the end of the road...

my time here is coming to an end way too quick. i'm getting busier and busier, but everything is such a blessing and it seems like everyday gets better than the last. the Lord is continuing to teach me so much through His Word and everyone around me.

things i'm learning: there's a difference between serving and serving at the direction of the Lord. you can do the same thing in the same wa, but apart from the Lord you're going to pull up empty nets.

i'm learning that i need to PREPARE my heart for whatever's next, for satan's attacks, for whatever the Lord has me to do. i need to seek the Lord, read His word, know His word, and walk in His ways, trusting that He is going to take care of everything.

the hardest trials will come right before God is about to do something miraculous in our lives.

Amos 7:10, 11- pay attention when God is talking to you, whether it hurts or not. the pain of listening is nothing compared to the pain of not listening.

1 Peter 2:2- God's Word is spiritual food. we grow by it. if i want to be used of God, it is important that i fill my mind, heart, and life with the word of God.

He's been teaching me a lot about not caring about meaningless things that don't need to be worried about. there are things in this world that really deserve time out of our days to be thought about; and then there are those things that we waste precious time thinking and worrying about that we can't control or change anyway, that aren't worth our time and energy.  Praise Him that He's given me living examples of this to follow.

i feel overwhelmed by the love of God. He is so good!

we went to show a film about Lazarus at a place around town using the Jesus Film equipment and it was a disaster. the generator went out Saturday, and when we went back Sunday the projector, microphone, and speakers kept going out. oh, it was bad. we finally had to pack up and go home, but i got to pray with a 17 year old boy to accept the Lord before we left. Praise the Lord! the funny thing is, yesterday when they tested the equipment it worked fine. the place we were at is hard ground; lots of spiritual warfare.

the upcoming weeks are going to be very busy: woutlet, "the grinch" play, phatfest, the Frontline Christmas party for the boys; Jinja, the Frontline retreat in Moyoni, and i get to be in a legit Ugandan Introduction ceremony (like the pre-marriage, i'm going to meet your family ceremony)...that means i wear the gown and walk down the aisle with something on my head-the whole nine! no better way to end my time in Uganda! i can't tell you how excited i am for each one of these things! Praise Him!

prayer requests: pray that the boys have an amazing Christmas and that they are so blessed by their gifts.

to finish strong the last few weeks here, as i'm starting to feel sick, and there's so much to do. i don't want to get exhausted and worn out.

pray that the Lord provides for me to come back here soon, as there's so much work to do here and i feel like i haven't even scratched the surface. i feel like the Lord wants me to come back, but i'm not sure when. but right now i don't have the money to come back. He's going to have to provide. i pray that He brings me back very, very soon.

Being Assured of God's Will

The longer I stay here, the more the Lord continues to blow my mind! He is doing such a good work in every ministry I’m involved in.

Updates on a couple:

Frontline: Praise the Lord, I got to spend a couple days in the slums this past week. On Friday, I got to pray with a 16 year old boy named Guy to accept the Lord! You could tell the Lord was tugging at his heart before, because he was so open to it; he just wanted it. It was awesome! On Saturday I spent some long overdue, much needed quality time with the boys at the church and then went to the program in the slums. We played games and had so much fun! On Sunday, I taught the boys at their Sunday service and some of them wanted to get saved! Praise the Lord! Please pray that it would be a legitimate prayer and a change of heart. Pray for continued salvations.

Jordan House: After the Bible Study last week I asked them to share about the things the Lord is teaching them or what He’s doing in their lives. One of  them said that since the Bible Study started she has learned how to meditate on the Word; another said that after we prayed over her for the pain in her mouth to go away, she hasn’t felt pain since; and another one shared that now she talks to her neighbors about the Lord and has her own Bible Study with them. Praise the Lord! God is doing amazing things! He is so faithful!

Personally, the Lord has been showing me a lot through the Psalms about His power and might; how great He is, and so deserving of our praise and worship. (Psalm 86:10) I finished my Philippians Bible study with Jordan House and am going through Ephesians. The Lord has been reminding me of the amazing work (beyond what we could ever imagine) He has for each and every one of us if we allow Him to work in and through us. It’s necessary that God works in us before He works through us.

The other night at church we were talking about how to know God’s will for our lives. He confirms His will through the Holy Spirit, His Word, the peace that He gives us, the desires He gives us, and godly counsel. Everything that was said was such a great reminder to me of the way the Lord continued to confirm that I was supposed to come to Africa, and now He’s doing such a great work! There’s no greater blessing, fulfillment, and joy than being in the will of God and being assured that you’re in the will of God. If we do things in our own strength, we will never know if it’s God and we will question if it’s God. But if we do things according to the Lord, we will have a peace that surpasses all understanding, and we will be blessed beyond anything we could’ve ever done in our own strength. GOD IS SO GOOD!

Prayer requests: *Strength to finish strong. As I get busier and busier, I get less and less sleep and I feel it taking a toll on my body. I want to continue to be strong, to stay focused and healthy, so that I can be effective as God’s servant, and really take advantage of and enjoy every moment, as the time is going by way too fast!

*Continued unity for the Frontline team. They’ve become like my family. They’re amazing people and I can’t believe the Lord chose to bless me with them! He is teaching me how important unity is. If we weren’t so unified it would affect our ministry drastically. But because everyone on the team is so close, it makes it so much more of a joy and blessing, and we’re able to pour into the boys more. Pray that the Lord continues to bring us closer together as we draw closer to Him.

“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

God is so good, He's so good to me :)

I want to be sanctified (set apart) and useful for God (2 Tim. 2:21), that I might be blameless before Him (1 Thess. 5:23). I want to be a faithful minister of His word, since He has called me into the ministry (1 Tim. 1:12); that He might equip me (2 Tim. 3:17) and send me out to preach His gospel (Rom 10:14-15); that I would always be ready, in season and out of season, (2 Tim. 2:4) to give an answer to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is in me (1 Peter 3:15). That in the last days I can say with confidence, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7). That He would make me well-pleasing in His sight, and He would say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." (Matt:25:21)

There are a lot of transitions going on with Frontline and there have been since I got here, so there's a lot going on and many changes that are being made. We've been trying to have a drop-in center for them at the church on Sunday, and Praise God, He just provided us with our own space! We're trying to get programs going on again in the slums. There's so much to do and in our own strength we're not able to accomplish it. Please pray that the Lord will be in every detail and work everything out exactly the way He wants it. Because of this transition I haven't been able to go to the slums as much as I want to and that has been killing me. I want to spend so much time with the boys and I'm just not able to.

But, I have been blessed to spend two days this past week at Kivulu slums, to hang out with the boys and play games with them. I miss them so much and there are some of them that I don't even know. Everytime we go there, we tend to get discouraged thinking there's so much to do and we just can't help them all or do everything we would like to do. Please pray that the Lord continues to provide the resources we need to continue His work and fulfill His purposes. Please pray that our hearts would continue to have a brokenness for the lost like we never thought possible. I want to love these boys with the unconditional love of Christ.

Alex, the boy I've really been investing in was staying at Tiger's Club, where he had food and shelter. They have a 4-6 month rehad program in Entebbe, where they have regular schooling and vocational studies. During that time they try to get them placed back in their homes, but if they come from a bad home life they will place them in foster care. I got a text from another one of the boys the other day that Alex is being sent to this program and that he wanted me to come say goodbye to him. I was so blessed that he wanted me to come say goodbye; but when I got there and saw him, my heart sank, thinking that was the last time I might ever see him, even if I come back to Uganda. He is so precious. Please keep him in your prayers.

Lately my lack of being able to communicate in Luganda has been bothering me so much. It's hard for me to completely invest in these boys without speaking their language. And my friends all speak like 5 languages, so I feel like I should be able to speak at least two, which will also help build better relationships with them. Please pray for me as I start my Luganda lessons :)

People keep asking me what I'm going to do when I come home. I feel like the Lord has given me a desire, and right now I'm seeking confirmation from Him. It seems to all be working out. But pray that the Lord would continue to speak to my heart and confirm where He wants me next. My desire is to be in His will, no matter where I am. Through this, He has shown me that His will is the best place to be, even if it's not what I initally wanted. Unfortunately, my time here is coming to an end so much faster than I would like it to, and I need direction for wherever He wants me next.

Oh, how faithful God has been to answer my prayers, to change my heart, and to provide for me exactly what I've needed since I've been here. It is only by His grace, and has nothing to do with me. It is for His glory, to accomplish His will and His purpose.

Tears flooded my eyes as I thought about leaving in five weeks. That means I've already been here nine weeks! Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Where did the time go?! I feel like I just got here.

Thank you all so much for your prayers! Everyone here is feeling them 150%!!!! You're truly a blessing! Mukama Murunji!!! (God is good!!!)

Reaching the Unreached

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” Romans 10:14-15

“The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  Luke 10:2

           6 days

                 4 towns

                        9 villages

                              1 mission:

REACHING THE UNREACHED for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Between open air preaching, one-to-one evangelism, and the Jesus Film we were able to reach over 2,000 people and more than 200 people came to salvation and a new life in Christ! Praise the Lord! Definitely one of the most, if not the most blessed experience I’ve ever had!

We took an 8 hour bus ride up north to Kitgum. We spent three nights in a village in Orom…yes, I got the opportunity to spend not 1, not 2, but 3 nights in a legit hut. It was quite an experience in itself. Between the cockroaches, rats, and snakes, there were a couple times when I thought I might lose my life haha  They didn’t attack me, but a rat definitely left me a “special present” on my pillow while I was sleeping. Awkward, I know. The nights we didn’t spend in the village, we spent in Kitgum town at a missionary couples house.

We traveled to different villages everyday: Lotodore, Lukwanya, and Lukwor, right outside Kitgum; Karenga, Pire, and Lobalangit in Karamoja, which is a couple hours north of Kitgum; and we visited about three different villages when we traveled to Pajule, which is about an hour outside of Kitgum. We went to what seemed like the uttermost-uttermost parts of the world. I was literally the second white person to ever step foot in Lotodore Village (the first white girl) so some of the kids were even scared of me haha

The first few villages we went to people were so open and they were all accepting the Lord. It was awesome! We would go from hut to hut, and people would hear we were coming around and they would be waiting for us, to hear the gospel. There were people who would meet us at houses and want to get saved. There was a family of 15 that accepted the Lord! We talked to a lot of Catholics and we talked to people who had never heard the gospel, who got saved!

When we were showing the Jesus Film in Lukwanya Village, which is close to Karamoja, we had kind of a scare. Right before the crucifixion everyone started screaming and running all over the place, trying to get back to their homes. This is what they will do if the Karamajong warriors are coming. (And everything is pitch black in the villages because there’s no electricity, so it’s hard to see what’s going on in the first place.) We finally figured out that there were a couple drunk local defense guys who were fighting, so we got everyone calmed down and finished the movie. But, unfortunately, a lot of people ran away so not many people got saved that night.

We had to be very careful when we went to Karamoja, so we couldn’t show the Jesus Film. It almost caused problems that we were there. The people in Karamoja were very hard-hearted and stubborn, not open to the gospel at all. There is such a stronghold of alcohol in all the villages! It’s insane! We saw a few people come to the Lord; three ladies even came up to me and wanted to get saved, which really surprised me. People would gather around wherever we went to listen to us, but in Lobalangit, it was everything we could do to even get out of the car. People wanted to hear what we had to say. We would all have a section to open air preach and the people would just stand there and listen to us for hours, but not one accepted the Lord. They were all so worried about having to give up beer, because their local brew is how they make their money. It’s ridiculous.

We met a recently delivered demon-possessed woman and a former child soldier (JB), who is starting Calvary Chapel Pajule. His story is incredible! Much of the land up north in Kitgum was attacked by the LRA. A lot of where we walked in Pajule is where former LRA camps would be located. They held up to 78,000 people hostage, guarded by soldiers. Some of the people we saw were probably former child soldiers, but you would never know it. In Pajule, a couple of our team mates got to burn some witchcraft items. JB was going to go back the next day to finish burning the guys stuff and he wanted to get saved! Praise the Lord!

On Friday we went to Kitgum prison. The guys showed the Jesus Film to the male prisoners and saw 50 out of 200 give their lives to the Lord. You would never know some of them are on death row. Ritah and I talked to the female inmates and 6 out of 20 gave their lives to the Lord. While I was talking, a couple of the Catholics took their rosaries off, which is amazing. They’re die-hard Catholics and they don’t even know why they pray the rosary.

So, that’s a brief overview of what we did. Praise the Lord that His name was glorified and will continue to be to the ends of the earth! Let us all continue to be willing vessels, that the Lord might use, send out, and speak through; that people would be added to His Kingdom, and that we might receive the fruit of the labor, as our labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). The word of God is living and powerful (Heb. 4:12) and when it is sent out it does not return void (Is. 55:11).