an overdue update

So, it's Tamra. Now that we're back in the US, I admit that time is getting away from me a lot! Today I posted my second blog (I think) in the last month. You don't see them here because I actually posted them back on my personal blog. So, if you'd like to read any of my recent thoughts, you can use the URL I pasted below.
http://leapfrogmomma.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-short-time-but-oh-so-looong-time.html

A post about Troy by Tamra

In my other blog, there wasn't really any mention of Troy. Sometimes he's the odd man out, or so it seems. He really just doesn't share in some of the more obvious characteristics of the rest of the StanClan. Mainly, he does not in anyway enjoy being in front of a group of people, whether its speaking, singing, dancing, etc. Last summer he played a main role in a musical at a church music camp and even sang a couple of solo lines, much to my surprise. I'll never understand how Claire, the totally awesome choir director, got him to do that, but she did and he did a fabulous job. Other than that one time, he'd rather not be in front of people.

So, here in Uganda, that is very true for him as well. He can be found guarding the supplies on the bus, helping carry water jugs, or other random things that some might think are not important, but are just as necessary for the functioning of the mission teams. When you need a bottle of water and the bus isn't locked up, you're glad Troy is sitting there. If he weren't there, the bus would have to be locked up every time the driver had something to do. Of course, last year he also helped in the dental clinic and the pharmacy.

This year, he has been more hands on in the vision clinic. One day he asked if he could try what I do. He actually did it for a long while that day, and on the following day, he did it the entire time. It was here that I learned he had managed to stay under the radar all this time. A man whom he was interviewing did not know The Lord, so they passed him off to my interpreter (I had walked away for a moment). When I got back, my interpreter said the man wanted to pray. I said that Troy could do it, but Troy said, "I've never done it." Now, I knew that Troy had not participated when the team goes up to dance on stage, or preaching to a tent, or many other things, but I did not realize that he had not personally participated in leading someone to The Lord. So, I told him it was time. I assured him that the interpreter could help him (after all, our partners are probably more experienced than any of us when it comes to sharing the good news and praying with others).

After this, I also talked with Troy about stepping out of his comfort zone. The following day, Troy did the same job ALL day. It was good to see him really participating in the work directly with the people. I continued to encourage him and talk with him about stepping out. When we got to the next village, Troy's opportunity came. We had a tent full of people waiting to be seen in the clinics and they needed to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Who would preach to this tent of people? Troy!

Of course, he was very nervous, and so was I. I said a prayer for him as he got started. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to do His work regardless of how eloquent or prepared Troy was. I knew that Troy knows the message and he can share what the gospel beads mean, but I also knew that he isn't much of one for detailed explanations or public speaking.

Sure enough, he made it through. I don't know how many people came to know The Lord because I wasn't there to count, but it really doesn't matter. He stepped completely out of his comfort zone by getting in front of that crowd of people. I don't think I'll ever forget what he said when he came back to the tent where I was working. He said, "Mom, I nearly passed out." Of course, he said it with that big grin of his but he definitely meant it.

Troy also had the opportunity to help in the dental clinic again this year. He filled the syringes with numbing medication to save the dentist some time. On one of the last nights in village 4, Troy was even seen dancing in the crowd. Of course, as soon as Floyd pointed the camera in his direction, he stopped. ;)

Needless to say, while Troy may not be caught in front of the crowd, he is definitely known as part of the team. If you need something done, you can always ask him (unless it involves taking the stage). In fact, I have some respect for the fact that he doesn't want the spotlight. There is something to be said for being completely satisfied to work in the back ground. He doesn't need any applause or affirmation; he is totally ok with being the only person to know what work he has done.

Ironically, as we had dinner with Pastor Johnson on our last Sunday in Uganda, he said some big words about Troy. I know I've heard him say it before, even last year, but he said it again. He said that we'd all be missed, but "this one most of all," as he pointed to Troy. Of course Troy disagreed, but Pastor Johnson reaffirmed his statement. He is certain that many of the team members from Victory Living Word would miss Troy most of all.

Add on:I originally started this while on the church plant, then added some after our weekend in Kampala, and now tonight was our last night at family group. I'll do another post about that, but right now I'll just stick to what's relevant here. Uncle Rukundo was saying a message to us and he particularly thanked Troy for loving his boys and being so friendly. It was just another moment to see how Troy is appreciated here in Uganda. His awkwardness and quirky personality don't get him made fun of or left out of the fun. Instead, they love that he just wants to be their friend and have a good time. Of course, they also see that he has a good heart and assume the best when he makes a mistake. They give him the benefit of the doubt that his intentions were good.
I think we could all learn a bit from them on this one. ;)

The Beginning of the End...By Kim

It’s hard to believe that we will only be in Uganda for a few more days. How quickly these two months have passed by for us!! As usual, I have very mixed feelings about our upcoming departure. Of course I am so excited to get back to Texas to see my family and friends. But I am also very sad to leave the “family” and friends I have here. Even though we are only here with our partners for a short time each summer, you can’t help but become close friends as you spend time praying and working so closely together. The Lord gave us a wonderful “parting gift” this weekend. I’ve been praying that it would work out for us to attend Victory one last time so that we could see our partners before leaving. So when Floyd was asked to preach this past Sunday, we decided to spend the whole weekend in Kampala since we don’t usually have the time or freedom to just “be tourists”. We arrived around lunchtime on Saturday, went to a little gift shopping area so that Troy and Tyler could get a Uganda jersey, visited Garden City Mall (which we now know our way around very well), and then we drove to Victory to see our partners. They had rehearsal from 4:00-7:30, and we were able to stay and watch them. And boy did we get to see them in action...
They began their rehearsal by running laps around the perimeter of the church. I'm letting the fact that I was in a skirt be my excuse for not joining them! :) Andrew told us that everyone is required to exercise before practice, and if they're not willing to do it, they can find another ministry to be a part of! :) After running laps, they lined up for their exercises. At one point, they were jumping over each other. I was quite impressed. They then began practicing their dance moves (which are a work-out in and of themselves), and went through all the songs they were going to sing the next day. I know I’ve said it before, but watching the Mass Choir sing and dance is truly one of my favorite things. Although it was just their rehearsal, it was a wonderful time of worship…and I felt doubly blessed because we got to see it again the next morning at church.
After rehearsal, we asked anyone who was free to hang out with us for the evening. You see, when we are at the crusade, we don't have a lot of time to just sit and visit with each other. We try to talk during the clinics when we have some down time, or sometimes we’ll have a chance to eat together before the crusades begin. But usually the days are so busy, there’s not always time to just hang out together. It was wonderful to have time to do just that. We picked up dinner, and then went back to the hotel we were staying at that night. Tamra and Floyd had a sitting area attached to their room, so we sat around, eating and laughing together. At the end, we prayed together and then said goodnight.
The next morning we attended VLWC. We were once again able to worship with the Mass Choir. They sang several songs that I just love…“You Are the Living Word” by Fred Hammond and "Awesome God". I’m always excited when I know some of the songs because I love being able to join in the worship. I'll be honest...at one point I was very tempted to jump up on stage to join the Mass Choir, but I controlled myself!
But even when they sang songs in Luganda, and I had no idea what the words meant, I would just stand there with my eyes closed or my hands lifted up. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know the words. I was surrounded by dear friends who love the Lord…and sing and dance their hearts out for Him. That is the thing I will miss the most…worshipping with our dear partners!
Floyd preached a great message. He taught from the book of Daniel, focusing on three main stories (refusing to eat the food from the King’s table in Chapter 1, being thrown into the furnace for refusing to bow down to the golden statue in Chapter 3, and being thrown into the lion’s den for continuing to pray in Chapter 6). With each story, He highlighted the fact that Daniel and his three friends all resolved that they would not defile themselves before the Lord. They did not weaken under the pressures placed upon them to turn away from the Lord….even if it would ultimately lead to their deaths. They held to their convictions. I had to ask myself: Do I have that same conviction? Am I willing to take a stand for the Lord even if it puts my life in danger? Is pleasing Him more important than my own personal comfort and safety? I want to say yes, but I also realize that I’ve never been put in that position. Yes, I might face ridicule or be made fun of for my faith, but I’ve never had to worry about my life being in danger because of it. What a humbling thought! Floyd ended his message by sharing the confession of an African man who was killed for his faith. It was found in his belongings after he was killed. I had read the words before when I got a sneak peek at Floyd’s message, but hearing the words just hit me on Sunday. I want to be like that...a woman of strong conviction…willing to take a stand for what I believe no matter the cost!
I’ve been thinking about what I want to take away with me from these two months in Uganda, and I believe Philippians 3:12-14 sums it all up for me. 
 “… I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”
 We live in a place where there are so many distractions and things that clutter our minds. We can always find an excuse for why we don't spend time with the Lord...there are too many other things that we need to do. After having two months of "distraction-free living," my prayer is that I will focus all of my energies on running hard after Christ. I pray that He will continue to ignite this fire and passion in me to serve Him. I pray that I will not lose the desire to spend time with Him and to know Him more deeply. And I pray that I would not allow the busyness of life to distract me from the most important thing…knowing Christ and running hard after Him.
Although it feels like this journey is ending, I know that it is really just the beginning of what God wants to do in our lives. May we all continue to run the race, focusing solely on Him!

A new part of the adventure...by Tamra

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated! Truthfully, since the end of the church plant, not much has happened. Also, in the meantime, we've been many days without electricity, which makes things difficult. Also, I do have a couple of things that I still plan to post about from the church plant, but I need Floyd's computer to do it and that hasn't been an option with no power. So, I promise I won't forget.
Today, we began a new leg of our adventure (and really it is the last leg). A team from the US arrived at New Hope yesterday and we are included in their projects. An optometrist came to do a vision clinic. He has never done this sort of mission before and he didn't bring any assistants or people to specifically help. Kim and I have experience in the vision clinics on our church planting trips, but really it is different in many ways. Of course the doctor uses all sorts of equipment that we have no understanding of and his vocabulary is very technical. On the other side, he's heard of but never seen some of the equipment that we use in our clinics. We have equipment that is portable and very basic, but yet very detailed. That sort of things isn't need in America because everything is so much more advanced.
We helped set up the clinic area and Dr. Jim trained us on some testing methods that we are using to gather information for him. Once we finish that process, they got back to the doctor for more detailed testing and an official response. For those that need only readers, the doctor gives us a range and we take it from there. We pull out frames in that range and let the people try them on and test them with a reading card. Of course, there is a larger variety of glasses than what we have in our usual clinics, so we help the people to see which one fits best and looks good on them. This afternoon, we even brought out a mirror.
If they need a more detailed prescription, we have two options. The doctor has many frames that are labeled as to what prescription is in them. If it is the exact prescription and fits the person, then they take them right then. If there is not one to fit, we have a selection o frames for them to try on. Once they choose a frame, we make note of the style, color, size, etc and save the form. When the doctor gets back home, the glasses will be made for each person. When they are completed, they will be sent back to New Hope with the next arriving team.
I really enjoyed working the clinic today! It was very exciting to see the reactions when the folks could see. Of course, I've seen that before, but it never gets old. Also, it was exciting to see them look in a mirror and like the frame that they see. To give them a choice is even more exciting because it is more personal.
Months ago the doctor shipped a crate to Uganda with more supplies, but it is still 800 miles away. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that some of what we had would have been helpful. If we had thought to ask and Rafe (our missions pastor) had agreed, we could have provided even more than we realized. For example, the simple equipment we use to check for near-sightedness would have been so helpful. We could have easily used it here, then brought it home with us. I'm sure it's just sitting in a desk at CF by now. Also, we sent home a few boxes of glasses cases that we didn't use. Here we have no cases to give out, except for the few glasses that happen to have come with a case. Fortunately, we did think ahead and receive permission from Rafe to bring some of the left over eye drops (some antibiotic and some just for dry eyes). That is something that is very useful as well and much appreciated. Of course, we know all of the supplies that were taken back to McKinney will be put to use in future clinics, it's just interesting to see how useful they could have been here and now. :)
For the rest of our time here, I'll be serving in the vision clinic. Kim will do that as well until she heads to the baby house in the late afternoon. This week the kids will help clean and paint classrooms at the primary school and next week they will help with VBS for about 400 children. Floyd will continue to work in the business office, as he received 6 more computers needing work today. Of course, he will also have some time out with the team as well. Next Thursday we head to Entebbe where we will board our first flight in the homeward journey on Friday.
Tomorrow night we have a special dinner with our Pacific Family, so we'll share about that afterwards.
To add one other side note, I've received and accepted a request to continue teaching at the school where I taught for the last 4 months of the previous school year, so when we get home, I'll begin preparing for that journey. I'll need to make sure the kids homeschool stuff is ready before I report on August 16th.

Door-to-door Evangelism...By Kim

Yesterday was the 3^rd day of the third village we were in. Usually the third day is a half day for us to allow our teams a time to rest, and repack the suitcases for the next village. However, a few of us were able to join the Victory team for door-to-door evangelism. I had the opportunity to do this last year as well, so I was very excited to once again participate in this time.

When we arrived at the third village, we found out that we would join that church for service, and then go out for our evangelism time. Attending church in Uganda is quite the experience. They truly participate in corporate prayer (everyone praying at the same time). It is loud and passionate, and such an amazing experience. We worshiped with them for the first hour. Although we did not know the words to many songs, you could not help clapping and dancing. They asked several people to stand and testify to what God has done in their lives. It was very humbling to hear people say that they were thankful that God brought the “whites from America” with medical and vision supplies. After the testimonies, one of the guys from our team preached the message. Then they invited people forward to be saved. It was like a tent revival…and we were literally under a big tent with the breeze keeping us cool.

After church we all gathered in a circle to pray for our time going door-to-door. Then we were placed into groups of 4 or 5 and sent out. I had an amazing translator (Kristen) with me. She informed me that I would be doing most of the work since people were more willing to listen to a "white". But I reminded her that since she knows the culture better than I do, I wanted her to feel free to add to or explain anything she thought would be helpful. We stopped at the first house we came to. There were several women outside sitting in the shade with the children playing around them. One of the men with us (a pastor) made the introductions and asked if they would allow me to share with them. They said that was fine, and several other women came to sit down as well. In all there were 5 women and 4 children sitting around me. I knelt down on the ground with them and began sharing the reason we were there. Yes, we were bringing medical and vision aide, but most importantly, we were there to share about the love of Christ. After talking with them for several minutes, 3 of the women said that they wanted to be “born again” and I was able to lead them in the salvation prayer. We celebrated together, invited them to the crusade that night, and then continued on our way to the next house.

We did not make it to another house, however, because we ran into a group standing in the road. Many of the children already had the gospel bead bracelets on their wrists, but there was one teenage girl that did not. We asked if I could share with her the meaning of the beads. That time about 12 gathered around me. After I shared with her, she prayed to accept Christ as her Savior. Then, we realized a young man had come up to the outskirts of the group. He asked what I was sharing, so I told him the message of Christ and he accepted as well. There was one other woman in the crowd who was a Muslim. She did not pray to accept Christ at the time, but I invited her to the crusade, and she came!!! When I saw her I was so excited and she came and gave me a big hug. I don’t know whether she ever prayed to accept Christ as her Savior, but I know that God will continue to do a work in her life.

We only had about 20 minutes left, so we continued down the road until we came upon an elderly woman. I could tell by the crucifix she was wearing that she was catholic. We stopped and I began sharing with her. It didn’t take long for another group to gather around us. Not only had all the children from the previous group followed us down the road, but a few additional adults gathered around us and sat on the side of the road to listen. I shared with the group, and although no one accepted Christ at the time, I am confident that God will continue to work in the hearts and lives of those people.

By the time I was done sharing with that final group, it was time to return to the church to meet up with the other groups. We shared about our experiences, and then we spent some time praying for those who heard the message as well as for protection for ourselves.

It truly was an amazing day. The Lord continues to amaze me, and I feel so privileged to be used by Him.

We only have 2 more days. Tomorrow is our last day for the vision/medical/dental clinics, and then we’ll have a final crusade on Wednesday night. Everyone is exhausted. They truly have “poured themselves out” at each village. Please continue to pray for us. Pray that the Lord would be our strength over these next 2 days. Pray that we would finish with the same passion and excitement as we started this trip. And pray that many more would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

As for the Stanley’s and I, we will be heading back to New Hope on Thursday. This will be the first time we are not returning home with our team. I know it will be hard to not only leave our partners from Victory Living Word Church, but also our teammates from Texas. Pray that the Lord would continue to guide us over the next 2 weeks and would continue to provide opportunities for us to serve Him.

May He receive all the glory!!!

Reflections of the day on July 9th by Tamra

Today had a handful of really awesome moments. I'll just share the best ones and try to make it succinct without missing any important details.

1) Because of my specific role, I am the first person that anyone sees when they come into the clinic. This fact means that I am able to share the gospel with any person who has not heard or given their life to Jesus. Unfortunately, for those down the line of progression in the vision clinic, this means that they don't get to share as often because the people have already heard by the time they get to them. With that in mind, and to allow more people to be seen in the vision clinic, I've been even more aware of those around me on the team. When someone tells me that they are not Born Again, I look to see if someone on the team is not busy at the moment, especially if they are the station that this person is going to next anyway.  Then I introduce them and let the other person share the gospel. Some of the interpreters aren't sure how to take this because it might seem that I don't want to share. In fact, I just want others on my team to experience the joy of sharing with a non-believer. 

Today, Steven (from Spoken Truth) was interpreting for me. I explained to him that I've filled this role for 3 years now and I wanted to make sure that others had the opportunity to share the gospel. He totally understood what I meant. After that, every time we had a non-believer, we looked around to see if someone was available who might not have had as many opportunities, if any. If no one was available, of course I took the opportunity to share. It so happened that Raegan and another young lady (I won't give her name because I didn't ask her parents) were at the last 2 stations and one of them was in a position that didn't even allow her to interact with the people directly. So, we called her over the first 2 times, then Raegan the next time, and then a few other young people. They did a great job sharing the gospel message and I loved having the opportunity to witness these young people sharing up close and personal. It was a great experience and it brings me to the next topic.

2) I know she's my daughter, so yes, this is a proud momma moment, but also, Raegan just did an awesome job of sharing the message of Christ! She started by explaining that God had created two humans, who were perfect in a His image. Then she explained that they were tempted and chose to disobey God, thus the world is fallen and we are separated from God. Then she started talking about Jesus. My goodness, was she making His love really known! I already know that Jesus loves me, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I was literally tearing up as she described it. She even explained that in Jesus' time the cross was the punishment for the worst of criminals and, although Jesus was perfect, He took that punishment. I can't do it justice at this point, but when she was giving the description and explaining that Jesus freely accepted this horrible form of punishment to pay for all of my sins (and the lady she was witnessing to, of course), you could just feel how powerful that was. He didn't just die for us; he died a horrible, atrocious sinner's death; the worst of a sinner's death. Yes, I already knew that, but now I know without a doubt that my 13 year old totally gets that as well. As she went on to explain to the lady about being a new creation with the Holy Spirit dwelling within her and growing in a personal relationship with Christ, I was just so touched by her ability to explain. 

At the very end, she asked the lady if she believed that what she told her was the truth. In a way I've never heard before, she asked the lady 3 different times, in 3 different ways. I found myself thinking, "she already answered you, why do you keep asking?" I just thought it was odd and redundant. It went like this: "do you want Jesus to be your personal Savior?" Yes. "Do you want Him to be Lord of your life?" Yes. "Do you want to be born again?" Yes.

For some reason, this kept coming back to my mind for the rest of the day. Notice that each question brings the decision to another level. It's one thing to say yes to having a savior. It's totally another to saying that you want him to be Lord of your life. And yet another to say you want to be born again-that's not a minor thing, especially in Uganda. Raegan had already explained that born again meant you were a new creation, totally transformed, like a caterpillar changing to a butterfly. 

After having thought about it, I believe this path that Raegan took is an excellent one. She really wanted this woman to think about her answer, she didn't just take the first yes and say mission accomplished. I like that.

Later in the day, when it came to mind again, I suddenly recalled Jesus' conversation with Peter after his resurrection. Peter had denied Christ 3 times, just as He said Peter would. Jesus asked, "Peter, do you love me?" He asked him 3 times and Peter showed obvious emotional response that grew from the repetition of the question. He knew that Jesus knew he loved Him and we know that Jesus knew it, also. So why did He ask 3 times? Some say it was to make up for the 3 denials; some say it was to show Peter the importance of what He was telling him (if you love me, feed my sheep); I'd say maybe it was both. Whatever the exact reason was, Raegan's asking three times reminded me of Christ doing the same and grabbed my heart even more. 

3) at one point, the clinic had gotten so busy, I was not able to look around for others to share, so I was able to have that honor myself. I had a woman and her young son come in. He was probably around 7, but I don't recall exactly. They were Muslims and I learned that the father had passed away. The woman did allow me to share the Gospel message with them. I began telling them about God, our separation, and Jesus, who is the redeemer. Now, I was so intensely telling the story that I realized I wasn't telling her how it tied to the color of each bead on the bracelet. While that might not seem important, I try to make sure I do it because when they walk away, I want them to look at that bracelet and be reminded of the whole story. It may be the most obvious reminder they will have. So, I did a short recap of the first 3 beads-black, red, and white. At this point, the woman just started laughing; not just a little giggle, but a real laugh. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or what. If you have been to Uganda, you know that they laugh for many reasons and it could mean absolutely nothing, but this time, even the interpreter was a bit taken back. She looked at me and said, "she's laughing, I don't know why she's laughing." She then asked the lady. Her answer was that it was just too amazing that you can be completely transformed like that. I remind you, I had not gotten to explaining that you are a new creation. I only explained that because of Christ you are washed completely clean of your sin, you move from darkness to light. That women's laughter at the amazement of Christ was one of the neatest things I've ever experienced. 

4) today Tyler had the opportunity to share the gospel message with a tent of people 3 times.  He had several dozen people say that they wanted to accept Christ. I am very proud of him stepping out and sharing so boldly. Tonight at dinner, during share time, one of the young ladies who works in the vision clinic shared a story that involved Tyler. While helping this lady with her eyes, they also discussed Christ. She said that this lady was so excited and explained why. This woman had been born again for several years. She had witnessed to her son, discussed with him, and he had heard the message many times from others but he never accepted Christ. However, she explained that earlier that day, while they waited for their turn in the clinic, a young boy had shared the Gospel message in the tent and this time her son accepted the truth. That young boy was Tyler! How awesome that the God of the universe chose to use Tyler's message to touch this boys spirit and answer this mother's prayer for her son. I know that it wasn't because of Tyler, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit, but however it all came to be, it was so exciting to hear this story and know that my son has already done great things for the kingdom of The Lord at only 11 years old. 

5) one last story for today...it just so happens to be about Raegan again. Tonight at dinner, she shared an experience that was special to her. She has been working at the sunglasses station, which is the last stop for every person. It is the ONLY station that literally speaks to every person. Whether they need sunglasses or not, they stop there to turn in their form and get a loving goodbye and reminder about the crusades that evening. Of course, they also get asked one more time if they are born again. 

One man told Raegan that he had heard the message but that he was waiting to make a decision because he was going to consult his friends before he made a decision. I'll tell you now, my daughter was given some great wisdom in sharing with this man, and here is the short version of how it went:

Do you consult your friends before you go to sleep?

No

Do you consult your friends before you eat?

No

We all agree that sleeping and eating are both necessities for life. Jesus is a necessity for life also. Why do you not consult your friends before deciding about those necessities of life, but you put off deciding about Jesus to consult your friends?

Now, of course, this is not a line for line quote, but pretty much the conversation. I did actually overhear Raegan saying that sleep is a necessity for life and wondered what on earth brought that up. ;)

Some how, this was the wisdom that this man needed to hear because before he left Raegan's company, he accepted Christ. She was so excited, and, I admit, we were all impressed with such simple words of wisdom coming from a 13 year old. 

Floyd jokingly said, "oh great, now I have 2 women in the house who are smarter than me." lol ;)

As you can see, this day was full of excitement and movement of the Spirit! We are grateful to be hear and be used as the hands and feet of Jesus!

A New Journey Begins

Hey Everyone, It’s Kim! I know we haven’t had much time to write lately, but we have the morning off today, so I wanted to take a moment to update you on all that God is doing so far. We are now on Day 3 at the first village, which means that we’ve completed 2 days of clinics/gospel crusades, and since we don’t have clinics on the last day, we will join our partners for the final gospel crusade this evening before moving to the second village tomorrow. I wanted to give you a brief rundown of what we’ve been doing these last few days.

On Friday, we met up with the rest of our Christ Fellowship team (both the youth team, and those that flew in that morning), and after hanging out in the hotel lobby for a while, and loading all of our luggage in the back of a flatbed truck, we set off on our 2 hour drive to Mitiyana. We drove to the hotel where we are now staying, unloaded our things, and spent the evening getting settled, and going to bed early to get enough rest for the first day of clinics.

We woke up nice and early on Saturday (devotional at 6:15, breakfast at 6:30, leave for village at 7:00). That was the plan anyway! :) We have learned to be very “fluid” here in Uganda. We did not actually leave for the village until 8:00, but that allowed us some time for the worship team to meet and run through the songs since it had been a month since we last rehearsed together (with Floyd, Raegan and I coming early). Once we loaded the bus, we set off for our hour-long drive to the village. We always begin by going to the village farthest away, then make our way closer to the hotel with each new village. The ride is quite bumpy, but the scenery is truly amazing. This part of Uganda is much hillier than we’ve seen before, so the drive is like a roller-coaster. But when you are at the top of one of the hills, and you can look out across the valley, it truly is breathtaking!

When we arrived, our partners were working hard to put the stage together. This is no small task. While they were hard at work with that, we began setting up the vision and medical clinics. Tickets were passed out, equipment was set up, and we were ready to begin. The first day is always a bit slower than the second b/c it takes so long to get everything set up for the evening crusade. Many of our translators are busy helping with that, so we have a limited team working in the clinics early in the morning. However, by the afternoon, we are in full swing. So much so, that this year, we did not even stop for lunch until after 4:00, and the crusade did not begin until almost 6:00 (usually we eat around 3:00, and the crusade begins at 4:00). Needless to say, we had to condense some of our worship time so that the message could be preached before people had to walk home.  We ended up leaving the village and headed back to the hotel around 8:30, dinner was at 9:30, recap was at 10:00, and bed was quick to follow. We knew that morning would come quickly!

Sunday was another great day in the village. Since the other villages we’ve been to in past years are so far away, we were not able to send men to go preach at them. But one of the youth, Grayson, was able to preach at the village we are in right now. It was exciting to see God use him in such an amazing way. When he walked up to the front, he literally threw his IPad down on the ground and explained that although he had a message prepared, the Lord gave him something else to say in that moment. So he just opened up the Word and gave the gospel message. He spoke with great confidence and you could tell it was exactly what needed to be shared that day. After church we started up the clinics again and worked until about 4:00, when we ended for lunch. The crusade was able to begin much earlier the second day, so we spent a good 2+ hours worshiping. Whether it was Victory Living Word Church Mass Choir up front,  our worship team, a group called “Spoken Truth”, or all of us up there together (which is always my favorite time), we were worshiping and praising God. It truly is an amazing thing to join with our brothers and sisters from Victory in Worship. It has become one of my favorite, favorite things, and I always miss it when we return home. 

We have seen some wonderful things so far on this trip. Many people have had an opportunity to preach to a tent of people, and we’ve seen 30-40 people pray to accept Christ from each of those times. During the clinics, we are constantly shouting out “Perfect Salvation” which is our way of celebrating that someone has just chosen to accept Christ. We shout and clap, and have a great time rejoicing. Each time Rafe has preached, many have come forward to accept Christ. I’m not sure about the numbers, but for a place that has no churches established, and where most of the people have a muslim background, we are very encouraged to see how the Lord is moving in this place.

Please continue praying for us. Tonight is the last night in this first village. Then we will break down the stage after the crusade, and load it on the truck so that our partners can drive it to the next village where they will put it together tomorrow morning. It is not a task for the weak, so pray for endurance for the guys as they help with this, and pray for extra rest for us as it’s usually a later night for us. We will continue to update you as we can!

To Him be all the Glory!!!