Greetings in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ! I hope you are all well and that you feel the presence of the Lord every day!
Things here in Uganda never slow down, unless you are in traffic!! It is an exciting time with all of our ministries doing well and so many people coming to hear the Word of God. Of course, Satan hates that. He has thrown a few curve balls, but God is in control. If we just stand, He fights for us, and He has done so for many years!
We have started another round of feeding starving people in Northern Uganda. Some incredible donors were touched by the Lord (they always say, “It’s God’s money.”) to give to this need, and we have been sending funds to the Calvary Chapel pastors in the North. They are then able to buy food (a ground maize meal called “posho”) and distribute it to the most vulnerable people. Crops won’t be able to be harvested for about two more months, but it is rainy season, which means some people were able to plant vegetables about a month ago. Vegetables are not very filling, but they keep people from dying of hunger.
Remember Denis, the young man that had the brain and spine surgery a few years back? He actually died at that time, and they successfully performed CPR to bring him back to life. Denis has struggled to remain healthy over the years, but he is doing very well now with just some minor problems. He feels that he is too old to go back to school (he is 20 now), so he wanted to do some kind of business. He is not lazy! One of his relatives is letting him use their land, and some donors in the USA gave money for him to start a chicken business. He built a chicken house (fortress!), bought the baby chicks, and has been raising them. It is almost time to sell! He is looking for a market this week and should sell them next week! This first time around has been a learning process, but he will take all of the money he earns and use it to start a new flock of chicks. He is so excited and loves doing this! His joy and love for Christ have impacted his very cynical family to the point where some have even made the decision to follow Christ!
One of the men who graduated from the School of Ministry here has moved back to his home area in West Nile and is constantly sharing the Gospel with anyone that will listen! Tom is in an area with a large Muslim influence and has been threatened many times, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, he fed many of his Muslim neighbors and still feeds many of their children. Because of that, he has been able to share about Jesus, and many have given their lives to Him because of it. Tom teaches Bible studies in his home, and he also teaches in the prison there. Last week, he went to a local Muslim secondary school, and the Christians there allowed him to share the Word of God with them. Many Muslims have since started coming to his Bible studies, and last weekend, he was asked to give the sermon in the local Anglican Church! He had to wear an Anglican robe, but what’s a little piece of cloth between you and sharing the Gospel?! This young man is totally sold out to God. He tells me that he has “given his life as a living sacrifice” to the Lord, and he will never turn back.
Tom had to fight to be able to go back and teach in the Muslim school. He said, “Wow!! It has been such a wonderful celebration with the students. I talked to the District Education Officer about freedom for Christian students to worship their God in all the schools within the district. I asked him to explain to me which article of the Constitution of Uganda allows school head teachers and the district leaders to restrict and stop Christian students from worshipping God and allow Moslem students to worship without any restrictions. I was very, very serious about it, and the District Education Officer looked at me and asked if I had reported anything to the police. I told him ‘No, I have not, but if no action is taken against restrictions and stoppage of Christian students from worshipping in schools, then I vow to take the district before the court.’ Immediately, the Officer told me he will solve the issue and make sure that the Christian students should be given total freedom to worship. Every school should give them a room for worshipping God, and he did so.” What a brave testimony from this young man!
Uganda is one of the most beautiful places on earth – truly the “Pearl of Africa.” Flowers, trees, and gardens just flourish and bring joy to everyone around. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” I love that part about “being understood from what has been made.” You can see so much of what God has made right here on our compound! We can’t keep up with God, but we have been doing a little construction to make the ‘Called Christian’s’ campus look just a little bit better. We tore down the old hut at the front gate and built and “new and improved” one so that visitors see something nice instead of something that is cracked and broken.
Also, one of our guys got a little overzealous in cutting dead branches out of the tree that shades the School of Ministry men when they are taking tea, so now we are building a small shade for people to sit under and enjoy the breeze.
Our old library was in the School of Ministry dorm because all of the students in the last few years have been men training to be pastors, but now, we are training up “disciples who make disciples.” This includes both men and women, so we had to construct a new library, which is lovely! Deborah Roberts is holding a book drive to fill it with books that are worth reading. Contact Deborah at deb@nowdeb.com if you would like to know how to contribute books for the library! With the new library and your contributions, the entire school and staff will have access to these books.
The last bit of news I will share with you is about me, Bev. I have had some funny throat clearing thing for about the last three years. When I went to the doctor, I was told it was just allergies. This year I have had some other health problems and was undergoing a Contrast CT scan when something different was “accidentally” (by the grace of God) discovered. I have a substernal goiter. I had to google that one. Anyway, it is a mass that starts with my thyroid and grows down into my chest. It also presses on my trachea, esophagus, and arteries in my upper chest. It has to come out, so I will be going to the USA sometime in the next couple of months to have surgery to have it removed. I would do it here, but my Ugandan doctor says it is a “very delicate surgery” and is best done in the USA, where they have good ICU’s in case something goes wrong. I would appreciate prayer for this one, prayer warriors.
May the Lord Bless and Keep You, May the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace!
In His Strong Love,
Beverly
Praises and prayer requests
Praise that the ministries are going so well! Prisons, Women’s and Village Ministries, School of Ministry & Worship, and so many others!
Prayers for these ministries as well
Prayers for the many sick people on our staff. Some have Bilharzia, some have a bad cold, some have typhoid, some have bacterial infections.
Prayers for financial support. Our budget is around $18,000 US Dollars these days, and we do not want to cut back on any ministries.
Prayers for the people in Uganda and Kenya who are starving.
Praises for the wonderful staff God has put together at ‘Called Christians!’