Raise The Roof!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.