News
I have news!! It's been a long month with lots of waiting... and more waiting... and more waiting... :) I think I must be a very impatient person, because it seems the Lord is working extra hard to teach it to me lately. I pray I'm learning!
So now to the news... As you know, I've been waiting for Mama Aidah to come to Denver for her daughter's asthma treatments. She and Winnie were here for 2 weeks during which they were at the hospital every weekday. The doctors were able to figure some things out for Winnie, giving her some good tips for management as well as supplying her with Acid Reflux medicine to take home with her, which should help control her asthma as well.
I was finally able to meet with Aidah on Saturday! We sat down and talked through all the particulars of my living situation and ministry plans then took her and Winnie shopping in the afternoon so they could pick up the items they needed before leaving the country on Monday. So here's what we've decided, Lord willing:
I would be living with the Ogengas in a living area sectioned off from the rest of the house. It's a small bedroom with an attached bathroom and small living room. This means that I'll have plenty of privacy while still having the interaction with the family in the house. It also means that I have my own bathroom with a shower and flush toilet and my own water tank! The room has a padlock on it, for which I will have the key and all my personal items including my laptop will be secure. The whole living situation is really better than ideal! I am so grateful that the Lord seems to have seen fit to break me in gently :0)
As far as ministry goes, the plan is as follows: I would be working at Covenant Primary School teaching the Bible and memorization classes. Each grade memorizes a passage each week, and I would be doing a study on each verse and then helping them memorize it. Each grade recites their verse at the chapel on Friday, which I would also be teaching. As many of you know, I grew up in Awana, and memorizing God's Word is a passion of mine. I'm so excited to help these precious kids better understand God's Word and hide it in their hearts!
In addition, I would be a part of the evangelistic team that goes out into the villages to present the gospel in the outlying schools. We have done this in the past during our church planting missions, and I'm looking forward to doing even more followup after the summer programs.
Finally, I will be going to the different hostels in Mbale to do Bible studies with the youth. Youth from the villages come into Mbale for school, and board at the hostels during the week. This allows me the opportunity to meet with them in the evenings for evanglism and discipleship.
For the first year I will be doing intensive language learning and inculturation. Many Ugandans do speak English, but for speaking in the schools as well as just living around town, I really want to be able to share God's word in their heart language. I will be learning Luganda, a tribal Bantu language that is very common througout the whole of Uganda. Since there are not any offical lanugage schools for me to learn Luganda, I will have a language helper to come every afternoon to help me learn the language. Living with the Ogengas provides a wonderful opportunity as well since the family speaks Luganda in the house, so I will have complete immersion into the language. Living with the Ogengas will also be a blessing as they can teach me the culture from the perspective of Ugandans who also understand Western culture and thought very well.
Now that I have a ministry plan in place, I just need to finish up a couple details for my budget and I'll be able to start travelling to churches. The past couple months have been wonderful for resting and recovering from my demanding years at Moody, but I can definitely say I'm ready to get busy!!
Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I know I couldn't do this without all your love and prayers!
So now to the news... As you know, I've been waiting for Mama Aidah to come to Denver for her daughter's asthma treatments. She and Winnie were here for 2 weeks during which they were at the hospital every weekday. The doctors were able to figure some things out for Winnie, giving her some good tips for management as well as supplying her with Acid Reflux medicine to take home with her, which should help control her asthma as well.
I was finally able to meet with Aidah on Saturday! We sat down and talked through all the particulars of my living situation and ministry plans then took her and Winnie shopping in the afternoon so they could pick up the items they needed before leaving the country on Monday. So here's what we've decided, Lord willing:
I would be living with the Ogengas in a living area sectioned off from the rest of the house. It's a small bedroom with an attached bathroom and small living room. This means that I'll have plenty of privacy while still having the interaction with the family in the house. It also means that I have my own bathroom with a shower and flush toilet and my own water tank! The room has a padlock on it, for which I will have the key and all my personal items including my laptop will be secure. The whole living situation is really better than ideal! I am so grateful that the Lord seems to have seen fit to break me in gently :0)
As far as ministry goes, the plan is as follows: I would be working at Covenant Primary School teaching the Bible and memorization classes. Each grade memorizes a passage each week, and I would be doing a study on each verse and then helping them memorize it. Each grade recites their verse at the chapel on Friday, which I would also be teaching. As many of you know, I grew up in Awana, and memorizing God's Word is a passion of mine. I'm so excited to help these precious kids better understand God's Word and hide it in their hearts!
In addition, I would be a part of the evangelistic team that goes out into the villages to present the gospel in the outlying schools. We have done this in the past during our church planting missions, and I'm looking forward to doing even more followup after the summer programs.
Finally, I will be going to the different hostels in Mbale to do Bible studies with the youth. Youth from the villages come into Mbale for school, and board at the hostels during the week. This allows me the opportunity to meet with them in the evenings for evanglism and discipleship.
For the first year I will be doing intensive language learning and inculturation. Many Ugandans do speak English, but for speaking in the schools as well as just living around town, I really want to be able to share God's word in their heart language. I will be learning Luganda, a tribal Bantu language that is very common througout the whole of Uganda. Since there are not any offical lanugage schools for me to learn Luganda, I will have a language helper to come every afternoon to help me learn the language. Living with the Ogengas provides a wonderful opportunity as well since the family speaks Luganda in the house, so I will have complete immersion into the language. Living with the Ogengas will also be a blessing as they can teach me the culture from the perspective of Ugandans who also understand Western culture and thought very well.
Now that I have a ministry plan in place, I just need to finish up a couple details for my budget and I'll be able to start travelling to churches. The past couple months have been wonderful for resting and recovering from my demanding years at Moody, but I can definitely say I'm ready to get busy!!
Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. I know I couldn't do this without all your love and prayers!
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