Archive for category: MISSION: Uganda Blog

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!

Greetings! Summer sure went by quickly, didn’t it?

Our journey back to America went very smoothly. No luggage lost (we had one bag left in Chicago, but they brought it to our house the very next day), nobody got sick, and the plane didn’t crash – this is always a plus in international air travel. Thank you for praying for us.

As we knew we would, we got back to St. Louis and hit the ground running. This furlough we are moving our three eldest sons, James III, John and Ethan, to America permanently in order to attend Pensacola Christian College. This summer we had to work with them to get them fully plugged into the American system so they can function here as adults. Bank accounts. Jobs – they all three were hired by QuikTrip! Drivers’ licenses – Ethan has been getting the crash course (not literally) in training so he can take his driving test over Christmas break, along with Elizabeth. Shopping for the clothes they will need for school. Buying a used car for the three of them to have at school – I wanted them to have the ability to move themselves back and forth to St. Louis during breaks. Outfitting for college. And a myriad of other things. It’s been controlled pandemonium.

Men On Campus

They have just completed their first week of school. The rest of us have been staying nearby in the area so their mother and I could be available if they needed anything. They are well setup, and appear to be thriving. We have attended every chapel, meeting, and church service here. I’ve been impressed with the preaching and gracious attitude of the leadership that we’ve seen since we’ve been here. I’ve got my fine young men in the best possible place to pursue their educations (Mechanical Engineering for James and John, Computer Science/Software Engineering for Ethan).

We are about to kick off our Fall. We are traveling non-stop between now and right before Thanksgiving. I have been very diligent in scheduling meetings. I am trying to raise more support. We need 15 more supporting churches. We are doing the work of four missionaries. I want to expand our work in Uganda, and this will require more funding in order to remain effective. Please pray about this.

I need to raise $50,000. This will cover all of the buildings I need to rebuild, the library building, all the bookshelves, and medical and other health needs. This is an ongoing, serious need. Please pray. I want to head back to Uganda with these funds in savings so I can put Chrispus to work immediately.

Pray for our pastors and churches in Uganda. They have been through another dry season. Pray the rains will come soon. Pray for the continued growth and health of the churches. Pray for Pastor Theogene at Ngarama. He is still having problems. He has been to the hospital multiple times. It seems to be primarily due to mental issues, which has resulted in malnutrition – he is not eating properly. Pastor Zizi and our leadership at Sangano have been taking up the slack, but I am going to need to train somebody to replace him. I do not know how to help him, as his problems appear to be psychological rather than physiological.

Pray for our travels, for the health of our bodies, for our safety on the road, and for the mechanical health of our car.

God bless you, and if we’re coming your way, see you soon!