MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 11-07-2006

Greetings, everyone! Just a somewhat quick update to let you know what's happened in the past week. It's hard to believe it's been only that, as so much has happened. To give you perspective, we were in Cedar Rapids, IA Sunday before last, and this past Saturday we were in Tucson, AZ. It took us three days to get down here. We swung through St. Louis on October 30th to vote (If you haven't done so today, GET OUT AND VOTE! We cannot afford to allow those dirty, thieving, Communist, pro-murder, pro-perversion, anti-American Democrats to gain any political power). We drove all day on Tuesday from St. Louis to Amarillo, TX, and on Wednesday from there to Tucson, AZ. The kids handled themselves very well in spite of all the driving.

We pulled into town just in time for dinner at our first meeting, Sonrise Baptist Church in Tucson, AZ (Pastor Joe Stoppelbein). We ate, did a quick change in a side room (it's a little disturbing how quick and easy that has become), got set up, and were ready for services with time to spare. The conference was great. I showed our DVD on Wednesday, preached on Thursday, and Dr. John Halsey preached the remainder of the conference. We had a great time of fellowship with the people, and with the Stoppelbein's and the Johnson's (missionaries to the Dominican Republic). It was hard, suffering as we were down here with the beautiful, 70 to 80 degree weather we had every day. It's a different world down here. Everywhere is desert, and the majority of green we're seeing is cactus. It's beautiful, though, in its way, and we have very much enjoyed it. It's remarkable how lovely the many different blendings of brown and red and tan can be. God is quite the artist in the many ways he decorates his Creation.

On Saturday, we drove up to Shiprock, NM for a meeting in Navajo Baptist Temple with Pastor Jimmy J. Walters. Navajo Baptist Temple is a church that was started by a missionary on the Navajo reservation to reach the Navajo Nation with the gospel. Pastor Walters is the national pastor who has been Pastor there for the past 22 years. Here is a church which is very much like the ones we will be planting in Uganda, now under the leadership of a national, and supporting missionaries, just like the churches we plant in Uganda will one day be doing. It was very touching, to witness his love for his people, to hear the singing of the people in their native Navajo, and to hear Pastor Walters admonishing his church in the Navajo tongue. It was a blessing and a privilege to get to share our burden for Uganda with these dear people.

Since we were so close (only about a half hour away), we drove up to the Four Corners National Monument after church. This of course is the spot where you can touch four states at the same time – Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. We all got a real kick out of that. The reservation is beautiful. We took lots of pictures, which I'll be getting up on the website, along with the others, soon.

That evening, we had a meeting in Bible Baptist Church in Aztec, NM, with Pastor Barry Quinn. It's a great church. They're growing, they're reaching souls in their community, and they're excited about missions. I showed our DVD and preached, and the LORD blessed.

I got word yesterday that Sonrise Baptist has voted to support us! What great news. God has greatly blessed us on this trip. We will be in Bible Baptist Church in Flagstaff, AZ tomorrow with Pastor George Feaster. Pray that God will give us grace as we seek to share our burden in that church, and that we'll be a blessing and an encouragement.

Pray for Sonrise Baptist, that they'll continue to grow and see folks saved. Pray for Navajo Baptist Temple, and Pastor Walters, that God will encourage them, and that many more Navajo people will be saved and added to the church. Pray that God will help them understand that becoming a Christian doesn't mean you stop being Navajo, or that you've sold out your people by converting to the "white man's religion". Pray for Bible Baptist Church in Aztec, NM, that God will continue to bless them there, and that they will continue to see folks saved.

Pray for us in the meetings that remain, and for our eventual traveling back home shortly before Thanksgiving.