A team of our brothers and sisters in Christ - men, women and children from West Texas - are in the east Africa nation of Uganda for Christian mission. Midland's 2008 Uganda Mission Team is composed of 32 men, women and children, and here is their third report from Uganda.-----
First Day on the Trail
Today was our first day on the trail at Nalubembe. It couldn’t have been more exciting and rewarding! The church is in a wonderful location, close to a primary school and a trading center. It’s so wonderful to drive up that first morning and see the new church and pastor’s house. But this day was special!! This year we got to drive up and see a beautiful new building alongside the church which will be used for a medical clinic. It far exceeded our expectations. It will be such a blessing to the whole community and special opportunity for the church to witness. To the generous donor who had such a heart for this mission, we thank you and the people of Nalubembe thank you!
Twenty five of the team members were at the church site walking the trail with their interpreters, going hut to hut sharing the gospel. The people in this area were very receptive to invite us to sit down under a tree and share with them. We canvassed the area till around 2:30 and then broke for a wonderful lunch that our Ugandan friends cooked for us at the church. At 4:30 the music of the crusade was calling all those in the area to come and hear sermons, testimonies and lots of Ugandan spiritual music. Today Link Grimes gave the sermon while Jeff Darr, Nelson Grimes and Lisa Zachry gave their testimonies.
Randy Willis, Joey Willis and Pat Hunter went to a prison today. Joey gave the sermon while Randy and Pat gave testimonies and Pat talked to the women of the prison. Randy brought his djembe drum and played along with the prison band (consisting of 6 or 7 inmates and various instruments). After Joey's sermon, he was able to lead a half dozen inmates in the prayer to receive Christ as their Lord. Jesus was praised and both Ugandans and Americans were closer to Him as a result of the day.
Today Jim Longstreet, Elle, Maddie and Debbie Spinks went to two primer schools and one high school. The three girls gave their testimonies and Jim preached to over 2500 kids throughout the day! It was quite an adventure. Each school treated us with great fanfare and ceremony. Several hundred children made decisions for Christ. All four of them were required to sing accapella. One headmaster gave them a 45 minute lecture on world affairs. Debbie was requested to adlib her testimony. She said she thanked God that He provided the words. Jim had to present his sermon with the distraction of a disturbed man wandering through the room! He managed just fine. Elle and Maddie were quite a hit with all the school children. Through the entire day we could feel God’s presence--it was a glorious day.
Robin Darr went with Fred, her interpreter, on the trail. She came across a man, Ismael, who had several questions. His first question was, “I am a witch doctor. If I confess Jesus, what am I going to do (to make a living)? She answered that if he were in her country she might have some suggestions, but she wasn’t familiar enough with Uganda to make those suggestions. She also told him she felt sure that Jesus would provide a way for him to make a living. Then he had another question: “My father and grandfather are Muslim, and I’m afraid that if I confess Jesus they will make me leave.” (Families in Uganda generally live together, with several huts on the same plot of ground.) Once again she told him she believed that Jesus would take care of him. However earlier that morning an interpreter—Bashil—had gotten into the van she was riding in. Bashil shared with us that he had been a Muslim before becoming a Christian. So she told Ismael to come to the crusade and meet with Bashil that he might could better answer his questions. Ismael did come and Bashil did answer some questions and Jeff shared with him the way to become a believer. In the end we decided that they would meet again Wednesday morning and go to his father’s house and try to share Christ with his father, Solomon. Please pray Solomon will have an open heart.
Kathy Schorr had a moving experience the first day in Nalubembe. After she and her interpreter shared with a group and had returned to the trail, a 15-year-old girl named Janet who had accepted Christ came running after them. She was sure that she was having episodes where she was attacked by demons. As she described the episodes, Kathy and her interpreter Michael realized the girl was describing epileptic seizures. She tearfully told them that she had recently fallen into a fire during one of her spells, and showed them the scars on her cheeks and forehead which she said made people not want to look at her. Kathy and Michael prayed for the girl’s healing right then. “It was one of the those times in prayer where I knew I was only delivering what God had to say to her,” Kathy said. Janet attended the crusade that afternoon and will be receiving medical attention at the clinic on Thursday. Thanks be to God, our divine healer.
Vicki Miller and her interpreter took a break under a tree on the trail when a woman approached them and asked Vicki to share with her what she had been telling other people on the trail. After Vicki shared with her about Christ she asked if she was ready to accept Him and the woman replied, “I am more than ready.”
Tonight when we returned to our hotel home for dinner we had several remarks from team members of events of the day. Lisa Zachry commented that it was one of the most incredible days of her life and that it was like walking through the New Testament. That about sums it up for all of us. It’s been a wonderful day, but the team members are extremely tired. Please pray for good rest and renewed strength as we start fresh again tomorrow. Thanks be to God for allowing us this opportunity!
-----
Please, keep them all in your hearts and on you minds, in your thoughts and in your prayers.
Want to know more about Uganda? You can visit the Uganda entry in 'The World Factbook' maintained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. You can also visit the official Uganda tourism website maintained by the Uganda Tourist Board. And Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church of Houston, Texas, has a webpage devoted to Mbale Presbyterian Church of Uganda.
No comments:
Post a Comment