MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-27-2024

Greetings everybody!

We are finally starting to get out of the dry season and into the rains again. It has been dry as a desert around here, so I am very grateful to get the rain. This impacts our people, who depend on that rain to grow crops. Pray their efforts will produce a good harvest and that they will have a bumper crop of food. Another effect of the rain is it fills our water tanks with clean water. They had been suffering for water and having to draw water from the lake, which is dirty, and also expensive (they charge by the jerry can). The rains filled our tanks, so now, instead of having to pay for jerry cans of dirty water, they got clean water from our tanks instead, and for free. One woman was testifying how she was finally able to get water for laundry, so she looks sharp for church. Something as simple as helping us build tanks for holding water has a big impact. Imagine if you had no water for drinking, or bathing, or cooking, or washing clothes. Much thanks to everybody who helped us put in water tanks.

I have been moving from church to church preaching, and teaching as per usual. God has been blessing our services. Pray for our deacons and their wives. We have been drilling down on the qualifications for deacons, and it has caused some ripples. You see, a deacon’s wife has to be saved, like her husband. And deacons have to have their houses in order, with a Christian wife and well behaved children. I am emphasizing leadership in the home, and responsibility to the church. Anna has been working hard to train the ladies, so they not only are saved, but learn how to be godly women, wives, and mothers. Women here are taught that you take your husband’s religion when you marry. So, all too often, the men will be saved, but the women remain unregenerate, and can become serious problems in the church. It is the sort of training that will pay big dividends, if people get it. Pray that the Holy Spirit will bring conviction, and wisdom to our deacons and their wives.

Pray for Pastor Zizi. The rains are slowly but systematically destroying his house.

Water floods in every time it rains. The house is beginning to crack in two, and is becoming dangerous. He is going to have to rent a place nearby because of this. I need to build a new house for him. I have had our contractor work up a plan. It will cost $10,000. Please prayerfully consider assisting with this need. It has become urgent. Pastor Zizi has been faithful. He has a wife and seven children. They need a home that will be secure, has enough space for them, and keeps out the elements.

God bless and keep you!

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Life in Uganda: Sweet Potatoes!

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MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 06-24-2024

Greetings!

I have great news. We completed two major projects at the refugee camp. First, Kabazana Independent Baptist Church has a new building, water tank, baptistry, latrine and a nice new front gate. We are looking forward to scheduling our dedication service very soon. That will bring local leaders and lots of people from the community in to see it. I intend to swing for the fences, preach the Gospel with clarity and power to all of them. Pray for that upcoming meeting. Thank you to everybody that gave generously to fund this much needed work.

We also received money with which to put in a water tank at Ngarama Independent Baptist Church. We got enough that we not only were able to put in a new 10,000 liter water tank, we did some building maintenance, repainted all our buildings, and put in a new gate out front, along with a culvert to keep the water from washing out our drive. That is a great blessing. Thank you to those who gave to help with this.

Now all the churches have baptistries and water tanks. Pray for rain. The dry season came early, and it is the dust bowl around here. It is going to cause a lot of hunger because of crop failures. We need rain soon.

That just leaves our Sangano Independent Bapist Church and school. Sangano is our largest and oldest church. It has the most buildings because of the school. It also has the oldest buildings. These buildings have become quite run down. I would like to completely rebuild and expand our sanctuary, rebuild the baptistry and the latrine, do building maintenance and paint the school buildings, and spruce up the front gate. We also need to rebuild Pastor Zizi’s house. His first house fell down. Him, his wife, and his seven children moved into what was meant to be the library building. It was too small for a library. It is very much too small for 9 people. We can do all the other rebuilds and expansions for $35,000. Pastor Zizi’s house will cost $10,000. Please pray about assisting us with these very important projects.

We are continuing our work, training, teaching, and preaching the word to adults and children. The Devil has been fighting it hard. As you know, I had to close a church due to their insistence on being “Baptist” when I was around, but Pentecostal all the time. Now, the ex-deacon of the former church, a man named Byuma, with some influence from another ex-deacon from way back, a reprobate criminal named Timothy, are trying to steal the church property so they can build a Pentecostal structure there. Pentecostalism is a big source of income here. You don’t ever have to have any personal faith in Jesus Christ, or any training at all. Just speak in tongues, identify as a Pastor, and you can commence robbing the poor and the desperate.

I am attempting to stop this travesty. If allowed to continue, it will embolden the wicked, punish the righteous, and cause great harm to the ministry in that area. Our faithful church members are ready to fight this, but Byuma is threatening to murder anybody who tries to stop him. We are taking the matter to the camp commandant and attempting to resolve this legally and peaceably. Pray that truth and righteousness will prevail.

God bless and keep you!

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