Double Honor

On Thursday and Friday we finished up the Pastor's School that Steve and I had been teaching in the morning. The pastors were blessed and excited to begin implementing some of the things they had been taught. We have a standing invitation to come back as often as we would like to continue the training. As always, my heart for the pastors is bigger than my ability to fund the trips. God will see fit to bring us back I'm sure.

After the Pastor's school on Thursday we went to the poorest area of Uganda to the Church in Wabulenja. This is the group that led worship at God's Garden. It was the most exciting service I had ever been apart of. People praising and dancing before The Lord is ways that I had not seen before. The spirit was in that place. I preached and then Steve preached and we saw 15 or more give their lives to Christ. As I'm writing this paragraph I realize there is no way I can convey what happened and you understand the full impact.

Friday night we were scheduled to go back to the same Church again for the second time. We were all excited about it and wondered what the night would bring. Bob let us out a little ways before we got to the church so that we could invite people and witness on the road. This was the first time that Steve had been door to door so you know he was taking full advantage of it. As we got to the Church the music had already started and the people were already praising The Lord with all their heart. The Spirit of God was thick in this place. Steve had asked me to preach first and God had filled me up with a message about Lazarus. There was so much freedom from The Lord. God was moving the hearts of the people and again about 15 received Christ. After Steve's message the congregation asked us to pray over the people and bless them. This was such a moving experience as the people came up one by one and one of the team members laid hands on them and prayed.

Through out the night the pastor kept saying that they wanted to bless us with a small gift of there appreciation. I was figuring they would pass the plate and collect what they could. Now remember this is the poorest Church that we know of in Uganda. So, at the end of the service they call all the team up onto the stage and they begin bring from outside an overwhelming amount of goods and laying them at our feet: mounds of sugar cane, fruits and vegetables, a chicken (a live chicken), eggs, nuts, corns, and grains. it completely filled up the stage. The whole team was overcome with emotion. We were sobbing uncontrollably as they continued to lay their incomes at our feet. I have been honored with gifts from Pastors and Churches all over the world but never to this magnitude. As we wept on the stage they continued to bring in more commodities that I know they sell for a living in the market. And the entire time they brought it in they were sing and praising The Lord. I saw the poorest Church give me the blessing of my life. O that we would learn to be a giving people. That we could give to The Lord with joy and thanks giving in our hearts.

They had so overwhelmed us with this blessing that the SUV we came in was completely packed from floor to ceiling. Then we had to borrow a van that was packed out from floor to ceiling as well. It was absolutely amazing and indescribable.

I come on the trips to bless people with God's word and I always and out blessed before I leave.

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God's Garden

Wednesday was a great day in The Lord as we open God's Garden in Jinja, Uganda. This has been the visionary brain child of Rev. Bob Reese (the missionary) for many years. God's Garden is a place that will bring glory to God through continual prayer from now until the Lord's return. It will also serve as a training center for pastors all over Uganda and other countries. For the training center to be realized we need to raise about $3000. The corner post are in place and ready for the structure to go up. If you know me, you know how dear this is to my heart because I love to train pastors around the world and this would be a great place to accomplish that task. I'm praying that God would use his people to provide these funds so we can get the training center built. And last but not least, Bob's vision is to expand the ministry to other places in Africa that need the gospel through God's Garden.

The opening kicked off with a Church from a little town called Wabulenja praising God in their customary dress. It was an exciting time as I, Krystal, and Hanna, got out there with them and danced until we could dance any longer. Needless to say Africans know who to praise The Lord. There were many speakers at the dedication and I was chosen as one of them. There were about 50 pastors in attendance. After the sermons and speeches, all the pastor's gathered in a circle and began to pray that God would make his presence known in this place and that prayers would be answered here. Since that time there have been many people praying at God's Garden. I believe this place will help to unite the pastor of this area.

Begin now to pray about your part in building the training center. $3000 is a small amount for the pastors of Uganda to be trained and sent out to preach the gospel. If we had 30 people give $100.00 we could begin the construction immediately and the next time I return we could see the fruit of our labors. I will be the first one to give $100 which means we only need 29 more. Let see how fast The Lord will raise these funds.

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New Relationships

One of the things I love about traveling abroad are the new relationships that God allows me to have. There are people that I call my brothers in Ciro, all throughout Ukraine, Europe, Slovakia, Belize, Mexico, Iraq, Turkey, and now Uganda, and Kenya. While I have been here in Uganda I have been receiving messages from my brothers all over the world. It is a very rich and blessed feeling to say the least.

This week I have been building relationships with key men of ministry in this area as we teach in the Pastor's school and discover men of character and influence. One of those men have been driving the team around and interpreting for Steve and I, and his name in Mugisha Julius. Another man that is quickly becoming dear to my heart in Pastor Fredrick. I believe God is using Fredrick to unite the pastors of Uganda to do a mighty work for The Lord. The church Fredrick pastors has started 46 churches and have organized the Pastor's school in which we are now teaching. I believe these are key men in the ministry here in Uganda and I am very interested to see what happens with them over the next few years.

Another unexpected relationship that I have formed in with Bishop Patrick from Kenya. He is here for the grand opening of the Garden of God (which I will tell you about tomorrow). Bishop Patrick's church is responsible for starting 50 churches including Pastor Fredrick's church. He is the head of the counsel of Bishops in Kenya which consists of approximately 100 Bishops in Kenya. Both Steve and I have received open invitations to preach to the Pastors of Kenya and possibly start a "Timothy Barnabas" work there. Beside all that, Bishop Patrick is a sweet man that loves Jesus and the work of The Lord and has treated me with the utmost respect and honor. I am hoping in the not to distant future that God would allow me the opportunity to minister to the Pastors in Kenya to encourage them in their fight for the souls of men.

Team Update

When God gives you such a good first day of ministry like we had on Monday, it can be a let down if the movement of God is not so strong on the second day. Not so for Tuesday. We saw more people come to Christ on the second day than we did on day one. The girls won 10 people to Christ in the village while Steve and I were teaching. We then left the school for a preaching engagement at Prayer Center. This is the same place that Steve preached yesterday and saw many come to Christ. I was honored to take the pulpit today and see many more give their lives to Christ. We then broke for lunch before we went to the village where Pastor Fredrick grew up. Pastor Steve was up to preach in their little church made of dirt floors and a tin roof. There was six that gave there lives to Christ in that place. All in all we saw 31 people receive Christ today. I stand in awe of the work of my Lord.

In the evenings after dinner. We have some down time and have started a rivalry on the spades table. Steve and I against Hanna and Krystal. Those poor girls don't know if their coming or going. The score so far is 2 wins to 0 in favor of the BS team. We were laughing so hard last night that we all started getting cramps in our sides.

It was good to chat with family a little last night and let them know of the great things The Lord has been doing and to know that everyone is doing well at home. Tomorrow will be another big day in The Lord.

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