Helping Hands in Uganda

2012-02-25T20:07:00.002-08:00

Arafat and I were walking to school today to attend a meeting of Scripture Union (these are our high school students who meet for Bible Study; singing; and preparing for go out into villages and do evangelism.) On the way, I was just making conversation, asking Arafat about his family - who are Muslim. Although Arafat lives with us, he visits his family usually about every week. His parents are dead, but he has an aunt, uncle, cousins, and 3 siblings. He was telling me that one of his brothers tells him to keep believing in his Muslim faith - that he should not believe in Jesus. As Arafat was sharing this, his voice became louder! He said "I told my brother that I am Christian; that I believe in Jesus because Jesus is in heaven and He wants me to be in heaven. I told him I am Christian!" WOW - this coming from a 12-year old boy, standing up for Jesus. Praise the Lord.
from Dr. Brenda in Uganda

Raise The Roof!

2011-10-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hey Uganda team this is Joshua here and I am glad that you made it back safe to the States and to Germany. I just wanted to let the team know and for everyone else that has been following this blog that Pastor Patricks church roof is on!

For those of you who do not know the team from Blackshear Place Baptist and from Germany donated money to finish the roof on the church for Pastor Patrick last week and God be the Glory, it is almost finished. The roof will be complete tomorrow and we are so excited. Not only did God provide to finish the roof but Sunday God "raised the roof". The Church was packed out! Patrick said, and he told Mike and I that it was because of the team coming and sharing the love of Christ from hut to hut that people came and heard the word of God. Thank you Jesus for allowing us to be your hands and feet and for showing them your love. All that has happened is because of God, He is so good and so faithful.

Today we went to visit Pastor Mike whose church meets under a canopy of trees, a cathedral out in the open. He told us that because of the team, their love, and their faithfulness his church was packed on Sunday as well. He also told us that a women came up to him that was converted, from Muslim to Christianity by one of the team members, and said that she had never been to a church that showed so much love and she was very thankful. God is Awesome! My prayer request is that God would also provide not just a roof but a Church building for Pastor Mike. The church is growing and now that its rainy season a place with a cover would be awesome. Thank you lord for all that you have done and we continue to pray that you will raise more roofs!

Mungu Wa Baraka

Joshua

Amazed, Humbled, and So Richly Blessed

2011-10-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

I made the decision to come to Uganda almost 1 year ago. I never expected to see and experience what I have seen, smelled and felt. The Holy Spirit is engulfing my mind and heart each and every day. I am not sure that I can adequately express what all has happened; but I would like to tell you about some of the changes that God is laying on my heart. When we first arrived at the mission compound, we were greeted by Joy, it was a blessing to not only see her, but to be with her here in Uganda. It has been a long journey getting here, not counting the seemingly endless plane ride. We got situated in our rooms and then we met for the first time as a full team; we met up with our 4 new German friends in Amsterdam. We were blessed with little notebooks with our names on them with a special, individualized note inside from Joy. What an amazing woman of God, she inspires me to step out on faith, because once you do that the rest is entirely up to God.

The blessing that I have received from coming here have been innumerable. I know that when I return home on Saturday afternoon that I will not be the same person that I was the day I left to come here. I have been amazed by how the Holy Spirit has filled each of the team members, in very special and very individualistic way. This filling is coming on a daily basis and sometimes an hourly or minute by minute basis. We have played games with some of the most precious children that I have ever seen. The joy that they have comes out of them in every thing that they do. The times that we have gone from hut to hut have been some of the most special times for us. We have been able to immediately reach out and engage them in conversation and they hang on every word we say. The kindness that I have seen has been such a blessing, and at times a struggle.

I woke up Sunday with the phrase "This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." I thoroughly believe that this has become my theme for this trip; it has been said everyday by someone, somehow. I have seen worship in a whole new light, and I have experienced prayer in a way that I have never felt before. I have been deeply convicted about many things and in many aspects as to how I live my life. My most consistent prayer is that I must rely on the Holy Spirit to help me take home the changes He is making in my life. I want to make these changes not for myself, but for the glory of God in my actions, thoughts, and attitude. I have learned to look at people differently and be more focused on their eternal well-being than their physical, which is astonishing, considering the living environment here. In the preparations for this trip, I was able to see God provide in amazing ways. Having stepped out on faith, God has showed me that all that was just the beginning. He has provided in so many ways. My first thought is to be amazed at how He has provided in the most basic sense. But the fact is that He has provided in ways that only He can provide, He has left no room for anyone to deny that He has fulfilled His promise to be faithful to us. I regret that I have not lived my life with this kind of understanding.

I want to thank everyone who had a part in helping me make this incredible, life changing journey. You may never know all the things that have happened here, but one day in heaven, you will receive your reward for your obedience. Thank you very much and may God pour out his blessings on your life as He has on mine.

In Christ,

Michael Jones

By the way, all of the Blackshear Place team members wanted me to let everyone know that we will all be in the 8:08 service on Sunday, so that means you have no excuse not to join us! :)

Mungu Wu Baraka

2011-10-11T22:06:00.001-07:00

Hello friends a family! We have been working hard here in Uganda and the fruit of our labor has been amazing. The Holy Spirit is moving through us and people are coming to Christ. Jesus says that "the harvest is plentiful and the workers are few" so true. The hearts of people are tender to the Spirit and there is only so much that we can do. God has anointed this team and we have been blazing through the villages like a burning torch sharing the Gospel. Revival is happening here in Uganda and it's awesome to be a part of what God is doing.

Today over ten people prayed to receive Christ as we were doing hut to hut evangelism. God is so good! All the time! Why? because it's His nature! This is something that the Uganda believers say all the time, but it's so true, He is good!

We had two church services today that were outstanding! Greg and Joel preached and it was awesome, GO GUYS! I wish all of you were here to experience worshipping with the Uganda people. Oh, do we have a lot to learn from them. Their worship is so beautiful! There is dancing, clapping, singing, jumping and much more. I can't wait to come home and show you all my new dance moves, lol. Their love for Jesus and their passion to make Him known are convicting and powerful. They encourage us greatly in their relentless pursuit of God and love for Him.

Mungu Wu Baraka (God of Blessings). This is a song that is sung here and talks about the blessings of God. We are truly blessed to have Gods approval here and it is so evident in the work that is going on. Many blessings to you and I leave you with this challenge. Go! Be the blazing torch of Jesus in your neighborhood, your work place, your school, and your home, because the harvest is ready, but the workers are few.

2011-10-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We have had a fantastic couple of days. Yesterday (Saturday) the team was up and ready to go out to the bush first thing in the morning. Chris, Nathan, Connie, Leoni, Stacy, and Jonas went out hut to hut speaking to people close to the church. It went great - several people prayed to receive Christ and lots of seeds were planted. Everyone else stayed at the church and had activities for the kids. They had a blast with the games, songs, and the lesson about Adam and Eve. At two we had a great church service with Pastor Patrick and his church.

This morning we had church at the school in Busia. Everyone helped out with a Sunday School class. It is such a blessing to teach these kids. They are so eager to learn and they love Jesus. We also had baptism in the river after the service. It was incredible - and hot!

This afternoon we had a great soccer match - Americans and Germans against Africans. We had a lot of fun and were able to share Jesus with the crowd that was there to watch.

We are all having a great time - we are learning and growing and looking forward to more good days this week. The weather has been good and the power is on! Thanks for all your continuing prayers.

2011-10-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

After two days of flying and a day of driving the first October mission team has arrived safely at the Helping Hands mission house. Everyone made their connections and all of the luggage and ministry supplies arrived. The team has settled in and is ready for their first day of ministry.

2011-05-27T02:38:00.000-07:00

Pam and Arafat at the Helping Hands mission house in Uganda. Please pray for Pam as she continues to care for Arafat, and pray for healing for Arafat - above all, that God is glorified in everything.

Pray for Arafat and Pam

2011-05-27T02:07:00.000-07:00

From Dr. Brenda:

I am now back in the U.S. – Pam Fox returned to Uganda and I was able to leave Arafat in her capable hands. She is an incredible care-giver, with a dedicated servant’s heart. I have been speaking with her by phone almost daily to get updates on Arafat and it continues to be “touch and go.” Some days it seems he is improving; other days we are sure he is not going to make it. We are learning so much about trusting God, because there is just no other way to get through the days. He has become a part of us and a part of our lives. Yesterday, Pam took him back to the hospital in Kampala, it was for a follow-up visit with the surgeon (even though we know at this point he cannot have another surgery) – but he has been vomiting quite frequently. The surgeon wanted to keep him overnight to get some x-rays and blood work and to replace his central intravenous line, (which we use to give him nutrition and antibiotics.) So he will be in the hospital at least overnight. We are considering the possibility of bringing him to the states, but this is a long-shot, given his fragile condition and all the red tape that would be required. I know God can heal him no matter where he is. So today I ask for prayers for wisdom as we continue to make decisions about his care; I ask for you to pray for Pam, for her continued strength, both physical and spiritual. She is caring for Arafat around the clock, with very little relief. She needs our intercession before our King.

Intense God-Training

2011-04-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have to unload all of this information out of my brain - all that God is showing me and teaching me is almost impossible to comprehend. Seems as if He has speeded up my training sessions, preparing me for something - but what that is, I am not quite sure of yet. So here goes with my experiences (haven't even covered half of them) over the past 2 weeks:

Monday, April 11, 2011

· Met with contractor to go over supplies/cost to finish classroom – had him check the rocks and sand that had been delivered to us previously, and he said we got a bad deal, the rocks were ‘dirty’ (a lot of dirt mixed in with the rocks so now we have to sift the dirt out) and the sand was not special sand. Ha! I am getting ripped off a lot (being a woman)– but learning.

· Leonard (our newly hired purchasing agent who has already proven himself worthy) is going to 4 different places to check on prices of construction materials

· There is no place around to buy a sewing machine for the tailoring class to begin making uniforms for the children. Maybe check in Kenya?? Nothing is easy around here.

· Met with high school students who still lacked mosquito nets and all received one– told them if they sell them, we will expel them from school and turn them in to the police – I am sad that it is necessary to make this announcement.

· Went with Celestine to check on one of our High School students, Pauline, she lives with her brother, also in our school. Mother died; father abandoned them, they live alone in a small dirt hut, dirt floors, wet, smells bad, damp air – she is weak, hasn’t eaten, diarrhea, chest pain and cough – we walk her slowly back to school and check her, give antibiotics, fluids, something for pain and something to eat. Then she will have to return home.

· The security guard at our mission house told me his 1-year old baby is sick with bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting – they have no money for the doctor; plus he cannot leave work to take the baby or to take the money to the mother so she can take the baby to the doctor –

· Moses told me that he had applied to receive Christmas shoeboxes from Samaritan’s Purse, but the ‘representative’ asked him to pay 50,000 shillings (about $22) for every 50 boxes that he delivered, plus a delivery fee of about $17; plus 2 teachers had to attend a Distribution Training and pay 10,000 shillings each (about $4) – the man is probably not from Samaritan’s purse (we’re checking on this, if he is not, then I am going to report him to somebody)

· Pastor from one of the churches where we held medical clinic recently came to see me – there are 2 children we saw during that clinic who had serious illnesses, one is now in the hospital; I’ll go check on her tomorrow. I think she probably has a chronic parasitic illness which has damaged her liver irreversibly.

· Edith wants to know what I am planning to do about the 7 children who recently lost their guardians – where can they live and who will care for them? No concrete plan yet.

· Arafat is still seriously ill – the doctors don’t want to discharge him, but he is not receiving any nursing care – only what Pam is providing. So we did not bring him back today from Kampala, which means we must send another van back to pick him and Pam up and bring them back to Busia, probably tomorrow – this will be $200. There is still no guarantee that he won’t need another surgery to repair more intestinal tears – not sure if this is from the original accident or from the doctor doing a bad job in surgery.

· One of our nursery school children, 4 years old, was in our school clinic today with a very high temperature, vomiting, and with a positive malaria test. We could not find his guardian (his grandmother – she goes to Kenya to try and find work) – so we have to wait til she returns before we treat him, because of giving quinine, we have to make sure he has not been taking any other malaria medications – so he just stays in clinic, sick – maybe we will find her soon.

· One of our bush pastors came to find me – while he was in church Sunday, his house was broken into, and many things were stolen: his phone, clothes, radio, what little money he had, and even a bag of corn. I won’t be able to give him money to replace all of this – the church should help some, I am going to talk to Pastor Moses

· Planning session with Pastor Moses – this is exciting! We want to take the High school students from the Scripture Union club for ministry – to the bush, maybe to Lake Victoria, maybe to Kenya. Depends on money, since we have to pay transport, which is expensive, and then food if we stay overnight. But this is what we need to be doing – training up these youth to reach their country for Christ.

· Blessing for the day: I had given the Scripture Union club a challenge for prayer recently – I wanted them to pray about a missionary and/or pastor calling. I told them I could not call them to be missionaries or pastors, but they could pray and see what God called them to be and to do. We are looking for 12 young men and women who feel the passion to go out into the world – specifically the countries of Africa- and reach the lost. Today I heard from 2 young ladies, Elizabeth and Rose - who have been praying, one said she fasted – and they both say they have been called to serve as missionaries. Praise God because He is calling workers into the harvest fields. One young man has already shared his calling with us, and now we continue praying for others.

This was just today – over the past 2 weeks, the days have been just as full dealing with so many many things that my head is crammed full. The only way I make it through without feeling completely overwhelmed is through the power of the Holy Spirit. Here are some more encounters:

· Need textbooks for many of the grades, but not enough money and not enough space to store the books if we have them. Children can’t take them home, as they have not much home… (no storage, it is damp, mud floors, etc.)

· Grades 6 and 7 are boarding at school so they can study more and prepare for high school entrance exams; they have classes each night from 7-10 – teachers take turns staying for these extra classes. Church is helping to buy food for them at night; some still need mattresses and mosquito nets, yesterday they were out of food, someone from church brought bananas.

· 9:45 a.m. Wednesday March 30- Went with Edith to visit home of Rogers, 8^th grade student; he has 3 brothers and sisters, and their grandfather, who was their guardian, died about 2 weeks ago, leaving them alone. An aunt came to stay with them, but has 4 children of her own, and is planning to go back to her home in a few more days – what to do with these 4 kids who now have no guardian? They have a pretty nice home, block with 4 rooms that belonged to the grandfather but now belongs to Rogers as the oldest child. Talked to the aunt about moving to Busia with her 4 chldren and taking care of her nieces and nephews – she is also a widow, and I think she might agree – planning to return and visit again. We would need to help with food each month. How much more can we commit to?

· March 31, Thursday afternoon 4:50 p.m. A tremendous feeling of the physical presence of the Holy Spirit – I talked to the high school students – there’s about 100 of them, and they have formed “Scripture Union” which is kind of a Bible/Christian club, they do ministry, learn skits/dramas, worship, etc. I explained to them the vision God has given me about 12 students being called and trained and sent out as missionaries. Told them it was not a job but a calling; they would not get rich; could not go to America; and may face danger. I don’t know who God will call and who will respond, but I know God has a plan for these kids

· April 1, Friday morning: Received call even before leaving for work at the school – it was headmaster, said that a child belonging to one of our primary teachers had died. He’s not sure of the cause, or details; I arrive at school and they tell me that the father (our teacher) needs help with burial, they can call him and tell him to come to school for the money – but he lives “far.” I tell them I will go and see him myself – but it’s more complicated than I thought. They arrange for me to go on a motorcycle – a car won’t make it down the little bush trails; but then need a 2^nd motorcycle because there’s only one student who knows where the teacher lives, so 4 of us set off on 2 motorcycles, going I don’t know where. It is about 25 minutes on the motorcycle, down tiny cow trails, very muddy, and slippery, after almost tipping over twice, I get off the motorbike and walk the remaining way. This is the one moment in time, and one incident I will remember forever. The baby is named Ben, and he died 24 hours ago. He was 4 weeks old. They have him lying on a mat on the dirt floor in a hut, he is wrapped in clean baby blanket, with a tiny cap on his head. He looks very peaceful and is beautiful, but on touching his forehead, he is very cold and still. No life. His grandmother sits nearby, quiet and greets me in her language. The mother kneels by the child, and is only able to say “Ben, Ben, Ben,” as she rocks in grief. There is nothing I can say. I hug her and she squeezes me tightly, as if she doesn’t want to let go, but then I leave to allow her to grieve in private.

On talking to the father, George, he said the baby became ill 3 days ago, and they took him to the hospital – they were told the baby was very sick, and “too sick” for them to help, but they gave him some pills. (I can’t imagine why they would give a 4-week old baby pills, but that is what I was told.) Ben did not improve, so they took him back to the hospital the following day, but he was sent home again. The next day (Thursday) he was worse, the mother started back to the hospital, but Ben died in her arms.

There was nothing I could say – should I protest the poor care the baby received, that would do no good, only make the parents feel bad that maybe they could have done more. Should I have reminded them that they could have asked my advice and help for the child, maybe they did not know I was in Busia. Should they have taken him to another hospital? Here in Uganda, it usually doesn’t matter, most of the care is the same no matter where you go – except sometimes people with money get faster care, better care, more medicines, and sometimes (as sad and unfair as it seems – a white face opens doors faster) - the possibility to put the child in the hospital. But none of those things matter now, because they have lost another child. In walking around their little compound where their hut is located, I see a small marked grave – Patrick – who died the same year he was born.

Where is God in all of this? He is here, and when I ask Him why – I don’t have a good answer. I know God though, that His ways are perfect and good, and that I trust Him no matter what happens. The parents are Christians, and I can assure them that they will see Ben again in heaven. I told them he was in heaven with Jesus, and with Richard.

· Today is Saturday, April 2, and a very exciting day because we have the first class of a new 2-year pastor training, that we have on DVDs from a local Bible college in Georgia; they provided free DVDs and materials to us, and what a blessing, so I am hearing the sound of the teaching, as about 30 pastors soak up this knowledge. We have to limit the pastors but hope to start more classes, and have native pastors trained to teach – need more facilitators and teachers… God, are you sending them?

· Monday, April 4 – I am mad, mad, mad. Yet I realize what I have just encountered is every day life for people in Uganda. I wanted to buy 1000 mosquito nets, and in searching for the best price, I found a good price, and agreed on the kind I wanted to buy, then when I checked on the nets as they were being delivered, I found some which were labeled “Not For Sale” meaning that some of the nets had been donated by other countries to be distributed free of charge. I was told these came from the “black market” – I just as quickly told the man to return them to the black market. It is frustrating and depressing and sad and it makes me want to do something, but I’m not sure what that is. I am learning more every day though about life in Uganda, and asking God to show me what it is I am supposed to be doing. I am encountering so many new things, that I know are not “new” things here in Uganda. But I feel I am being called to take a stand. Help me Lord to know exactly how to do that.

· I keep hearing the words “facilitation fee” – which is really just a nice word for bribery. Paying a fee to make things go smoother, quicker, get your paperwork to the top of the pile, get an official to handle your business first and without delay (and delays can mean several months just to get a signature). Lord, give me wisdom to know what to do. Sometimes there are legal fees, and I want to pay what is legally and rightfully due, but please don’t let me become a part of the system that seems so pervasive here, and almost expected.

As I have continued to pray to God, He continues to call me to this place – I will be here.

Dr. Brenda

Church in Busia, Uganda

2011-04-04T18:55:00.001-07:00

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Comfort for Esther

2011-04-04T18:49:00.001-07:00

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2011-03-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

My time in Uganda has been a mountain top experience. Each day brought new challenges that stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Each day ended with undeserving blessings beyond my comprehension.
I came to Uganda in an attempt to follow the example of Jesus by crossing the road to help someone in need. Here is a lesson I learned and will tattoo on my heart:
It is easy to cross the road but it is difficult to stay there unless you are totally dependent on God as your guide.
How many swollen little bellies did I exam this week? How many dirty little hands reached out for mine this week? How many precious heartbeats did I listen to this week? God created them all and the abundant love they are so eager to share is evident in their eyes and smile. Crossing the road enabled me to experience the sheer joy of little children who are content in all things. Oh to see the world through the eyes of a child….that is a renewed prayer of mine.

2011-03-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, March 15
Everywhere we go in Uganda, we hear “Muzungu, Muzungu!” (white people). The children flock to see us and the adults crane their necks to look. In some cases it is because we are an oddity; in others cases, it is because we are rock stars! (or both!) But nowhere were we bigger celebrities than at the Mawero Calvary Baptist Church, sponsored by my extended Scroggs family! Two years ago, my family members all contributed to a fund to sponsor the first Helping Hands Foreign Missions church plant near Busia, Uganda, and my son Reed and I finally got to visit it ourselves! Pastor Douglas, his family and church leaders welcomed us warmly and expressed sincere gratitude all day long today!
We set up a medical clinic inside the church and treated about 130 people. After the clinic, we had a worship service led by Pastor Moses ,director of the Grace Baptist Association, Pastor Douglas of Mawero and Pastor Loren Hildebrant of Flat Creek Baptist church, my home church. After we left, the Ugandan pastors showed “ The Jesus Film” and had revival services. Throughout this wonderful day, dozens of Ugandans received salvation. Praise God!
The low point of the day was when a little boy, maybe 4 or 5, wandered up to the crowd with his baby brother on his back. Dr. Brenda thought he was an HIV baby, severely malnourished and dehydrated. We washed his eyes and put eye drops in them. Then she handed him to me to hold & try to rehydrate. I got a Nutri-grain bar & trail mix out of my backpack, mixed a bottle of Pedialyte & fed small bites & sips to the boys. After an hour or so, the baby was revived and both boys even sat up & smiled for me! What a blessing that was! Dr. Brenda and Pam stayed after we left and walked the Mawero neighborhood with some of the church men until they found the boys’ family and home. Dr. Brenda made provisions to make sure the boys would receive proper care.
What a day of blessings this certainly was!

Submitted by: Beth P. Suggs

God is so evident in the beauty of His creation.

2011-03-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today I had the privilege to travel into Kenya with Joy Breedlove and pastor Moses. We visited and worshiped with the wonderful people at Nabwino Baptist Church. Pastor Rogers and his congregation were so gracious and accommodating. There were several pastors from neighboring churches there, and we just had fantastic time of fellowship. I had the honor of presenting the church with a brand new Honda generator from their sponsor family. They were overjoyed to receive this new ministry tool in an area far from electricity. In return the pastor's wife presented me with a live chicken! It was a little funny when she walked up to the van as we were about to leave and handed it in the window to me. It was calm until I got it. Apparently there is a correct way to hold a live chicken, I don't know. The whole community got a kick out of me and that chicken, wings flapping and feathers flying. It was a great day.

The drive into Kenya was beautiful. We drove through rolling hills planted in sugar cane, with mountains off in the distance. It was the picture I had imagined before ever visiting Africa. I just can't understand how people can be so blind to what is so evidently God. Please pray for the people of Kenya and Uganda and the many churches and pastors who give so much of themselves for the cause of Christ. God is working and Muslims are receiving Christ! Praise the Lord!!

Stan Bell

2011-03-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

After the events of 3/14.

This is a record of my journal entry for this day. It is entitled "The beginning of the end".

Day 6 of the trip marked the beginning of the end. For me, it was day 7 of a week's worth of sleeplessness. Last night I didn't sleep at all. I got out of bed completely exhausted and not wanting to be here. In addition, I had become bitter and angry inside. The night before, I had ended my journal with the question, "God, what on earth am I doing here?" I had come to Uganda because I wanted to commune with God in a much deeper and more profound way. Thus far, I had only worked myself to the point of exhaustion and had yet to experience God in this place. Except on a few rare and brief occasions had I felt the Holy Spirit. I was becoming very angry on the inside, and most if not all of my anger was directed towards God. He had asked me to come to Uganda. I just assumed that He would be here, but as the days passed, it appeared that He wasn't going to show up. Even worse, He was allowing the devil to make my life a living hell. It was the beginning of the end.

Before we left this morning, my wife said a prayer over me asking God to give me strength. To be honest, I didn't even close my eyes in reverence. In my mind, I thought to myself, "Why bother? He isn't listening." Yet, deep down in the recesses of my being, there was still a faint glimmer of hope that God wasn't quite done with me. I had to believe that God was only preparing me for what He had planned since the beginning of time. It was the beginning of the end.

Truly, I had reached the end of myself. All that was left was the debased nature of my true self. All of the ugliness inside was beginning to bubble out. Up to this point, I had been operating under my own strength, and I was failing miserably. Once I had reached the end of myself, all that was left was a faint, fleeting glimmer of hope in God. Many times, I have heard my best friend say that when hope in man ends hope in God can finally begin. It was the beginning of the end.

My second patient of the day was a women and her seven year old daughter. They were both Muslim. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to share the gospel message and lead them to Christ. About halfway through the morning clinic, I realized that I was not tired. At that very moment, it was as if God whispered into my ear, "My grace is sufficient for you." I fought back tears as I realized God's goodness and His love for me. After lunch, the pharmacy got backed up which was undoubtedly a God thing. Earlier in the morning, I had shared with Mike and Brenda that I thought that it would be great if one of the local pastors could present the gospel message to the crowd before clinic started and then again during lunch. It just seemed to me that this is what Jesus would do. I have subsequently learned that you don't recommend anything to Mike unless you are willing to do it yourself. During the lull, Mike came over and asked if I would speak to the crowd. Instantly, my heart began to pound in my chest, and my initial instinct was to say no. However, I knew deep down that this is not what Jesus would have done. Thus, I said yes. With the aid of an interpreter and through the power of the Holy Spirit, I shared the gospel message with those who were waiting to be seen. During the reciting of the Sinner's Prayer, many heads were bowed and lips moving. I do not know if anyone receive Christ during that occasion, but I do know that I was obedient to the call and that is all that really matters. Compared to the previous day, the clinic went very smoothly, that is until the very end. It was the beginning of the end.

My last patient of the day was a 4 yr old boy named Peter. I am not sure what is wrong with Peter, but whatever it is, it is really bad. I doubt that Peter will be in the world much longer. Peter had the most beautiful eyes and the most precious face. From the chest up, nothing appeared amiss. However, it was hard not to notice his abdomen which was massively distended with ascitic fluid. Instantly, my heart broke for this boy who seemed to be nearing the end of his life at the tender age of 4. It was only by the grace of God that I didn't completely lose it. We were able to arrange for some basic tests at one of the local hospitals, and hopefully, he will be back to clinic tomorrow. I would like to make sure that his eternal salvation is fixed for I would very much like to see him again on the other side. For him, I pray that this world will be the closest to hell that he ever gets. It was the beginning of the end.

I had reached the end of myself, and in that place I finally found God. It turns out that He had been waiting for me all along. If any good was done by me on this day, then all the glory has to go to God because it wasn't me but He that lives within me that was in control today. And I believe that this was the whole purpose of bringing me to the end of myself in the first place.

Brad Pierce, MD
Gainesville, GA

A Woman Named Ester

2011-03-14T21:51:00.001-07:00

It has been an interesting but wonderful three days. I will share the highlights of each one with you.

On Saturday we had our first medical clinic in the bush. We arrived at the school around 9:00 am to find over 200 waiting to be seen. Many had the normal aches and pains resulting from the hard life they live here. There was a little girl who came to us with an abscessed cyst. Dr. Brenda and Mike drained it and put a dressing on it. She returned to our compound yesterday for a follow-up. Dr. Brenda found that it really wasn't that much better and it was too large for us to remove and she was sent to the hospital. The saddest case was a 67 year old woman named Ester. She was 67 years old, blind and had a prolapsed bladder. There was nothing we could do medically. One of our team members named Gabby couldn't just let her leave without trying to make her feel comfortable. As we watched Gabby and Pam wash her eyes, face, and her feet, it was amazing to see the expressions on her face. She had no shoes and her feet were in much need of attention. As it tells us in Matthew 25:40 "Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you have done to one of the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me." Well I can only say that Gabby and Pam washed the feet of Jesus.

During the clinic a few of the team members went out to evangelize in the community and more than 7 souls were saved. That ended a great day of work for the Lord.

Saturday, March 5, 2011: Food -or lack thereof-

2011-03-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

Food –or lack thereof- was my stretch on our final day of clinic in the pygmy village of Nkwenda – we had finished seeing our last patient and had bought corn to distribute to the people of the village. As the pastor of the church began dipping out the corn, the people became more and more agitated, fearful that they would not receive their small portion of corn. As the tensions increased, we had the pastor take the bags of corn inside the small church building in order to better control the situation. But the people continued to push and shove, trying to get to the front of the crowd. I watched as women and small children stooped to pick up kernels of corn that had fallen to the ground. I had to ask God “why?” as I held back tears – tears for mothers who would put their children to bed hungry; tears for the pregnant women, who are bringing children into a world where they will not have enough food.

God has not answered me yet, at least not fully. He only tells me that I must continue taking His message to these people. The message of hope through Jesus Christ. It is hard to pray for the people and then drive away, knowing that we will eat a good supper, while these people whom I treated with various medicines today, will lie down with empty stomachs.

But…that is not the end of the story. God also told me not to focus on the physical condition of the people. There will always be poverty and hunger and death and illness and atrocities that occur and violence and abuse. Here on this earth, as long as Satan reigns, there will be sin and death. I cannot be overwhelmed by the physical suffering, or I will stop there, and try to fulfill all of those needs, while neglecting the reason we are here. The spiritual poverty must be our first priority.

That is why at every place we visited, every day of ministry, with every person we treated – we shared the story of Jesus. God has not forgotten the pygmies or all the people in these tiny remote villages, where witchcraft and voodoo hold sway. He has not forgotten them. He has sent us to proclaim the Good News; as we do this daily, we are reminded that you, as one of our supporters, are here with us and that you have made the way for us to assure the people of Africa that indeed – God loves them and is calling them into His Kingdom.

Tomorrow we leave early to return to Busia, Uganda, where we will have a few days of rest before welcoming our mission team of more than 20 people who are coming to serve the Lord with us. Goodbye for now from the fields that are white….

from Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Friday, March 4, 2011: No, we will not give you money (translation-corruption in Congo)

2011-03-08T14:17:00.000-08:00

On the home stretch now, and we head toward 2 pygmy camps about 3 hours from Goma – with only 2 more ministry days, we are expecting these days to be the toughest. Along the way, we stop to buy some roasted corn on the cob, which was delicious (even as I swept aside thoughts of how it was prepared and that I could possibly get some dire stomach ailment from eating roadside food.)

Sitting in the back seat of the van, I watched with interest as our African brothers and sisters ate their corn – very slowly, one row at a time, making sure that each kernel of every row was eaten before starting on the next row. I don’t think it was so much them savoring the flavor of the corn as it was, that they are careful not to waste any bit of food that they are provided.

Just before entering the first pygmy village, we encounter another check-point – this time, all of the pastors who accompanied us (4 in all) got out of the van and went into the little security office. After about 30 minutes, everyone emerged and we continued on our way – the men had demanded money for us to proceed, our team refused and after some heated discussion, we were allowed to continue.

This simply astounds me despite the fact that it is not uncommon for us to encounter bribery situations. I cannot fathom how officials, who can personally see the poverty and devastation in their country, can demand money from people who are only coming to serve the people freely. I am continually reminded that wherever God’s work is taking place, Satan is working just as hard to destroy the work and to destroy lives. Satan is hard at work in the Congo but I am assured, and I know whom I have believed – God is greater.

Arriving at the first village of Burayi, we quickly set up clinic and get started – the people have been waiting for us for months (since last October when we promised them we would return.)

The pygmies are one of the shunned people groups of the world – in the DRC, they are huddled into small villages (called ‘camps’) where they are almost cut off from the outside world. In Burayi, the majority of the children do not attend school (located several kilometers away)- they are "chased away" due to lack of school fees. So they end up working in the fields to get food. I am surprised that the camp is so clean – there is no clean water, little food, no electricity or running water – but the camp is very neat and orderly – no huge piles of trash that I am accustomed to seeing in Uganda and other countries where we work.

The church that was begun in October 2010 is struggling but going on. The pastor is faithful, and travels on foot 13 kilometers several times weekly to have church services and to minister to the people. One problem is that the “officials” (people who decide they are leaders of the camp) want to be in charge. The church has service in a small building that was loaned by the pygmies and thus these self-appointed leaders feel they have the right to dictate what goes on. We are praying for land very near to the camp where we can build our own building and where the church can operate without pressure from the officials. We are also praying that the church body can begin a school for the pygmy children.

There are still larger numbers of pygmies who live even further out in the bush – a few of them have come to the clinic today, but the majority of them are born, live, and die in the bush. Those are the people we need to go and see. We will have to return another day.

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Receiving a portion of maize (corn) that we distributed at the camp

We saw many, many large swollen stomachs - the effects of malnutrition and parasitic infections

Beautiful pygmy children

Happiness is sharing Jesus with the world!

Thursday, March 3, 2011: Aftermath of volcano and wars

2011-03-08T13:54:00.000-08:00

Streets of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo

I love Africa and can always find something to rave about when it comes to the landscape – the sunsets are beautiful, the mountains are breathtaking, the banana trees – well, I can’t think of a word that describes them. But I have now seen a piece of Africa that is not so beautiful.

Goma is a city in the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bordering Rwanda, and is the site of the eruption of Nyiragongo Volcano in 2002. The aftermath remains – the city is black. There is very little green, or anything much growing. The streets, the yards, the houses, buildings, everything just looks like black lava rock. People step over rocks, they decorate with them, build with them, collect them and sell them. It is also not a very safe city – and our contact there, Pastor Florentin, was very careful to have us safely inside a compound before dark. The DRC has been devastated by war, and continuing tribal violence – including rapes and murders. In many statistical listings, it ranks as the poorest country in the world.

As we drive through, I see women in the fields, with children sitting nearby, waiting to be cared for – they will be sitting there from sunup to sundown, as their mother toils to make enough coins for food that day. At the end of the day, we see dozens and dozens of people as they are returning from working in the fields, carrying hoes across their shoulders. This is subsistence – existence.

Our first day in the Congo is spent at a school (really just a big outside shelter with a leaky roof) where many children are orphans; some are being cared for by relatives, friends, or church members. It is where I break some of the rules of my clinic. When explaining how to take medications, I always ask the translators to tell the parent or guardian to have the child eat something first, to prevent stomach upset. Although I know that food is scarce in most situations, I think it is important to remind people about this rule. So we were telling the guardian to give the child food before taking morning medication.

As we continued to see children and explained medications, the teacher/director of the school finally came to me and through my translator told me, “that is going to be too hard for most of the children, because they don’t have food in the morning.”

I took off my “doctor” hat, and treated from my heart – just take the medication I said. Another rule I have is that I don’t dispense medicines except to adults; but we saw youth 14 and 15 years old, who were living on their own – living on the streets in some cases, still trying to come to school. So another rule down the drain. Can vitamins and worm pills really hurt anyone? I tell myself “no” and give out the medicine.

All through the day, the children and all the guardians and parents who show up, hear the gospel. As I prepare and dispense the medicines for the children, I can hear the preaching, the singing, the prayers, and can feel God with us. He gently reminds me that is why we are here in this place and that no, He has not forgotten.

The children jump for joy when we give out bread and juice and I am happy today.

Pam just hanging out (don't get to do this very often!)

Duck Ae teaching one of the pastors how to play the harmonica

Bread and juice....

Here I am (Pam assisting) opening and draining a large infected mass on a boy's leg - the next day he could walk for the first time in 2 weeks! God is a God of greatness and miracles.

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Wednesday, March 2, 2011: Democratic Republic of Congo

2011-03-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

We spent the past 2 days traveling from Tanzania, back through Uganda, from east to west frontier, to reach the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and today God made our path smooth as we finished our paperwork and crossed the border in about 2 hours. The difference in Uganda and the Congo is as great as night and day.

I have always thought the roads in Uganda were bad, poverty was horrific, and corruption was rampant. But that was before the Congo. There are no paved roads (at least that we were on) and potholes are several feet deep, so there was no resting/dozing/sleeping/relaxing during this last day of driving to the Congo. We are stopped every hour or so, for a police check-point or some other military check-point; some wave us through, others question us but finally give us the green light to proceed. We arrive exhausted and manage a few hours of sleep before it is time to wake up to another day of clinic and Jesus!

From Dr. Brenda in the Congo

Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011:Roadside Clinic - Why am I here?

2011-03-08T12:59:00.000-08:00

We were happy to see new believers at church this morning in Tarime, and we worshiped God together – so many nations represented in that little church. We were blessed as we heard our team member, Duck Ae –a Korean American- singing to our brothers and sisters from Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Pastor Moses prayed with many people and more gave their lives to Christ during the service.

Not much time to sit and reflect though as we had another clinic scheduled at our 3^rd partner church in Bukwe, Tanzania.

I can’t really call it a clinic though – we held it on the side of the road, under shade trees (thank the Lord for the shade!) It turned out to be a good place though as many people walking by stopped to see what was going on, and they stayed to hear the gospel.

One lady in particular has stayed on my heart, her name was Karolina, a 22-year old with AIDS and tuberculosis. She was infected with the AIDS virus by her husband, who has since abandoned her. She lives with her mother-in-law, who really doesn’t want her around, but she has no place else to go. She doesn’t have money to go for any treatment, not enough for transport even to be checked. Many days she has no food.

Examining her, she has trouble breathing, it seems she may collapse at any moment. We have her sit and rest as we talk to her and get some medicines together – medicines that will only give her moments of relief, but maybe will show that someone cares for her. I have our Kenya nurse, Celestine, take time to talk to her, witness to her, share the love of Christ – I give her the equivalent of about $10 and hold back my tears as she rejoices over this small gift. Lord, what am I to do? What do you require of me? I cannot “fix” all of these people. I can hardly relieve any of their suffering even for a moment. So why am I here? I know that it is enough to share about your Son – I know this in my heart, but it doesn’t make it much easier, when I see Karolina leave, knowing that she may have only a few days to live. Will she go to heaven? I don’t know – I will be praying for her, praying that she understood and that she believes.

From Dr. Brenda in Tanzania

Duck Ae shares with the children through songs and crafts.

Pastor Moses praying during church service

Our roadside clinic

Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011: Lord, we are calling out-

2011-03-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Long, long day and night…we held medical clinic at our partner church in Tarime, Tanzania, and people just kept coming. They were begging for treatment, even as darkness fell and we were trying to pack up medicines. We worked while holding flashlights, finding medications, and explaining how to measure out Tylenol and vitamins for the children.

Oh, Lord, I am calling out. Do you see? Are you listening? Do you hear these people as they are crying out for help? I know in my heart You are listening and you do see the suffering and the pain. But above all, you see their need to believe. We all need to believe in your Son, it’s just that so many people, it seems especially true in these poor African villages – so many people have not heard and do not understand the hope that is in Christ.

Do they really understand when we tell them? I do not know the answer to that question. I can only depend on your sovereign mercy and grace, that in our obedience to take the gospel into these villages, You will accomplish the rest, and the harvest will be ripe.

As we treated people in the darkness, Pastor Moses showed the movie, “The Passion of Christ” – an emotional and very graphic portrayal of the last days of our Savior. People wept openly; Pastor Moses had difficulty translating because of his own emotion. It is a difficult film to watch, yet is most likely a very accurate picture of what our Lord had to endure. People gave their hearts to Christ, and we rejoiced as we wept – tears of joy, yes, but also exhaustion and emotions that we cannot even completely describe. God is working in such ways that we cannot understand and we are thankful to see His hand surrounding us in this African village in Tanzania.

From Dr. Brenda in Tanzania

Friday, Feb. 25, 2011: Funny looking earlobes!

2011-03-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day at clinic which we held at one of our partner churches in the village of Sirari, Tanzania; I met several older widows, their appearance was unusual because of their earlobes! A tribal custom- recently abolished-required that the women have large rings put through their earlobes, which caused the earlobes to eventually hang down –looking almost like long fleshy earrings. But the women were very sweet and appreciative of our medical care. (Team member Pam is shown with one woman, who thought it was funny that Pam could put her finger through the hole in her earlobe!)

God reminds me that the earrings are not the only customs of tribes such as these – many still cling to ancient rituals and beliefs in multiple gods; they visit witch doctors who prescribe rituals intended to heal them or cleanse them of evil spirits or bring them good luck or fortune – none of which actually work of course. But the people are deceived and for some reason, continue to visit the witch doctors, giving them whatever little money they can scrape together. I pray that after hearing about Jesus, they will know the truth and the truth will set them free. We shared with many many people today.

FROM CHEERS TO JEERS!

Another showing of the Jesus film tonight after medical clinic – despite weariness, I am excited at the prospect of seeing the people as they respond to seeing the story of our Savior. Last night, the people were reverent as they watched, they cheered for Jesus and cried when as He hung on the cross.

Tonight was different and I almost lost it! The film started as usual and people began to gather, more and more as time passed. Then we started hearing laughter and jeering, coming from a particular group sitting at the top of a ditch near the church where we showed the film. I thought it would die down, especially as Jesus began to be beaten and then was falling under the weight of His cross. But the group continued to laugh loudly and I began to be upset, wanting to rush over to them and tell them off!

But I held my peace; God encouraged me to pray for them instead, which I didn’t do very convincingly. Pastor Moses asked me to say a few words as he was giving the invitation; I was tempted to call out the group and chastise them, but instead encouraged the crowd to give their hearts to Jesus, the only way to heaven. At the close, many people responded and I was encouraged. However, the disruptive group still lingered. I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to go and talk to them – I made excuses. It was dark; I didn’t have a translator; I was in no mood to share about the love of Jesus; etc. etc. But eventually the Holy Spirit won, and I grabbed a translator and managed to find my way through the dark and the crowd to the small group of rebels.

Much to my surprise, it was a group of young kids, most whom looked as if they lived on the streets – dirty and unkempt, and I think that one or two were high on something (thus the laughter and inappropriate behavior.) But as I talked to them, my anger melted and I felt just love and compassion for this group of kids who didn’t know Christ and who live without His hope. Most likely they have not known love of any kind. (The pastor later confirmed that some of them were indeed street kids.)

All I did was talk to them. I told them simply that I was there to tell them that Jesus loved them. They were very sweet and respectful, asking me questions about my life and of course – America. I told them why we had come from America. I asked them to come to church on Sunday and they said they would. I don’t know what will happen; I just know that I was obedient to go and tell them that yes, there is someone who loves them and if they trust Him, they will be with Him for eternity.

I learned several lessons – the main one is that the people who irritate us the most – the ones who get under our skin – the ones we want to shun and push away – the ones who jeer the loudest – these are the ones who need Jesus, the ones whom He is calling loudly (or sometimes softly.) Maybe there is someone like this in your life. All you have to do is tell them that Jesus loves them.

From Dr. Brenda in Tanzania

Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011: Perfect God Day in Tanzania

2011-03-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

After a day of travel, we reached the village of Tarime, Tanzania late afternoon – and I will always look back and see tonight as one of the mountaintop experiences of my life with Christ. We showed the Jesus film. It was in English and Pastor Moses translated as much as he could – he did a great, spirit-inspired job.

The amazing thing for me was watching the people as they watched the movie and followed the life of Jesus. They cheered and clapped in amazement when Jesus healed the blind man and raised the little girl from the dead and when He calmed the storm. They gasped and some covered their eyes when Jesus was beaten and abused. And they creid when He hung on the cross – and I cried along with them.

I know that Jesus died for my sins but I do not often dwell on the suffering that He experienced, it is painful for me to even think of it but I should remember every day what Jesus did for me. The people tonight listened and they saw graphically what Jesus did for them. They believed and they responded. I don’t even know the number – I just saw many people responding to the invitation to put their faith in Jesus as their Savior. The local pastor we work with -Pastor Peter- closed the evening with encouragement for everyone to worship with us on Sunday. All in all a perfect God day.

Love from Dr. Brenda

Leaving for Uganda!!

2011-03-04T08:50:00.000-08:00

Our team is leaving on Wed. for Uganda!! We have a team of 20 people and are excited to see what God is going to do. Please keep posted to this page as we will be updating it during our trip.

2/23/2011

2011-02-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

As I write this it is 1:00 in the morning in Kenya and why am I not sleeping? Just pondering today's events and what God wants me to share. My human part naturally goes to statistics and how many medical patients we saw and what interesting cases we encountered - and then God stops me and says - what did I (God) do today? What did I (God) show you? What did I (God) reveal about Myself today? Those questions are harder than just giving statistics. The first thing is forming teams- this is a unique one that was put together by God. It is kind of a strange one - with 4 women from ages 47 - 62 who travelled from the U.S., and the rest are Africans and that is how it should be. God is raising up these young men and women to take the gospel out and this time he let Helping Hands see this take shape. I watched today as Celestine and James and Rose met the challenge. They ministered, shared the gospel, counseled, did medical work, played with the kids, helped feed the kids, prayed with many and were examples of the love of CHRIST. God also changed our plans and that was okay. Even though I like to think I am flexible I am not very. We planned to finish clinic today at 4 and show the Jesus film and get back to the hotel early to pack as we leave for Tanzania tomorrow. But there were so many patients and I couldn't say no and clinic didn't finish til 7. I was worried about keeping the team working so late but in the meantime the rest of the team was showing the Jesus film and people were getting saved - over 50 in all. God let me know that He is in charge of our plans and that I must always submit my plans to Him and He will take care of us which He did. So today was God's day which is how it should always be but which is what we sometimes forget in our efforts to do good works for the Lord.
Love from Dr. Brenda in Kenya

2/23/2011

2011-02-23T06:21:00.000-08:00

I continue to sense the Holy Spirit preparing us, but for what I do not yet know. In our team, He has blended together people from several nations which I see as a preview of heaven. Today we saw 130 children yesterday, 2 new believers.

James

It is a joy to see James sharing the gospel - he is the young man who is in tenth grade at our school in Busia. He is planning to be a pastor and I can see in him God's plan for the school - preparing and equipping these youth to reach Africa for Christ. We are just a small part of the mighty works of God - oh that all those who know Him would have the passion to share that knowledge in these lands where He is so desperately needed. We continue on today here in Kenya and tomorrow head for Tanzania.
From Dr. Brenda in Kenya

Children waiting to be checked in at the clinic.

Update

2011-02-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

Africa - God is at work everywhere! Amazing day as all our team converged on the small village of Kamuya, Kenya - We are 3 Americans, 1 Korean-American, 2 Kenyans, and 4 Ugandans. We are working at Echos of Mercy orphan school for the next 2 days. I am reminded from a recent Bible study that we should join God in His work and not vise-versa, and God IS here. The thing I am excited about is that we brought 2 of our high school students from our school in Busia. This is the first time they have ever been on a mission trip or even more than a few miles from their village. I believe God is going to use youth like these to change Africa! Their names are Rose and James - pray for all of us.

Dr. Brenda

Saying Goodbye

2010-10-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

When our mission team left the U.S. to come to Uganda and work for the Lord, they said goodbye to friends and family, with (probably) 100% confidence, that they would see each other again. When we took this team to the airport 2 days ago, we said "Goodbye, and see you soon," with anticipation that we'll meet again in a few weeks, when all of us who remain here in Uganda, also return to Georgia. Every day, several times daily, we are bidding someone goodbye, but generally with the expectation that we will see that person again.

Yesterday morning, as we were having our team devotional and prayer time, Pastor Moses came with the news that Dickson, one of our 7^th grade students had died in a local hospital from malaria. As I write this, my tears-which at times I can hold back- fill my eyes. Even talking about malaria for me is very difficult, since I can only think of it as the disease that took Richard's life. And yes, I still ask God, "Why?" Just as we did as we sat around the table, and questions began to form about this young man, who was about to take his final exams to enter high school.

As many children in Africa, Dickson did not have an easy life. His parents had both died; he lived with his grandmother, who had been very ill recently, then a few weeks ago, she also died. Pastor Moses had considered having Dickson come and live with him so he would have a safe and stable home. When Dickson became ill, he was taken to a clinic, tested for malaria and received treatment. He improved and returned to school, but then began to get sick again. He was taken to the hospital and started on a different medicine, but he did not respond. He had trusted Jesus as His Savior, so we know he is now safe at home in heaven. He will never again be hungry or sick; he will not sleep on the cold mud floor with rags around him. He will not wonder who is going to take care of him. He is in his eternal dwelling – and I hope that he and Richard have met again!

During our prayer time, Pastor Moses read from Job chapter 14, which says:

"He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue (v. 2) "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass." (v. 5).

We all say goodbye many times in a day, expecting to see our family member or friend or co-worker once again. But there will come a time, when that goodbye will be final for this earthly walk. Only if you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, will your goodbye be just "See you later." This is the way I am comforted when I think about Richard. We are separated from now on this earth, but he is in heaven, waiting for the time when I will say my final goodbye to this earth, and join him and Jesus in our heavenly home.

I want my time here to count, to make a difference. That is why I am here in Uganda, even though the journey is painful. I don't want to waste any more time, since I know that our time here is fleeting, and we all, like flowers, will quickly fade.

Dr. Brenda

During a rain storm break, Joel shared the Gospel with the workers. 11 of them came to know Christ!

2010-10-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Trusses are UP!!!!!! Praise God!

2010-10-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Final Day

2010-10-14T12:38:00.000-07:00

This is probably the hottest night it has been all week. Some of us running around doing last minute packing and some of us sitting around shooting the bull. I can't believe we leave in the morning to return home and see are wonderful families and maybe eat some American food.

Our stretch and blessed was as usual . Very few stretches and many blessings. What another incredible day we have had.

Me being on the construction team has been an awesome God adventure. When we left this morning to go and work on the church, there was not one truss on the roof. We had ten trusses built from the previous days and four more to go. We immediately starting setting the trusses with the Ugandan builders and their laborers. We were moving really well until a God storm started brewing in the distance. Then the bottom dropped out , the rain came tumbling down very heavy. As we scrambled to get out of the weather, we all ran into the existing church (including the builders and laborers). As I looked outside the door and watched the rain I thought about an opportunity that was at hand. But apparently God had moved in the other team members as well. Aaron begin to look for the Evangecube. Then the next thing I knew Joel had asked all of our visitors to gather up. (Wait a minute I think we are the visitors here.) Anyhow the Ugandans circled around him and God started to use Joel in a mighty way , just like he has with all of us this week. Joel poured his heart out and shared the gospel. As I started to pray for these men, It just hit me that again God had a plan that was different than us just hurrying up and trying to finish setting trusses. I believe I heard someone say that ten of the men gave their lives to Jesus. Praise the living God. God allowed us to be used by him again. Thank you team for obeying the Holy Spirit. God had given us a real cool refreshing breeze to complete the evening. We went back out after quitting hours and completed setting all the trusses.

Well Joel just came in and asked if I would pop some popcorn. Someone had agreed to clean up the mess so I guess I will finish this up and join my team with some good ole American popcorn.

Many other things were taken care of by the rest of the team. Thank you Lord Jesus for an awesome time here in Africa. Thank you to all our viewers for checking in on us. Maybe you have been thinking about coming on a trip with HHFM, I encourage you to do so. Do not put it off. You will experience some of the most awesome God experiences you could ever imagine.

Steve M.

Wednesday

2010-10-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

Steve & Mark just popped some popcorn the old fashioned way- on our new gas burners. Everyone is attracted by the smell and ends up circled up and sharing the freshly popped treat! We are now having a wonderful time of fellowship, telling stories and laughing with new friends and old. It's been a very hard and strenuous day but you wouldn't know it from the way everyone is cutting up. It's amazing how serving God just seems to renew your energy and strength.

Back in July, 63 children at the Busia school prayed to receive Christ. During this trip we have been trying to disciple them and teach them how to grow closer to God. Today, we gave each of them a bible of their very own. For some of these children it was the first book they've ever owned. We walked them through the books of the bible and taught them how to look up verses and stories. They were so excited and really wanted to learn.

Two team members, Jennifer & George visited some of our sponsored churches. In order to sponsor a church, a group or individual donates $1000 to build a church building and then agrees to support the pastor with $50 each month for three years. We visit those churches periodically to see how their attendance is growing, what new programs they have started (such as youth group or bible studies) and to find out what their needs are. The churches were very excited to see our team members and made them feel very welcome.

The construction team was successful in getting 10 out of 14 trusses built for the roof along with banding prep work done for the rest. They can't wait until the morning when they get to start putting them up. They have recruited some African construction workers to help. Some of them are not believers so the guys now have two jobs to do.

Lots of work done today- all to the glory of God!

Tomorrow is the last day for the team. But for now, as I am writing this, the men have begun swapping hunting stories and the ladies have slowly started heading off the bed.

Good night to all of our readers. Halleluiah! Amen!

God is in Control

2010-10-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Today was another AWESOME day here in Busia, Uganda. The construction team today continued working on the roof of the Church. We got the base plates down and some more wood cut for the trusses. We got to meet the builder here in Uganda that will be taking over to finish up the roof once we leave. His name is Benard, and after spending the day with him working and talking we found out that he is a born again believer!! It was another hot day but a very blessed day for the construction team. Today was the last day of sports camps and it was another successful day. The team played soccer with many and over 11 kids gave their life to Jesus!! Sara McCord worked with over 100 of our kids today getting information and updated pictures for the sponsors. This afternoon all teams got done around 3 and went back to the mission house to get ready for the Bush Church service. We left out at 4pm to go to the Church where we were going to have service at. However God had a different plan. On the way to the Church the vans got stuck in the mud and were unable to get to the Church. So after finally getting unstuck which took all the men and about an hour we decided we could not continue to go down the muddy roads. So we turned around and headed back home. But there was a church on the way back that is part of the Grace Calvary Christian Ministries Organization with Helping Hands. Pastor Moses said we should stop there and have service instead, so we did. It is amazing how God works!! God knew the Church we needed to go to and it wasn't the one that we planned for. Joy's son Bryan gave the message and the Holy Spirit used him to present the Gospel where many got saved!!!! It has been an Awesome trip so far and we are looking forward to see how God is going to work over the next few days as we finish up this trip. Thank you all for your prayers and support!!!

Joel

On the way to a Church in the bush, we got stuck in the mud....3 or 4 times...

2010-10-12T11:18:00.000-07:00

Jim and Mark building some 40 foot long boards for the truss

2010-10-12T11:11:00.000-07:00

Ron and Steve preparing to put the trusses on the wall

2010-10-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

We had Chicken for Dinner

2010-10-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Another great day in Uganda. God showed us yet again that He is in control and it is His plans that will be followed. Construction went well today, everyone was safe and they got a lot accomplished. They even let me help a little. They are doing a great job working with the "lumber" that is available here, and all of the changes that God has made to their plans. Tomorrow sounds like it might be the best day of the trip for them.

We had a team doing church visits today and they were able to encourage some pastors, and their followers. We also had Sarah shopping for the kids yet again today. Now ladies let me tell you she has bought 60+ pairs of shoes in the last couple of days, new bedding, and some clothes as well. I know it does not sound like work, but she had to trace the kids feet to find the right shoe size and then match the tracing to shoes in town. The bedding was mattresses that some wonderful sponsors had donated. She has done a wonderful job.

Today I got to go to sports camp where I got my first chicken. We went to Pastor Samuel's school and church. They have little money, little land, little resources, and a bunch of love for God. I think his school had the most parent involvement that I have seen here. They even have a PTA. They are trying to build a new addition to their school and they need several pieces of tin for the roof, so they organized groups to raise money and they have bought 10 pieces so far. Each piece costs what a week's wage here would be. They were awesome. David led a great camp today and Kim taught the ladies. Several people were saved today it was wonderful. When the church leaders came out with two chickens I had no idea who they were for, but I knew it would be funny. One chicken was for David, the leader, and the other was for "the son of Joy". That is my new tribal name Bryan, son of Joy. We had chicken for dinner. They killed them outside of Mom's room and she had to go to the other side of the property and cover her ears while they did the deed.

The most amazing thing of the day was when we heard about one of the latest church plants. When we were here in July we went to a land site to pray for the Village of Eden. We attracted a crowd who wanted to know what a bunch of mzungus (white people) were doing out in the bush. Well some people got saved that day. One of those people donated a small piece of land and they built a small stick and tarp church there. Since July, they have grown to 30 members. When we asked Samuel how many of those 30 were new believers, he said with a smile, thirty. I have grown so much this trip, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the week.

Bryan E.

The sports camp group watching a soccer game

2010-10-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

The construction guys building pieces of the truss

2010-10-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Joel preaching in a bush church last night in the rain.

2010-10-10T22:28:00.000-07:00

Mark and Jim leading a Sunday school yesterday morning in Church

2010-10-10T22:26:00.000-07:00

Amazing Glory

2010-10-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today was one of most awesome days I have experienced in a long time.God has blown us away with his amazing glory one more time.The Holy Spirit has been moving about so freely today that I have had to keep pinching myself to make sure I was still on earth.We started out with Sunday school and I had the 3-5 year olds. We talked about God making us and the fishes, now how cool is that? Later during the service, the worship praise and worship service reminded me of what it must have been like on the day of Pentecost. The language barrier was of no importance, the spirit was speaking to souls not ears. We then went down to the river for a baptizing and the spirit just got stronger.

Later that evening we went to a bush church. The bush church was indescribable. It took place under a tarp and stick church that raised the roof with song and praise . Joel told us about sin and God cleaned the hearts of the people and then added a good rain to bring us closer together and clean a little dust off too. Just when I thought that it couldn't get any better they gave a love offering of chickens. This brought me to my knees. They gave the best they had. When was the last time I gave to God the very best that I had? We finished the night with a praise and worship service at the mission house. For all the many blessings God has given us today. I sure wish I could give you some of what I feel tonight. Also, thank God Dr. Brenda got back safely.
Love in Jesus, Jen

Update on Jeff S.
Jeff was feeling much better today, and was walking around. He is in a larger hospital in Kenya that has capabilities to do Cat scans and ultrasounds should his condition change and we need to evaluate further. We are still watching and waiting, since after such a fall as he had, a person can still develop problems. Plans have been made for him to fly home with a medical escort, so please continue to keep him in your prayers, for God's protection and healing.
Dr. Brenda

Steve M. Preaching this Sunday morning

2010-10-10T01:39:00.000-07:00

David sharing at a bush church.

2010-10-10T01:38:00.000-07:00

The Most Perfect Day

2010-10-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Wow doesn't begin to express it. Blessed doesn't begin to describe it. The Uganda Team experienced a day of great victory and renewed determination. As news about Jeff's condition became more and more encouraging we realized what a miracle we have all experienced through that situation, Yesterday the construction crew realized that they were not going to be able to accomplish their goal of putting the roof on the new church without another miracle. They desperately needed a crane which is something that you don't see here in Busia. In fact, when it was mentioned at "Stretched and Blessed" last night, we all laughed a little bit. This morning the guys kept the faith and kept working. They finished putting the roof on the front porch and God honored their faithfulness with the provision of exactly what was needed - a crane. That alone is going to be quite an attraction here and when the roof goes on and this church is completed, we believe that God will be glorified in ways that we can only now imagine. The enemy has fought this church with everything he has but all he has are lies and deception. We know who wins in the end!
The rest of the team traveled to one of the bush churches for sports camp today. We visited Pastor Joseph and the people at Syonga Church for Sports Camp and a Women's Conference. Kim taught the women while David Ray led the rest of the team in playing different sports with the kids. First the children put on a wonderful program of singing and dancing then we all got a tour of the grounds. Syonga is in a beautiful area and today the wild lantana and daisies were blooming - it was just breathtaking. The kids gave a demonstration of the way that they play soccer- with a ball made of rolled up plastic bags and banana leaves. Then they learned some new games like Extreme Frisbee. Jennifer and I worked with 100 or so nursery age children doing crafts and singing songs while Joy and Sarah did the same with P1 students. These children are so beautiful, so well behaved and so attentive for their age. Larry, David and the other guys were able to share the plan of Salvation with the older kids and several children accepted Christ today. God is so good and does honor the obedience of his servants. We all were blown away by the way the day turned out and just praise God for his faithfulness. After lunch we headed back to change for a service at another bush church. This is a small congregation which is quite a distance past the end of a dirt road. Bryan and Sarah both shared their testimonies tonight and we all were blessed as were the wonderful people of this little church. David Ray was the primary speaker and though he always says he's not a preacher, he sure had everybody fooled tonight. First he sang a beautiful song which was straight from his heart and then gave his own testimony. We all could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit as he spoke and gave the plan of salvation. Several more were saved and will be discipled by their pastor - what a wonderful harvest day! Oh well, Aaron is yelling at me asking what chapter I'm on so guess I'd better say bye and go get ready for church tomorrow. We're teaching Sunday School - can't wait to see what God will do with that! Blessings and love to all of you at home!
In His Love!
-Carol C.

Brian sharing his testimony at a bush church.

2010-10-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

The guys building the first truss for the church

2010-10-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Nurse Pam doing a checkup on a student

2010-10-08T23:19:00.000-07:00

Work Day 1

2010-10-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today started out great. Breakfast at 6:30am, devotionals following and on the property at 7:45. The construction crew unloaded and immediately went to work putting the roof on the church. The construction of the church (previously destroyed by a strong storm) started last October with this same crew. They were like a well-oiled machine.
Also, at the property, Dr. Brenda and Pam went to work on medical and Sara shopped for shoes, mattresses and mosquito nets for our children with the money their sponsors sent in.

Meanwhile, in another part of Uganda, the 2nd half of the team headed to into the Bush. Helping Hands has 4 Bush Schools in addition to the school in Busia. We visited the first of the four today, Nakoola. David, Larry, Carol, Jennifer & Mike did an awesome job playing games with the children and singing songs but, of course, the main goal was to share with them the love of Jesus. About 300 children heard the message! While the kids played, their mothers attended a teaching seminar with Kim. About 40 women were in attendance as they talked about Raising Spiritually Healthy Children.

We broke for lunch at 1pm and had the usual, rice, beans, tortillas, potatoes, cabbage, and a mystery meat. Then we headed back to work. The construction crew tried to get their first truss up on the roof and with about 20 guys we lifted the heavy truss. Jeff S. was up on the roof guiding the truss into position when the truss gave way and knocked him off of the wall. He fell 15 - 20 feet to the ground and landed on his back. We immediately ran to help him and told him not to move. He wanted to get up but we kept him still. Dr. Brenda, and Pam came to check him out. He was laying in a puddle of water and after talking with him a little we decided to move him out of the puddle. We used a ladder and a piece of plywood to make a backboard and carefully slid the board under Jeff while keeping his head, neck and back immobilized. We moved him out of the water and made arrangements for transport to a medical facility. There are no ambulances here, and no real hospitals so we called a friend that had a flatbed truck and used this to transport Jeff to the clinic. The power at the clinic was shut off as it has been in the town for most of the week so they could not take x-rays or do anything. So our next option was to cross the border to Kenya and take him to a "hospital" there. Once there they got x-rays and from what the Dr's can see there are no broken bones. They will keep Jeff overnight and monitor his condition. On our last report, Jeff was joking, talking, eating and ready to get back to work on the church. He even got up and walked to use the bathroom. This is truly a miracle and we praise God for his favor. Jeff still has a headache and because of that Dr. Brenda decided to move him to a different hospital that can do a CAT scan. We just want to cover all of the bases.

We will update you on his condition tomorrow. Please pray for Jeff, his Dr's, the safety of the team and our ministry.

More Team Members arrive in Uganda!

2010-10-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

I think it is time for an actual "Uganda" update! It is Wednesday evening, and the rest of our team has landed – they will spend the night near Kampala, the capital of Uganda, and will arrive in Busia tomorrow afternoon. We then have a very busy schedule for the next week – we will be putting a roof on the new church building; you may remember that the church we had been building for Busia Calvary Baptist Church was destroyed by a storm a couple of years ago, and we had to rebuild. Finally God has provided funds and a team to put the roof on – so that is a great blessing. We'll be posting photos soon on the progress.

We are also doing Sports Camps in all 4 of our bush schools; we expect several hundred children at each school – what an excitement will be in the air as the kids learn to play volleyball, Frisbee, and baseball and then they teach US a few things about soccer, which is their favorite sport here in Uganda.

In addition, we will hold revival services at several of the churches that we have helped to plant; do follow-up with our orphans for their sponsors; and do some medical work also. We had a wonderful response to our request for help with mosquito nets, mattresses, and blankets, so Sarah and the team will have lots of items to distribute to the children.

One thing I am very happy about is our plans for discipleship. We had many children at our school in Busia who accepted Christ when we were here in July. Our team will be holding small group sessions all week with these students to talk about their spiritual growth; to teach them more about walking with Jesus; and to encourage them in their daily lives. Bryan Everett (Joy Breedlove's son) will be working exclusively with the high school students – so please be in prayer for these discipleship sessions.

A HUGE prayer request: we will be meeting with the owner of the land that we hope to purchase for the Village of Eden. Please pray for God's favor, that the owner (who is actually the chief of the tribe that owns the land) would agree to sell the property at the price we are able to offer.

Thanks to all of you for helping us to reach the unreached!

God is good – all the time.

Dr. Brenda

Dr. Brenda and Sarah met with Congolese widows, rape victims, and those affected by AIDS- to share the love of Jesus

2010-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Women of the Congo

2010-10-06T11:13:00.000-07:00

During our work in the Congo, we met with about 300 women, most of whom were widows and victims of violence during the numerous Congolese wars. In various parts of the country, there continues to be rebel forces, who attack and rape women, steal, and murder. I met with one woman, named Mujuni, from the village of Walikale – this is considered one of the most dangerous areas of the Congo, where rebel forces continue to attack. She is a widow with 5 children, and had been raped in August. The attack was so vicious that she required surgery and had traveled to Goma, a larger town, for treatment. She was at the meeting and talked with me – it was difficult to know what to say. I encouraged her, and helped her some financially but these measures seemed very inadequate to address her suffering. We prayed together, and I asked God to comfort her, and let her feel His love – I know that He is a great God who knows the number of her tears.

Although there is no way to compare sufferings, I could not help but think of my grief with the loss of Richard in my life. But I am comforted with the knowledge that he is safe in the arms of Jesus. I tried to share this comfort with the women who gathered for any measure of hope for their lives. I have never been able to fully relate to "widows" until now; now I can speak to them in some small part with empathy, knowing how it feels to suddenly be faced with a future without your husband at your side. I know that sharing about my loss will be one way that God will use Richard's death to make a difference in this world.

Despite being surrounded by the tragedy and devastation of the Congo, and the tragedy of Richard's death, I can still say with confidence that God is good – all the time, and yes, my Redeemer lives.

Dr. Brenda

2010-10-05T10:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Brenda at pygmy camp...sharing Jesus with those who do not know Him

2010-10-05T10:54:00.000-07:00

Mike preparing to give out bags of maize (corn) at a pygmy camp

2010-10-05T10:51:00.001-07:00

Unreached people of the Congo

2010-10-05T09:16:00.000-07:00

Some readers may wonder why we are talking about the Congo in our "Uganda" blog – well, that's because me, Mike and Sarah McCord, along with Pastor Moses, crossed the border from Uganda over to the Congo this past week and spent 2 days visiting and planning our future ministry there. Our vision is to plant churches, and we visited the sites for 3 new church plants – two of these are located in pygmy camps.

The pygmies of the Congo are one of the most neglected people groups in the world. They live in small settlements in jungle areas, some far into the bush with little contact with the outside world. The groups in these remote areas are classified as "unreached" people – and these are the people we want to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. One of the more remote camps we plan to work with has about 200 people, but then farther into the bush, are scattered families and we want to gradually go into the bush to share with these families also.

We visited 2 of the camps, and gave out bags of maize (corn). At one camp, there were many more people than we had bags of maize. My stress for that day was watching a young mother with a small child strapped on her back, picking up pieces of corn that had dropped on the ground. Several of the children also knelt in the dirt, picking up stray pieces of corn to take home. It is a stark reminder of the many children in the world who go to bed hungry.

Sharing the gospel with the pygmies – seeing many hands raised as they received the Good News – was the blessing! Now we need to do discipleship. We have 2 young men who will be having church services in each of these pygmy camps. They both need bicycles to travel to and from the camps, so if anyone wants to help with this need, please email me. Bicycles are about $100 each.

It has not been easy, traveling without Richard at my side, sharing the stresses and blessings of the days. So I ask your continued prayers for God's comfort.

Thank you all for your love and support and for helping us to take the gospel to those who have never heard.

God is good –all the time!

Dr. Brenda

Sarah greets children in a pygmy camp in the Congo - we are starting a church here!

2010-10-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

Giving bread and juice and sharing Jesus at an orphan school in the Congo

2010-10-05T06:14:00.001-07:00

A sponsored child with a picture of his sponsor in his school notebook

2010-10-05T04:16:00.000-07:00

The children lining up for their lunch

2010-10-05T02:39:00.000-07:00