God’s Work Continues

Earlier this week we received via email a report of the annual Scripture Union Uganda 2-week Mission which this year focused on saturating the Jinja/Busoga region. When we left Uganda in mid-June, the Mission was just getting off the ground. 

Each year we are amazed at how much the Scripture Union staff and volunteers can accomplish in such a short time and this year was no exception. They divided the workers in ten teams and between all of them visited and spoke to 258 Primary Schools, and 117 Secondary Schools.  

Using the CrossTalk tracts at one of the schools

Many presentations were evangelistic and more than 12,000 CrossTalk tracts were distributed and 11,000 Welcome To God’s Family used.  Literally thousands of children and youth made professions of faith.  

Often they also used the VOICE curriculum, especially on Purity. Pray for follow up and more volunteers to teach Values Education Classes in these same schools.  

Here is how Scripture Union Uganda summarized the Mission:

Short term benefit: Among Busoga’s children, youth, and adults, God’s Word was sowed.  As a result they made choices for Christ including salvation, sexual purity and positive behaviour.

Long term benefit: Seeing people following Jesus, filled with hope and contributing to the transformation of Busoga.

Scripture Union’s strategy is to start clubs in primary and secondary schools so that children and youth who make faith responses have a place where they are nurtured.

New Arrivals bring New Joy

Earlier this year, Ruth’s sister sent her an SOS asking for prayer for her son and his wife who were expecting their 3^rd child but the pregnancy had become one of high risk. When the critical date passed after which premature baby could live, we thanked God and continued to pray. About a month ago, things turned around and mother and child were doing well. The due date came and went, and finally the doctors decided to induce labor. Within a fairly short time, a healthy baby girl entered this world! She joins her two older brothers to make a very happy and thankful family!

Last week, an email arrived from our Ugandan colleague asking us to pray for Esther, one of our VOICE Africa workers who was very close to delivering her first child. Within the past month, a newborn baby of another Scripture Union staff member died at birth plus the wife of the best man at Esther’s wedding last December passed away while giving birth to their first child. Although the maternal death rate in Uganda has improved slightly in recent years, it still stands at 53 deaths for every 1,000 live births. For obvious reasons, Esther was quite shaken by these tragedies within her circle of friends. We prayed. Two days ago we heard the wonderful news that she had safely delivered a healthy baby—we haven’t heard the sex, but in reality that isn’t important compared to the news that all went well.

Joy is the natural outflow when a new little one safely arrives which also reminds us of the joy, even among the angels in heaven, which overflows when a person is born again by the Spirit of God. We pray that both of these little ones will grow to know and love the Savior and trust Him for salvation.

Sort as a side comment, recently I came across a quote from Charles Dickens that made me chuckle - Every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last.

Missing Uganda

It happened this week as we joined a group of ladies to hear a report from a Ugandan woman visiting Canada for the first time. She directs an amazing orphanage type ministry, one that we have connected with on a couple of occasions in the past.  She is here to mobilize prayer and raise funds for the ministry. How fun to greet her the Ugandan way (although we both are out of practice!). As she started to interact with us, her accent, choice of words, and expressions, plus the pictures and videos stirred up a deep connection within our hearts to that nation. She led us in a Luganda song and we so enjoyed clapping with the rhythm as if we were back there! We personally know of several babies rescued by her ministry who are now adopted into “forever families,” and were delighted to hear of another child being fostered by one of the Scripture Union volunteers!

Our fellow Canadian ladies that we were with resonated well with her report. What joy to see them focus on others beyond our little world and express a willingness to pray, give, and perhaps even go.  Our hearts would love to return to Uganda with her (in a few weeks)…partly because we’re struggling to adjust to the loss of that tropical weather we enjoyed so much over the past five years…but also because there are so many needs and opportunities there. But this is where God wants us to be for now and we rejoice that God is at work through the various people and ministries He has enabled to serve.

Great Commission Encouragement

We had a great weekend at Calvary Baptist, Ruth’s sending church in Claremont, New Hampshire.  It started with the youth and ended with youth which encouraged us “seniors.”  We first connected with two classes of High Schoolers at Claremont Christian Academy.  A few of the students we knew but most were new friends.  Amazing how several had connections with Asia, others with Africa.  Friday night we recalled God’s faithfulness during a Ladies Night-Out.  Sunday School was a great time of thanking those who had partnered with us over the years and to share “don’t stop now,” as God’s work goes on and needs much prayer.  Sunday Worship began with a victorious march of children carrying huge flags of the nations the church is investing in through their missionaries.  The Ugandan flag moved us to tears.  One of the highlights for us was to meet a young couple just beginning their journey into cross-cultural missions heading to Africa.  

On our way back to Canada, we overnight-ed with Ruth’s niece, who along with her brother and his wife are teaching in a Christian School, actively and creatively sharing God’s truth with the next generation. We praise God there are others to “pass the baton” to as we trust God for more people to pray, give, and go.  

Just to make sure we are not finished yet, as we dropped our suitcases down at our home base in Sussex, NB, Ruth’s phone rang and we enjoyed a brief live greeting and update from our colleague Beth in Uganda. 

Closed Doors Are Still Penetrable by God

Skype and emails make Africa closer and recently helped me realize that indeed I left part of my heart in Uganda.  The past couple of weeks we’ve been able to chat and email with, know their daily schedule, and pray for two of our VOICE colleagues who spent more than two weeks in an East African island where over 99% of the people follow Islam.  God gave safety as they oversaw the finishing of an office building (thanks to a gift from a foundation) that will provide a ministry base for Scripture Union plus some income from the renting of several business kiosks. 

Picture sent to us of former slave market

We were fascinated to learn that the Anglican Church headquarters is located at the former slave market—who but God could do that? 

Even more encouraging was to hear that our colleagues connected with the Scripture Union volunteer from there who joined a VOICE training we helped conduct a couple of years ago. The volunteer remains optimistic that the growing volunteer base, once trained, can carefully and prayerfully roll out Biblical Values program in schools. That stretches our faith but we know nothing is impossible with God. Join us in prayer that indeed the light of Jesus may shine and accomplish God’s purpose and bring glory to the Savior.

Family Blessings

One of my (Ruth) sisters married a Canadian and God blessed them with five precious children. In past years, Laura and I have so enjoyed visiting them with their parents and were always amazed at how fast they grow up and how smart and capable each one was as they honed the gifts God gave to each.

As the years passed, all of them have married and now my sister and her husband have 21 precious grandchildren. As only God could do it, we were able to see all except one grand-nephew over the past five days and to be in the homes of four of them who live in Nova Scotia. Oh my, the hugs, kisses, squeezes, laughter, chatting, praying, and sheer enjoyment has been a blessing which cannot be measured…especially since I hadn’t seem some of them during the past six years. I was humbled to be prayed for by some of my nephews in law as well as by some of the children, to see our prayer cards on their fridges/bulletin boards, and have globes quickly brought out to find the Philippines and Uganda. Yes, cross-cultural overseas missions requires one to make the sacrifice of being far from family…but God knows how to more than make up for what one might feel was lost! We simply cannot out give Him! What a gracious God we serve.

The Rainbow of Affirmation

One of the projects on my (Ruth’s) “to do” list while I spent time in New Hampshire during the month of August was to purchase a car—I haven’t truly owned a car for several decades! I had done some searching on line while still in Canada and had narrowed the choices down to a Toyota Camry. One dealer who was almost right on our way back to Claremont, New Hampshire, seemed to have several choices, so Laura and I decided to stop on our way home. I told Laura that we would only look—we wouldn’t make any decisions!...famous last words! The 3^rd car we looked at really took my eye…not only did it have one owner and low mileage, it was also a bright blue color—my favorite! The price was slightly higher than I had decided upon, but, you guessed it—I ended up putting a down payment on it.

As we left there to cover the final hour and a half of driving to arrive in Claremont, I began to have second thoughts…did I rush too fast?, should I have waited for another one within my original budget? did the color overpower my common sense? As we drove into rain but still with sun around us, I casually looked for a rainbow. YES, in the rear-view mirror a huge and very clear bow was stretched from one end to the other! After finding a place to pull over, I snapped a picture! As I did, I sensed God telling me that with this rainbow of promise, He was affirming that He had chosen that car for me! A couple days later we returned with the needed documents, etc. and soon I was driving a beautiful blue Toyota off the lot still trying to truly comprehend that it belonged to me! What a wonderful God we serve!

It was too large for me to fit it into one picture!