Wednesday, October 18, 2017

WEDNESDAY -OCTOBER 18th

We are in the United States of America! πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ  Woohooo!!  We are waiting for the last leg of our trip.  Our flight from Philadelphia to Greensboro leaves at 1:25. We have greatly appreciated your prayers throughout this trip. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 

Monday, October 16, 2017

MONDAY - OCTOBER 16th

Good afternoon from Jinja!

We spent our morning at Amazima. What an incredible thing GOD is doing there.

We got to spend some time with students in the MailBox Club ministry. The students were still excited to see “mzungu” (white people). Some students had built relationships with some of us in just the short time we are here. The MailBox Club program has programs in ten school (which is similar to AWANA). Within these ten school sites, 1400 children are hearing and reading the Gospel.

Tomorrow we load up at 7:00 a.m. to head to Entebbe for our 3:10 flight. We covet your prayers for safe travels as well as endurance. Our total returning trip time is approximately 30 hours including traveling on bus, layovers as well as actual flying. We will be coming back through a seven hour time  difference.

We are looking forward to being back, but will surely miss the people of Uganda. 

Sunday, October 15, 2017

SUNDAY - OCTOBER 15th

This morning we got to worship at Acaica Community Church. It was a beautiful blend of people from all nations. The service was in English. The speaker spoke on being a leader.  We were blessed by his message.

Afterwards we had lunch with the staff and volunteers of the Quest ministry which ministers to college aged students. It was traditional Ugandan food - goat meat, pork, rice, cooked plantains, cooked pumpkin, g nut sauce and fruit.

We went to a local Ugandan university to worship with college students (majority males) at the Quest ministry. Quest is similar to Young Life. We worked in small groups. And we worshipped. And we worshipped. And we worshipped more.

We can definitely feel GOD working in this city. So much so that the enemy is on the prowl. We covet your prayers for protection, a restful night’s sleep and that we would finish strong with our last full day on ministry tomorrow. We also ask for prayers for safe travels Tuesday. We will be leaving Jinja at 7:00 a.m. to drive to Entebbe for a 3:10 flight. We’ll post the flight schedule tomorrow evening out time.

WiFi service is not the greatest which is affecting our ability to upload the MANY pictures we have taken. The blog will be updated by Thursday afternoon once we arrive back in the States and have a night’s rest.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

SATURDAY - OCTOBER 14th

Another day full of GOD’s grace and beauty.

We worked with the MailBox staff this morning with a group of unschooled children mostly ages 2-6.   These children walked from the local market and points beyond. We sang songs, listened to a Bible story and colored a picture with a Bible verse for the day. The children enjoyed the singing. Be sure to ask any of us to sing, “Touch Me Jesus”. 😁 The songs are sang in both English and Ugandan. It is amazing to hear. Reminds us of how it will be when Jesus returns and all HIS people will sing his praise at once.






We got to enjoy some time downtown today. The salesmen and women are very welcoming into their shops. The prices are negotiable, so you have to have a niche for bartering. The merchandise is very colorful. You see some authentic pieces, but you can also find similar items as you peruse each store. We definitely got a lot of attention as we walked through the streets.  A few of us tried a “Rolex” which is a rolled sandwich on a thicker pita type bread with eggs inside and whatever other things you’d like.



Afterwards, we visited HEAL ministries to participate in a kids day program for children 6 months up to 11-12 years old. There were between 150-200 kids there. The volunteers did a great job with leading worship, a Bible story, group prayer and then the children were broken into “small” groups (20-25) to do a more personalized lesson.




We wrapped up our day with a delicious spaghetti dinner with the Higginbotham family. We walked down to THE Nile River (we are still speechless that we were standing on the banks of it). Our
conversation flowed through topics of both what was happening back “home” as well as what was happening here in Uganda.

Tomorrow, we are attending service at a local church in the morning. The afternoon will be spent with Quest ministry. We can’t wait to see what adventures will unfold.

Friday, October 13, 2017

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FRIDAY - OCTOBER 13TH

Another great day!

We had a day of seeing others worship our loving GOD as well as celebrating and showing appreciation for the volunteers who graciously give of their time to show others the love of CHRIST.

At HEAL, we worshipped with women of all ages. There was an interpreter so we got to hear the WORD in both English as well as the Uganda language.  We joined them in small group to discuss Joshua 5. Such an amazing time.









Back in the city, the art class wrapped up today. The paintings these young men and women painted were amazing!



After lunch, we went out to serve in the MailBox program at another local school - Victoria Nile.
We enjoyed seeing the smiles of the children as they answered questions about scripture that they are learning about.

Then it was off to the Sunset International Hotel to show appreciation to the volunteers and staff members of JPCC, MailBox and the gentleman, Tom, who visits the sick in the hospital and the dying in the village. The stories they shared with us of souls that have been saved through the staff’s and volunteers’ obedience were something to celebrate. These people are true servants of GOD. Every. Single. Day.

To end our day, we were fortunate enough to have a river boat cruise on THE Nile River. What an amazing opportunity!





Thursday, October 12, 2017

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12TH

A picture is worth a thousand words.  If this is true, we will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Today, we divided and conquered....not really conquered...it just sounded cool.

A group of three went back to Imani to love some more on orphans ages birth through five years. We worked with preschool kids and rocked some babies.

Another group visited Jinja Hospital with Carolyn to deliver MUCH needed supplies.  We prayed with a few patients for complete healing of body and mind. We saw a young teen who was battling TB. In the midst of all the sickness and disease, we did speak with some followers of Christ. The head nurses of the wards we visited were shining lights in the darkness. Today’s images will be forever in our minds. We are thankful for the healthcare we have.

Another group stayed at JPCC and listened to Dorkus, one of the fabulous employees working with the Jacobsens. Dorkus ministers to young moms from local villages.  She teaches the WORD to these women and how they can move forward. She also teaches them awareness of illness not only for their children but also for themselves.

Another group stayed in Jinja and worked with aspiring artists.  There will be an art show tomorrow. The paintings are AMAZING!

In the afternoon, many of us went out to serve in the MailBox program. MailBox is a ministry that works with school age children in at least ten schools around Jinja. The children are given paper books with scripture to memorize as well as questions that reinforce the message of the Gospel. The children we saw in different places today were full of joy and proclaiming Jesus is LORD.  (We also snuck in a little fun and laughter, too.).






Afterwards, we visited a village to make a home visit to one of the young mothers in the program at JPCC.  This is the village that inspired Katie Davis to stay in Uganda and begin her ministry.




 

A few went to visit one of Bob’s students. This young man has become successful under Bob’s micro financing program. He is self sufficient and in the process of building his own house which is not an easy accomplishment in Jinja.  Late afternoon, we wrapped up our day by ministering to school aged children at the Railways School. We worshipped with them; made a special craft; played games and heard a lesson on Gideon and trusting GOD at all times.