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During the summer of 2008 we will be sending a group of young people to the country of Uganda, Africa.
The team will be putting on a youth conference in Masaka, as well as ministering in schools and doing various work projects.
Please continue to pray for our team that God provides their every need and moves powerfully in the country of Uganda!
The team will be putting on a youth conference in Masaka, as well as ministering in schools and doing various work projects.
Please continue to pray for our team that God provides their every need and moves powerfully in the country of Uganda!
Team Uganda - July 2008
Sat 12th
Sun 13th
Mon 14th
Tue 15th
Wed 16th
Thur 17th
Fri 18th
Sat 19th
Sun 20th
Mon 21st
Tue 22nd
Wed 23rd
Thu 24th
Fri 25th
Sat 26th
Sun 27th
Mon 28th
Tue 29th
Wed 30th
Thur 31st
Sun 13th
Mon 14th
Tue 15th
Wed 16th
Thur 17th
Fri 18th
Sat 19th
Sun 20th
Mon 21st
Tue 22nd
Wed 23rd
Thu 24th
Fri 25th
Sat 26th
Sun 27th
Mon 28th
Tue 29th
Wed 30th
Thur 31st
Depart Church 12 PM for Detroit
Fly out of Detroit (7 AM)
Arrive in Dubai
Depart Dubai 8 AM
Arrive Entebbe 2 PM
Stay in Gaba at Guest House
Arrive Entebbe 2 PM
Stay in Gaba at Guest House
Gaba
Itinerary - July 2008
Copyright 2008 Grace Christian Fellowship
Gaba
Orientation (Morning)
Minister in three schools
Minister in three schools
Bethany Village (orphanage)
- visit & assembly
- Afternoon work project
- visit & assembly
- Afternoon work project
Maranatha School Assembly
Afternoon work project
Meet w/Pastor Peter Kasirivu and Africa Renewal Ministries
Afternoon work project
Meet w/Pastor Peter Kasirivu and Africa Renewal Ministries
Visit local communities
Sight seeing
Sight seeing
Attend Gaba Community Church
Travel to be with Pastor Deo Mwanje in Kampala
Travel to be with Pastor Deo Mwanje in Kampala
Kampala
Minister with Pastor Deo in Kampala slums. We will be involved in sports, open air meetings, community visits and more.
Masaka
Travel to Masaka (morning)
Visit church and meet local church leaders (afternoon/eve)
Visit church and meet local church leaders (afternoon/eve)
Go to a couple of schools around town; talk to the young people
Youth conference @ Masaka Pentecostal Church
Masaka Pentecostal Church
Gaba
Travel back to Gaba
Shopping day
Shopping day
Gaba Trading Center open air meeting
Ministry with ARM Staff
Farewell Dinner
Ministry with ARM Staff
Farewell Dinner
Depart Entebbe Airport (4 PM)
Arrive in Detroit (5 PM)
Travel
The Team: (1st Row, Left to Right) Isaac Miller, Adam Miller, McLaine Dury, Ben Mast (2nd Row, Left to Right) Bob Lawrence, Alexis Abbs, Megan Grim, Tyler Grim, Pastor Luke Eicher
Monday July 14th
We made it to Dubai!
It is 9PM now and we are all about to hit the sack. The flight from JFK to DBX was really smooth - it was definitely the nicest plane, coolest entertainment features, and best food I've ever experienced in an airplane. Unfortunately, not many of us slept very much as a result of it.
We spent the morning getting to the hotel and checking in, then we headed to the mall of the Emirates for lunch and shopping. It was pretty much just a very fancy Western shopping mall with 4 food courts, a 5 star hotel, and the indoor ski area all connected together. No noteworthy purchases, although it was nice to be in an air conditioned building since it is at least 110 deg F outside and very humid. It feels like you are in the exhaust of a clothes dryer.
The city is pretty incredible... lots of great architecture, unbelievable amounts of construction and everything is very new and very nice. It feels a little like being in Las Vegas, but it is definitely very different. Everyone speaks English, so that is nice. We haven't seen many Americans here, but we haven't felt out of place at all either.
Well, it is 9:30pm and we need to be up at 4:30AM in order to get to the airport on time. I am excited to begin to focus on ministry in Uganda. I believe the prophetic words about miracles and salvation. I look forward to sending back good reports of what God is doing. Thanks for your prayers and continue to pray for us. Everyone on the team is getting along very well and I'm sure they send their greetings, even though they have no idea i'm sending this :) Love you guys!
Luke
We made it to Dubai!
It is 9PM now and we are all about to hit the sack. The flight from JFK to DBX was really smooth - it was definitely the nicest plane, coolest entertainment features, and best food I've ever experienced in an airplane. Unfortunately, not many of us slept very much as a result of it.
We spent the morning getting to the hotel and checking in, then we headed to the mall of the Emirates for lunch and shopping. It was pretty much just a very fancy Western shopping mall with 4 food courts, a 5 star hotel, and the indoor ski area all connected together. No noteworthy purchases, although it was nice to be in an air conditioned building since it is at least 110 deg F outside and very humid. It feels like you are in the exhaust of a clothes dryer.
The city is pretty incredible... lots of great architecture, unbelievable amounts of construction and everything is very new and very nice. It feels a little like being in Las Vegas, but it is definitely very different. Everyone speaks English, so that is nice. We haven't seen many Americans here, but we haven't felt out of place at all either.
Well, it is 9:30pm and we need to be up at 4:30AM in order to get to the airport on time. I am excited to begin to focus on ministry in Uganda. I believe the prophetic words about miracles and salvation. I look forward to sending back good reports of what God is doing. Thanks for your prayers and continue to pray for us. Everyone on the team is getting along very well and I'm sure they send their greetings, even though they have no idea i'm sending this :) Love you guys!
Luke
Friday July 18th
Hello everyone,
I am sending this to a few different groups as it's my 3rd attempt to send email. The first 2 were thwarted by power failures.
We have all arrived here safe and sound. It was a bit of a close one to get all 17 of us here from Dubai as 6 of the team didn't have seats due to overbooking. We were quite happy to seem them at the gate right before we boarded. It would have been tricky to rearrange transport and our schedule to accomadate them not being there.
The team is doing wonderful and everyone instantly clicked together as if we have known each other for years. A nice answer to prayer. We feel at home here and have been warmly received by all we meet.
We are all staying at a 2 level guest house that has balconies over-looking Lake Victoria. This is a very beautiful country.
We are only on our 3rd ministry day here, but have felt like we've been here for weeks alread - in a good way. I almost could have come home satisfied after the first day because of what we were able to accomplish. We visited 3 schools and saw over 40 people come to Christ and a girl whom some of the team prayed over was healed of a headache caused by malaria - we are believing it was a sign that the malaria is gone as well.
The two groups - american and canadian - mesh together nicely as we are able to incorporate worship, dance, drama, and speaking into what are doing. This is great because some of the schools are requesting an hour and a half program.
Yesterday we visited Bethel village where ARMS has a school and orphanage. We toured, painted, and did some skits and taught the children...along with a lot of playing.
We are all in love with the country and looking forward to what the next week and a half bring. Luke and I will be preaching in different churches this Sunday and then the entire team will travel
2 hours to Musaka to work there for a few days. We will then be in Kampala and then back to Gaba where we are currently.
There is more that I could write, but it will have to wait as I'm just trying to get this one out before something happens:)
Love you all and will see some of you soon.
Tim
(Youth Pastor from Harvest City Church in Regina, Canada)
Hello everyone,
I am sending this to a few different groups as it's my 3rd attempt to send email. The first 2 were thwarted by power failures.
We have all arrived here safe and sound. It was a bit of a close one to get all 17 of us here from Dubai as 6 of the team didn't have seats due to overbooking. We were quite happy to seem them at the gate right before we boarded. It would have been tricky to rearrange transport and our schedule to accomadate them not being there.
The team is doing wonderful and everyone instantly clicked together as if we have known each other for years. A nice answer to prayer. We feel at home here and have been warmly received by all we meet.
We are all staying at a 2 level guest house that has balconies over-looking Lake Victoria. This is a very beautiful country.
We are only on our 3rd ministry day here, but have felt like we've been here for weeks alread - in a good way. I almost could have come home satisfied after the first day because of what we were able to accomplish. We visited 3 schools and saw over 40 people come to Christ and a girl whom some of the team prayed over was healed of a headache caused by malaria - we are believing it was a sign that the malaria is gone as well.
The two groups - american and canadian - mesh together nicely as we are able to incorporate worship, dance, drama, and speaking into what are doing. This is great because some of the schools are requesting an hour and a half program.
Yesterday we visited Bethel village where ARMS has a school and orphanage. We toured, painted, and did some skits and taught the children...along with a lot of playing.
We are all in love with the country and looking forward to what the next week and a half bring. Luke and I will be preaching in different churches this Sunday and then the entire team will travel
2 hours to Musaka to work there for a few days. We will then be in Kampala and then back to Gaba where we are currently.
There is more that I could write, but it will have to wait as I'm just trying to get this one out before something happens:)
Love you all and will see some of you soon.
Tim
(Youth Pastor from Harvest City Church in Regina, Canada)
Tuesday, July 22nd
Hello everyone!
We are having an incredible time in Uganda. We have been very busy visiting schools and churches, but God's grace has been there for us. Here are a few notes from our trip so far:
We spent the first 5 days in Ggaba working with ARM.
Day 1: We visited 3 schools and toured ARM projects. At the first school 42 people got saved! The second school was pretty rushed, but we really connected with the students at the 3rd school. We had a great time of praise and worship, Bob preached a great message, and we prayed for many students and the last student that i went to pray for said "I just want to be saved". It was such a fun experience to explain the gospel to him and lead him in a prayer of faith. I was able to connect him with local church leaders to follow up with him.
Day 2: We visited Bethany village and saw all the project they are doing there. It was so incredible to see everything first hand. The ride across the lake on the boat was breath-taking. We even saw an eagle swooping to catch a fish. At Bethany we did a short program for the children and played with them. We were all very overwhelmed with compassion for the children.
Day 3: We spent the morning painting at the Ggaba Bible Institute. In the afternoon we did our program for the Maranatha High School in Ggaba community church and prayed for many students. I can't remember many other details of the day right now...
Day 4: In the morning we were supposed to go for a tour of the area, but decided to delay due to rain. Instead we had a powerful time of worship, prayer and sharing as a team. it was great to be able to spend time building team unity and encouraging one another in the Lord. In the evening we visited a large school and did our program. Ben did a great job preaching and many students responded for prayer. Alexis prayed for at least one person to get saved and Megan prayed for a girl's eyes that got healed! There are more testimonies that I can't even remember right now.
Day 5: We were at Ggaba church with pastor Peter K. for the first service. Ben, Adam, Alexis, McLaine and Megan were part of the worship team and Tim preached. There was a very large response for prayer and the power of God was moving in that place. After the service we were rushed to a second church in Kampala with pastor James. The church is a new church plant that started last September. They already have about 150 adults and over 200 children. We showed up in the middle of worship. We did songs, dances and dramas and then I preached. Several people responded for prayer to overcome struggles in their lives. After church we moved to our new guest house in Kampala (Manhattan inn). We were going to do a crusade in the evening, but canceled it due to rain. It was good because we needed some rest. We ended up spending the evening playing games, talking and just relaxing. We were able to go to bed early, which was good, because day 6 was a doozy!
Day 6: In the morning we played games with the "Treasured Kids" primary school, which is a school that Deo started. Immediately after that we visited another primary school. We did a 1 hr program in the blazing sun, but many children responded to receive Jesus as their savior after Raelyn shared the gospel using the colors of different children's clothes. immediately after that, we rushed to another secondary school where we shared a 1-hr program. As I was speaking I felt led to talk about hearing the voice of God. I encouraged the students that they could all hear God's voice. As i was closing, Adam came up and grabbed the mic. he said that God told him that there was someone with vision problems that God wanted to heal. Several students then came up for prayer and two of them were healed. One, who could not see things from the back of the room, was able to read and count the number of fingers someone was holding up. Another had extreme headaches and they were gone. We then prayed for many morre students and some others were also healed (a stomach and a back). We finally ate lunch at 3pm. In the evening we went to Deo's church and had an open air crusade. People came from the church and surrounding community. There were kids everywhere and maybe 75-100 adults. We did our program into the night (with a single 60W light bulb lighting the grounds). Bob preached the gospel and three people responded to be saved. Then we prayed for the sick and many more responded. Several people were healed. In the meantime, Tyler went out by the street and started talking to two guys walking down the road. They only spoke Swahili (from Sudan) and Tyler made a local Christian reluctantly translate for him. Both guys got saved and the Christian was greatly encouraged in his faith. We will continue the crusade again tonight.
Well we are in the middle of Day 7 and starting to feel tired, but energized at the same time. We have a crusade meeting tonight with Deo and 1 more day with Deo tomorrow. On Thursday we will head to Masaka to begin the third phase of our trip.
Peter and everyone from ARM send their greetings (moses, John Paul, Fred, Francis, Michael, Julian...). James from Kampala community church sends his greetings. And Deo sends his greetings too. Everyone is taking very good care of us and we certainly do feel "very much welcome" here. The weather has been great! it rained the first 4 days we were here. It hasn't been too hot at all, only when playing with little kids in the sun for 2 hours at a time:) No one has been sick and we have had great team unity. Everyone has done a great job sharing and praying for the people. They all are great with the kids, especially McLaine, who seems to have a knack for putting them to sleep. Please continue to pray for us that God will continue to move through us and give us stength to finish strong. I love working with Tim, Raelyn and the team from Canada. It feels like we have known each other forever.
Well, I have to go. I miss everyone a little bit, but I miss Amanda and my girls mucho mucho mucho. I have been having trouble calling back to the US, but Deo is going to help me figure it out, so hopefully I will be able to call Amanda tonight. I love you Amanda! Please tell the girls how much I miss them.
Luke
Hello everyone!
We are having an incredible time in Uganda. We have been very busy visiting schools and churches, but God's grace has been there for us. Here are a few notes from our trip so far:
We spent the first 5 days in Ggaba working with ARM.
Day 1: We visited 3 schools and toured ARM projects. At the first school 42 people got saved! The second school was pretty rushed, but we really connected with the students at the 3rd school. We had a great time of praise and worship, Bob preached a great message, and we prayed for many students and the last student that i went to pray for said "I just want to be saved". It was such a fun experience to explain the gospel to him and lead him in a prayer of faith. I was able to connect him with local church leaders to follow up with him.
Day 2: We visited Bethany village and saw all the project they are doing there. It was so incredible to see everything first hand. The ride across the lake on the boat was breath-taking. We even saw an eagle swooping to catch a fish. At Bethany we did a short program for the children and played with them. We were all very overwhelmed with compassion for the children.
Day 3: We spent the morning painting at the Ggaba Bible Institute. In the afternoon we did our program for the Maranatha High School in Ggaba community church and prayed for many students. I can't remember many other details of the day right now...
Day 4: In the morning we were supposed to go for a tour of the area, but decided to delay due to rain. Instead we had a powerful time of worship, prayer and sharing as a team. it was great to be able to spend time building team unity and encouraging one another in the Lord. In the evening we visited a large school and did our program. Ben did a great job preaching and many students responded for prayer. Alexis prayed for at least one person to get saved and Megan prayed for a girl's eyes that got healed! There are more testimonies that I can't even remember right now.
Day 5: We were at Ggaba church with pastor Peter K. for the first service. Ben, Adam, Alexis, McLaine and Megan were part of the worship team and Tim preached. There was a very large response for prayer and the power of God was moving in that place. After the service we were rushed to a second church in Kampala with pastor James. The church is a new church plant that started last September. They already have about 150 adults and over 200 children. We showed up in the middle of worship. We did songs, dances and dramas and then I preached. Several people responded for prayer to overcome struggles in their lives. After church we moved to our new guest house in Kampala (Manhattan inn). We were going to do a crusade in the evening, but canceled it due to rain. It was good because we needed some rest. We ended up spending the evening playing games, talking and just relaxing. We were able to go to bed early, which was good, because day 6 was a doozy!
Day 6: In the morning we played games with the "Treasured Kids" primary school, which is a school that Deo started. Immediately after that we visited another primary school. We did a 1 hr program in the blazing sun, but many children responded to receive Jesus as their savior after Raelyn shared the gospel using the colors of different children's clothes. immediately after that, we rushed to another secondary school where we shared a 1-hr program. As I was speaking I felt led to talk about hearing the voice of God. I encouraged the students that they could all hear God's voice. As i was closing, Adam came up and grabbed the mic. he said that God told him that there was someone with vision problems that God wanted to heal. Several students then came up for prayer and two of them were healed. One, who could not see things from the back of the room, was able to read and count the number of fingers someone was holding up. Another had extreme headaches and they were gone. We then prayed for many morre students and some others were also healed (a stomach and a back). We finally ate lunch at 3pm. In the evening we went to Deo's church and had an open air crusade. People came from the church and surrounding community. There were kids everywhere and maybe 75-100 adults. We did our program into the night (with a single 60W light bulb lighting the grounds). Bob preached the gospel and three people responded to be saved. Then we prayed for the sick and many more responded. Several people were healed. In the meantime, Tyler went out by the street and started talking to two guys walking down the road. They only spoke Swahili (from Sudan) and Tyler made a local Christian reluctantly translate for him. Both guys got saved and the Christian was greatly encouraged in his faith. We will continue the crusade again tonight.
Well we are in the middle of Day 7 and starting to feel tired, but energized at the same time. We have a crusade meeting tonight with Deo and 1 more day with Deo tomorrow. On Thursday we will head to Masaka to begin the third phase of our trip.
Peter and everyone from ARM send their greetings (moses, John Paul, Fred, Francis, Michael, Julian...). James from Kampala community church sends his greetings. And Deo sends his greetings too. Everyone is taking very good care of us and we certainly do feel "very much welcome" here. The weather has been great! it rained the first 4 days we were here. It hasn't been too hot at all, only when playing with little kids in the sun for 2 hours at a time:) No one has been sick and we have had great team unity. Everyone has done a great job sharing and praying for the people. They all are great with the kids, especially McLaine, who seems to have a knack for putting them to sleep. Please continue to pray for us that God will continue to move through us and give us stength to finish strong. I love working with Tim, Raelyn and the team from Canada. It feels like we have known each other forever.
Well, I have to go. I miss everyone a little bit, but I miss Amanda and my girls mucho mucho mucho. I have been having trouble calling back to the US, but Deo is going to help me figure it out, so hopefully I will be able to call Amanda tonight. I love you Amanda! Please tell the girls how much I miss them.
Luke
Tuesday, July 29th
Hello everyone, I thought I finally had some time to send out one last email update before we head home! God is good and we have seen his hand move in powerful ways! Everyone is still healthy and we're still friends. This has been an incredible trip. Here are the highlights:
July 22 highlights
We were with Deo on July 22. In the afternoon we took a tour with Deo, visiting the orphanage and driving through the slums. it was very impacting, especially driving through the slums seeing human waste right next to the streets where the children were playing and small mud huts that entire families lived in. As we drove, at least 50 children followed the vehicle shouting "Mzungu" and wanting us to touch their hands. After the tour we went to another open air crusade meeting at Deo's church. At the crusade several people were healed and Tyler sniped a couple people walking down the street and led them to the Lord.
The team was very impacted by all the children running around. They are everywhere, with ragged clothing and very little supervision. All they want is to hold our hands or to be held. It is so overwhelming!
July 23 highlights
We were able to get a break in the morning, sleeping in (much needed) and we walked to a nice guest house for our lunch. We had to wait an hour for the food, so several of us hiked up the hill to the St. Paul's cathedral, which was the head catholic church for Uganda. On our way back down to the restaraunt I was intercepted by a young man named John.
He was a refugee from Rwanda. He was living on the streets, was fighting Malaria and full of hopelessness and despair. I immediately began to encourage him with scripture and personal testimonies. Then the Lord reminded me of the scriptures in James 2, so I felt that I should give him some money. I gave him enough to buy a blanket and a Bible and then I began to pray for him. While I prayed, he broke and the Holy Spirit really ministered to him. I hugged him and encouraged him in the Lord and prophesied over him. Afterwards he began smiling and I could see that he had hope once again. It was a very special moment for me, which happened at an inconvenient time, but I'm learning that that is when God loves to move! After lunch, we did our program at Deo's primary school. We shared a very simple gospel and prayed for the sick. At least 10+ children responded to the gospel and three came forward to give testimonies of how God healed them (primary students!) In the evening we ministered at Deo's church. After the message there was a big response for prayer and some amazing stories. Some boys prayed for a guy's eyesight and God healed it so that he was able to read things at a distance, which he couldn't do before. Several people were healed of stomach pains. People recommitted their lives to God.
As we prayed for Deo's father (who has HIV) several children put their hands on him to pray and he began shaking under the power of God. Megan prayed for a girl with significant stomach pains who was healed. When she gave her testimony to the church she said "I want to recieve Jesus as my savior too"! It was a powerful time!
July 24
This was a travel day. In the morning we packed up, said good bye to Deo and headed to Masaka. I was able to give Deo some money on behalf of GCF, which will be used to buy a triple bunk bed for new orphans that came since we were with him. On the way to Masaka some people wanted to buy a drum, so we stopped at a series of drum shops. Between everyone on the team, we ended up buying 30 drums. it was really funny. Don't worry they're not all big drums. In the afternoon we settled into the hotel at Masaka and met Tom, the youth pastor at MPC (Masaka Pentacostal Church). In the evening we all piled in the bus and went to a supermarket to get some snacks. 17 of us rushed into a small supermarket and bought anything that had chocolate, sugar or ice cream.
It must have been quite the sight!
July 25
This was a very busy day. We went to 2 schools and ministered in the late afternoon at the MPC youth conference. God moved powerfully at the schools! At least 15-20 students accepted Christ and we saw many miracles. A fun one, was when the schools soccer star testified how God healed his legs. he was jumping for everyone to see. Then at the end of his testimony he said "and I also want to confess Christ as my Savior!" We saw many other miracles too: leg pain healed, heart pain healed, stomachs... Many on the team were able to personally lead people to Christ, which was very exciting for them. The youth conference also went very well. We prayed for many at the end of the meeting for various things, but especially for those who felt God was giving them a call for their lives. We were able to pray for them, encourage them and prophesy over them. It was a good evening!
July 26
This was the day of the all day youth conference. We didn't really know what to expect for the day, and it ended up that they carried most of the conference, which was good. We had three preaching times throughout the day and performed many dances and dramas. The students were really inspired to start their own dance and drama teams and the teaching really focused on going out and influencing people with the gospel. By the end of the conference we were able to really connect with some of their youth and we were encouraged with what God was doing in them.
July 27
We attended both services at MPC. Luke preached at the first service and Tim preached at the second. It was fun to experience their church - we felt right at home. In the afternoon we attended their youth service and had fun dancing, sharing stories, talking about cultural differences and connecting with them. It was hard to leave and say good bye, but we were finally able to pull ourselves away to eat hamburgers and pizza at a little cafe called Frickendellen's, which was a Danish NGO that worked with children at risk. They also had icecream, which we ate lots of!
July 28
We traveled back to Kampala, stopping at the equator on the way. In Kampala we spent the afternoon shopping and relaxing. In the evening we had dinner at Pastor Peter Kasirvu's house. We spent some time sharing about our experiences on the trip and praying together.
July 29
Today, we have been relaxing in the morning, and spending time worshipping,praying and encouraging each other. This afternoon will be our last outreach as we do our program in the market in Ggaba. Tomorrow we leave for the airport at noon and then we'll spend about 36 hrs traveling!
Looking forward to seeing my family soon. Thank God for his grace! See ya'll on Sunday!
Luke
Here are some personal notes from a few people on the team:
McLaine Dury - "I really don't have words to describe my trip so far. I've come here to bless and serve these people but I've been blessed more than I ever imagined. I guess all I can really say is the person that left Sturgis two weeks ago is not the same person returning. God is so good"
Bob Lawrence - "I have to agree with Mclaine. Words really are insufficient. God has done incredible things on this trip, demonstrating His power in the physical, as well as impacting each member of the team. I know that He has broken my heart for Africa, He has broken my heart for America, and He has changed my perspectives on a lot of things. To my church family: thank you so much for your support and prayers. This team has definitely felt the protective hand of God while we minister, and I know that it's because of all the people back home that are going to bat for us in prayer each and every day. To Mom, Dad, and the kids: I love you and miss you so much, and although leaving will be bittersweet, I can't wait to be back with you and tell you all about what God is doing in Africa, and in my life. Much love to all!"
Alexis Abbs - "Hey, Alexis here. I also agree with Bob and McLaine. :) God has exceeded my expectations on this trip and I have seen him move in bigger ways than ever before. My faith has been increased as I witness His healing work in people's lives, both physically and emotionally. Our hearts have been broken for the people of this country and we have been so blessed to see their joy and contentment through difficult circumstances. As they often say it here, God is good all the time and all the time God is good!! We love and miss you all very much! I will leave you with a cry of our hearts for this trip that God has been answering, "Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause, as I walk from earth into
eternity."
Hello everyone, I thought I finally had some time to send out one last email update before we head home! God is good and we have seen his hand move in powerful ways! Everyone is still healthy and we're still friends. This has been an incredible trip. Here are the highlights:
July 22 highlights
We were with Deo on July 22. In the afternoon we took a tour with Deo, visiting the orphanage and driving through the slums. it was very impacting, especially driving through the slums seeing human waste right next to the streets where the children were playing and small mud huts that entire families lived in. As we drove, at least 50 children followed the vehicle shouting "Mzungu" and wanting us to touch their hands. After the tour we went to another open air crusade meeting at Deo's church. At the crusade several people were healed and Tyler sniped a couple people walking down the street and led them to the Lord.
The team was very impacted by all the children running around. They are everywhere, with ragged clothing and very little supervision. All they want is to hold our hands or to be held. It is so overwhelming!
July 23 highlights
We were able to get a break in the morning, sleeping in (much needed) and we walked to a nice guest house for our lunch. We had to wait an hour for the food, so several of us hiked up the hill to the St. Paul's cathedral, which was the head catholic church for Uganda. On our way back down to the restaraunt I was intercepted by a young man named John.
He was a refugee from Rwanda. He was living on the streets, was fighting Malaria and full of hopelessness and despair. I immediately began to encourage him with scripture and personal testimonies. Then the Lord reminded me of the scriptures in James 2, so I felt that I should give him some money. I gave him enough to buy a blanket and a Bible and then I began to pray for him. While I prayed, he broke and the Holy Spirit really ministered to him. I hugged him and encouraged him in the Lord and prophesied over him. Afterwards he began smiling and I could see that he had hope once again. It was a very special moment for me, which happened at an inconvenient time, but I'm learning that that is when God loves to move! After lunch, we did our program at Deo's primary school. We shared a very simple gospel and prayed for the sick. At least 10+ children responded to the gospel and three came forward to give testimonies of how God healed them (primary students!) In the evening we ministered at Deo's church. After the message there was a big response for prayer and some amazing stories. Some boys prayed for a guy's eyesight and God healed it so that he was able to read things at a distance, which he couldn't do before. Several people were healed of stomach pains. People recommitted their lives to God.
As we prayed for Deo's father (who has HIV) several children put their hands on him to pray and he began shaking under the power of God. Megan prayed for a girl with significant stomach pains who was healed. When she gave her testimony to the church she said "I want to recieve Jesus as my savior too"! It was a powerful time!
July 24
This was a travel day. In the morning we packed up, said good bye to Deo and headed to Masaka. I was able to give Deo some money on behalf of GCF, which will be used to buy a triple bunk bed for new orphans that came since we were with him. On the way to Masaka some people wanted to buy a drum, so we stopped at a series of drum shops. Between everyone on the team, we ended up buying 30 drums. it was really funny. Don't worry they're not all big drums. In the afternoon we settled into the hotel at Masaka and met Tom, the youth pastor at MPC (Masaka Pentacostal Church). In the evening we all piled in the bus and went to a supermarket to get some snacks. 17 of us rushed into a small supermarket and bought anything that had chocolate, sugar or ice cream.
It must have been quite the sight!
July 25
This was a very busy day. We went to 2 schools and ministered in the late afternoon at the MPC youth conference. God moved powerfully at the schools! At least 15-20 students accepted Christ and we saw many miracles. A fun one, was when the schools soccer star testified how God healed his legs. he was jumping for everyone to see. Then at the end of his testimony he said "and I also want to confess Christ as my Savior!" We saw many other miracles too: leg pain healed, heart pain healed, stomachs... Many on the team were able to personally lead people to Christ, which was very exciting for them. The youth conference also went very well. We prayed for many at the end of the meeting for various things, but especially for those who felt God was giving them a call for their lives. We were able to pray for them, encourage them and prophesy over them. It was a good evening!
July 26
This was the day of the all day youth conference. We didn't really know what to expect for the day, and it ended up that they carried most of the conference, which was good. We had three preaching times throughout the day and performed many dances and dramas. The students were really inspired to start their own dance and drama teams and the teaching really focused on going out and influencing people with the gospel. By the end of the conference we were able to really connect with some of their youth and we were encouraged with what God was doing in them.
July 27
We attended both services at MPC. Luke preached at the first service and Tim preached at the second. It was fun to experience their church - we felt right at home. In the afternoon we attended their youth service and had fun dancing, sharing stories, talking about cultural differences and connecting with them. It was hard to leave and say good bye, but we were finally able to pull ourselves away to eat hamburgers and pizza at a little cafe called Frickendellen's, which was a Danish NGO that worked with children at risk. They also had icecream, which we ate lots of!
July 28
We traveled back to Kampala, stopping at the equator on the way. In Kampala we spent the afternoon shopping and relaxing. In the evening we had dinner at Pastor Peter Kasirvu's house. We spent some time sharing about our experiences on the trip and praying together.
July 29
Today, we have been relaxing in the morning, and spending time worshipping,praying and encouraging each other. This afternoon will be our last outreach as we do our program in the market in Ggaba. Tomorrow we leave for the airport at noon and then we'll spend about 36 hrs traveling!
Looking forward to seeing my family soon. Thank God for his grace! See ya'll on Sunday!
Luke
Here are some personal notes from a few people on the team:
McLaine Dury - "I really don't have words to describe my trip so far. I've come here to bless and serve these people but I've been blessed more than I ever imagined. I guess all I can really say is the person that left Sturgis two weeks ago is not the same person returning. God is so good"
Bob Lawrence - "I have to agree with Mclaine. Words really are insufficient. God has done incredible things on this trip, demonstrating His power in the physical, as well as impacting each member of the team. I know that He has broken my heart for Africa, He has broken my heart for America, and He has changed my perspectives on a lot of things. To my church family: thank you so much for your support and prayers. This team has definitely felt the protective hand of God while we minister, and I know that it's because of all the people back home that are going to bat for us in prayer each and every day. To Mom, Dad, and the kids: I love you and miss you so much, and although leaving will be bittersweet, I can't wait to be back with you and tell you all about what God is doing in Africa, and in my life. Much love to all!"
Alexis Abbs - "Hey, Alexis here. I also agree with Bob and McLaine. :) God has exceeded my expectations on this trip and I have seen him move in bigger ways than ever before. My faith has been increased as I witness His healing work in people's lives, both physically and emotionally. Our hearts have been broken for the people of this country and we have been so blessed to see their joy and contentment through difficult circumstances. As they often say it here, God is good all the time and all the time God is good!! We love and miss you all very much! I will leave you with a cry of our hearts for this trip that God has been answering, "Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen, show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart for what breaks Yours, everything I am for Your Kingdom's cause, as I walk from earth into
eternity."