MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 09-29-2009

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Hello again! We were in a missions conference last week in Landmark Baptist Church in Evansville, IN (Pastor Barry Kirves). It went great. I got to preach and present the work in Uganda, and the LORD blessed. Our kids made some friends, which is good, but then we had to say goodbye at the end of the week, which was a bit sad for them, but that's the life I'm afraid. Our deputation is progressing well. I just heard from a church in Nevada, MO which we visited the first year of deputation, and they are going to support us. I've heard from others recently also, but that one was a surprise. It's great to know that, even though it was years ago, we were remembered and are being supported. I'm praying that more churches we've visited will do likewise, so we can finish the last of our deputation and get to Uganda next year.

In the meantime, I'm scheduling busily for the first quarter of next year, in the hopes that this will be the last of the meetings we will need to attend. We will be primarily in New Mexico next year, and possibly elsewhere in the Southwest if I can swing it. Pray that my scheduling will continue to progress well, and that we'll see the last 10 percent of our support materialize soon.

Our home church, Grace Baptist Church, in St. Louis, MO begins it's missions conference tomorrow, and we will be in attendance. Pray that the conference will go well  and that our church will be able to raise it's Grace Giving this year so that we can maybe take on a few more missionaries.

God bless all of you!

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-31-2009

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Greetings! National Hoops (http://nationalhoops.com) was a great success. Mike Washer and his associates did a fantastic job. They came in, canvassed the area, recruited several teams, and got set up in a nearby parking lot for the Saturday tournament. We had 19 teams, more than we've ever had in previous years. This was the first time in 3 years Anna and I were in town for the tournament. They completed Round Robin competition in the morning, and came over to the church in the afternoon. Mike Washer preached, and most of the 80 or so people responded to the invitation. All told, 36 were saved. Anna got to lead three to the LORD, and I got to lead four. It's a tremendous ministry, and a most effective evangelistic tool.

In a few weeks, we have a missions conference in Landmark Baptist Church, Evansville, Indiana, so be praying. I'm still trying to schedule meetings where possible, so if any of you have any red hot leads, let me know.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 08-19-2009

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Greetings! We drove to Scottsbluff, NE over the weekend for a meeting there in one of our first supporting churches. In case you've never made the drive, Nebraska is a REALLY wide state. It took us 13 hours to get there, including stops. Fortunately, the speed limit goes up to 75 once you cross the Nebraska state line, so we were able to make good time. We had a good meeting. It was great to get to visit with Pastor Clement and the church again, as well as to meet some new people who've joined since we were there.

I'm still lining out meetings for the Fall. If you know of churches in your area of like faith that might be in need of a missionary to Uganda, let me know. Also, if we visited your church a while back, and you would like us to return for a visit, again, let us know. We are very near to being done with deputation, and lack only about $850 a month. Pray we'll be able to get that raised by the end of the year, and that we'll be able to raise the needed outfit and passage money to get ourselves and our gear to Africa early next year.

This weekend, the National Hoops ministry is at our church. We will be holding a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, followed by an evangelistic service. We have seen many saved from this ministry in past years. This will be the first year where Anna and I are in town and able to be involved. Both she and I will be counselors. I'm looking forward to the great harvest of souls in which we will be participating this weekend. Pray for the National Hoops ministry, and for the precious people of St. Louis.

As always, it's good to communicate with you all, our faithful friends and prayer partners.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 07-07-2009

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Greetings! We've had some meetings since last I communicated. They went well, and we've picked up one supporting church, up in Michigan. I've been able to use the intervening time to be involved in the ministries of our home church. I've preached multiple times, and seen some souls saved on outreach. One of the primary ministries we've been involved in is the children's ministry in a nearby apartment complex. It's the sort of place that's had problems with crime, drugs, and juvenile delinquency. We were invited in by the management in an effort to deal with these problems through the power of the Gospel. They are renting us a two-bedroom apartment for a $1 a month to use as a meeting place, and we've been holding Bible Clubs on Wednesdays since last fall. This past week, we held our first Vacation Bible School there. It was a tremendous success, with 15 kids saved. The great thing is, we had lots of parents come in and out to see what we were up to, so we got to minister to them too. The overall attitude was very positive, and we are beginning to see some real inroads to the community. I led a team of kids, and Anna handled all the craft times (which went great!). It was a good precursor to the kinds of children's ministry we will need to do in Africa as a part of our ministry in Uganda. It's been great to be involved in our church, and we've been enjoying it tremendously.

I'm lining up meetings for the Fall. If anybody knows of churches which might like us to come visit, give a holler. Also, if you've had us in for a meeting in the past, and would like us to come back, drop me a line. We are at 85% now, and truly would like to wrap this thing up this year so we can be in Uganda in 2010. Please pray to that end.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 05-05-2009

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Greetings! We had an interesting meeting last week in Crossroads Baptist Church in Imlay City, MI, with Pastor Ken Renard. We got there on Saturday, having driven through a torrential downpour, only to find that half the town, including the half where our hotel was, was without power. In fact, we had a hard time locating the hotel at first because it was so dark. We were without power 'til the following night. It was kind of cool, making our way up to the room with flashlights, and getting ready the following day. The gang thought it was a great adventure, and I must confess I yielded to the temptation to warn them about the "monsters that lurk in darkened hotel hallways", but they've learned by now how to tell when I'm teasing. 😉

The meetings went great. This was this church's first ever missions conference, and it was such a privilege to get to be in on that. I'm glad we got to come. It was well worth the drive, and should result in some more support, so we are that much closer to being able to go to Uganda. Pray for us as we continue our journeys, and endeavor to get our house ready to sell this summer.