20190626 Newsletter

June 26, 2019

20190626 Newsletter

Dear Family and Friends,

I’m back in Uganda! I’ve returned to Welcome Home Ministries Africa where I’ve been serving off and on since 1995. Now I’m here to stay for a while. After an accident with a motorcycle resulting in a broken rear window, and a breakdown of the van, Tony finally arrived to pick me up for my journey to Jinja, Uganda. The trip took 12 hours, but I’m so glad to be back “home”. After a warm greeting from old friends, I settled in to my new housing at Kingdom Life Training Center (a fantastic Bible School that trains village pastors for a small fee sometimes paid in beans). I’m staying at the compound near dear friends of mine (Sol and Jose) whom I’ve known since the 1980’s. As a bonus, there is a cat here, who claimed my room as her own. She sleeps with me at night. (It’s the little things that remind me of God’s love and care). I’m overwhelmed by God’s goodness and grace and I’m at peace. This is home.

For now, I will have three responsibilities:

1. Working with Pastor John on developing Bible studies and practical devotionals for the staff at Welcome Home Children’s Center https://www.welcomehomeafrica.com

One need at Welcome Home is solid Bible teaching with practical application for the staff. I will be working with Pastor John (a street preacher learning to become a Bible teacher) to develop a “hands-on” application of Biblical truths. The Bible time will also center on basic Bible truths such as salvation, identity in Christ, forgiveness, vertical and horizontal relationships, etc.

2. Assisting/training Victor, a lovely local English teacher who teaches the staff of Welcome Home

We will work together to find creative ways of teaching conversational English to the workers. English is an official language in Uganda, but many of the Welcome Home staff come from poor villages and have little formal education. Since there are 30-40 local languages in Uganda, the staff will tend to speak their language to the children which is very confusing to the kids. An “English only” policy is being implemented with the children. The English class will give all our staff a common language and will give our children an advantage when they grow up.

3. Assisting/training Victor as he teaches English to the people in the village of Lwambogo

Lwambogo is a village outside of Jinja located in the beautiful fields of sugar cane and rice fields. The people work hard, long hours for very little pay. We have so much, they have so little; but they are eager to learn, to improve their lives. I will work with Victor, training him to teach a conversational English class. With basic English skills, village people have hope of a better life with better jobs to support their families. It is also an outreach to the village community, another way of sharing the Gospel.

Many thanks to Mandy Sydo and the staff at Welcome Home for the privilege of serving God with them in Jinja, Uganda.

What you can do:

· Please continue to pray for me as I adjust (again) to life in Jinja, as I build and rebuild relationships within the community and as I grow into my destiny: reflecting Christ to a lost world.
· Come for a visit!
· Consider donating monthly for my ministry/living expenses.