The first video I've ever made for our team blog. Check it:
http://youtu.be/KEbFNnDMsD4
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Two pictures
Here's a picture of my lovely D (discipleship) group of women on my team.
Second, a picture of how Amy, Jay, and I travel to leaders meetings together.
Lira Part 2: It's not about me.
This time in Lira I started out with a good dose of food poisoning. [Didn't see that coming]! Our first night in Lira, the guys on my team had to leave the hotel at 3 AM to buy me a soda and some water to settle my stomach because I was dehydrated from throwing up all night. The next day I barely got out of bed and literally did not leave my hotel room due to weakness, dizzyness, and overall yuckyness.
The day I was sick my team came together amazingly. I was so proud of them. They organized a worship night with the Ugandans we had seen come to Christ last month. Everyone said the Presence of God was sweet in the room that night and that they cannot wait to have another worship time when we go back next month.
As I was laying in bed unable to do much beyond walk to the bathroom and drink water, I had the revelation yet again that I do not lead the Lira Outreach team -- Jesus does. The next day I was able to get out of bed, eat toast, and even take a shower. At our morning meeting as the team shared how all our friends from last month were doing: Aaron led 6 people to Jesus, Bonnifer led 6 people to Christ, Immanuel and Geoffrey went home and shared the Gospel with their village, the "Market Men" (as we call them) small group has tripled in size and is still growing.
Wow. Jesus, you are building your church in Lira! In the most unexpected ways with the most unlikely people. We jokingly said upon leaving Lira last month that when were returned in a month, we would find the Market Men either in full revival or starting their own religion. We were beyond happy to find them having multiplied their small group and wanting to start others!
From my day in bed, I got a hold of something that both humbled me and enabled me to rest as never before in ministry. Jesus is completely in charge of my team and what He is doing in Lira. He did INCREDIBLE things the day I was sick. Sure, I prayed a little and worshipped in my hotel room - but even if I hadn't, He still was moving on Ugandan's hearts and empowering my team.
What a relief it's not about me. And it's not up to me. Jesus chooses ragamuffins like fishermen or market men upon which to build His church. Why? Maybe because they get what it takes me a rough night with food poisoning to understand: He (not me) is what people need and He can and will do anything to get through to them. He loves Uganda that much. He loves my team that much. He loves me that much.
The day I was sick my team came together amazingly. I was so proud of them. They organized a worship night with the Ugandans we had seen come to Christ last month. Everyone said the Presence of God was sweet in the room that night and that they cannot wait to have another worship time when we go back next month.
As I was laying in bed unable to do much beyond walk to the bathroom and drink water, I had the revelation yet again that I do not lead the Lira Outreach team -- Jesus does. The next day I was able to get out of bed, eat toast, and even take a shower. At our morning meeting as the team shared how all our friends from last month were doing: Aaron led 6 people to Jesus, Bonnifer led 6 people to Christ, Immanuel and Geoffrey went home and shared the Gospel with their village, the "Market Men" (as we call them) small group has tripled in size and is still growing.
Wow. Jesus, you are building your church in Lira! In the most unexpected ways with the most unlikely people. We jokingly said upon leaving Lira last month that when were returned in a month, we would find the Market Men either in full revival or starting their own religion. We were beyond happy to find them having multiplied their small group and wanting to start others!
From my day in bed, I got a hold of something that both humbled me and enabled me to rest as never before in ministry. Jesus is completely in charge of my team and what He is doing in Lira. He did INCREDIBLE things the day I was sick. Sure, I prayed a little and worshipped in my hotel room - but even if I hadn't, He still was moving on Ugandan's hearts and empowering my team.
What a relief it's not about me. And it's not up to me. Jesus chooses ragamuffins like fishermen or market men upon which to build His church. Why? Maybe because they get what it takes me a rough night with food poisoning to understand: He (not me) is what people need and He can and will do anything to get through to them. He loves Uganda that much. He loves my team that much. He loves me that much.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Laughing Lira
When we first prayed as a team for our outreach city Lira (located southeast from Gulu where we live and work), I heard we would be called "Laughing Lira." I think that name has held pretty true.
Weekly here we have a teaching/equipping time we call ARISE. On outreach, we watched a teaching by Steve Backlund on "Joy." Steve teaches that in Psalm 2 (verse 4) God is laughing at the plans of the Enemy because they are ridiculous and will not come to pass. In the same way, we can laugh at the lies that the Devil tries to convince us are true about ourselves or our circumstances. After watching the teaching, we tried to break up into 3 pairs and share individual lies we were believing so we could laugh at how ridiculous they were. It's hard to not listen in to others conversations when you are meeting in a small hotel room... our response team turned into a team laughing party. Every person on the team confessed a silly lie they had let creep into their thought-life and as a team we laughed hysterically - and then laughed some more - at how uncreative the Accuser of the Brethren is. The joy of Jesus in the face of lies, doubt, and discouragement was truly hilarious to us that night!
In total we saw over 20 people give their lives to Jesus for the first time or recommit their lives to Him. We got to baptize 6 men our last day there. What was the most exciting though was that out of the 15 or so Ugandans we led to Jesus - a number of those Ugandans not only understood the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) but then actually obeyed it! They lead other people to Jesus and now are going to teach their own disciples how to obey Jesus. At the end of the week, we all laughed at the lie that God does not have big things planned for Lira. The way He connected us up with key Ugandan men in only one week in Lira who want to share the Gospel with others shows that in fact God has incredible things planned for this city.
Weekly here we have a teaching/equipping time we call ARISE. On outreach, we watched a teaching by Steve Backlund on "Joy." Steve teaches that in Psalm 2 (verse 4) God is laughing at the plans of the Enemy because they are ridiculous and will not come to pass. In the same way, we can laugh at the lies that the Devil tries to convince us are true about ourselves or our circumstances. After watching the teaching, we tried to break up into 3 pairs and share individual lies we were believing so we could laugh at how ridiculous they were. It's hard to not listen in to others conversations when you are meeting in a small hotel room... our response team turned into a team laughing party. Every person on the team confessed a silly lie they had let creep into their thought-life and as a team we laughed hysterically - and then laughed some more - at how uncreative the Accuser of the Brethren is. The joy of Jesus in the face of lies, doubt, and discouragement was truly hilarious to us that night!
In total we saw over 20 people give their lives to Jesus for the first time or recommit their lives to Him. We got to baptize 6 men our last day there. What was the most exciting though was that out of the 15 or so Ugandans we led to Jesus - a number of those Ugandans not only understood the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) but then actually obeyed it! They lead other people to Jesus and now are going to teach their own disciples how to obey Jesus. At the end of the week, we all laughed at the lie that God does not have big things planned for Lira. The way He connected us up with key Ugandan men in only one week in Lira who want to share the Gospel with others shows that in fact God has incredible things planned for this city.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Outreach to Lira
Hey blog followers! I am going to be in Lira for the next week leading one of our three outreach pushes here in northern Uganda. So be eagerly awaiting a report of all Jesus did in Lira sometime after November 11 (when we get back to Gulu and have computer access again). Happy Daylight Savings Time America :)
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Waiting, Trusting
I wrote this for our team blog:
The rain is beautiful in Gulu. You can’t anticipate when it will fall though. Sometimes the clouds loom just above our compound full, gray, threatening a serious storm, but then the winds from Sudan will just blow them past. Other times we go into a shop in town while the sky is full of fluffy white clouds and sunshine, and by the time we are ready to leave the shop, a deluge has begun.
Waiting. Watching.
The rhythm of life here is quite different than the tempo of life at home. People often wait the rain out here wherever the rainstorm finds them. Very, very few have cars to jump in with windshield wipers to turn on and windows to roll up. To travel anywhere in the rain, you need to get ready to be wet, muddy, and cold, either on the back of a motorcycle taxi or even better - on foot.
Listening. Learning.
Sometimes I tough it out and fare the rain like a typical Westerner with my Chacos and raincoat on (if I had enough forethought to pack it, regardless of the color of the sky when I left home). Two times I decided instead to talk to the Ugandans stranded in the rain with me. All of us huddled (usually quite close) beneath what was closest and provided the best shelter from the downpour. Both times I saw women commit their lives to Jesus and had the opportunity to tell them about Jesus’ love.
Resting. Believing.
I have only seen a handful of Ugandans running. They aren’t in a hurry like I so often am—eager to get to wherever I think I need to be to accomplish what I think I ought to be doing. Jesus is teaching me about His timing among a people who so often operate outside the pressures of time. The same God that causes the brilliant lightning storms illuminating the dark night horizon is my God who knows where I need to be and when.
Stretching. Trusting.
Your ways are not my ways Jesus, nor are Your thoughts my thoughts. You are the only One who can heal, deliver, and save every son and daughter You have chosen. Everything is made perfect in Your time. You are nothing but good for me and the people of Uganda.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Out of the book of Acts
As a team, we are studying the book of Acts... the Holy Spirit did amazing things among the early church. The fun part about pairing faith with action today is that you too get to see the Holy Spirit do unimaginable works for the glory of Jesus!
Two such occasions this past week:
Jesus led J.J. and I both to pray for Rebecca who is the mother of three. She owns a vitamin shop beside the Cerleno market. Rebecca's mother asked us to pray for her ankle which was swollen and painful. We commanded her ankle to be healed in the Name of Jesus. Jesus took all the pain from her ankle! She then asked us if we could buy her reading glasses. We asked if we could just pray for her eyes to be healed? I shared with her that I had worn glasses and/or contacts from sixth grade until a year ago. My friends in Night Elevate prayed for my eyes and now I don't have to wear glasses. I told her that I had faith Jesus wanted to heal her eyes like He did mine. I placed my hands over her eyes and prayed. J.J. said the woman's eyes were twitching while we prayed. When we finished, we told Rebecca's mother to try and read the calendar across the shop that she had not been able to read before. She said now her eyes were ok! She laughed and smiled and shook our hands. We enthusiastically looked her in the eyes and shared: "Jesus has healed you! He loves you so much."
The Holy Spirit led us further down the road to the "residential area" of Cereleno which consists of cement circular huts called bondas roofed with dry grass. Along the roadside was a woman standing alone (very uncommon in Ugandan culture). We introduced ourselves and quickly discovered Stella had once known Jesus but she had "failed in her friendship with God" (her words - not mine). We asked if we could pray that she would know God as a friend again. She agreed and invited us into her one room home to pray with her. J.J. began talking about how much Jesus wanted a relationship with her again. After awhile, I asked Stella what she was feeling in her heart as J.J. was sharing. Stella's response: "I want to be saved."
Stella prayed to give her life to Jesus again. After she recommitted her life to Jesus, Stella said that many of her neighbors would be saved too. We encouraged her that she could share this message with them the way we had with her. She argued that she was not perfect and did not know the Word of God well enough. We assured her that we were imperfect too and Jesus still uses us. Next week J.J. and I will begin meeting with Stella and her neighbors to study the Bible together. We asked Jesus if He wanted to speak anything to her. J.J. and I shared what we had heard God say. We asked Stella what she had heard from the Father. She reported: "I am His accepted child forever."
Two such occasions this past week:
Jesus led J.J. and I both to pray for Rebecca who is the mother of three. She owns a vitamin shop beside the Cerleno market. Rebecca's mother asked us to pray for her ankle which was swollen and painful. We commanded her ankle to be healed in the Name of Jesus. Jesus took all the pain from her ankle! She then asked us if we could buy her reading glasses. We asked if we could just pray for her eyes to be healed? I shared with her that I had worn glasses and/or contacts from sixth grade until a year ago. My friends in Night Elevate prayed for my eyes and now I don't have to wear glasses. I told her that I had faith Jesus wanted to heal her eyes like He did mine. I placed my hands over her eyes and prayed. J.J. said the woman's eyes were twitching while we prayed. When we finished, we told Rebecca's mother to try and read the calendar across the shop that she had not been able to read before. She said now her eyes were ok! She laughed and smiled and shook our hands. We enthusiastically looked her in the eyes and shared: "Jesus has healed you! He loves you so much."
The Holy Spirit led us further down the road to the "residential area" of Cereleno which consists of cement circular huts called bondas roofed with dry grass. Along the roadside was a woman standing alone (very uncommon in Ugandan culture). We introduced ourselves and quickly discovered Stella had once known Jesus but she had "failed in her friendship with God" (her words - not mine). We asked if we could pray that she would know God as a friend again. She agreed and invited us into her one room home to pray with her. J.J. began talking about how much Jesus wanted a relationship with her again. After awhile, I asked Stella what she was feeling in her heart as J.J. was sharing. Stella's response: "I want to be saved."
My instant association was Acts 2:37, "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?'"
Stella prayed to give her life to Jesus again. After she recommitted her life to Jesus, Stella said that many of her neighbors would be saved too. We encouraged her that she could share this message with them the way we had with her. She argued that she was not perfect and did not know the Word of God well enough. We assured her that we were imperfect too and Jesus still uses us. Next week J.J. and I will begin meeting with Stella and her neighbors to study the Bible together. We asked Jesus if He wanted to speak anything to her. J.J. and I shared what we had heard God say. We asked Stella what she had heard from the Father. She reported: "I am His accepted child forever."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
After God parted the Jordan River, the Israelites placed 12 stones together to remember what God had done for them. This is my place to pile up the stones of Christ's glory and grace in my life (and the lives of those around me).