MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 03-04-2010

Greetings, no longer from the deputation trail! We finished up our final meeting in Roswell, NM last week, and all that remains now are final preparations to leave for Uganda on March 22! We had a great series of meetings in New Mexico, in First Baptist Church of Edgewood, Santa Fe Baptist Church, and Roswell Baptist Church respectively. They were all great missions conferences, and praise the LORD, all three churches are supporting us! We still need a bit more support, so keep praying that God will raise that up shortly before or after our departure.

Three churches have contacted me about supporting us and all I have to do is get them our DVD and prayer cards, and they are going to represent us in their missions conferences, so praise the LORD about that as well!

Here's a list of extremely specific needs you all can pray for:

$9500 for shipping a 20' container from here all the way to Mbarara, Uganda. We have a little better than half, and need the rest next week.

$16,000 for outfit (vaccines – just found out that's going to be $1900, work permits, six month's rent for a house, stuff for the house and any improvements required, and anything else we're likely to need on arrival). We have about half, and need the rest by the time we leave on March 22.

$12,000 to buy a vehicle, and a vehicle to buy, after we get to the field.

These are the deadlines, and the needs. I bring them up because God loves meeting deadlines and answering specific prayers. I'm not particularly worried, because God has never failed us and I know of no reason why He should start.

Good news! We may have a house! Dr. Ron Bragg and Matt Stensaas found one that sounds perfect for our needs. The landlord is wanting $600 a month. Pray he'll come down in price, to $450 a month perhaps. I have not seen the place, so it may turn out to be no good, but honestly, 4 bedrooms and an acre-and-a-half of land with fruit trees sounds pretty good to me (this would give us room to house guests).

There is much to do in the weeks ahead. I marvel that I can finally measure my time remaining in America in weeks. It's so exciting to finally be done with the necessary missionary polishing and preparation phase (deputation) and be moving to the next phase, deployment. God has great plans for Uganda, and I am so grateful to be included in them.

Keep praying folks, and God bless!