Month: November 2016

Sunday School

We had a great time in Sunday School this last Sunday in November. There are so many little ones that have been coming. Christian says it’s parents sending them so they have something to eat. That’s fine with me, they also get to hear the word of God and I believe it when He says In Isaiah 55:11

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Every time the kids hear the Word, tiny seeds are planted that when watered over time will sprout and bloom. One day they will fully understand what God was telling them through these stories. I am so encouraged every time we come together at their understanding of the message of the stories. And their memory of the scripture verses is just so awesome, even the very little ones remember! I am thankful I have this opportunity to help bring children closer to Jesus – though it is one of the biggest challenges I face in my life. I have always felt so inadequate to work with children, feel like that is just not my gift and have had to fill the void because there was no one else to do it. But apparently God has a different view of it – or maybe it’s just a lesson in obedience! I love the children, but I also pray that with mentoring the teenagers, they will one day be able to do most of the service – they are able to minister in ways I can not because of the culture differences. But I know I will always have a part in it because my heart desires all of them to have a better life and to follow Jesus!

but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”    Matthew 19:14

Iron Strengthens Iron

“Iron sharpens iron,
and one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17”

There is mutual benefit in the rubbing of two iron blades together; the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice. Likewise, the Word of God is a “double-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), and it is with this we are to sharpen one another. Week before last we had just that time, of fellowship and “sharpening” one another in the Lord and in the faith. Mike came to visit us for a week, and for me it was definitely a time of renewed energy and love for the work we are doing here for the building of God’s Kingdom, and a renewed resolve to stand strong in the hard times. He is a wise man, full of ideas and energy and it took me a week to recuperate from all the ideas! I am so thankful God brought Mike into my life almost twenty years ago, and thankful that we have been able to keep that connection over distance and years between us. I think it is very hard not to have a special bond with someone who introduces you to Jesus, someone who gave you a helping hand to pull you up from the bottom.

It was a great week, I was busy talking and cooking and cleaning so I didn’t get many pictures! So many people wanted to come by and greet Mike and tell him how thankful they are for The Mandate being here in their village. It was so good having him see all the things that have been happening in the year since he was here last and planning for the next year’s projects. We were excited to introduce him to a wonderful young man of faith that we have come to be friends with. He lives in Kampala and has a huge entrepreneurial spirit. He is educating and raising rabbits as a nutritional meat source and I think he made just as much an impression on Mike. It was a great afternoon of talking rabbits and Jesus!  I just wish it wasn’t once a year we get to see Mike – so many things to talk about in just a short amount of time!

Meetign with the Chairman
Salima came from college and showed all her selfies she’s been taking!
After finding that she takes selfies EVERYWHERE with her latptop, we bought her a smartphone!
Farmers meeting with Mike
Thank you Donny & Patty Lee for the games!
Fun time playing games!
Talking rabbits with Joseph

 

New Gum Boots

We have had a great week with Mike Riordan here. I will be making a post all about the week with him, it has been so encouraging and has blessed us so much.

I wanted to go ahead and post our workers in their new rubber boots. They had a meeting with Mike the other morning and one of the things they asked for was gum boots! Since that was an easy to get and inexpensive request, we went and purchased each one a pair. I can’t tell you how excited they were over this small gesture, and they loved having their picture in them!

Wanna Drive?

This is a one lane road going into a roundabout. Today is the first time we’ve seen a traffic light being obeyed! In some places there are traffic cops but they usually cause more chaos! It seems there are no rules that are obeyed and everyone is in a big hurry! Taxi vans will pass on the shoulder of the road, we’ve seen trucks flipped over from trying to pass into oncoming traffic.I am glad my husband is a good driver, but I know it is stressful for him. I know one thing for sure, I will never drive in Kampala! I have driven in our village and now I am very admired by women there. I impressed quite a few people by backing all the way down our road and into our gates! But I repeat…I will never drive in Kampala!