MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 02-18-2020

Greetings. A few days after beginning our Westward trek, I got the news, very early in the morning (afternoon in Uganda), that my good friend and fellow laborer, Theogene, had died.

Theogene was one of the earliest believers to join the church at Ngarama, and one of the most faithful. He had long been the functional Pastor of the Independent Baptist Church of Ngarama. I was planning to begin the process of ordaining him on our return. Before leaving on furlough, he had become paralyzed from the chest down. The doctors who saw him could not discover why. We thought it might be old injuries he had received in Congo (he had been beaten by police), or maybe even a mental breakdown. Nothing we tried helped. After we left, the truth finally came out – he and two other men had been poisoned in revenge over a land dispute. One other man, another of our church members, died. The other is paralyzed in his arm.

Theogene gradually developed bed sores. When they wouldn’t heal, we arranged to get him to the hospital for treatment. It went septic, and they could not save him. He is survived by his wife and 10 children. I will miss my friend. Pray for laborers. This kind of thing happens frequently. And good men, faithful men, are hard to find.

Our trip out West went well. We got to see all our churches in Arizona and California, and picked up some new churches as well. We took the kids to Muir Woods, and the Golden Gate bridge – so beautiful. Then we had to come back. Drove from California to Florida in 4 days (I do not recommend this). Stopped in to visit Carlsbad Caverns on the way – breathtaking.

We have finished our meetings in Florida and are now in Texas. After this furlough, I will finally be caught up on visiting my churches. We have visited several new churches also. I have been pushing hard so next furlough we won’t need to travel as much. We still need support. Pray that the support we need will come in. Pray we will raise the money needed for building projects. I have a little better than half of the $50,000 we need. The next election in Uganda is in 2021. I am very concerned there could be a coup, and then a civil war. It is imperative I get our churches on a solid footing in case things go badly. Hope for the best – prepare for the worst.

We fly home on April 1 (no fooling). Pray that the trip will go well, and that we will have everything we need in order to successfully transition back to the field. Pray for James, John, and Ethan, who will remain in America to finish school at Pensacola Christian College.

God bless you!