After months odf preparation, a team of our brothers and sisters in Christ - men, women and children from West Texas - are are at work in the east Africa nation of Uganda for Christian mission. The 2010 Uganda Mission Team from First Presbyterian Church of Midland will be sending back regular reports from Uganda, along with photos.
Update #2
Today was a blessed day for the team. We enjoyed a wonderful devotional time outside under the trees. It was such a joy to have Karen Lang and her “choir” lead us in our praise music this morning and we don’t sound half bad with her guitar keeping us in tune. Steve Schorr taught the devotional lesson on the second half of chapter one, entitled, “Living in the Present”. He summed up the lesson with Henri Nouwen’s words, “To live in the present, we must believe deeply that what is most important is the here and now.” What an inspiring way to begin our first Sunday in Uganda.
The group divided up into teams and went out to eight established churches in the region. Each team led Sunday Schools and the men on the teams preached in the pulpit. It is always a highlight of the mission trip to see how the previously planted churches are doing. Karen Williams, Melissa and Robert Rendall visited the church in Kidoko; Jeff, Robin and Elizabeth Darr visited the church in Trinyi; Ben Spinks, Ramon Billhimer and Karen and Garrett Lang visited the church in Kanjenima; Vicki Miller, Walter Thompson and Carole Campbell visited the church in Nalubembe; Cynthia Howard, Allison Ellis and Ralph Green visited the church in Sironko; Jim Alsup, Connie Morrow and Pat Hunter visited the church in Kuji; Tamara Rogers, Karen and Robert Winkler visited the church in Kanyolo; and Steve, Kathy, Hannah and Thomas Schorr visited the church in Mbale.
Following are just a few of the MANY memorable moments of the day:
Melissa Rendall shared about her experience of being in Uganda with her dad, Robert, on Father’s Day. She said it will be an experience she will never forget. On this day, she knew how blessed she was to have a father who is the Spiritual leader in her household and that he is not afraid to spread the Gospel. As she listened to him preach, she thought several times about the opportunity she was given on this day; to travel to Uganda and share Jesus with others along side her dad. She shared about how grateful she was to have such an amazing father and role model with whom to share the day in a country that has captured her heart.
Jeff, Robin and Elizabeth Darr went to the church in Trinyi. Robin was excited because she remembered that Fred, her and Malone’s translator from years past, was a member of the church. They did see Fred and it was great to see him. He is an elder at the church and still has a beautiful smile. However, last August he was involved in a motor vehicle accident and is now paralyzed on the entire right side of his body and has limited movement. The injury did not affect his ability to understand others, but it has limited his ability to speak. Since one of his sources of income was translating, this undoubtedly has been a tremendous hardship for he and his family. He needs your prayers. You could tell how difficult it was for him to walk as he came forward to put his offering in the basket. Please pray for Fred and his family.
When the team first arrived at the church in Kanjenima, Ben Spinks was introduced to Pastor Vincent. Ben recognized the name but could not place where he had heard it before. Later, in the middle of the service, Pastor Vincent called Ben up to the front of the church and, after reading Ben’s nametag, Pastor Vincent’s face lit up and he asked, “Spinks? Like the tall man?” (Referring to Ben’s dad, Al Spinks, a past team member). Ben excitedly told him “Yes!” Pastor Vincent was so excited and said Ben’s dad had preached at their church a year or two ago. It was an unbelievable experience for Ben. Pastor Vincent said that the church has been praying for Ben’s dad and for his family. It was truly a “God wink” moment for Ben on this special Father’s Day.
Karen and Garrett, as “newbies” on the trip, were amazed and blessed at the church in Kanjenima. The experienced team members, Ramon and Ben, helped in both calming their nerves and showing them the ropes. The team arrived at the church to the sound of a full congregation singing praises to God. They were welcomed with both smiles and hugs. The first thing that Karen and Garrett did was join in with the dancing and singing! Ben did a great job preaching the word – well beyond his years! Garrett led the men’s Sunday school lesson, read scriptures and answered questions – many, many questions. Karen was right at home with her guitar – singing and signing songs of God’s praise with the children in Sunday school. And, of course, Ramon was a pro at amazing the women with her love and knowledge of the Lord.
Karen Winkler had the privilege of visiting the church she helped plant on her first trip to Uganda four years ago. Karen and Joey Willis (a past team member) were blessed to have Gomeli, a member of the church in Kanyolo, as their interpreter for two years. To Karen’s surprise, Gomeli’s family was in attendance and she was thrilled to be able to reconnect with Janet, his wife, and some of their children. The biggest joy for Karen was holding “baby” Karen (her 2 year old Godchild) and meeting their newest edition – “baby” Joey! Karen cannot wait to tell Joey Willis he has a new Godchild in Uganda. God is so good.
On a lighter note, Pastor Steve (Schorr) had a first-ever “insect-in-church” experience at the Mbale church. Well into his message, Kathy noticed a bug crawling on the collar of Steve’s white shirt. The next thing she knew, a member of the congregation walked up to the pulpit, rapidly shot out his hand and crushed the insect on Steve’s neck! Steve didn’t know what hit him. The member calmly showed the bug to Steve and returned to his seat. The congregation went on as if nothing unusual had happened and the Schorr’s had to contain their hysterical laughter until after the service.
These are just a few of the memories from our first Sunday in Uganda. Please continue to keep the team members in your prayers as we begin our week in Kanyumu. Pray especially for the health of our team, as a few members are feeling a little under the weather. Pray for boldness for each of us as we begin our week on the trails, in the schools and in the prisons. And please remember to keep the Ugandan pastors, translators and drives in your prayers – they unselfishly give so much to us.
Praise God for his miraculous work in Uganda ... and just think ... it is only the beginning!
Today was a blessed day for the team. We enjoyed a wonderful devotional time outside under the trees. It was such a joy to have Karen Lang and her “choir” lead us in our praise music this morning and we don’t sound half bad with her guitar keeping us in tune. Steve Schorr taught the devotional lesson on the second half of chapter one, entitled, “Living in the Present”. He summed up the lesson with Henri Nouwen’s words, “To live in the present, we must believe deeply that what is most important is the here and now.” What an inspiring way to begin our first Sunday in Uganda.The group divided up into teams and went out to eight established churches in the region. Each team led Sunday Schools and the men on the teams preached in the pulpit. It is always a highlight of the mission trip to see how the previously planted churches are doing. Karen Williams, Melissa and Robert Rendall visited the church in Kidoko; Jeff, Robin and Elizabeth Darr visited the church in Trinyi; Ben Spinks, Ramon Billhimer and Karen and Garrett Lang visited the church in Kanjenima; Vicki Miller, Walter Thompson and Carole Campbell visited the church in Nalubembe; Cynthia Howard, Allison Ellis and Ralph Green visited the church in Sironko; Jim Alsup, Connie Morrow and Pat Hunter visited the church in Kuji; Tamara Rogers, Karen and Robert Winkler visited the church in Kanyolo; and Steve, Kathy, Hannah and Thomas Schorr visited the church in Mbale.
Following are just a few of the MANY memorable moments of the day:
Melissa Rendall shared about her experience of being in Uganda with her dad, Robert, on Father’s Day. She said it will be an experience she will never forget. On this day, she knew how blessed she was to have a father who is the Spiritual leader in her household and that he is not afraid to spread the Gospel. As she listened to him preach, she thought several times about the opportunity she was given on this day; to travel to Uganda and share Jesus with others along side her dad. She shared about how grateful she was to have such an amazing father and role model with whom to share the day in a country that has captured her heart.Jeff, Robin and Elizabeth Darr went to the church in Trinyi. Robin was excited because she remembered that Fred, her and Malone’s translator from years past, was a member of the church. They did see Fred and it was great to see him. He is an elder at the church and still has a beautiful smile. However, last August he was involved in a motor vehicle accident and is now paralyzed on the entire right side of his body and has limited movement. The injury did not affect his ability to understand others, but it has limited his ability to speak. Since one of his sources of income was translating, this undoubtedly has been a tremendous hardship for he and his family. He needs your prayers. You could tell how difficult it was for him to walk as he came forward to put his offering in the basket. Please pray for Fred and his family.
When the team first arrived at the church in Kanjenima, Ben Spinks was introduced to Pastor Vincent. Ben recognized the name but could not place where he had heard it before. Later, in the middle of the service, Pastor Vincent called Ben up to the front of the church and, after reading Ben’s nametag, Pastor Vincent’s face lit up and he asked, “Spinks? Like the tall man?” (Referring to Ben’s dad, Al Spinks, a past team member). Ben excitedly told him “Yes!” Pastor Vincent was so excited and said Ben’s dad had preached at their church a year or two ago. It was an unbelievable experience for Ben. Pastor Vincent said that the church has been praying for Ben’s dad and for his family. It was truly a “God wink” moment for Ben on this special Father’s Day.
Karen and Garrett, as “newbies” on the trip, were amazed and blessed at the church in Kanjenima. The experienced team members, Ramon and Ben, helped in both calming their nerves and showing them the ropes. The team arrived at the church to the sound of a full congregation singing praises to God. They were welcomed with both smiles and hugs. The first thing that Karen and Garrett did was join in with the dancing and singing! Ben did a great job preaching the word – well beyond his years! Garrett led the men’s Sunday school lesson, read scriptures and answered questions – many, many questions. Karen was right at home with her guitar – singing and signing songs of God’s praise with the children in Sunday school. And, of course, Ramon was a pro at amazing the women with her love and knowledge of the Lord.
Karen Winkler had the privilege of visiting the church she helped plant on her first trip to Uganda four years ago. Karen and Joey Willis (a past team member) were blessed to have Gomeli, a member of the church in Kanyolo, as their interpreter for two years. To Karen’s surprise, Gomeli’s family was in attendance and she was thrilled to be able to reconnect with Janet, his wife, and some of their children. The biggest joy for Karen was holding “baby” Karen (her 2 year old Godchild) and meeting their newest edition – “baby” Joey! Karen cannot wait to tell Joey Willis he has a new Godchild in Uganda. God is so good.
On a lighter note, Pastor Steve (Schorr) had a first-ever “insect-in-church” experience at the Mbale church. Well into his message, Kathy noticed a bug crawling on the collar of Steve’s white shirt. The next thing she knew, a member of the congregation walked up to the pulpit, rapidly shot out his hand and crushed the insect on Steve’s neck! Steve didn’t know what hit him. The member calmly showed the bug to Steve and returned to his seat. The congregation went on as if nothing unusual had happened and the Schorr’s had to contain their hysterical laughter until after the service.These are just a few of the memories from our first Sunday in Uganda. Please continue to keep the team members in your prayers as we begin our week in Kanyumu. Pray especially for the health of our team, as a few members are feeling a little under the weather. Pray for boldness for each of us as we begin our week on the trails, in the schools and in the prisons. And please remember to keep the Ugandan pastors, translators and drives in your prayers – they unselfishly give so much to us.
Praise God for his miraculous work in Uganda ... and just think ... it is only the beginning!
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