MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 10-27-2010

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Agandi! (How are you!) We are doing well here in Uganda. Our children’s ministry is doing great. Anna is teaching the verses in Swahili. Do we know Swahili? Not yet, but Djuna (the national pastor) translates, and I sit there as raptly as the kids do, learning Swahili along with my wife. We leave the house at 7AM on Sundays, and drive an hour-and-a-half over the most awful dirt roads you can imagine to the first preaching point, where we have an adult service in which I preach, followed by a children’s service, which Anna handles. Then we drive to Sangano for another service, and then head home. It’s great fun. I am enjoying the simple pleasure of being able to preach expositorily through a book of the Bible (working through Ephesians at the moment), something you cannot do on deputation.

More Mud

A couple weeks ago we had more adventure than normal. The rain here turns the roads into a morass, with predictable results.

As you can see, the one truck got stuck. There’s a team of men on the other side trying to dig it out. The other truck tried to sneak past, and got sucked into the ditch, completely blocking the road. We finally got onto a side path and went around, but we were a bit late for church that morning.

We got a new dog, a female Rottweiller named Samantha. That finishes our complement of guard dogs at three. The six month old puppy, Teal’c, likes her and tries to play with her, but she’s still too small for roughhousing, and I think it wears her out. Our goal is to breed them, and keep ourselves supplied with healthy, big, intelligent dogs suitable for guarding.

 

Samantha

 

Pray for our language study. We are still studying Runyankore, and now that we are going to Nakivale regularly, we will in time need to learn Swahili also. This will greatly expand the number of people we can communicate with to much of East Africa. Even my high school French is turning out to be needed. We are working at it steadily, while also engaging in our ministry, homeschooling kids, and just living life. It keeps us busy, which is always a good thing.

Pray for our car. God supplied the money for tires, which is a blessing, but we also had to get the transmission fixed, and I just found out it is going to need an overhaul – expensive. This is our means of getting to the places where we minister, so we have to keep it running. We can still get around, but it will need to be fixed. I’m praying we’ll be able to get it done in December when we go to the capitol again for Anna’s next checkup. It’s probably not the best car to have, but it was available, and at a price we could afford at the time. My plan is to keep it running this first term, save up to buy a van unless God supplies the money sooner, and then save for another village car (a Toyota next time), while home on furlough. In the meantime though, it has to keep working.

Pray for more support. We came to the field under supported because five years is long enough for anybody to languish in deputation, and had hoped that some churches which had been unable to support us at the time might be able to do so once we reached the field. Sometimes, the attitude is that you “might not be serious”, so churches occasionally wait to see if you’ll actually go to the field before they will take action. I trust we’ve established our commitment to God’s will adequately by now. Anyway, if some more churches could support us now that we’re here, it would be a great help. Pray that God will move some to do just that.
Pray about the pregnancy. We are planning to have the child in Kampala. We have a great doctor, and a new, clean, modern hospital. We found out we’re having a girl: Brennah LaDynne. The kids got to see the ultrasound this time, which was exciting for them. Pray everything will continue to go smoothly, that Mom and baby will stay healthy, and that the birth will happen naturally and without complications.
Pray for the ministries here, for the men I’m discipling, and for souls to be saved.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 10-14-2010

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Howdy! Thanks for praying for Mom and Dad. They're doing much better, although there is still a lot of healing to do, especially for Mom. Pray she will be able to endure the pain, and make a swift recovery without complications.

I took the opportunity to visit Mordecai's family. I am attempting to build a friendship with them and preach the Gospel to them. We had a great visit. They fed us up with lots of delicious matoke and beans, and we have an open invitation to come back and preach to an even larger gathering. Pray for Mordecai as he continues to grow. He will be getting baptized soon, which is a blessing. I am continuing to disciple him, which is progressing well.

Thanks for praying for our needs. We have the money now for our work permits, and we replaced the tires. I got some much needed repairs done to the car. This is our vehicle for getting to the camp, so it's a necessity to the ministry. It takes a beating every week driving the bumpy road to Nakivale, so we have to maintain it well so we can keep going there.

The whole family went to Kampala earlier this week along with the Bassetts. We visited the Hudson's and the Olachea's. The kids had a great time. We got some Chineses and Mexian food, and ice cream (bonus!), and we got some things that you can't get easily or cheaply in Mbarara. 

Anna's first doctor visit in the capitol went well. We found out we don't have to have all the money for the birth immediately, which buys us some time to save up for it. It's a new, clean, modern hospital with well-trained, professional staff. I'm very pleased with it, and am quite comfortable going there for her to have the baby. By the way, we found out we're having a girl! Elizabeth, at long last, shall have a sister. We're going to name her Brennah LaDynne. Continue praying for Anna and baby as we bring this pregnancy to a successful conclusion in 19 weeks.

I checked on the work permit while in Kampala. I took a bus trip down there over a week ago to begin the process. We have a file number now, which means the paperwork is in the system and being processed. It may create a problem when the kids and Anna's visas expire at the end of the month. I can't start theirs until mine is done, and it can take weeks. Pray it will move through the bureaucratic tangle quickly and without issue. Pray I won't have to pay a bunch of fines. Jeff Bassett is still in Kampala getting his vehicle worked on also, so he is attempting to get student passes for the kids (beginning the process with their papers), and a special pass for Anna. This will cost $100, but he is going to try to see if, since they let us start the process for the kids early, they will do the same for Anna, which will save us $100. Pray it will go well, and that the ladies at immigration will be sympathetic and work with him. Pray I can get this done. It will be great to no longer have the looming threat of deportation hanging over my head.

Pray about the van we'd like to buy. I have mentioned before the Toyota Regius we would like to get for running around town and going to the capitol, leaving the Beast for going to the refugee camps and going out to villages. We are going to need the extra seating capacity for Brennah next year, so keep praying we will be able to get this, or another vehicle like it.

Pray about the new children's ministry we are beginning in Nakivale on Sunday. I am alternating with Jeff Bassett between two of the preaching points, to help get the preaching on Sunday done a bit quicker, and allow us to spend more time with the people. I will be preaching for the adult service, and then Anna and I will be conducting a children's service afterwards. There are many children in the camps, and they weren't being dealt with directly. Now that we are going with the Bassetts, there is enough laborers so that they can do a children's service there while we do one at our preaching point. They were wanting to have a service with the kids also, so it works out well. It's exciting, and I'm looking forward to it greatly. Keep praying for the services. I am taking on more responsibility, which is a good thing, but I'm also conscious of the need to keep after the language study as well.

There is much to do. Pray for us, for the other missionaries here, and for the many ministries ongoing in Mbarara and all over Uganda, as we seek to reach the lost of Uganda with the Gospel.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-20-2010

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Greetings! I'd appreciate your prayer for my Mom and Dad. They were involved in a t-bone, rollover accident last week. Dad was bruised up pretty well, but was able to come home from the hospital on Friday. Mom sustained several broken ribs and severe bruising. She survived, but the recovery will be lengthy (6 to 8 weeks). There is the potential for pneumonia, and it doesn't help any that she's a diabetic. Dad's in an empty house at the moment, when he's not at the hospital, and is worried about his wife. Pray for them both. This is the one great snag of the mission field. Things happen to your family back in the States, and you are unable to rush to their side, even though every instinct in you says you should. It leaves you feeling very helpless and out-of-touch.

Things are going well here. We are going to the Nakivale refugee camp to preach and minister every week with Jeff and Carla Bassett. They have been a real blessing to us, and we're learning a lot from their experience. We're having a mass baptism service on Sunday for all the folks who've been saved at the three churches, and still need to get baptized. I will be taking over the administration of two of the preaching points in the near future, which will leave Jeff free to start another and continue working with the other. It's a great opportunity to learn church planting from someone who's got solid experience doing it.

Meanwhile, I am discipling Andrew and Mordecai. It's progressing well, and I'm enjoying the work of helping them grow as believers. We are assisting Tom and Cheryl Tracht with some of their school ministries here. These, and our Monday through Friday Runyankore studies, are keeping us satisfyingly busy. Lots to do here. This is both a blessing and a curse, because you can perceive the broad expanse of things that need doing, but are immediately limited by both time and the demands of the flesh – you just can't do everything.

Pray about our tires. We need to replace all five (this includes the spare), and it's going to be expensive. The roads here are very rough on vehicles, so you have to invest in good tires just for your own safety and that of your family. We still need to get work permits. We will be doing so the first week of October, and it is quite expensive. These are direct financial needs for which we need prayer. There is one other thing. A fellow I've come to know in town has a Toyota HiAce Regius for sale. It's in excellent shape, runs on diesel, seats 8 (we are fixin to have another body needing transport soon) has 4WD (a necessity around here) and all the bells and whistles. He's asking about $10,000 (I'm sure I can negotiate down). We could really use a family vehicle for getting around, leaving the Pajero for going to the villages. It's a tight fit in the Pajero as it is, without the addition of another family member. It's not a critical need right now, like the tires and the work permits, but it going to become so in the near future. Pray we'll be able to get the funds with which to buy it, as it would be a real blessing.

Pray for the ministry, for the salvation of the lost, and for the churches and their pastors here, and as always, for more laborers for the field.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-25-2010

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Hello again! August 15 came and went, and we got no rain in Mbarara. You see, the Catholic 'church' here has a belief that when the rainy season begins on August 15, it is because Mary is crying. We all prayed it would be dryer than C-SPAN, and so far, Mary hasn't even teared up. Can't even get Miss Immaculate Conception to cry on schedule. What's up with that, Catholic 'church'? Now that we're past the deadline, however, rain would be a good thing, since no rain means people around here don't eat. Please pray for rain, from the only wise God, not made up religious figures that have no power over the weather.

I took the vehicle in to get some fuel on the way to getting the milk (our Thursday routine), and since one of the tires was a bit low, I had the guy at the Shell station air it up. Well, the guy managed to make a slow leak into a fast leak, and they had to take the tire off the rim and patch it from the inside. This barely worked, and our vehicle is back home now, sitting on a flat, in addition to the flat we already had from me going to Kabuye. I have to get new tires. Jeff Bassett has loaned me some of his spares to use in the meantime, so I can at least drive where I need to go now, but the fact remains, we have to have new tires. I have money in the bank I'm saving for work permits so we can get that done next month, so pray that not only will we have enough in September to do work permits, but also to replace our tires. It is quite dangerous to drive around on bad tires around here, so I really need to get that done. We're going to need to get back and forth to the capitol for Anna's pre-natal visits, so we're going to need a reliable vehicle. I also need to get legal permission to remain in the country. Please pray that God will provide. 

Another need that requires consistent prayer is our support. During our five long years of deputation, there were multiple churches that either expressed a more than casual desire to support us, or specifically said that they were going to support us, and have not. Pray that God will move these churches to begin supporting us, now that we have, I hope, proved our commitment to going to the field, our stick-to-it-iveness, and our general determination to do what God has called us to do. We will be taking a 9 month furlough in 2013 (unless plans change), and I will be trying to raise some more support then, but if I didn't need to because 5 or 10 churches out of the 200 we visited opted to support us, it would be a blessing. Please pray.

Anna is finally past the morning sickness, so that's been a great blessing. I was having to do double duty there for awhile, so the irony is that I currently know how to cook more African dishes than my wife. She is quite grateful to not have to run for the toilet every time she gets within 10 feet of the kitchen, and to actually be able to enjoy cooking and eating again. Thank you for your prayers. I am praying that God will provide $10,000 to buy a 4WD van that seats 8, to accommodate the new passenger that biology will be introducing next February. There's a really great Toyota van in town I've had my eye on, and would dearly love to have. The Pajero is awesome for trips to the village, and for use as a work vehicle, but it's not really a family vehicle. So, this is another need you can pray about. 

I led our guard Mordecai to the LORD. I will be discipling him also. His family has invited us out to their village for a visit, so I'm going to pick a day and drive us out there to see them, and, I'm praying, to preach the Gospel to them and see how many I can win to the LORD from his clan. Everybody around here has family members. Once you win one, it opens up a larger network of people who need to hear the Gospel. You can then follow the human contacts back up the family tree, and win many more, and so on and so on. 

In other news, my Hebrew language stuff arrived with Dan Olachea, who returned from furlough. It's awesome to finally have the tools I need to begin improving my knowledge of Hebrew, and someday, to do a Runyankore translation of the Old Testament. Our study of Runyankore is progressing. We are constructing simple sentences with modifiers now, and learning how to use verbs in different scenarios. It is slow going, but steady. I am excited about the prospects of being able to communicate with the Banyankore people in their own language. This also grants me easier access to the other 4 related Bantu dialects in this region. 

Time is flying here in Uganda. We are staying busy, and it's a little scary how fast time is going. I only hope I can meet all my goals for this term in time. There's lots to do, and a big 'ol country full of people what need to be saved, and I'm trying to do my part to reach them with the Gospel. Keep praying.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-13-2010

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Greetings! I preached in Kabuye Baptist Church this weekend. As always, driving to the villages is an adventure. It was certainly no exception this time. It's about 170 km to Kabuye from Mbarara, and roughly halfway there, we had a blowout. Seriously, the tire exploded and disintegrated. Alright. I felt kind of glad I'd brought my tools, and the nice 20 ton bottle jack that came on our container. I get to work changing the tire AND…. the nuts holding the spare are bigger than the nuts on the tires, and my biggest socket only fits the tires. Sigh. Some guy steps out of the crowd and, seeing a chance to make some money, offers to help. He hunts up a spanner, and we manage to get the tire spare and the blown tire off. He gets the new tire on, I pay him for his work (about 5 bucks), and I start to pull away. What's that weird vibration? Ahhhh…. the rim to which the spare was attached is the wrong kind for my car. The tire is the right size, but the rim doesn't fit, so the tire can't turn. Yippeee…. Alright, for another couple bucks, the guy takes both tires further down the road to a town, and gets the good tire put on the right rim. We put it on, and, after a brief, heated argument about me needing to pay him for buying a tube for my tire (HA! yeah right, tube tire indeed), we finally get underway.

This puts us at our destination hours later than planned. Now, the laws of hospitality require that they feed us supper. It was getting dark when we arrived, but they were determined to do it anyway, so around 9 PM, we ate. It's now 10 when we finish, and Pastor Patrick still wants us to speak to the people, so, I had to whip up a sermon out of thin air (that's that whole "instant in season and out of season" thing). I preached on being controlled by the Holy Spirit, and being Spirit-filled. It was a great time. Now it's 11 PM, and time for bed. We're going to sleep in the church building. No problem. I had my sleeping bag, my bivy sack, and a sleeping pad. They provided a mattress, so I didn't need the pad. No mosquitoes at that altitude (about 7,000 ft), so no need for the bivy. I would need the sleeping bag, because it gets quite cold at night up on the mountain. After a few minutes, I notice that the crowd is not totally dispersing. I need to get undressed for bed. I asked Pastor Claudian (Rwandan fellow, lived in Fort Portal for years) what was going on. Evidently, they were all planning to sleep in the church with us as well. Ah Ha. So, I slept in my clothes. My fan club, a row of village kids, took up position on a bench to watch a mazungu sleep, you know, in case I changed into some kind of hideous beast after midnight or something equally interesting. They found the prospect of a 6'6" tall white man sleeping in a sack to be most amusing.
 
So commenced a long, peaceful night of non-sleep. You see, there were at least 2 screaming babies, and scream they did – all night. Another child had to have whooping-cough or something, so between the lung cancer ward and the screaming meemies  , we got zippo sleep all night. Sleep deprivation – my favorite. So, shortly after daybreak, I decided I'd pretended to sleep long enough, and opened my eyes – yep, there was my fan club, hanging around still to see how a mazungu wakes up. I think they must have been up by like 5 AM or something. Thankfully, I'd brought a thermos of coffee, so I staggered out to the car to get myself properly caffeinated. Since my fan club was determined to not let me out of their sight, I had a bit of a dilemma figuring out how I was going to change clothes for church without causing psychological harm. It finally occurred to me that the only private place there seemed to be was the toilet ('bout like my house), so I went up to the latrine and got into my preachifying clothes.
 
Services were at 10 AM, so we got started promptly at 12PM (this is normal here). We met outside in a kind of pole structure pavilion with a tarp roof, because the church building wasn't large enough to hold everyone. The reason for this is that several other Pastors (I use the term loosely) from the Pentecostal and Anglican congregations in the area were also in attendance, along with delegations from their respective churches. After the introductions and speeches (all public gatherings must begin with introductions and speeches), and comments from some local politicians (no trouble with separation of church and state here), I finally got to preach. I didn't pull any punches. I preached salvation, and I made it very clear that religion is useless, as are "miracles", speaking in tongues, being slain in the spirit, praying to Mary, and being baptized for salvation. It is faith alone in Jesus Christ that saves us from our sins. Nothing else can do it.
 
Overall, the service went well, I thought. Now, we cannot leave, because the laws of hospitality require they feed us lunch, so we have to wait for it to be cooked. It was worth the wait: goat stew, roasted matoke and millet. You dip everything in the broth, and it's awesome. We head out to the car, and now begins the leavetaking process. First, one of the ladies wanted to give us a stalk of matoke (green cooking bananas). Not a problem. I love the stuff. Next, the Pastor wanted a picture with me. Good idea. I'm filthy, unshaved, unwashed, and sleep deprived, so of course I think we should preserve this photographically  . This opens quite the can of worms, since now everybody in the clan wants a picture with me. Thank God the photographer didn't have a digital camera, or I'd still be there.
 
Claudian makes some closing remarks (all public gatherings must end with a proper goodbye and greetings to everyone gathered), and we finally made our getaway. I'm driving on four questionable tires, with no spare, and praying they remain whole, 'cause we're out of range of any kind of cellphone to call for help if we have another flat. We made it home, just as it was getting dark. It was an exciting, tiring, and most profitable weekend.
 
Pray for us. We are continuing language study (as always). I still have discipleship duties, and now that Dan Olachea has returned to the field with my Hebrew stuff, I'm going to begin studying that as well. Pray for our health. Pray for the coming school year with the kids. Pray for the growing baby.