Muwayo village

Long day. Short Blog. AWESOME GOD. He was at work in Muwayo village today. 118 souls saved and hundreds seen at the clinic.

Long lines today

  Waiting to be seen

More smiling faces

PRAYER

* Praise for new believers

* Continued prayer for our leaders and all the Via family

* Praise that The 2 babies we prayed for are doing much better

* For strenght and stamina (We are all getting pretty tired)

* For one of our team interpreters involved in a 'boda' accident today and his friend (boda driver was killed)

* For  children seen at clinic today

1. With severe leg abscess ( the taken to hospital)
2. With ?Fatty lymphoma on upper arm  (For biopsy)
3. A 17 month old (& family) with advanced, untreated hydrocephalus (water on the brain)

Sharing God’s truth on the streets of Jinja

Today we were invited to join in with street evangelism with some of the Jinja Town Church members. We in America have much to learn from the believers here in Uganda. They have a fire within them and an urgency to share their faith that many of us in the West have lost – We have become like the church in Laodicea, neither hot nor cold.  Our aim today was to go with them into the town of Jinja and invite people to the growing church that is held here at Arise Africa each Sunday. There are many churches in Jinja and many people claim to be Christians. Unfortunately not all of the churches teach the truth of God’s word and many churchgoers will say “no” when asked, “Are you born again?”  The people here are so open to God’s word. They want to hear the truth and they will stop on the street and listen as we go through the culturally sensitive flip chart that we have brought with us explaining the path of salvation.

Under the equatorial sun in Jinja today 43 people gave their lives to Christ and many others plan to attend Jinja Town Church during the coming weeks where they are assured of hearing God’s truth. What a blessing to yet again be used of the Lord to lead these wonderful people to new life in Christ.

There is so much poverty here in Uganda and so many of the people have only the basics of human dignity, some do not have even that, and yet I see such gratitude from them for the little that they have. It truly humbles my heart and helps me to appreciate the abundance of blessing that God has so undeservedly given to me.

These 4 young men accepted Christ today

Pius, in the foreground, is from Jinja Town Church 

This lady, working on the sidewalk, will be in church on Sunday 

Time for lunch 

Dinner out at 'Ling Ling' Chinese Restaurant

God painted the sky to close our day

PRAYER

* Praise that little Michael is healing well

* Praise for souls saved

* Pray thay those who said they will attend church will follow through

* For our village ministry tomorrow

* For 2 very sick babies that nurse Ashley is caring for here at Arise tonight

* For Jared Via, our team leader, who is sick. Also for Kelly Via, (Our Missionary Host)

* That the rest of the team will stay healthy

* For the whole Via family here to stay healthy (It's hard watching your kids get sick)

Day of Rest

Today we worship Ugandan style. Our team visited various churches around Jinja. None of them too far from ‘home.’ Duane, Roy and I accompanied Jared to Pastor Andrew’s church in Masese and were once again made to feel at home. Although we could not understand some of the singing as it was in Lugandan, all was glorifying to God and blessed our hearts.

After hearing testimonies of how God has been working in the lives of some of the church members, Jared gave a word from the scriptures, Roy and I gave a short testimony and Duane preached a challenging and encouraging message. Roy gave an invitation to salvation and 5 people came forward. All 5 prayed to accept Christ. We praise God yet again for His faithfulness.

There is a hunger for the truth here in Uganda and the days before the return of Christ are short. We rejoice with each soul that is saved and pray that He will continue to send workers into the fields whilst the harvest is still ripe.

In Matthew 9:37 Jesus says:-

“The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few;”

Duane gave a great message

5 New Brothers & Sisters

Outside the Church

The Church Building

All smiles

Please pray for Michael

PRAYER & PRAISE

* Praise for our rest and day of worship

* Praise for souls saved

* Pray for baby Michael, suffering from severe scald.

* Pray for our street evangelism tomorrow.

A Holy Anointing in Kaliro

The Ugandan Taxi

Our third village for this week is Kaliro, almost a 2hour drive from the place we have come to know as ‘home.’  We’re getting pretty used to the bumpy roads, they have become a part of our day. From what we have heard of the rainy season that has just ended, we are blessed to have roads at all to some of these remote villages.

Once again when we arrived we found a welcome not found in the west (not even in the southern states). It is a humbling experience to be welcomed in the way we are welcomed here in Uganda and to see little ones crowd around, shake your hand and curtsy before you. That is an experience that will forever moisten my eyes.

The morning crusade was well underway with singing and dancing in praise to our God and his work among His people in Uganda. Kelly gave a testimony and truly shared her heart with the people whom she has undoubtedly come to love. There was an anointing in Kaliro as she spoke, such as is rarely seen, even in Africa. A peaceful silence reigned as she so clearly shared the path of salvation with the crowd and 37 came to Christ through her obedience. We were all very moved by the scene before us and gave God the glory.

Kelly sharing the path of Salvation

Once The clinic was set up, we began seeing patients and ministering to people’s physical ailments, In Uganda, we work with Nurse Ashley who is a part of the Arise Africa team and, along with the Via family, is one of the most amazing young women I have ever met. Without her and the other ’seasoned’ nurses on our team this trip would be very different. She was able to point out that many patients were coming in with symptoms of Typhoid. Typhoid is very common in Uganda due to the distance that some have to travel for clean water and the lack of sanitation in the remote villages.

Jackie with Interpreter - Mebra

Health education is a desperate need here in Uganda and the nurses and health workers can only do so much. Giving out advice is one thing, getting people to follow through with your recommendations is another, particularly when they do not have the luxuries that you and I take for granted each time we turn on the faucet and pick up a bar of soap!

Nurse Lisa with Interpreter & Patient

The ‘Salvation Stations’ were busy all day. Many of those who came forward during the morning crusade wanted to go over their commitment again in detail and 41 others were also saved. God is truly blessing us with a harvest of souls here in Uganda and my prayer is that you will know that it is only because of you, our supporters, that we are able to be here to witness the work that He is doing. 

The pastors here are tireless in their work for the Lord and names and addresses were taken so that the pastors could follow up with each new believer. When we leave at the end of the week their hard work begins as they visit each person to help them find a church close by and to disciple them to grow in their faith. They need our support and they need our prayers.

Everyone was exhausted after this our 3rd day of village ministry. After our ride home the day ended with dinner (Delicious as usual) and our team meeting with a great message of encouragement and testimonies from the day at Kaliro.  

PRAYER REQUESTS & PRAISE

* Thanks and praise for those who have made it possible for us to be here in Uganda

* Praise for God's anointing presence in Kaliro

* Praise for new believers

* Praise for the strength He gave for us our 1st week of ministry

* Pray for the pastors as they follow up

* Pray for healing for those who were seen at the medical clinic

*.Pray for contined heath, safety, rest and stamina for the team

* Pray for our day of street evangelism in the Town of Jinja on Monday.

Tongolo Village

Another day, another village, a little further away, but the Lord blessed us with a harvest of souls and the warmest of welcomes as we once again arrived to the sound of joyful singing. Tonight’s report will be brief as I really need to get some ‘napping’ done. I know it’s not about numbers, but this gives you an idea of how the Lord is at work here in Uganda. We had a busy day with over 500 seen at the clinic with physical needs, but you and I know, the main purpose of our trip is to bring a more permanent healing, a healing that can be found only through acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross of Calvary. That healing was found today by just over 100 people, many of them Muslims. We praise God for his amazing grace. Goodnight and please…..keep those prayers coming, they mean more than you know, this is your mission trip too.

Budondo Village

Our first village, Budondo was only about a half hour drive from "Arise Africa Guest House' so we, along with all our interpreters piled into the bus and a couple of 4 wheel drives and set off for our first day of ministry. What a blessing to arrive at our location and hear joyful music and singing from the people who had gathered around the local church members who had organized the morning crusade. 

Kelly did a great job of sharing her testimony with those who were gathered and Duane preached a gospel message whilst the clinic was being set up.

Word travels fast in Uganda and people came from all around to receive medicine. Over 400 patients were seen in the clinic today with complaints varying from malaria to all kinds of aches and pains. Reading glasses were distributed to those who needed them.

Everyone who comes to the clinic has an opportunity to hear the gospel message. One elderly gentleman, 87 to be exact, came saying he was a Muslim, but wanted our faith instead. He gave his heart to Jesus and became a part of the body of Christ along with the 98 others who were saved in Budondo Village today. The people of Uganda are hungry for the truth. What a privelige to witness God's harvest here in this beatiful land as His Spirit moves amongst the hearts of the people.

So many of the believers who come to the clinic for treatment do not have their own Bible to read and we do not have enough to give them. That is hard, especially when most of us have at least 4 or 5 bibles of our own at home. Not that an English translation would be of any use to them here. they need God's word in their native tongue, in Lugandan. But it challenges me to read my Bible more often than just a few minutes a day. How about you ??

Prayer & Praise
*Praise God for those who were saved and treated today
*Thank God for our health and safety
* Thank God for the wonderful staff here at Arise Africa
* Prayer for tomorrows clinic at Tongolo Village
* For rest tonight for the team and all involved in this mission

"Let the Little Children Come to Me"

Today a group of us had the opportunity to visit the Arise Africa Babies Home and School at Bukaleba.  It is situated in a 5 acre square plot of land on the  Northern shore of Africa’s beautiful lake Victoria. The staff and children alike were friendly and welcoming. The kids were healthy, well-nourished and obviously felt so safe and loved by their carers.

What a privilege and a blessing it was for us to share with these beautiful children out of the abundance that God has given us. So many of you have donated items that we took to give to the children today...I can't mention every one by name but ....You know who you are and we and the children thank you for them. The smiling faces of these little ones say a big "THANK YOU".

Back at the guest house preparations were being made for our first day of village ministry and hopefully some of the team were getting some much needed rest. Please continue your prayer support for us. What a difference it makes as we go through the day, to know that so many of you are lifting us to the throne of grace as we face whatever challenges the Lord may put before us. We are all so blessed and humbled to be serving such an awesome God in this most beautiful part of His creation. May we be worthy of the task that He has set before us and may we leave this place forever changed and closer to Him.






Prayer requests
* Health & Safety
* That the word would go out clearly and be received in faith
* That the lost would come to the savior
* That bodies would find healing.
* Stamina for the team.
* For our team leaders

We made it!!!

We made it!!!

After a dreary wet drive to our hotel in Manasses and a good night’s sleep we settled onto our first flight from Dulles to Dubai, where we received excellent service. The 13+ hours passed fairly quickly , helped along by 3 meals, a wide selection of movies and, for some, the luxury of sleep. In Dubai we had only 1 hour 20 mins to make our connection for our flight to Entebbe. The Airport staff were amazingly helpful and guided out team through security and through their beautiful modern airport to the train that took us to our next gate. We arrived as the flight was boarding and settled into our seats. As you can see from the picture our crew were super nice and really interested in what we would be doing when on arrival in Uganda. Jared looked particularly stunning in the flight attendant’s headwear. 

Our drive from Entebbe to Arise Africa took just over 4 hours due to heavy traffic but thanks to our fearless driver we all arrived safe and sound although somewhat weary.

Today, some of the team will be going out to the Babies Home at Bukaleba while others will be resting or organizing supplies for the coming week of ministry. 

We thank you for your prayers for safe travel which our awesome God has answered. As you can see, we all made our connection despite Satan's attempts to cause delays. Our God is Faithful.

Ongoing Prayer Requests

* Safe Travel

* Good Health & rest

* Smooth Medical Clinics

* The Word would be preached and received

* We would be sensitive to cultural differences

"All our bags are packed, we're ready to go"

I know, not very original, but very appropriate nevertheless. We began at 9 o'clock this morning and had a great day packing all our supplies for the ministry work we will be doing in Uganda over the next couple of weeks.
Many of you have been collecting items for us and we are all so grateful for what you have accomplished - your generosity will bring smiles to so many faces, children and adults alike. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness. I will try and post pictures of some of those smiling faces next week. For now you will have to make do with a few of ours.

 After a shortbreak for lunch we finished our packing in record time and everything was safely loaded onto the trailer ready for the drive to our hotel on Sunday.

 We will be staying near DC overnight and flying out of Dulles on Monday morning. We have a very short layover in Dubai after our first (13hour) flight, so please pray that we (and all of our luggage) will make it on to our next flight to Entebbe. When we arrive in Entebbe we have a few hours bus ride to our Arise Africa Christian Guest House in Jinja where we are sure to receive the warmest of welcomes.

                                                                   Arise Africa Christian Guest House

We really value your prayer support before and during our trip. Prayer is the most valuable and powerful tool that we have, there is no weapon that can stand against it. We know that we serve an awesome and faithful God, His grace and His mercy know no bounds. Please pray for each one of us, that we will be submissive to His plan and His will for us over the next couple of weeks -  only then will we accomlish anything of eternal value.

Prayer Requests

* For a safe drive to DC on Sunday
* Continued prayer for health & safety
* That we would make our connection
* That God woud be glorified in all that we do at every step of this trip

“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel" Mark 16:14

This morning our Pastor and our whole Church family prayed for us as we continue to prepare to leave for Uganda next week. There will be 4 of us from Franklin Heights on the team this year, Duane Hammer and my husband Roy and I from the Rocky Mount Campus and Kelly Rutrough from the Crosspoint Campus.
What a joy and a blessing it is to know that we have the power of a praying Church here in Virginia and also many others all over not just the US, but around the world that will be lifting us up to the throne of our Heavenly Father at every step of our journey.
I know we are all excited to get to know each other better and to see all that the Lord has planned for us. We serve an awesome, amazing God who never fails to stretch us beyond what we believe are our own capabilities. I guess it's only then, when we come to the end of our own strengths, that we really begin to rely on Him, and Him alone.  He never disappoints in His faithfulness.
So Church, wherever you live,.....we really do need those prayers and we thank you for each one of them.

Here are a few requests in advance.
* Firstly for safe and 'on-time' travel and that the whole team would stay healthy throughout the trip.
* That we would be united as a team.
* That we would accomplish all that the Lord has planned for us.
* That God would prepare the hearts of the Ugandan people to receive His blessings.
* That we would be sensitive to cultural differences.
* For our families back home (particularly for Kelly who will be separated from her little boy)
* For our team leaders - they have responsibilities we know nothing of. They never complain, but show us nothing but love and encouragement.

On Friday we will be getting together for our final packing session, so I guess my final prayer request for now is....

*Please pray that we can fit everything in without having to pay too much in excess baggage fees.

Preparing our hearts

In less than 2 weeks we will be leaving for our mission trip to Uganda. There are so many thoughts and feelings fighting for a position of prioroty in my mind as I pray for all the aspects of the trip and for the team.  I know that the Lord will go before us and that He will enable us to accomplish all that He has planned for us while we are away.
God has been faithful to us in every way and at every step during our months of planning and we are humbled by the very fact that He would consider us worthy of the task He has set before us.
We are so very grateful to all who support us in so many ways and ask that you continue your prayer support as we prepare to go. We will be driving to the DC area on Sunday May 22nd and staying overnight in order to make our flight to Entebbe (via Dubai) on the morning of Monday 23rd. We have a very tight connection in Dubai and would appreciate prayers that all will go smoothly. We should finally arrive in Jinja, Uganda sometime on Tuesday evening.
Please be in prayer for health and safety for our team (16 in all) as we travel, and
that we will be united as a team as we serve the Lord in Uganda. Pray also that the Lord would prepare the hearts of the people, not only in Uganda, but also on our journey, to receive His love and that we would be ready and prepared to share His love with compassion and sensitivity.
I will do my best to post updates and pictures of our trip while we are away, but Internet time is not always easy to get, so no promises.