the same, yet we are all human. We all bleed red, cry salty tears, have a heartbeat, and most importantly, we are all made in the image of God.

Each of these little lives has impacted ours and they are imprinted upon our hearts. May our gracious God protect and guide their little steps and lead them in righteousness.

This week, we also had opportunities to spend time with our Rock Baptist family, as well as moving about Tororo to minister to a few new friends. I spent Sunday afternoon with Beatrice Odongo (Pastor Julius’ wife), and she taught me how to make matooke and sukamuiki. Matooke is made from green bananas that resemble plantains, but they have an amazing flavor – especially when served with g-nut sauce. Sukamuiki are greens that are shredded, boiled, and then fried with onions.  I’m hoping to find some of these ingredients back home and try my skills at these dishes.

The Ladies’ Bible Study is wrapping up the book of Philippians next week. We began having mini potlucks at the end of our study time. This has been a delight to all of us, because who doesn’t love food? This week, we shared chicken, fried pork, rice, kalo, and pasta with meat sauce. I am going to miss these sweet sisters so much. Together, we have grown in God’s Word and in our love for one another.

Finally, the biggest news in town is Maxwell and Juliana’s wedding this Saturday! The whole compound is buzzing with busyness and anticipation. Lord-willing, I will post all about it in our final blog next week. Please be in prayer for the couple-to-be, those in attendance, and that the weather would cooperate. This is usually the dry season, but we have had rain at least three times a week since July, and every day this week! But we praise God in whatever circumstance and whatever weather He chooses to bring.

That’s life in Tororo this week.

Until the Lord brings us together again…Tuonane!

Chrissie and Jim 

Photo Link 1: https://photos.app.goo.gl/GXJE93zwkKSYAwE16

Photo Link 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fPRN9dy7hN11sFKj7

New Places, Spaces, and Faces

Adventures in Uganda continued this week as we traveled back to Iganga to spend the day with Pastor Nicodemus and the children of Grace Alone Primary School. Our first stop was to visit the new church land. The land is mostly cleared and ready to slowly start to construct (as the Lord allows). Along with Jerusalem Baptist Church’s leadership team, we prayed together for the land and what God was going to do through the church there. When we got back to the school area, we greeted the kids, shared the Gospel story, sang, danced, and then the kids ran races and played games. Pastor Nicodemus and one of his Elders even raced! It was a photo finish! After the games, we shared lunch and took pictures together. Time passes by so quickly each day, and this day was no exception. It came time to leave, and knowing that we would not see Nicodemus again this visit, we hugged him and Jacky tightly, prayed for them, and said farewell.

Please continue to pray for Pastor Nico, his family, and his church as they begin construction on the land, and to grow spiritually in the Word. Please pray for his protection, as he is in a perilous place as a Christian, especially an outspoken one.

We left Iganga and headed toward Luwero, home of Sufficiency of Scripture Ministries. The drive was over 5 hours, and much of it was on some of the worst roads I’ve experienced here. I bounced around the backseat like a ball. Driving through the bush of Africa is indeed an adventure, so we forged on until we reached our destination.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Pastor Mark, who had been assigned by the head of SOS, Shannon Hurley, to take care of us during our stay. Shannon and his wife, Danielle, were out of the country, but he made sure we had all we needed. Mark and his wife, Maggie, hosted us for dinner that night and answered many of our questions.

SOS is an umbrella organization for several ministries. Some of these include: Legacy Primary/Secondary Schools, Community Bible Church, and Shepherd’s Training College (STC). We visited to learn more about the requirements, expectations, and selection process for the STC students.  If you visit the Sufficiency of Scripture website at: https://www.sosministries.com/ you will see all it offers and why it is a viable option for sending indigenous missionaries in Uganda for theological training.

We stayed 2 nights in the village of Kubamitwe, which Shannon purchased…yes, he purchased nearly the whole village, which is near Luwero. Julius, Jim, and I were hosted by two other missionary families assigned to SOS. We enjoyed meals, had fun learning about their families, as well as their work in Uganda, specifically at SOS.

It is a lovely place, but despite its beauty, pristine facilities, and western missionaries, we all longed to be home in Tororo. We finally got back late Sunday night. I was so happy to be in my familiar surroundings with family. Even here, there’s no place like home.

The countdown to Maxwell and Juliana’s wedding is on and moving quickly, with only 10 days to go! Please pray for them both and they prepare for this glorious day and blessed event.

There are so many snippets of wonderfulness (my word) that happen each day that I wish I had time and space to write about, but suffice to say, our days are full of joy, laughter, prayer, and love. Sometimes, a heaviness comes over me for the lost souls we encounter, and other times we, along with our Ugandan family, laugh uncontrollably at the difference in our accents and cultures.  Every moment here is a gift, and I try not to take anything for granted, for time passes much too quickly.

That’s it for now! We love and miss you all.

And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.  ~ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Until next time…Tuonane!

Chrissie and Jim

Photo Link 1:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/VPDWat21xXcgyhgq6

Photo Link 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ALUsMZaYP9AGeL3q6 

Ask...Seek...Knock

💕As our adventures continued, we had a week of visiting with church members, following up with others we had shared with, more Backyard Bible Club fun, and attending Sunday service with one of our sister churches, Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Of course, wedding plans are afoot as we’ve had the distinct privilege of providing premarital counseling to the couple-to-be. For those who are new to the blog, Maxwell Odongo and Slivia Juliana are to be married on 23 August. Maxwell recently graduated from Seminary and is faithfully serving at Rock Baptist Church. Sadly, Maxwell’s father is not a Christian and is doing all he can to sabotage the wedding. Please pray that this resistance would be silenced and that Maxwell and Juliana’s special day would be a joy and blessing to all who attend.

We spend nearly every day with our kiddos from the neighborhood. We are trying to memorize all of their names, but it can be challenging. Some of these darlings include Muduli (Jonathan), Izat, Martine, Perus, Miriam, Mercy, Rayan, Faridah, Juma, Joy, and Martha. I know there are more, but these are the ones who visit most and are patient with us learning their names. Malaria seemed to sweep through the families this week. Not only did Pastor Julius have malaria, but several of our little ones did too.

We recently found out that some of these kids have sickle-cell anemia, which, here in this area, is practically a death sentence. This grieves my heart so much. We’ve fallen in love with these babies and desire for them to thrive. Most importantly, we want them to know the love and hope they have in Jesus. Please pray for these little souls by name. May God be merciful and gracious to them as they learn and grow in His Word.

We were blessed to be a part of Ebenezer Baptist Church’s Sunday service. Almost 10 years ago, we met Geoffrey Oktella and his wife, Matrine. He has proven to be solid in his faith and true to the teachings in the Bible. The mud-structure church and tent sit on Pastor Julius’ land, which he is lending to them until they have land of their own. Geoffrey runs a small shop that sells dried goods (beans, rice, maize, flour, and g-nuts). Though this little income helps, it is not much for raising funds for land. Please pray for Ebenezer Baptist Church, along with Geoffrey and Matrine, that the Lord would open a way to purchase land and a sound structure. The Lord is good and His timing is perfect. May He be gracious in His blessing to them.

We praise God for his goodness and kindness to us. Before coming here, I, Chrissie, was a little concerned about my own health with regard to my heart. AFib in a 3^rd world country is not a good combination, especially after touring a few hospitals. However, besides one little scare, my heart and health overall have been exceptional. Thankfully, Jim has been doing well also. Woohoo!

Next week, we have more adventures planned, so stay tuned and keep praying.

“Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or, if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” ~ Matthew 7:7-12

Until next time…Tuonane!

Chrissie and Jim

Photo Link 1: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pHjvAwZUWcN36xkn8

Photo Link 2: https://photos.app.goo.gl/NcGfHr7fJueZitBd8