upward & inward

( Continued from Part 1 ) So, we know we are supposed to go to the ends of the earth and for us, this means, Uganda. But, why go now? Why take the risk? This trip has been planned for nearly a year.  And, we believe, that God knew ahead of time that there would be this uncertainty around us - Ebola, ISIS, and so on.  Yet, His call did not waver.  In fact, many if not all of the team members can relate consistent experiences which confirmed God's direction and provision to go. Still, given all that is swirling around us, is it unwise? Let's consider the facts.   The media seem to be in full speculation mode.  This was heavy before we left (Oct. 3) and probably worse now. The facts, as I understand them, are: a) It is NOT easy to get Ebola. To contract it, one must have contact with bodily fluids - blood, stool, saliva, vomit, and urine.  It was never in our mission plan to have contact with such fluids and, given the circumstances, we have b...

Our recent sojourn in this beautiful land is almost complete.  We have traveled quite a bit - probably over 700 miles across the Northern portion of Uganda - through Lira, Gulu, Moyo, Arua, Nebbi, Murchison Falls Park, and back again to Kampala.  We have witnessed the beauty in what Churchill coined as "The Pearl of Africa."  The team has been tried, tested, blessed, and comforted as they encouraged and comforted others. Many asked before we went and may ask again upon our return: why go to Uganda?  With all the craziness of viral outbreaks, terrorism, and so much more, why take the risk?  Let's begin with a command.  Just before Christ ascended to heaven, He gave this command to His disciples: "And you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8) For the modern-day church, I believe that this command applies to us as we look...

Today, some of us visited the TAPP offices in Murchison Bay (another section of Kampala) to watch how they create their jewelry.  TAPP teaches their clients a trade (like fashioning jewelry) so that they can earn a living and provide for their family.  Many times, an HIV+ person will lose his or her job when they've been diagnosed with HIV.  Turning to The Lord through TAPP, they receive encouragement and training, and above all, hope. Some of us also visited the TAPP clients in the slums of Kampala, called Kasugo. These clients are lead by the TAPP Branch Manager, a lovely young lady named Generous (my bride Sherry is pictured  with her above).  The abject poverty we witnessed today was a strong contrast to the hope that we saw in the faces (and heard in the voices) of those who have chosen to put their trust in The Lord.  After we visited them, they met us in the small church there and san...

Yesterday and today, the team had the opportunity to visit Ugandans in their homes. TAPP is Tumaini AIDS Prevention Program and helps HIV+ women and men (mostly women) live positively with this dreaded disease. We visited three of these clients. Their ages were 26 to 30, two had two children, the other had three. One was pregnant with her third. One had a husband, yet he was detained in South Sudan after an accident broke both of his legs. The other two had no husbands.  Each lived in a home that was no greater than a 4'x8' room. Yet each of them warmly welcomed us into their homes, ensuring we had a place to sit. We asked them questions regarding their family, their condition, and of course, their relationship with Jesus Christ. Each had been HIV+ over three years and each had come to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. On behalf of our church, we provided much needed staples like flour, sugar, rice, and soap.  We also provided gifts such as toys, kitchen...

Kasubi is a place Sherry and I have been to many, many times.  As a school, it's filled with children (Pre-K through High School) and their teachers.  As the HQ of Church of God, Uganda, there are also the Church of God leaders who also work within the compound. We arrived there a little later than we had planned after enjoying breakfast and sorting the 12 tubs we brought with us. These tubs carried our ministry items. Some of our team visited Jajjas (Grandmas) who care for their grandchildren because the children's parents are either dead or have abandoned the children.  I'll write about this team's visits with the Jajjas in another posting. Knowing we would be meeting some of our sponsored children at the Children of Promise office at Kasubi, we were sure to bring gifts for them. Of the six children we were expecting, we met five of them today and will meet the sixth tomorrow. In times past, I have not met the sponsored children (other than my own) because I was...

After nearly 30 hours of travel, we finally made it to Kampala, Uganda. Praise The Lord! Entering Uganda, we were welcomed by a medical team that the government has put in place to check the health of incoming visitors and citizens. We answered a short questionnaire regarding the countries we've visited and our current health condition. A group of nurses reviewed our questionnaire and took our temperatures.  Although it was an additional delay to a very long trip, I'm glad to see the government taking their usual precautions regarding the seriousness of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.  Although the hardest hit countries are over 3000 miles away, Uganda knows how to combat this virus and shows it. Immigration was smooth for everyone except me.  As we enter Uganda, our fingerprints are checked to make sure they match our passports.  Each time I've entered the country, I've had to have them tested repeatedly because the reader failed to read them rightly. ...