Updates

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus!  I hope you are all well!  It has been a long time since I have done an update (as usual), and actually, the last update was a bit of a mistake where you received a letter I sent to my Care Team instead of the actual update, ha ha!  But I will do better this time!

Called Christians (along with The Bridge Calvary Chapel) has been very busy these last few months!  Of course, that is nothing new, but it is always fun to say it.  In November and December, we were especially busy in the prisons.  The ladies in Women’s Prison wanted to be baptized and we were able to get permission, so our prison team baptized 27 women!  It was a joyous time! Photos are not allowed in prisons here, but the Officer in Charge took a couple of photos for us from behind the ladies so that you can’t see their faces, but I can show you what the baptism looked like! 

Then during November and December, we had about 50 young people practicing every day to perform the Christmas program that we do every year in the prisons.  All but two of the young people were brand new and had to learn the songs and ,dances and skits from scratch, but they were so excited and enthusiastic, and every day the compound resounded with Christmas carols and, Christmas songs and lots of laughter from the performers.  They did a two hour program in 9 prisons in 4 days, and about 60 people gave their lives to Christ when the pastor preached and gave the altar call! Then they did most of the performance again at The Bridge Calvary Chapel Christmas service.  We were allowed to get photos in only one of the prisons, so I can show you that one, and the kids getting ready to go to a prison, and then as well as some photos from their performance at the church! We had a wonderful Christmas time this year!

I, Bev, have gotten to use my gift of teaching a few times lately.  I am mostly administrative these days, but I still do love to teach the Word.  I was invited to teach the Gospel on one of the islands in Lake Victoria. ,And also as well as by Concy, the pastor’s wife, to teach at a Women’s Conference at Calvary Chapel 12 Springs in Gulu, Uganda.  There were about 150 women there, and I was asked to teach Daniel Chapter 6.  There were also many performers who led the women in praise and worship, and the women from the church did a fabulous skit of Chapter 6!  The lions were fantastic and had us all roaring (along with them) in laughter!

This same church (which was planted by Jesse long ago) had their School of Ministry Graduation this week!

One of the projects that Called Christians tries to raise funds for is clean water in the villages.  At the village springs, the people get their water for drinking and bathing from the very same place that the cattle drink and mess in.  We have been able to have four of these springs transformed into places where people can get clean water, and cattle can still drink in a separate pool.  We have another that we are getting an estimate on right now. The rejoicing in the villages when they get clean water to drink is beyond what you could ever imagine!

Another great ministry that Called Christians is allowed to be a part of is sending Calvary Chapel pastors to Pastor’s Conferences.  The big Calvary Chapel Association of East Africa pastor conference was held in January, and we were able to send 30 men.  And The Bridge Calvary Chapel Worship Team (because they are SO fabulous!) was invited to do much of the music at the conference, so Called Christians also sent a team of 14 people there to lead worship. The Bridge Calvary Chapel will hold their annual pastor’s conference here in April, and about 150 men will attend and be fed and housed on the Called Christians compound.  We will also fund the conference.  Several of the Senior Pastors of the village churches will be teaching, and the guest teacher will be John Chitwood from Albuquerque.  Everyone is very excited about this conference!

There are, of course, many other things going on around here, such as Bible studies in two local low income areas; Bugembe and Danida.  We do a children’s Bible study first, and then a study for the adults.

Our fences were being cut and thieves were trying to come in at night, so a few generous donors gave us the funds to build a wall at the most crucial part of our thorn bush fence.  We have not had a thief on the compound at night since it was built!!

Another large project we would like to raise funds for is a clinic in the far West in Uganda.  It will be called the Jesse Memorial Clinic and will be mostly maternity and pediatric.  It is being built and will be run by a young man that we supported through university named Johnson Musinguzi.  He is an excellent clinical officer who cares deeply about his patients.  His contractor gave him a quote of $10,000, and then because of slushy ground, the price went up by another $5,000 – quite a surprise for all of us!  So the clinic was built up to the ring beam, but now has been sitting in the rain and sun for two years and is beginning to deteriorate.  We are hoping to raise the funds in the next few months to complete this clinic. 

In Northern Uganda, next to the South Sudanese border is a pastor named Tom.  He is an incredible man with a true heart for the Lord and the Lord’s people.  The area where Tom lives is 95% Muslim, and they are very radical Muslims, often destroying churches and killing Christians whenever they can.  In fact, Tom’s wife was poisoned recently by a woman selling juice in the market.  The next week was bad, and no one knew whether the wife would live, but God saved her life and healed her. Tom continues to boldly share the Gospel in local schools (that are also Muslim operated), refugee camps, prisons, and on the streets.  Recently a Muslim man named Chemical Ali, who has killed many Christians, came to Tom in the night to talk to him about the many who are converting to Christianity, and he asked where Tom gets the power to do this.  Tom has been talking with him every day, telling him about the power of God, and Ali has vowed never to kill another Christian because Christians are not like he has been taught by the Muslim faith. Pray for Ali’s salvation please!

I mentioned that Tom has a loving heart towards people, so let me give you a couple of examples.  About two years ago, Tom was moving around and discovered a widow named Kenneth, just sitting under a tree waiting to die.  Her husband had died, and she had no children, so the husband’s family just threw her out to die since she was of no use to them. Tom and his wife took her into their own family and began caring for her.  She has stayed with them since, and is the grandmother in the house.  Recently a destitute Muslim girl named Zubeda came to Tom’s house begging for food. Her family threw her out because they said she was cursed.  His wife fed Zubeda and bathed her, and then the little girl begged to just stay with them and never leave.  Tom and his wife can barely feed the widow Kenneth and their own three children, so they were torn over whether to keep Zubeda.  Kenneth begged to keep her, and after praying, Tom and his wife did choose to keep her.  Several people have sent money to help clothe and care for Zubeda, and instead of being a sad little girl, she is always filled with joy now!  Kenneth even carries her around on her back sometimes, just as mothers carry their little babies here. 

I realize that this update is long, but I haven’t written in quite some time, and I truly do want to catch you up. Please know that we at Called Christians, and those of The Bridge Calvary Chapel are very, very grateful for your prayers and your financial and emotional support!  The compound is at peace and the staff of both the NGO and the church are living together in harmony with one goal in mind – to share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!  We have reached this point because of the prayer cover that we have!  Thank you so much for praying for us.  We do quite a bit of physical assistance to the poor in the Name of Jesus, and we can only do that through your financial support.  We are all so grateful to you as a huge part of our team!  May God bless and keep you always!!

Love in Christ,
Beverly Rich, Called Christians, and The Bridge Calvary Chapel staff.

Greetings from beautiful Uganda! 

I know it has been far too long since I have written an update. There were a few things that seemed to get in the way of finding the time to write.  Things like four surgeries and 17 radiation treatments in 5 months, the normal crazy goings-on of ministry life in Uganda, and a fabulous outreach team from KLYT in Albuquerque that was here for two weeks!  I think I write every time that “life is never dull here,” and I promise you that is no lie! So because it has been so long since I updated you, this letter might be a bit long!

And by the way, I am cancer free and healing well, and have even started working out again, with some modifications.  I cannot tell you how gracious God was to me during that whole medical journey! I was and am so undeservedly blessed by His kindness and grace!

In the meantime, Called Christians, alongside The Bridge Calvary Chapel, is still preaching the Gospel and “making disciples who make disciples.”

I was just looking over some photos and information that I will have to have for an interview in a government office this week, and saw many of the things that we are blessed to do from Called Christians (because of the support that people send!) 

Give people clean water through Bore Holes

Send children to school

Help people with medical issues

Take care of the prisoners both spiritually and physically

Preach the gospel to men, women and children

Give food and shelter to people

Schools of Ministry and Worship

Start people in businesses, particularly women who have been abandoned by their husbands

And we get to do this through and because of the love of Christ, and because of His calling on our lives and yours.  May the Gospel reach every part of the world, and may all that hear come to Christ!

Recently we received an amazing gift from our supporters back in the USA.  We have 7 ministry vehicles, but they are often all out on ministry at the same time.  So when another missionary friend was leaving Uganda, he offered to sell us his “new” (to us) 1997 Prado Landcruiser that is in excellent condition.  By purchasing this vehicle, we actually have a car that Deborah, Ann and I can drive when we need to go somewhere!  So our three Care Teams donated and talked to other people, and raised the money for us to buy this vehicle!  It is SUCH a blessing to us!!  We call it “Bob.”

And the most wonderful thing happened to us during the first two weeks of May!  A team of 15 people from KLYT in Albuquerque, put together by Chip Lusko, came and did ministry with and for us in every area we could think of! They did four church conferences (three were DEEP in the villages) where they taught the Word to men, women and children.  They went to local underprivileged areas and taught Bible lessons and did coloring sheets with children, and taught Bible to the adults.  The team put on a fabulous crusade with about 1000 people in attendance, and over 50 people gave their lives to Christ!  They preached in the prisons, and prayed for people in the hospital.  And this team just ministered to everyone they came in contact with, including the Called Christians and The Bridge Calvary Chapel Staff!  They even washed our feet and prayed over us!  What a wonderful, wonderful blessing these men and women were.  I know the Kingdom of God grew by many souls because of them!

And Chip Lusko was supposed to come and lead the team, but was at the last minute unable to come, so we owe a special vote of thanks to the leadership at Calvary Church with Skip Heitzig for working hard to find someone to send to us to preach, and to Pastor John Privitt from Calvary Chapel in Taos for dropping everything and coming to work alongside us!  It was definitely an adventure!

The people here at Called Christians are so grateful that God has called us to work with Him in spreading the Gospel, and in “making disciples that make disciples.”  We can never say “thank you” enough to God, and to you, our prayer partners and financial supporters, for allowing us to do this work. The Lord is so good and gracious to us!!

Praises:
*The team that came!  They were fabulous!
*The “new” vehicle that was funded for us by supporters.  We love it!
*Peace and Joy on the compound, and a spirit of working together!
*The School of Ministry and Worship that just graduated on 20^th May!

Prayer Requests:
*The villages in Orom District near Sudan are being raided every night by warriors who are killing people and stealing cattle and goats. Many people are gathering in the house of the Calvary pastor to sleep at night for protection.
*Financial support for this ministry and for the children we send to school
*That people’s hearts would be open to and touched by the Gospel when we share with them
*That our vehicles would stay “healthy” for a while and not break down
*That our staff would continue learning about and growing in the Lord

Hi everyone, Bev’s update follows this brief word about our upcoming trip to Uganda in May of 2023. We have applications for about half the spots on our team, so there is still time to get your reservation in.We will begin having meetings (in person or on video platforms) in January and I will start circulating prayer requests. I hope to create a true team spirit for an effective outreach that will  make an impact for the gospel in Uganda. You can find all the information and an application here: https://calvarynm.church/connectmenu/events/event/?event_id=9078 If you have questions, email me at: Chip.lusko@calvaryabq.org Now, here’s Bev:

Hello and greetings from Uganda!  As usual, life has its ups and downs, and God is with us through them all!! On 4th November, I (Beverly) had surgery in Greenville, SC, and it was discovered that I have a form of breast cancer called mucinous carcinoma.  The surgeon believes that she removed it all, but of course, we cannot be sure until more surgery is done. So I am in Uganda now, but I will be returning to South Carolina on 8th December, and have surgery to remove more tissue and some lymph nodes on 12th December.  Then I will do three weeks of radiation in January.  I should be back in Uganda again in early February. So why did I leave the USA, come to Uganda for two weeks, and will now return to USA?  Well, the most excellent news is that our daughter Joyce Ayo got married on 26th November, and I had promised her I would be here to walk her down the aisle unless I was dead! Obviously, I am not dead, so I returned to Uganda and we had the loveliest wedding you could ever imagine! Joy and Wilson have gone through many months of counseling, and they both have changed tremendously in their actions and attitudes towards each other. I truly believe God is at the center of the marriage and will guide and direct them for the rest of their lives!

Some people ask what we do all day as missionaries and mission staff.  So I will just briefly list many of our ministries for you.

1. We teach Bible in 10 government prisons to probably 2000 people a week.
2. We have a School of Ministry/School of Worship here on campus, and have several day students and several boarding students.
3. The Bridge Calvary Chapel is here on the compound, and Called Christians is the landlord.  We combine ministries with the church at times, and we work together very well.
4. We support several students for school fees, food, housing, medical, and general life needs, while teaching them the Bible and including them in many of our ministries.
5. We go to pray for those who are sick at the local hospitals on Sunday.
6. We hold pastor conferences here, which the village and local pastors plan and conduct.  Called Christians provides transportation, housing, and food.  We usually have about 100 men attend those conferences.
7. We have Bible studies for women in two different villages, and in one of those villages, we have a women’s Bible school so that when the women finish, they can lead their own Bible studies. We also have a Women’s branch of Bible School for our pastors’ wives.
8. We have Bible studies and children’s outreaches in several local underprivileged areas.
9. We have a “gate” ministry where we help people in need with food, medical, rent and clothing.
10. And we have many other local outreaches like “round table discussions,” movie night, children’s ministries, and a women’s Bible study.

So we are often very, very busy sharing the Gospel, and following the Mission Statement of Called Christians, which is “To make Disciples who make Disciples who make Disciples…”

I did mention that there are ups AND downs.  One of the “downs” has been that our neighbors have decided to build a new block wall and tore down the chain link fence that was between their land and ours.  But when they started building their wall, they laid their blocks two feet inside of our property, and tried to take about 4 yards of our land on the other end of the properties. I had them break the wall down and start over, using the boundary stones as legal markers.  They again built inside our property, so last night, I had to call the local authorities and have them break the wall down again.  Then they started building again this morning and were building again on OUR SIDE!  So now two of my staff, one of whom is a builder, are there watching them every minute and making them stick to the legal boundaries, and we also involved other local authorities.  The neighbors thought they would wear me down by pushing and pushing, but I am very stubborn.  If I wasn’t stubborn, I could not run this organization, ha ha ha!

My most exciting news is that in May, a team is coming from Albuquerque to work with us here for two weeks.  They will teach in prisons, schools, and villages, and will pray in the hospital, and will even do a physical work project.  The entire Called Christians team is so excited that they are coming!  I do want to thank every person that has contributed to this mission and its ministries.  We are constantly busy sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone that we can.  And every contribution helps us to do that.  Our budget is between $18,000 and $20,000 a month.  I know it seems like a lot, but our fuel bill alone for 7 ministry vehicles is about $1800 per month.  And we have a staff of about 40 people that need to get paid.  We use every dollar that you send for the mission and for the people that come to us for both physical and spiritual needs.  So thank you for your kindness and generosity!  Please always remember us in your prayers, as we constantly are under attack by Satan.  He truly does not like the work we do here!  Many, many blessings to you all, and may you walk with Christ every day! Beverly Rich

Prayers and Praises

Finances for the mission
Spiritual growth of the staff
Healing for many, many sick people around us
Wisdom and seriousness for our young people that are in school now
Safety for us, the staff, and all of Uganda during Christmas time – the most dangerous time of the year for traffic accidents and robberies
Wisdom for those running the mission while I am away

Greetings! 
A quick note before Bev’s update. The May team trip to Uganda is open for registration.
Here’s a quick outline:

• April 30-May 14th, 2023 
• Jinja, Uganda
• Purpose: 
• Ministry support to Called Christian campus and area outreaches such as prisons, hospitals, and food distribution
• Evangelism support for a preaching tour of Jinja and surrounding villages. We will be taking a bus and a mobile tent.
• Team Size: 15-20
• Leader: Chip Lusko 
• Price includes airfare from Albuquerque to Entebbe and all ground costs, transportation, food, and lodging
• Also included: free days lodging and safari at a wild game area

Here is further information and the registration:

Event Details – Calvary Church

If you have any questions: chip.lusko@calvaryabq.org

Chip

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Hello everyone, and greetings from Uganda by way of South Carolina!

I guess the first thing to update is the health situation of the mission.  It seems that we must be doing something right because Satan has been pushing hard against our health lately.  Deborah, Ann and Joseph had Bilharzia (liver flukes) and the treatment makes you horribly sick.  Deb has had a terrible eye infection, a burn on her arm, and mango worms.  The mango worms are pretty nasty!  (maybe google them?)  And now I, Bev, am in the US for surgery on what has been diagnosed as a substernal goiter – a very large one.  Surgery was 21^st October to remove it, and everything went really well!   It turned out to be a large mass of thyroid tissue that was sitting just below my thyroid, and pressing on my esophagus, trachea, and blood vessels in my upper chest.  It was 4 inches by 4 inches square!!  But no cancer, and now I will get on to the business of recovery!  Thank you Lord for your mercy and love towards me for this one, and please continue to heal Deb, Ann and Joseph!

We could certainly use some prayer for God’s protection against illness right now!

The ministries are going strong!  The School of Ministry and Worship was on break for a week from 6^th through 12^th October. Before break, many of the students were struggling with the realization of who they were, and who they needed to be, in Christ.  Often several students do not come back after break.  But this time, every student came back, and arrived on time, ready to dive into God’s Word and Worship again.  What a joy!!  Below are photographs of Joseph Mukarani teaching, Pastor Joel Mugoya teaching, and the students in various settings.

Ann’s School of Ministries for Women are producing fruit beyond what any of us expected!  God has been working!  The class of pastor’s wives that she has been teaching once a week for three years will graduate on December 17^th.  The women love learning about the Word so much that they don’t really want to end their school!  But now each of these women is leading other women in knowledge of the Word, and this is especially visible in the village of Waibale, where Ann and her first students are teaching the women there.  The church and the village are being changed by these women going deeper into the Lord each week.

The School of Ministry and Worship has been hosting an event lately called a “Round Table.”  A Topic is chosen, and the entire area is invited to come while the pastors of The Bridge Calvary Chapel, and of Called Christians, discuss a subject that people struggle over.  The last one was “Can You Lose Your Salvation?”  This question, of course, has been debated by the church for generations.  In the end, Pastor Joel just reminded everyone that if you stay friends with Jesus, you won’t have to worry about losing your salvation.

Timothy was a couple of months ago given permission to baptize new Believers in Jinja Remand Prison.  He is talking with the Officer in Charge of Main Prison at this time to see if he will allow the same.  And some of the small prisons in which we teach are also very interested!  Many man and women have come to Christ in this past year as our faithful teachers share the Gospel in 10 different Uganda prisons!

And we also have continued to feed people in the North, and they have been so grateful!!  Through the generosity of donors, we have been able to keep many from actually starving to death.  God’s people taking care of God’s people is such a joy to see!  Special thanks to those who have helped with this ministry!

Donors were also incredibly generous in sending funds to build a safe place to drink at this “well” where both cattle and people drink the water. And we were able to build a house for this widower, John, who has 8 children.

One last Joyful note!  Our Ugandan daughter Joy is engaged and brought the family of her fiancée to the mission house to be introduced to our family.  They did not speak English, but we had people that spoke English and Luganda, so we were able to communicate and have a very special and fun day! I plan to be back in Uganda in time to walk Joy down the aisle for her wedding on November 26^th!

Prayers and Praises

Health for all in the Called Christians Mission and for their families, and also for those at The Bridge Calvary Chapel. (Extra prayers for Mary who suffers great pain from sickle cell)

That all of the ministers of the Gospel are filled with the strength and wisdom of the Holy Spirit to keep on teaching God’s Word faithfully!

Financial support so that the mission can continue with all its ministries, and also finish building our security wall, rewiring the entire mission house,  and a clinic for women and children in the Western part of Uganda.

That the School of Ministry and Worship students, and the Women’s Bible students, continue to dig into God’s Word and let it change their lives.

Praises that there is peace and joy in the mission and people are working well together.

Hello Again, and many greetings to you! 

I know it has been a long while since I have done an update.  I don’t know why it is so hard to get started on one!  I think maybe it is because there is so much going on that it just overwhelms me to even try to put it into words!  J

And of course, this time around, I haven’t been able to do much because I was concentrating on healing from my total knee replacement that took place on May 9^th. That was a tough one, and I haven’t done much except work on getting my knee back to normal since then.

Uganda had the longest school shutdown in the world because of covid.  (22 months!) Churches and businesses had long shutdowns as well!  But once places were open again, people are just begging for us to come and share the Word of God with them!  Instead of teaching in 7 prisons now, we teach in 10, and many people have given their lives to Christ in these last few months.  This week, 200 men at Kirinya Remand Prison were baptized!  The Officer in Charge has given permission, and Timothy (prisons pastor) and others used a form of Jesse’s old home-made baptistry made of ladders and a tarp to baptize all these men.  After this, I feel like some of the other prisons will allow baptisms as well! I do pray for that! “When I was in Prison, you visited me…” Matthew 25:36

We have been doing a lot of extra assistance in the local hospitals.  The prices of everything are so high in Uganda right now that people cannot afford food, much less medical care.  So we have been helping many people with CT Scans, medicines, and food.  As with the prison ministry where we take prisoners to the hospital for their treatment, we do not ask the religion of the sick person.  We just show them the love of Jesus through physical means and through sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  Almost no one rejects prayer when we offer to pray for them.  No matter what religion they are, they know that Jesus can heal.  “When I was sick, you visited me…”  Matthew 25:36

While I was in the USA, I was sort of flying under the radar, not contacting many people or doing much except trying to work on getting my knee back in shape.  So I didn’t get to try to raise funds this time the way I have done in the past.  And truthfully, I really needed to try to raise some financial support because we have not been reaching our budget for some time now.  But the great news is that, as I was talking about the absolute starvation that is going on in the Northern parts of Uganda, one couple was touched deeply to help those people with food!  And it is so needed!!  One of the villages where there is a Calvary Chapel had nothing at all to eat – not even wild greens – so they were picking green mangoes from the trees and boiling them into a bitter porridge and drinking it at night, just to have something in their stomachs when they went to sleep.  Of course, green mangoes cause major stomach problems in other ways, but they were just so hungry.  So I was able to send part of the money for food to the pastor of Calvary Chapel Pajule, and he bought 10kg bags of posho (ground maize meal) and distributed all of them to the local church members and widows in the area. There was true rejoicing that day! “When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat…”  Matthew 25:35

Deborah Roberts is back with us in Uganda, and she will be our Education Director, administering our School of Ministry/School of Worship, and also doing training for the staff that works with us. When Deb went on furlough last year, she came as close to dying as possible without actually doing so, (cerebral malaria) and she is truly a walking miracle.  We are SO happy to have her with us again, and are also very happy to be starting our Bible and Worship School again, even though this means a large increase in our expense.  We will have 16 students, most of them boarding in our dorm, and they will be trained to read, understand and teach the Bible, so that they can follow the goal of our mission of “making disciples who make disciples who make disciples.”  Matthew 28:19-20 “Go into all the world and make disciples…”

As usual, there are many other ministries to talk about, like the women’s Bible studies in the villages, the women’s School of Ministry, teaching the Bible in the local schools, sending young men and women and orphaned children to school, and Bible studies in local underprivileged areas.  But you would be tired by the time you finished reading it all, so I will stop here!  But if any of these ministries touches your heart a little bit extra, and you are willing to help with support, please do reach out and help us!  We are about sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and we would love to have you partner (yes, PARTNER) with us in this wonderful work!  Romans 10:18 “How can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

Many blessings and much love to you as you continue to love and serve Christ!
In His Service,

Beverly Rich and the Entire Staff of Called Christians Uganda

Greetings from Uganda—I pray the Lord is blessing you today with all good things!

I am going to whine a little bit, and then get on with the “good stuff.” I am normally a very healthy person—I eat good foods, work out five days a week, and when I get sick, I’m usually over it in a day. But my body has made it perfectly clear in these last few months that this “tent” is temporary! I had severe malaria in November, the entire compound and I tested positive for COVID in December, and then in January, I got some kind of gut infection that I thought might be the end of me. On top of all of that, I am having to go back to the States for knee replacement surgery in May because there are some days I can’t even put my foot on the ground. Prayers would be appreciated! Now I’m done with the whining, and I’ll move on to the good things!

Uganda schools opened again after 22 months of being closed—the longest school closure in the world! A large number of the high school girls got pregnant during the lockdown; in the past, pregnant girls and nursing mothers have not been allowed to attend school in Uganda. But there are so many girls in this condition right now that the government has ordered the schools to allow them to attend, and to make the necessary changes to cater to them. I’m excited about the group of young girls that Ann Wibbenmeyer was mentoring during the lockdown. They came daily for Bible study and discussion and some games, and none of the girls (a group of eight to twelve, depending on the day) got pregnant! They even did a “Promise Ceremony” together to promise purity in their lives. Ann is an amazing teacher and mentor to these young women, and their lives are very different from so many others their age.

All our ministries have finally opened, the last being Iganga Prison that allowed us back into the facility this week. Most places (except for the schools) had opened up by mid-November, and then Omicron hit in December, and everything slammed shut again. Now Uganda is open, except for the COVID tests required to come and go at the airport and the borders, but this week the government announced that everyone over the age of twelve must be vaccinated or face a large fine and six months of jail time. Several fifteen- and sixteen-year-old missionary kids were sent home from school this week for not being vaccinated. This is going to be a very difficult time here as we work through this mandate from the government.

I want to mention a few of the ministries that are fully operational again. First, we teach the Bible in seven government prisons, and we help with several physical needs in these facilities, as well. These prisons were very happy to have us back, and the prisoners were thirsty for God’s Word. One prison was even secretly letting us in during the lockdown because they felt that the prisoners needed the teaching more than ever before! We work really well with the Officers in Charge of these prisons, and they call us to help in certain emergencies, such as when an entire prison gets scabies or another contagious disease. We also take a bus to the Jinja prisons to pick up the prisoners who are too sick to be treated in the infirmaries and take them to the hospital, get them treated, buy their medicine, and take them back to the prison. We also buy food and medicine for any of the prisoners who are admitted to the hospital. It gets expensive, but it is a small price to pay for being able to freely go in and share the gospel with hundreds of inmates every week.

Our outreach ministries are going great as well, with more and more people coming to hear the teaching of the Word of God. We have been doing a Bible study in a low-income area called Danida for almost 20 years, and it continues today. The Danida Bible study is now being taught by Jeremiah Ntale, and his wife Lydia teaches the children. They have such a wonderful ministry!

Joseph Mukarani, along with a small group of Called Christian staff, goes to another area called Bugembe, and at first the people were hesitant to come hear the Word of God. There are so many cults and false teachers in that area that people were very skeptical of one more pastor. But as this group taught and evangelized, more and more people came to listen and ask questions. A few would seat themselves a little distance away and appear to be “busy” while listening, but they eventually came closer and joined in as well. This was the place where, during the lockdown, people invited Joseph and his group secretly into their homes to continue sharing God’s Word with them. “The fields…are white for harvest” (John 4:35).

Another wonderful work that is being done through Ann Wibbenmeyer is a small Bible School for women. Once a week, the pastors’ wives in Jinja (along with one or two other ladies) have class from 9 am to 1 pm and are just now moving on from Old Testament Survey to New Testament Survey. They have been meeting (except for a mandatory COVID break) for a year and a half now and are amazing students. In fact, they are so amazing that they are now going one at a time with Ann to the village of Waibale, where they are teaching the same Bible School to several of the women there. The village ladies started about six months ago and are going through Inductive Bible study, but really struggle with “Observation,” because they have trouble separating what they are reading from what they have heard from pastors in the past. It is a joy to know that all these women are learning and loving the Bible and are also learning to teach it.

All our young men and women are back in school now, and even if they hated school in the past, they are thrilled to be back in the classroom. The isolation and separation were very difficult for this gregarious society. In my last update, I mentioned several of the young men that we sponsor in school. This time I want to mention one young woman in particular–Joanita. Joanita had finished Primary School, but her family could not afford to send her to Secondary School, so they sold her off to be married to a much older man. Our church leaders in Lumuli heard about it and rescued her on the day of her “marriage,” and took her to her aunt in Jinja for safety. We have been sponsoring her for school since then. She is very bright, lots of fun, and way too young to have been married!

We still struggle daily with government paperwork and attempts to get large amount of money from us. We went through an audit by the NGO (Non-Governmental Organizations) Board and passed, another by the NSSF (National Social Security Fund) and passed, and another by the local health department, and also passed. Now, we are being audited by Uganda Revenue Authority (like USA’s IRS) and they say that we owe back taxes of $6000. Our auditor (who is one of the young men we put through university many years ago) is going to our final meeting with them next week to see if he can reason with them to get that amount reduced.
 
My final big announcement is that our School of Ministry and Worship will be opening again on July 1! Deborah Roberts will be coming back from the States to direct the school, and it will be taught by different pastors and leaders. We are so excited for this wonderful development.
We have many praises and prayer requests:

Praises: 

• The kids are back in school, and ministries are open. 
• Our young girls and women are eagerly learning more about the Bible and the Lord.
• People are eager to hear the Word of the Lord!
• Deborah’s health is improving, and she is coming back to direct the School of Ministry and Worship.
• Bev has a scheduled date for her knee replacement surgery.

Prayer Requests:

• Sufficient finances to continue to run the mission.
• A successful knee surgery for Bev.
• Protection for our staff, kids, and compound.
• Bev is teaching at a marriage conference in March, and a pastors’ conference in Jinja in March.
• That all of our Bible studies and outreaches continue to go well, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ be spread.

Love always in Christ,

Beverly Rich

Greetings from Uganda—the Pearl of Africa—and from Called Christians mission! Things are finally opening up around here again. Uganda’s COVID numbers have dropped, people are being urged to get the vaccine, and we can do our ministries again. Praise the Lord! We are now able to preach again in the prisons (those who have been vaccinated), and we are again teaching in seven prisons. Our remote Bible studies in the villages of Danida, Iguluibi, Bugembe, and Lumuli are meeting again, and people are coming by the dozens to hear God’s Word because they are starved for it. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Ann Wibbenmeyer’s small School of Ministry for the pastors’ wives is happily meeting again, and Ann has started a new women’s Bible School in the village of Waibale that meets once every week.

There was an announcement last week that Uganda’s schools have been closed for seventy-seven weeks—the longest school closure in the world. This week makes seventy-eight, and even though trade schools and universities are trying to open November 1, primary and secondary schools will not open until January. One of our goals at Called Christians is to share the gospel through educating our young people. During the COVID lockdowns, our schoolboys have been working on the compound, learning skills like carpentry, roofing, and masonry. And our compound repairs look really good.

Now that schools are about to reopen, a fabulous couple from America has given us a large amount of funding to use to send these young men to school. We are so thrilled and grateful! There are six young men that we will be sponsoring in addition to the older ones that are still in our program. Two of the new boys are still in high school. Of the others, one has started school for catering, one will work to become a welder, one will study computer engineering, and one will go to school to become a Clinical Officer (like a Nurse Practitioner and Physician’s Assistant rolled into one). In Uganda, without an education, you can usually do no more in life than dig on a farm, be a porter for construction or in a shop, or become a day laborer in some factory and not even make enough money to feed yourself and your family each day. So, for these young men, getting any kind of education is their chance to make a living for themselves and their future families. We are all more than grateful for this chance. (We also have girls in school, but all of our girls are already in the program. No new ones this year. Peace and Beverly Toolit will be coming to live with me and go to university here in Jinja, even though we are not sponsoring their school fees.)

Another praise is that Living Stone Calvary Chapel in Cañon City, Colorado, has raised funds to help our village pastors start income-generating projects so that they can support themselves and their families while sharing the gospel and leading their churches. They often struggle to make a living. It turns out that the pastors in the deepest villages can make a very good living by running a grain mill—grinding grains like maize, cassava, millet, and sorghum. Two of the pastors received grain mills last week and are both already in business. Even the people in their churches are celebrating having these mills in their villages. If you have Facebook, you can see a video of one of the congregations dancing and singing with joy about the mill.

Some of the pastors that lived closer to village centers found that the diesel-powered grain mills were not a good investment for them. They would have needed electric mills for double the price. After some brainstorming, two of the pastors were started with shops to sell goods, as well as obtaining a cow so they could sell milk and calves. Another pastor received a motorcycle and can make a good living in his village as a boda-boda, or motorcycle taxi, carrying people and goods. This is the way most people get from place to place if they want to ride instead of walk. Another pastor makes his living by ferrying goods and people in a lorry, but his lorry was wrecked last month, so we were able (through Living Stone’s donation) to fund the repairs of this truck so he can get to work again. This is really important right now because the Christmas season is coming, and that is the best time of year to make money to help get through the rest of the year.

And last but not least, an interesting Uganda story! We have many monitor lizards in Uganda, sometimes reaching over six feet long. Most people are terrified of them and scream and run the other way when one is around. (Many people think they are demons.) Last week, one got into our house. It was about two feet long and ended up hiding behind some file cabinets as people were screaming and jumping onto furniture. I am not afraid of these lizards (maybe I should be?) so I got a broom and one of the bravest men, and we moved the cabinets so I could get to the lizard. It couldn’t move very well on the tile floor because of its claws, so after a long battle, I pinned it to the floor with the broom. One of the other men ran and got a large rubbish bucket with a lid, and we managed to sweep the lizard into it. Mission accomplished! 

Our mission statement says that we are about making disciples who make disciples who make disciples, and we do this through evangelism, education, health, and publishing. We are all working together at Called Christians, in partnership with The Bridge Calvary Chapel, to reach Uganda with the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. You and we are all on “God’s Team” and we all want to see the ranks of heaven swell with people of every tribe, tongue and nation. Thank you for being a great part of this work. May God bless and keep you always. May His face shine upon you. May He be the lifter of your head.

Love always in Christ,
Beverly Rich