Blessed to be able to serve!

Below is a link to few some pictures of some of the work God has blessed us to be a part of. It is hard to believe our journey here is quickly coming to an end. We have church tomorrow & have one more day of ministry in a very impoverished village on Monday. While we are anxious to see our family and friends at home, it will be very hard to leave our  friends here, they have left such a sweet thumbprint on our hearts. We pray the God's light has shown through us into the lives of those we have ministered to.

We do have some desperate prayer needs we would like to share with you:

Martha - young daughter of our friend and driver, with malaria and pneumonia

Aaron - young boy with abdominal abscess, liver & spleen complications, & severe glaucoma, from which he is losing his sight

Bernard - 8 month old boy in Nzigu village with hydrocephalus is great need of medical treatment

Uganda July 2014 Pics

Morning ya'll.....evening here ;)

July 11, 2014

The high for today was in the low to mid 90’s with a slight breeze and extremely comfortable in the shade of a beautiful, full Acacia tree.  Evening temperature is in the low 70s providing a comfortable sleeping temperature for those enjoying serving the Lord in Africa. We had a wonderful day full of adventure.  After a delicious breakfast and morning devotion we set out for a morning of African style evangelism (i.e. hut-to-hut). We divided into 4 teams to cover some of the area around the local missionary church. Each team had very different experiences. Testimonies were given, questions were asked and answered, and there was rejoicing for salvations. Rhonda and I, decided to see if we could get a Bible club going. With 2 to 3 children present I started reading from a Bible story book and before we knew it we had 17 children gathered. We went from one story to another and then gave out stickers – we had great fun!  

Upon returning to our host missionary family’s home, we enjoyed homemade chicken salad sandwiches for lunch and then we all headed to the children’s hospital. We found our good friend Florence (head nurse for the hospital), she gave us a small tour of the new section where we distributed beanie babies. The hospital visit and handing out the beanie babies has become a tradition that we’ve carried on for several years now.  Though there have been some recent renovations the suffering and crowded conditions have not changed.

By the end of the day we had searched through all our trunks to find story ideas and craft materials for over 200 children that we expect to work with tomorrow.  We thank God for getting us one step further out of our comfort zone and allowing us to serve Him. We have made our plans for tomorrow, but we never truly know what tomorrow holds.

We would like to request prayer for Martha who is the daughter of Andrew (our long time friend and driver). She has malaria and pneumonia.

Susan

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Well, I had a very interesting day, I was assigned to go out knocking on doors to spread the gospel today.  This was way out of my comfort zone after living a very sheltered life in my Christian growth in the states.  We had another Missionary with her daughter and an Interpreter from the local Church to go with me.  We stopped at 5 different homes talking with them about Jesus.  We had 7 young men and one young girl to pray the salvation prayer with us.  We hope they will come to services on Sunday and learn more about Jesus , his life, what He wants us to do with our lives, and  to show others how to live.

Deb

"You are WELCOME"

 July 9, 2014

Here goes the team’s last day in Gulu. I believe I can speak for all of us, when I say that we all have enjoyed the children these last 4 days.  Seeing their faces glow like the sun and their learning expanded day-by- day makes the lost luggage, the long hours of drive worth the wild. Today was a rather eventful day to say the least. We started out with our daily breakfast and devotion. This morning’s devotion was lead by Cindy, and was one of great reflection. We talked about how at times we try to put God in a box, and rather than allowing the Spirit of God to lead, we try to lead with our minds. We all concluded that God’s ways are much higher than our ways, and daily we must seek to know His plan even when it doesn’t make sense to our finite minds. He knows best and our faith should be fueled on His perfect plan for our lives.

After breakfast we quickly reported to our designated classes. The look on the student’s faces was simply breath taking. As soon as we stand on the first step, their eyes are directed towards us. They wait for us to enter and they all say in concert,”You are welcome”. They were all ready and eager for whatever activities we prepared for the day. We went over bible stories, namely the story of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. As we reenacted the birth of Jesus, the K2 and K3’s face lit with such amazement as they watched Susan deliver “Baby Jesus” from under Tameka’s dress. Can you say birthing 101 is in full effect? The children continue to laugh even minutes into the rest of the story.  In addition, we revisited some of the classes on hygiene. It is amazing how much their minds absorb. It just confirms that our desire and availability to allow God to pour in their hearts and minds through us will never be lost. We are preparing the next generation to have an advantage.  Just as the Bible says, as children of God we must renew our minds daily. That is applicable in the spiritual as well as the physical realm. These children have a chance for a brighter tomorrow.

Evening approached and a heavy downpour came. Jenny and Elizabeth expressed that the rain hadn’t fell that much in some time. After the rain cleared, everyone gather at the pavilion for the student’s special Acholi dance. They looked like little men and women as they performed with such confidence and pride. The dancing was followed by a science lesson demo on the qualities of air, then the P4 class singing a farwell song to us. Each of the team members was then given the opportunity to express appreciation for the students, teachers and staff’s welcome.  We definitely look forward to all God has in store for the months and years to come.

We concluded the evening with Deborah’s delicious chicken and dumpling. We sat around and watched “Journey to Jamma” and “The Perfect Game”, two great movies to end our last night in Gulu. Nothing can compare to the laughs, love and the peace of God resting upon us these last few days. We are truly blessed and we are grateful to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us all in every way. Just as God led the children of Israel with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, He will surely continue to guide and protect us for the duration of our journey.    ---Tameka