Light and Momentary

Hello everyone,

Check the links below for our latest videos!

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for our kids to pursue Chr-st on their own and to continue developing close relationships with Him.
• Pr-y for Victoria and I to walk in step with the Spirit and to listen to His leading.
• Pr-y for Victoria as she wraps up her Ugandan Sign Language class this week.
• Pr-y for our upcoming trip to the village, for fruitful min-stry and prepared hearts to hear the g-spel.

Pr-ise:

• We finished our Trauma Healing group recently. I am thankful for all the interactions we were able to have with the refugee community.
• Some M friends of ours were able to come down from the North to visit us. We had a sweet time of fellowship with them!
• We celebrated Rachel’s birthday this month! She is growing into a beautiful, G-d honoring young lady.

Satan truly is the king of lies. He longs to disrupt and discourage. As I taught through the story of Job in our trauma healing course I was also reminded that Satan is on a leash. He can only do what the Father allows him to do. That fact brings about a new mindset when encountering discouragement or roadblocks. Nothing can happen outside of the L-rd’s will! The only thing we can control is our reaction to it. Will I say, the L-rd gives and the L-rd takes away? Or will I turn away from G-d in frustration? We always have a choice. It doesn’t make the difficulties we encounter any better, but it does help to know that whatever J-sus allows is for our good (Rom 8:28). Besides that, He desires to give us life, and life more abundant! (John 10:10)

The enemy has been doing a lot to try and discourage us. I have been telling my kids, “If you are looking for problems, you will always find them.” Know that what I am sharing here is not said with frustration, but just to let you in on some of the reality of international living. We want to be transparent with you so that you can know how to pr-y and that G-d has been growing us in reliance upon His Spirit and strength when we are weary. Over the past few weeks we have had more electrical issues than we have in the previous several years. The power has been off for several days multiple times. The work ethic of legitimate businesses here can make your head spin. Kampala’s one electrical company put requirements in place that made it next to impossible to get services, or for them to come and fix their own equipment. Praise G-d, through relationships and connections with inside workers we were able to get things repaired! That has thankfully ended many hot nights without a fan!

Over the past several months I have been heavily involved with the Sudanese refugees in Kampala. It has been hard. There is a steady weight that sits on your shoulders when working in the refugee community. The needs never seem to end and the stories you hear are akin to Job’s bibl-cal account. It is overwhelming. There is only so much you can do or say as you try to assuage as much of the pain as you can. But where we are weak, He is strong. We have encouraged many with the g-spel and are seeing some become more curious about scr-pture.

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The devil has also tried to discourage in multiple other areas, but his attacks have actually had the opposite effect on our family. By G-d’s grace we have pressed into Chr-st as a family. He is so good to give us grace and a desire to love Him more rather than to react negatively to these “light and momentary afflictions”. We have been able to celebrate in many ways, but one in particular is Rachel’s birthday! She actually ended up with two birthday parties since the first one was disrupted by sickness. Double the party, double the fun… and the cake! She has truly been growing into an incredible young lady and we are so thankful for her.

Rachel and Josiah were both able to attend the middle school dance recently as well. They had a great time and enjoyed dressing up. They look so grown up! It is a blessing that they can still experience some of these events even though we live here in Uganda.

Our Sub-Saharan Africa region (affinity) now has a quarterly newsletter with stories, prayer requests and even job openings. Click here if you would like to sign up for it!

As always, we really appreciate your pr-yers for us as a family. Thank you!

Softer Hearts

Hello everyone,

We have several videos out, you can watch them from the links below:

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for our family as we begin wrapping up min-stry and prep to head back stateside in May. 
• Pr-y for the trauma healing group. We have 18 refugees attending!
• Pr-y for our kids to grow in wisdom and grace.
• Pr-y for our upcoming trip to Oriamo village (There are 3 new ch-rch plants there and over 60+ bapt-zed beli-vers!).
• Pr-y for Victoria as she continues learning Ugandan Sign Language and as she teaches disc-pleship in a local Deaf ch-rch. 

Pr-ise:

• Our trauma healing group has been very well attended even during Ramadan!
• We had a fantastic Resurrection Sunday celebration with our ch-rch and expats in the area.
• Our evang-lism in Kibuli (Chi-bool-ee) has been fruitful. We have shared with many people over the past 2 months.

We have been very active in evang-lism around our ch-rch plant. Some of the newer bel-evers in our ch-rch joined us for the first time and are growing in their B-ble story telling and in personal evang-lism. It has been exciting to see them grow in this area! Several US volunteer teams have come out and joined us in pr-yer walking and sharing the good news with those living in Kibuli (Chi-bool-ee). One young lady came to faith outside a brothel! This area is tough, but the g-spel is moving forward. The light shines the brightest in the dark!

Victoria continues to grow in her Ugandan Sign Language abilities. She is in the Deaf community 4 times a week and has been able to form several friendships. We attend Immanuel Ch-rch for the Deaf once a month as a family and have been impressed with their teaching and good foundation in the script-res. Victoria has been encouraged as she teaches disc-pleship to see their fervor and heart to go deep in the Word. Still, there is a massive language barrier for many of the Deaf. Even in their own homes they may not be able to be understood. Many of the Deaf in Uganda never have access to the g-spel! Pr-y that more laborers come into this harvest field.

Just recently we were able to host an eye clinic event with 3 other non government agencies. Because of the generosity of US bapt-st ch-rches and partnerships with these other organizations, we were able to make the glasses very affordable for refugees. We had a crowd of over 60 Sudanese who received care! As I shared the g-spel with the group many asked questions and we have been following up with them. We have sensed a change in the Sudanese community recently. People are more open to having conversations about scr-pture and have had hearts that are a bit softer to the g-spel. Keep pr-ying!

We celebrated communion on “Resurrection Sunday” with our ch-rch Sunday morning. Grape juice, plastic cups from the grocery store, and an Eritrean bread shaped like a pizza slice is what we typically use for the L-rd’s Supper. After the service we joined several ex-pat families for an Easter celebration. It has been a great long weekend! Although Victoria and I both came down with a stomach bug…

We have a lot of changes coming up as we try to wrap up min-stry and pack the house before heading stateside at the end of May. We are looking forward to it, but we also feel torn because of all the great things that G-d is doing here. Pr-y that we are able to hand things off well and spend intentional time saying, “See you later.” It is important culturally to say goodbye well. Looking forward to seeing many of you during our time in the US! Thank you for your continued pr-yers!

Open Doors to the Deaf Community

Hello everyone,

We have a few more new videos for you!

We had a bit of fun with the kids and did a supermarket drinks taste test. They were not all enjoyable… but you can see that in the videos below!

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for our ongoing Trauma Healing with Sudanese refugees. Pr-y that hearts will be soft to the g-spel.
• Pr-y for our monthly evang-lism in Kibuli (Chi-bool-ee) around our ch-rch.
• Pr-y for Victoria as she leads disc-pleship for the Deaf every Friday.
• Pr-y for our family to have good family time and rejuvenate over spring break.

Pr-ise:

• Victoria has been loving every minute of language learning. She is excelling in Ugandan Sign Language.
• Our “discovery” b-ble study turned into a trauma healing group. Now we are leading 14 refugees every Friday through a story set on Job and healing activities.
• A young man recently came to fa-th! Pr-y for him as he grows in his new walk with G-d.

This month was full of school events, basketball and soccer games, local ministry and international travel for a work meeting (for me). Our day to day changes quite drastically! We have seen a lot of areas where G-d has been at work. One of the more impactful ways has been seeing His hand of blessing on Victoria as she started learning Ugandan Sign Language. We had been working to find a personal tutor, but it wasn’t coming together. Then one day we received a call about a certificate class that meets 3 times a week. They asked if she could join… the next day! Even though the times/days would cause a shift in our families schedule we saw it as a good opportunity. She started the class and has been loving it!

The p-stor of a Deaf ch-rch, where the USL class meets, asked her to begin teaching a disc-pleship class for their leaders. Now, every week, she has been leading a class and teaching b-ble stories. They have deep conversation about the scriptures. Victoria is using a translator for now, but has been able to engage in a lot of discussion before and after class.

This past Friday we started a trauma healing group with the Sudanese community. We have only met once, but G-d is working! This group is filled with new refugees from Sudan. They have experienced some incredibly traumatic and evil things. By G-d’s grace we have been able to see them start on their healing journey. We are focusing on the story of Job to help them begin to process their own hardships. I have heard today that we will have another 6 joining the group of 14 that we met last week! Pr-y that their eyes will be opened to the g-spel and that they will find true healing for their hearts.

Thank you so much for your pr-yers! We have been dealing with some virus over this past week. Please continue to pr-y for strength for us as we continue engaging lostness here in Uganda!

A Warm Reception

Hello everyone!

     There are several videos to get caught up on at the end of this update. Here is our latest:

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for the upcoming launch of exploratory B-ble studies within the Sudanese Community. We encountered some snags with ongoing trainings or refugee registration requirements that pulled people away. We hope to start next week!
• Pr-y for our evang-listic efforts in Kibuli (Chi-bool-ee). 
• Pr-y for the weather to stabilize for local farmers.
• Pr-y for Rachel, Josiah, and Micah to grow in grace, gentleness and to have servant hearts (Pr-y that for Victoria and I as well!).

Pr-ise:

• Victoria has started learning Ugandan Sign Language!
• We have seen growth in the people we are disc-pling, and it is wonderful to see their reliance upon the H-ly Sp-rit and desire to share the g-spel with others.
• The response to our evang-lism around our ch-rch plant has been encouraging. After several aggressive encounters, we have seen softer hearts. 

We had a fantastic holiday season and enjoyed a lot of Christmas movies, hot cocoa, and gatherings with friends. It has stayed unseasonably cool, overcast, and rainy despite being time for the dry season. We have enjoyed that, but it is starting to cause issues with local crops. The seasons not changing as they should leaves famers guessing at when to harvest or plant for the next season.

After searching for a one-on-one teacher for quite some time, Victoria decided to jump into a Ugandan Sign Language class that meets several times a week. It is out of the ordinary for what we typically do in language learning and the hours will put some strain on the family, but we are going to adjust to support her. Her first class met last night and went very well. She mentioned it is a little chaotic and you can’t look down for an instant or you may get lost along the way. The Ugandan Deaf ch-rch we visited has asked if she would help with disc-pling their leaders which is something she is eager to do. Keep pr-ying for her as she dives into a new culture!

Over the month of December, we hosted two different food distributions within the refugee community in Kampala. Working alongside Jongo, we met a group of 50 individuals at a local Sudanese restaurant. It was jam packed and there wasn’t much sitting room as we moved about greeting people and having conversation. Once everyone had arrived, Victoria and I shared the g-spel and encouraged the crowd that Jes-s cares for them and the hardships they are enduring. One woman, an elder, told the refugees present that they needed to stay after the distribution to discuss what they had heard. She also encouraged everyone to sign up for the exploratory b-ble study! It was the warmest reception we had ever see to the g-spel. Many volunteers from our ch-rch helped to pack and hand out food. It was a blessing to see them engage in cross-cultural min-stry.

Rachel stepped up in a big way recently and shared the B-ble story on Sunday morning! When we gather for ch-rch on Sunday, we use B-ble storying as the main focus. This has helped our congr-gation to feel empowered to be a part of the min-stry and they often share the story throughout the week with others. We are proud of her! She even practiced with the nail technician when she was out with friends earlier in the week. 

Victoria and I celebrated 15 years of marriage on January 3^rd! I am continually thankful for the L-rd’s blessing on my family and marriage. It is incredible that we get to be a part of the work G-d is doing here in Uganda and to have our family right in the middle of it! 

There are always more stories to tell than time to write them all down. I have started using YouTube shorts more often for quick updates or to capture “in the moment” G-d stories. I will always link them here, but they will be more frequent than my regular newsletter updates.

In case you missed it! Here are a bunch of our other videos that went live from November till now. This isn’t all of them so check our YouTube channel for more!

Week of Prayer for International Missions

Hello everyone,

     I just wanted to highlight a great resource for praying for missionaries. Next week, December 3-10, is the I-B’s week of prayer for international miss-ons. It means a lot to me personally because my family was featured one year and it literally saved our lives. If you want to hear more about that I recorded a video about it here. 

     This pr-yer guide helps you to lift up specific mission-ries and their work over-seas. We are here because of G-d’s call on our lives, but we are able to stay because of your support, especially through pr-yer! 

     Please take a moment and check it out. I hope you will commit with me to pr-y for these mission-ries and the min-stry they do all over the world. Thanks!

Week of Prayer for International Missions 2023

Simple Obedience

Hello everyone!

Click the links below for our latest videos:

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for the upcoming launch of exploratory Bible studies within the Sudanese Community. 
• Pr-y that G-d would provide someone to teach Victoria Sign Language. 
• Lift up Sudan and especially Darfur. Fighting hit Jongo’s hometown again and hundreds fled and many were killed. Thankfully his parents were able to escape harm. 
• Pr-y for our children to continue growing in character and faith. 
• Pr-y that we would abide deeply in Chr-st’s presence. 

Pr-ise:

• Micah stepped up during our village trip and a boy came to f-ith! 
• 10 refugees recently committed to Chr-st!
• After a month of sickness Kevin is finally better. 
• We are seeing many young believers step into their walk with G-d and they are growing in their confidence in Chr-st.
• We are seeing progress in training some of our leaders in how to craft B-ble stories. We are working on a new story set for evang-lism specifically in the area around our ch-rch. 

This past month I took Micah and several others with me to the village in Kaberamaido. After the 8 hour trip we pulled into a small compound of huts and were greeted with joyous shouts and flag waiving. It is a custom for greeting guests in this part of Uganda and as more people arrived, Brian’s family members and friends would run to greet them with the same enthusiasm. We quickly found out that there was a written program for our weekend that was scheduled down to the minute! Local B-ptist past-rs have joined us in helping the new beli-vers to organize into a ch-rch and they had plans for how to best use our time. Everything was prepared, from B-ble studies to meetings with past-rs, women’s min-stry leaders, special needs children, and home visits.

Micah had shared with our ch-rch plant in Kampala that he wanted to teach a B-ble story while we were in the village. When we arrived and the reality of standing up in front of people hit him, he started to re-think his decision. That night, as we lay in the mud hut on thin foam mattresses we brought with us, I challenged him to pr-y about it and do whatever G-d tells him to do. The next morning he woke up and told me that he was going to teach the story! G-d had confirmed to him that he should. Later that morning, Micah lead many children through the story of David and Goliath, telling the story twice and then asking them questions. Brian was translating for Micah and helping him along. One of Brian’s younger brothers, a boy not much older than Micah, turned to fa-th in Chr-st. He said, “If Micah can have fa-th and even teach the B-ble then I can too!” That same day he was bapt-zed with many other new beli-vers from the village! Simple obedience can lead to eternal impact.

When we arrived home from our trip we turned around and almost immediately left for Arua. We hadn’t been back since we left in 2020! It was a fantastic time of reconnecting with friends and I even had a chance to ride out to the refugee settlement and visit with some men that I used to disc-ple in Rhino camp. One is now the past-r of the ch-rch there. It was very encouraging.

We took some vacation time and camped with good friends of ours near an animal park. Most of the time we spent playing games or telling stories around the camp fire. We shared burdens, goofed off with the kids, and told stories that made us laugh so hard that we cried. Praise G-d for friends like them!

As we enter into the thanksgiving season, I find myself in a place of deep contentment and joy. This year has been full of changes and difficulties, but also many blessings. G-d is good and He is with us in the valley and on the mountaintop. Let’s press in to hearts of thankfulness and praise this season.

Along with that is our constant thankfulness for your support. Your love, pr-yers and giving sustain us here on the miss-on field! I just read this article today which puts into words the importance of your giving during the L-ttie Mo-n Christmas Off-ring. There are some great resources on the I-B’s website here. Please check them out and be a part of all the things that G-d is doing around the world!

True Story.

Hello everyone!

Telling Bible stories is one of the main focuses in our ministry. Check out the videos below to find out why!

This one was just for fun:

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for us as we meet with our co-laborers here to plan out next years min-stry and goals.
• Pr-y for our family and Jongo, Brian and John as we prepare to head to the village next weekend. Pr-y for G-d’s guidance and for great response to the g-spel.
• Lift up our kids as they get ready to share a b-ble story with the children in the village.
• Ask for protection over our health and travel so there are no barriers to min-stry involvement.

Pr-ise:

• The terrorist threat seems to have abated, thank you for pr-ying!
• G-d has been filling our home with more and more peace recently.
• The food distributions have gone very well and many heard the g-spel.
• The rains have come again in earnest and cooled everything off.

After 34 years of service on the miss-on field, my parents will be retiring next month. 34 years of relationships, seeing G-d move in magnificent ways, learning multiple languages, enduring seasons of hardships/pain, having multiple near death experiences and choosing to come back and be faithful to their calling. I can’t say enough about how much my parents have inspired me to be “all in” with my own faith and the min-stry G-d has called me to steward. Even as they are preparing to head back to the states, there are still hurdles. Nothing seems to be a straight line in Africa. Pr-y for them as they leave people they love, dear friends, and start afresh back in the US. This is one of the sides of miss-onary life that we don’t think much about (Maybe I should do a video about that some day). Going back to the America when it hasn’t been “home” for decades is not easy. Pr-y for them as they try to assimilate back into a culture they left behind and as they try to create new friendships with people who won’t be able to relate to them.

“I love pre-ching the Word.” That is what I told my first supervisor while standing in a temporary home in Ohio as our family packed to leave the US permanently. “Oh, well, we don’t do much of that on our team..” was his response. I was a bit shocked and, honestly, a little disappointed. As it turns out, whenever I seem to get to a point either in my skills or understanding of min-stry, G-d throws me a curve ball. He is good to keep me coming back to Him for my strength so I don’t begin to rely on myself or my talents. What I would soon find out was that b-ble storying would become my life.

Don’t get me wrong. We still dive deep into the Word! But our min-stry is filled with more so with b-ble storying than pre-ching. It has become something that drives our worsh-p services, our evang-lism and even our disc-pleship. Africa has a rich “oral” history. That means that ancestors have passed on history, wisdom, and ideas from generation to generation using stories. It is amazing how fast a group can memorize a story and then re-tell it. Can you imagine if each member of your ch-rch left the Sunday service with the mindset of teaching the lesson to their families or friends who were outside the ch-rch? That is just one reason I love storying. The other is that the H-ly Sp-rit leads our conversations and study of the b-ble story. It is very participatory (Which I have always liked as well).

As we prepare for our village stay next week, we have been working on the stories that we will share. Even our children are preparing to share a story with the kids in the village. We talk much more about this method of ministry in our latest video (above). If you would like to learn more please reach out!

We wrapped up all of our food distributions this past week. One key difference is that Brian and John joined us for the first time. Not only are we reaching refugees with the g-spel, but we are trying to help our Ugandan brothers and sisters gain a vision for cross cultural min-stry. Brian used a little Arabic, which was the first time I heard him trying to engage like that! Jongo has been standing firm in his faith and un-ashamedly proclaims Chr-st to those he serves. It is incredible to see his passion and love for his fellow refugees.

Whenever we host a food distribution, listening to a g-spel presentation is not required, but we do more than just sharing the g-spel. We spend time listening to the people, hearing their hearts. Then we offer encouragement and always point them to Chr-st as the ultimate source of comfort and joy. The food will last for only a short time, but salv-tion is eternal! Most of the people we give food to have not heard the g-spel before and they are not quick to respond. That typically happens as we follow up and continue the conversation. Pr-y that as these refugees find their new lives here in Uganda that they would also find new life in Chr-st!

Please also pr-y for new team mates that are arriving Sunday and early next year. As you know, life on the miss-on field is not easy. Pr-y that they will find their hearts contentment in Chr-st and that they would feel His love and presence as they start language and life in Africa.

When YOUR words aren’t enough

Hello everyone!

Our lives are fragile things. It can change so quickly and we are not always ready. Watch the video below to get a glimpse into how we are trying to help those who have lost everything.

Pr-yer:

• Continue to pr-y for Victoria as she pursues work with the Deaf here in Uganda.
• Pr-y that God would sustain our health and that we would have energy and strength.
• Pr-y for the new Sudanese refugees who have participated in our recent food distributions. Pr-y that they will respond to the g-spel!
• Pr-y against recent terrorist activities here in Kampala. The Ugandan police are doing a good job and we don’t feel that we are in direct danger. Pr-y for the schemes of evil men to fail.
• We are planning another trip to the village at the end of this month. Pr-y for us as we plan and prepare.

Pr-ise:

• The process for Victoria to begin working with the Deaf is continuing to be approved. She is already working on learning Ugandan sign language.
• We have started seeing more and more people being disc-pled by those we disc-ple!
• The kids have been loving school and are making new friends.

Victoria starting her Uganda sign language studies

“I had a shop where I sold goods.”

“I was a human rights activist.”

“I was a doctor.”

“I was a professor at a University, but when the fighting started, I had to leave.”

These statements are matter of fact. A simple sentence that holds the weight of life altering change. The greater truth is that there are horrific stories behind each one. Some cannot speak of their experiences and if they do open up, their stories are hard to hear. What do you say to someone who has lost everything?

Over 800 new families have arrived from Sudan in recent weeks. More show up in the city each day. They don’t know English, they have no shelter, food, or other necessities. The Sudanese community has rallied around the new arrivals. They help them by opening up their homes, sometimes to multiple families at a time, cooking for them, and doing their best to establish them here. But the already burdened urban refugees cannot sustain this sort of hospitality. Many non-government agencies have stepped in to help, but the need is overwhelming.

In partnership with SendRelief, we have started doing more food distributions. Just this week we were able to meet with 50 new refugees and give them food with plans for another distribution soon. I was able to sit with some of the men, listen to their stories, and do my best to encourage them. At times like this, we have to rely on the H-ly Spir-t to guide our words. We don’t know the right things to say, but He does. We know that this new war, the senseless killing, the destruction, all of it grieves the heart of G-d. We tell them of the great love that G-d has for them and about the way to have true hope and healing through Jes-s.

Our hearts break for the Sudanese. There has been such heart wrenching loss for so many. Pr-y that out of the misery, some will find Chr-st. Pr-y that G-d will give us the right words to say at the right time. To know when to listen and when to speak. And pr-y that these precious people would know the height and depth of the love of G-d.

Crazy Fun Summer

Hello everyone,

Check out the opportunity we had to see ministry with the deaf in Uganda in this video:

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for us as we get back into a normal routine after the crazy fun summer!
• Pr-y for Victoria as she seeks wisdom and counsel about pursuing min-stry to the deaf in Uganda (See the video above).
• Pr-y for us as we follow up with newly arrived Sudanese families who received food in the recent distributions.
• Pr-y that we would lead our family to cherish J-sus and represent Him well.
• Pr-y for us to have a clear vision for min-stry this last quarter of the year

Pr-ise:

• We had a fantastic vision trip with a ch-rch from Kentucky.
• Our summer was jam packed with travel and opportunities to see family.
• The ch-rch plant in Kaberamaido has celebrated 14 b-ptisms recently!
• We are seeing spir-tual growth in our leaders.
• Jongo is now the leader of all the Sudanese refugees in Uganda!

Ch-rch partnerships are so important to the work we do here in Uganda. The m-ssion-ry task is beyond our capability to do alone and we are so thankful for those that come alongside us to encourage, support, and join in the work that G-d is doing here. Calvary B-ptist ch-rch sent Steven and Aaron to spend a week with us and we dove in with both feet. We spent time in ev-ngelism around our ch-rch plant, seeing the Ugandan and refugee m-nistry happening in the city, took a trip to a refugee settlement, and held a food distribution for newly arrived Sudanese families who had never heard the good news. Their Vacation B-ble School raised funds that helped with the food distribution!

As a direct result of the relationships we have formed in the Sudanese community and the aid that we have helped to bring through ch-rch donations and Send Relief, Jongo has been elected as the leader of all the Sudanese refugees in Uganda! This is a huge honor and testament to his g-dly character and servant hearted care for others. For a believer to hold this position is unprecedented. Please pr-y for Jongo to lead with wisdom and deep understanding. Pr-y that he would be surrounded with g-dly counselors and that the g-spel would go forward in power.

We spent vacation in Holland with Victoria’s parents before several important meetings. It was such a blessing to be with family. Since we had never been there we spent everyday exploring and walking beautiful streets and eating lots of great food! At the meetings we attended, we were able to be with my (Kevin’s) parents as well. That was the last time we would see each other as colleagues. My parents plan to retire at the end of this year after 34 years of service on the m-ssion field!

Now we are back to the daily grind and doing our best to jump back into routine. Our kids started school yesterday and are meeting new friends, acclimating to new teachers, and are looking forward to a new school year. We are continuing to navigate balancing my (Kevin’s) new job along with local m-nistry. It has been fulfilling and challenging. It is our hearts desire to pr-y more and continue following G-d’s direction as we enter into the final months of this year.

Thank you so much for your constant love and pr-yers! You make a difference in our m-nistry every time you lift us up.

Jesus vs Witchcraft

Hello everyone,

We have had an eventful couple of weeks since our last update! Check out the video below to see how God is moving in the Kaberamaido area of Uganda.

I realized I didn’t have a clear gospel message on our YouTube channel, so I created this one. Feel free to use or share it as much as you like!

Our roads have been getting worse and worse recently. This may seem exaggerated, but it isn’t. I take the bumps a little slower when I actually have coffee in the cup!

Pr-yer:

• Pr-y for Sudan. The fighting is continuing and many have lost their lives. We are starting to get new refugees here in the city from Sudan.
• Pr-y for those of us who are sick. I was down and out with a virus last week, Victoria and Micah have been sick this week. Many in our community have been struggling with sickness as well.
• Pr-y for my kids to finish school well. They have exams coming up soon and are looking forward to being on summer break.
• Continue pr-ying for Victoria as she co-teaches a trauma healing group. They only have 2 sessions left and are focusing on the g-spel. Pr-y the L-rd touches the ladies hearts! 

Pr-ise:

• My trip to the village with Josiah was amazing. G-d is truly at work there. 11 people came to faith!
• We are also seeing G-d moving in the Ugandan community here in Kampala.
• Brian has continued to share the g-spel with many and there are several groups meeting because of the men he is disc-pling.
• One of the women attending the trauma healing class had a dream of J-sus!

When G-d moves, it is sometimes hard to articulate it in a way that captures the grandeur of what He is doing, or to clearly define all the threads that He weaves together. We feel His grace on us in a unique way as He has been using the people we disc-ple to carry out min-stry. Just this past week, Brian and his father missed ch-rch, because a group of students called them to come share b-ble stories with a group of over 100 people. They met on a soccer field and wouldn’t let them leave until they had shared for about 2 hours! Many of the people gathered were not believers or ch-rch goers. Brian felt bad that they didn’t make it to w-rship with us, but I think that was a pretty good use of a Sunday morning!

It has been through our connection to Brian that we ever went to the village in Kaberamaido. It is about an 8 hour drive Northeast of the capital. G-d keeps drawing us back to that place. This time the rest of the family could not join me, but Josiah was persistent in asking if he could go with me. After pr-ying about it, we decided that I should bring him along. We loaded up the car at 6am and hit the road.

Brian’s family greeting us with trilling voices and flag waving (That is something unique to their culture in Kaberamaido). After sharing with the crowd that had gathered we settled in for the evening. That night, one of the villagers approached John and asked if we could help him. His family was really struggling. They were robbed repeatedly and several of their huts had been burned down. In desperation, they turned to a sorcerer who promised to help them for a huge sum of money. After they sold a cow to pay the man, he went about his work burying a slaughtered chicken in one of the burnt huts with some other witchcraft. The sorcerer told them that they person who burned their hut would reveal himself to them in a few days.

When several days turned into weeks with no results, they asked the sorcerer to remove the witchcraft. And he refused. He warned them that if they, or anyone else, tried to remove it, they would die. Fear so gripped the hearts of the people that they barricaded the opening to the hut and told everyone to stay away from it. When this leader of the family came to John, he was at the end of his rope.

When John spoke to me about it, we pr-yed and decided to remove the witchcraft in the morning. After talking about how we are protected from these kinds of things in Chr-st, John said, “I want to be the one to remove that witchcraft!”

In the mid-morning we headed out to meet the family. Once we reached the small outcropping of huts we pre-ched the g-spel and called them to turn to Chr-st, the one who has all authority and power. 11 of the members in the family trusted in J-sus that day! We pr-yed with them and then dug up and burned the witchcraft. Since that day the family leader has changed completely. He was the last person the village expected to turn to Chr-st. Suffice it to say that he had a bad reputation in the area. But now people have seen such a change that they are also asking if they can follow Christ. This family leader even wants to give land for a ch-rch to be planted. That is a big deal! And at this point we really need a place to meet with all the new bel-evers. The Sunday after we returned to Kampala, 15 women showed up asking Brian’s mother for more b-ble teaching! Many are seeking to join the b-ble study groups that are forming.

Would you pr-y for these new bel-evers to stay steadfast in their new found fa-th? Pr-y that they would be a light for the g-spel in a dark place. Pr-y also for those who are still seeking. We were able to bring along some B-ptist past-rs who live in nearby towns who have been doing follow-up work and are continuing to teach in our absence.

Josiah grew a lot during our time out in the village. He is learning to trust in G-d on a deeper level. Thank you for pr-ying for our family. We are seeing J-sus move in the hearts of our children.