Friday, July 6, 2007

8 AM

Another beautiful day in Uganda! This morning we are doing a food distribution in one of our communities. I don't really know the details of how it's all gonna work but I pray that the Lord will use me, in the smallest of ways, to reflect His love to people. Kelly spoke to us last night about reflecting Jesus. One of the things He said that hit home with me was, "Forget the American dream, join the God dream." Die to your dreams, goals, and ambitions so they can identically match God's dreams, goals and ambitions for you. WOW! I know that His plan is always better than mine. I trust in that and am so thankful. Right now in my life, I have a bad habit of trying to figure out a "10-year plan" for my life. I realize now that it is about small steps of obedience every day that will get me to where He wants me. This morning I read Isaiah 49-Jesus has spoken to my heart through this scripture many times before and has made it very personal to me.

"Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He made mention of my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver. He said to me, 'You are my servant, in whom I will display My splendor...I will also make you a light...that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth."

It is amazing to think that even when I was just a baby in my mother's arms, He knew I would be serving in East Africa one day. He knew that I would develop a love for these people that possess nothing yet possess everything. The believers in Uganda are a beautiful picture of the church that Luke writes about. This past week I have been reading through the book of Acts have been given a new perspective on the early church. The Ugandan believers are so enthralled with the Lord's work and taking care of each other that they don't have the time nor the desire to argue over the little things. I want to be just like that. I want to be so caught up in the Lord's work and in my personal relationship with Him that everything else is insignificant in comparison.
I pray that in these last couple days the Lord will use me to minister to my teammates. Even if it's just simply a word of encouragement-I want that opportunity. God please help me to guard my words today and may everything I say and do be a reflection of You.

2 PM

This morning was a great time of just spending time with the people that we minister to. I don't know how many kids I held today. One in particular stands out in my mind. His name was Waswo. He didn't say much of anything. I was drawn to him because I saw that he had strips of cloth wrapped around his small hand. I knew he had some kind of injury. I don't have a picture of him because that was just one of those moments that you knew you needed to be sensitive. When I went over to him and put my arm around him, he didn't say anything but just looked up at me. As if in a silent cry, he uncovered his hand to show me the painful burn he had gotten somehow. I said a quick prayer for him and gave him a smile. Again, I thanked God for showing me the hurting-physically and spiritually.

Thursday, July 5, 2007

7 PM

Well, we all made it back safely from the safari! A shower had never felt so good as it did today. I could fall asleep right now but we are going to be having an awesome time of worship this evening. I am so thankful that the Lord kept us safe today. I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful falls yesterday. They were awesome!

We're leaving in two days-that's really hard to comprehend. But the Lord is not finished just yet! Mostly everyone else is ready to go home and are starting to pack. I, on the other hand, am ready to stay another two weeks and do follow-up ministry! I'm not sure how my parents would feel about that though! God has confirmed a lot of things in my heart and I have a strong desire to return to Kampala. But I am willing to go and do whatever He wants me to. I will obey and say "Yes" to wherever He sends me. I am so grateful for what He has allowed me to do and see these past two weeks. I have been truly and eternally blessed. It's going to be hard saying goodbye to our pastors and translators tomorrow night...

Monday, July 2, 2007

7 AM

It's hard to believe that this is our last day of street ministry with our translators. I pray that it would be an awesome day and the Lord would bless it in a special way. I pray that He will give our crew strength and energy and boldness to make this day all that the Lord wants it to be. This is the day that the Lord has made!

7 PM

As if God could bless us anymore-He did! This morning I had the privilege of leading a young man named Henry to the Lord. He was so eager and ready to accept. It blessed my heart to see this young man come to know the Lord. It is so obvious how the Lord was working here way before we arrived. He had prepared hearts and opened ears ready to here the Gospel. I praise Him for that!
We also spoke with a young woman named Hajala. We met her as she was busy washing dishes in front of her home. She didn't seem very interested at all in what I was saying at first. When we first started talking to her she wouldn't even give me eye contact and just kept on working. When I finished sharing the Gospel she said that she wanted to accept but that something was holding her back. I asked her what that one thing holding her back was and she said it was the fear of leaving her own religion-Islam. She had many other questions and hesitations and we lovingly continued to share scripture with her. We had been talking to her for nearly a half hour. Normally if someone was still not receptive, we would leave graciously and move on to the next person God had for us. But, this time was different. The Holy Spirit kept us there and told us not to leave. Eventually, Hajala did pray to receive Christ and her joy was so evident! I gave her a Bible in her own language, Luganda, and you would have thought that I had just handed her the world. I began to share Scripture with her in the book of John that would help her get started in reading the Bible. She was so excited-her words and expressions told me so. I began to think to myself , "What if we hadn't stayed? What if we had just given up on her and moved on to the next person?" To think that she might have missed eternity. That is so HUGE.

God is so awesome and He always knows what He's doing. That seems like such a simple concept but I am still learning that. I know that He will always make His plan known to me in His perfect timing. Tonight they gave us a list of the IWC projects for Summer 2008. To be honest, I was disappointed that there aren't any projects in East Africa next year. Ideally, I would liked to have done another IWC project in Kenya or Uganda next summer. But, I guess this means that God has something different in mind on how to get me back here. I am trusting in His plan and I will be obedient to whatever He has for me.

This afternoon we had another house church service. This is a brand new house church and today was the very first service. It was so awesome to see the beginning of this work that God is doing. I was privileged to share my testimony during that time. God graciously gave me just the right words to say. I was so thankful. It was really hard to say goodbye to our translators. I knew it was gonna be tough but it was just different this time. I have such a strong desire to be here and work alongside these men and women to train these new believers. But I will be fervent in prayer as they are busy doing the Lord's work.

Sunday, July 1, 2007

8:20 AM

I am so excited for today! It is going to be an awesome worship service this morning. I love worshipping and singing with the Ugandans. This afternoon is also going to be a sweet time out at Lake Victoria for the baptism service. I love being reminded of God's transforming grace and how He takes the old and makes it new. So powerful!

4:30 PM

I have been so blessed! The morning church service in Jibouli was awesome! When I worship with the Ugandans, I truly feel that I am in the presence of the Lord. They have taught me what it is to sing and dance at the feet of Jesus.

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs, know that the Lord is God." -Psalm 100:1-2

Another blessing to me has been this older woman whose name I don't even know. She is a believer and ever since I met her for the first time at one of our ministry sites, she has done nothing but love on me. She speaks to be in her broken English but somehow we are always able to communicate. Today, as we were about to leave church, she came running towards our van. I looked and saw her beautiful face coming towards me. Days before, she had given me my Lugandan name. She calls me "Nakawunde." That name means, "woman of the world." It means that wherever I go I take the love and beauty of the world with me. That made me feel so honored. And this afternoon, she handed me a slip of paper. On the outside she had written, "Nakawunde". She opened it up and showed me that inside there was a film negative of a picture of her! I wanted to cry tears of joy. That gift is very special to me because that "picture" is probably one of the very few that she has ever owned. Wow, what an amazing love! She is so precious and I will remember her always.

The baptism time today after church today was so beautiful! I wish that you could have been there right beside me to see it with your own eyes. We all went out to Lake Victoria. There were nearly 50 people waiting to be baptized. Pastor Deo, Pastor Bennan and Pastor Joseph all went out into the water to meet the people. It was the most beautiful baptism I have ever seen! So many believers taking their first step of faith in obedience to the Lord and their personal witness.

10:20 PM

It is my sincere prayer that the beautiful images today be forever engraved on my heart. Some of these scenes were just too sacred to take a picture of. Others I want to look at every day and be reminded. I want to be reminded of the new believer that comes up out of the water and raises his arms over his head in celebration of what God has done in his life. I want to be reminded of Joseph, Deo and Bennan walking through the water hand in hand back to the lakeshore. These men work SO hard, spend so much time away from their families, and don't receive or even ask for anything monetary in return. But today, they welcomed many new believers into their congregation. Their people, their flock, their family.

I am so excited about what God is going to do in the lives of these new believers. They have even more ahead of them! They will immediately be in discipleship classes called T for T-training for trainers. They will be taught the Word and shown how to take the next steps in their walk. And soon, they will be trained up to become leaders, pastors, teachers and hosts of house churches! The possibilities are endless!

Saturday, June 30, 2007

11 PM

This evening was an awesome time. We went to a huge park to set up the tent and area outside for the showing of the JESUS film and a small worship time. When we first got there, as we were setting up, we spent some time with the tons of children hanging out. We got to play with them and sing songs and just love on them. But the neatest thing was when I brought out the EvangeCube and shared the Gospel with them. They loved it! It didn't take long for me to be surrounded by a huge crowd of kids. It was so cool when I finished telling the story of Jesus they could take the cube and tell the whole story right back to me! It was so awesome! They were sharing the Gospel themselves!




One of the boys told me his name was Nicholas. He had so much knowledge of Jesus and was very excited to share with me. Nicholas also sat by me during the entire film. The JESUS film was in their local language, Luganda, and if I was unsure about what was happening in the film, Nicholas would translate and make sure I knew what was going on. Whenever Jesus would perform a miracle in the movie, the Ugandans would start clapping and cheering. They are so passionate and joyful. They have such faith and they KNOW that Jesus can do that for them in their life. That is how I want to be. I have learned so many things in just this one week. As I have watched our translators and some of my fellow teammates, I have discovered the kind of believer that I want to be. To have that passion, that vision, and that intimacy God's Word is how I want to live my life.

Friday, June 29, 2007

5:30 PM

Today was such a rewarding day. This afternoon we had another house church to attend. The worship was so awesome! Drums and singing and dancing! Many people who had accepted Christ this past week were at the service. And at the end of the service, two people came forward and said they wanted to accept Christ! God is so awesome!

The woman that came forward was named Juliet. After I introduced myself to her she told me that she loved me! These people are so loving-I don't know how anyone could not love them in return. She told us that she has been married for four years and has not been able to get pregnant. In Africa, this puts a harsh stigma on a woman and she receives persecution from her family and even her husband. My heart went out to her and I prayed over her this morning.
This morning my translator was Daniel who is the one of the younger ones. He encouraged me today with his words. He said that I was brave and not afraid of the Ugandans. He said some people (Americans) are afraid to talk to them but that I was at home with them. He also said that I was as tough as an African woman. Ha! I'm not so sure about that! I shared with him about my future plans for medical mission work. He said that one day, he hopes to come and preach at "my place". That just gave me goosebumps! God is so cool!

Also, something really cool that happened today...On our way to our ministry site, a van pulled up beside us. It was a "Doctors Without Borders" van! How awesome! It is awesome how Jesus gives me small things like that! I enthusiastically pointed it out to my crew but they didn't really get what the big deal was. I definitely did though! My God is so cool. When I ask for assurance and He knows I need clarity, He graciously gives it to me. I am so thankful for that and the many other things He has shown me here that have given me confidence in His call on my life.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

7 AM

The Lord has given me a renewed strength today. The encouraging notes I read this morning were from my grandma. I was thankful for her sweet words and chuckled at some of the things she said. I am so thankful for the family that I have and for their support of missions. Today I pray that my crew would be rested and have a renewed spirit. I know they are very tired and emotionally worn out but there is still much to be done. I pray that the Lord will keep watch over us and guard us as we go. Give us patience and understanding with each other as well. Thank you for all that you have done. I love you, Lord.

5:30 PM

God, you worked in awesome ways again today! There are really no words to express the joy You have given me in this place. I just want to express praise and thanksgiving for who You are. Here I am sitting outside looking at Your beautiful creation on the other side of the world. I feel so at home here, Lord. I feel You moving in my heart as I minister here. Is this the place You have for me? I love the people here and the missionaries have been such a blessing to get to know and share stories with. Lord, I don't know what Your plan is exactly but I am completely open to whatever it is You have for me. I am Yours, Lord. Everything I do and all that I am is for You. I want to be used in whatever way You see fit. I ask that little by little You show me Your will and what You would have me do.

Please give me clarity and assurance with Your will so that there will be no doubts at all in my mind about what You would have me do with my life. I submit to whatever it is You have for me. Lord, You know the desires of my heart. I do not want this to be the last time I am in East Africa. I almost don't feel like a visitor anymore. Lord, there is a lot on the road ahead of me. I have fears and doubts about my abilities but I want to replace those things with Your truth. I want to remember Your promises and claim them as my own. Above all Lord, I desire to know You more intimately. I want Your desires to be my desires, and Your wants to be my wants.

We had another amazing day of ministry today. God just keeps on moving. This morning I shared with a woman named Beatrice. She was in front of her house with her eight month old daughter. We shared the Gospel with her; she was very receptive and wanted to know. I led her in a prayer and she accepted Christ!
Also today we met a Christian family who had just lost a son. We don't know the reason for his death but we know he was very young. I also prayed over this family and it took everything in me to hold back tears. We triend to strengthen and encourage them with our words.
In our crew today, some of my teammates were able to lead 4 Muslims to Christ! That is so awesome! Amazingly, alot of the Muslims are very receptive and will at least listen to what you have to say. Today, Rachel and I were with a Muslim family. None of them accepted Christ but what was encouraging was their openness to hear the truth. The oldest woman (who was at least 80!) and her husband were Muslim-she called Rachel and I her daughters! They thanked us over and over for sacrificing our time to come and share with them. To us, it really was no sacrifice at all. Even though they didn't accept Christ, it was awesome to have their friendship. Praise the Lord!

Wednesday, June 27, 207

6:30 PM

Wow! There are no words to describe what God did through us today! My prayers were answered in more ways than one! This morning and afternoon I was with Rachel as my partner and Joseph as my translator-the Lord did awesome things. Many were brought into the family of God today. There are so many stories just from today and I hope to remember them all:

One of the first women we came upon this morning was a young woman named Janet. She had been watching us for awhile and invited us into her small 6' by 10' home to share with her. As we were first meeting and began to share the Gospel, I could see great pain in her eyes. She was near tears and I could feel her hurt. As we continued to share about God's love and grace, I could see that her entire coutenance had changed. She could almost manage a smile as we spoke of God's grace and then after she prayed to accept Christ, I saw a genuine, complete transformation within her, even in those few minutes. It was like I could physically see Jesus picking her up into His arms and speaking of his love for her. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. I do not know the details of her life and problems but she will be in my prayers and I will always remember her sweet face.



Me, Janet and Rachel


Next, we were privileged to share with a group of women and many of them accepted Christ. But one woman that really stood out to me was named Grace. She told us that many times before she has wanted to accept Christ but her husband has forbid her from doing that. God immediately brought a verse to my mind to share with her so I quickly flipped to 1 Peter 3:1-2 and shared, "Wives, in the same way, submit yourselves to your husbands so that if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of their lives." I also shared with her the urgency of her decision to follow Christ because "today is the day of salvation." I also tried to share some words of comfort with her. She told me that sometimes her husband comes home late very drunk and will fight with her and beat her. I felt so helpless because all I could do was offer her encouragement. Joseph shared with her that she could come to the house church and talk with Mama Betty. I pray that the Lord will give her courage and help her make a decision to trust Christ. I also pray that He will reveal Himself to her husband and change his heart.



Us with Grace and a friend.



**UPDATE!!** **UPDATE!!** **UPDATE!!**
I received an email from Joseph, one of our main Ugandan pastors, today 7/19, stating that Mama Betty had a very fruitful time talking with Grace and the situation with her husband is improving! What an awesome God we serve! Makama Yebe Zibwe! (Praise the Lord!)

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

6:40 AM

God woke me up this morning at 4:45 and I was not able to go back to sleep. I felt that He must have woken me up for a reason so I just began to pray. I lifted up my crew as we prepared to go out today and asked for boldness and the words to say. I asked that He keep us safe and unified as a team and that our focus would remain on Him. As He put specific things on my heart, I prayed and prepared myself for them. I asked that by the end of this project He would give our crew access to a school so we could share His love to those children and have that opportunity. I also asked that He would allow me to meet people that were hurting physically (not hard to find in Uganda) and allow me to share with them-whether it's in a hospital or just people on the street. I want Him to bring me to them and give them comfort in Jesus Christ. He has put these people on my heart and given me a burden for them and I hope He presents that opportunity.
Last night's worship service was so awesome for me. Last year, those times of worship were special to me as well. As we sing those praise songs, I am reminded of His promises and I realize where I am and how far He has brought me. It truly overwhelms me. "You said, 'Ask and you will receive, whatever you need. Ask and I'll give the nations to you.' O God, that's the cry of my heart." That is truly the cry of my heart today. I ask Lord that everywhere I go today that You will be right there next to me and walk beside me.



7:00 PM

God blessed us in a mighty way today in our ministry. 20 people accepted Christ today within my crew! I must admit that I was a bit discouraged because I did not personally lead anyone to Christ today although my translator and I shared with many people. But I know that God has a purpose for EVERYTHING and He has a plan. Heaven is rejoicing today!

10:00 PM

"Your perfect love is casting out fear...You never let go."
As usual, my heart was rejuvenated during worship tonight. I don't know what it is about worshipping on Ugandan soil. There is somethin about singing praises to Him while being in this place. I can't explain it. It's like nothing that I have ever experienced before. I now understand God's purpose for me today. I know that He used me this morning (at 4:45 AM!) as a prayer warrior for my crew. I am so thankful that He allowed us to be used today. Isn't it awesome how God doesn't need us to do His work but He chooses to use us anyway. I want to be available to Him for whatever He has in store for tomorrow.

Monday, June 25, 2007-6:45 PM

God blessed us today as we had a quick orientation and prayerwalked in the afternoon. There is a new Islamic mosque that has just been built in Kampala. The leaders in the country of Libya sponsored its construction and the mosque is the 2nd largest on the continent of Africa. But it has NOT opened yet. God is working against the evil in this. The mosque was supposed to open in October 2006 but it hasn't due to many conflicts and arguments over the land. The local believers have prayerwalked around the building before and they prayed that in every way, physically and spirituall, the walls of that place would come crumbling down. Isn't it awesome how God works? We were not allowed to go inside the gates to pray but as we walked around, I could just feel the darkness and emptiness of that place. As you can see from the pictures, the architecture is beautiful but inside it is empty of truth and filled with lies. I am confident that the Lord will do a mighty work in that and I pray that the Muslim leaders with come to know the Lord and influence many.
Another big prayer request for these next two weeks is that the Lord will provide godly people to serve as leaders in house churches. There are new believers every week and many house churches. The pastors here are very stretched-some have to preach 3-4 sermons a day! "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few." So, we need people sensitive to the call of God. Also I just pray for myself that the Lord will just give me boldness and direction as we go out in the morning on our first day of street ministry. I pray that He will give me the words to speak and give me humility. I pray that nothing will be a distraction to His work within our crews and He will do something amazing. 'I thank You, Lord, for who You are in my life and ask that you enable me to share that with others.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Here at last! I am so excited about what God has planned. It's interesting to be with other students who have never experienced anything like this. I hope that I can be an encouragement to them and give them reassurance because I know what it's like. You think to yourself, "I have no idea what I'm doing." But that's good. God uses that. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. That's just the kind of God He is.
We are now on the plane for Washington D.C. The Lord has already blessed me and I haven't even left America yet! There is a family with us on this flight sitting right next to me and they are missionaries with WICLEF Bible translations. They serve in Thailand but are on furlough and heading to D.C. for conferences and speaking at churches. How awesome! The wife, Susie, has been talking to me about their ministry and wanting to know what God is doing in my life. We have talked about everything! From GA camp to different cultures-the Lord has ministered to me directly through her. Her words have been so uplifting!
For these next two weeks, I pray HARD for boldness. Even though I have experienced this cross-culture before I still get a little anxious. "Cast all your anxieties on the Lord because He cares for you." I am resting on that promise. 'I know that I cannot do this without You, God. Use me to do the impossible. Give me wisdom and discernment, grace and mercy so that I can give and show it to others. Give me a servant's heart so that I will reflect Your heart.