Pictures from London & Uganda

My Child

My Child, Not only can I hear you, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 139:2) I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalm 139:3) Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31) For you were made in My image. (Genesis 1:27) In Me, you live and move and have your eing. (Acts 17:27-28) For you are My offspring. (Acts 17:28) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah 1:4-5) I chose you, when I planned creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in My book. (Psalm 139:15-16) I determined the exact time of your birth, and where you would live. (Acts 17:26) You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) I knit you together in your mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) And brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalm 71:6) I have been misrepresented by those who don't know Me. (John 8:41, 42, 44) I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. (1 John 4:16) And it is My desire to lavish My love on you. Simply because you are My child, and I am your Father. (1 John 3:1) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. (Matthew 7:11) For I am the perfect Father. (Matthew 5:48) Every good gift that you receive, comes from My hand. (James 1:17) For I am your provider, and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33) My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalm 139:17-18) And I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you. (Jeremiah 32:40) For you are My treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all My heart, and all My soul. (Jeremiah 32:41) Adn I want to show you great and marvelous things. (Jeremiah 33:3) If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. (Deuteronomy 4:29) Delight in Me, and I will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) For it is I, who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. (Ephesians 3:20-21) For I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) And nothing will ever seaparte you from My love again. (Romans 8:38-39) I have always been your Father, and will always be your Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15) Love, Your Heavenly Father

Uganda October 2007

On both of my previous trips to Uganda I went with great expectations of creative miracles, signs and wonders, such as, limbs growing back or the dead being raised. Maybe because of all that was going on in my life before we left for this trip I really did not have a lot of time to think about it in terms of gathering any preconceived ideas of what would take place. Honestly, I did not have any feelings whatsoever. It was very unusual for me and I was concerned and disturbed by it. I am glad that I did not have such expectations because I was not disappointed by what took place. I was in awe at the children as in times past but they did not consume my thoughts or my emotions. What I was in awe of was God in the little things. I noticed God in the smaller moments: I witnessed courtesy to our bus drivers that led one to a hunger for salvation. I watched a sinner being led to repentance inside a mini-bus in the middle of the Kampala jam. I, then, remembered how we never would have had that moment if a mini-bus we were riding to the crusade in had not broken down which caused us to swap buses on the side of the street. I saw God’s hand in that. I recognized God’s love for Michael that He would cause all of those events to take place just so Michael could be born again. I noticed the true importance of a Father/Son relationship and how it is longed for by so many when the tears fell from Michael’s cheek as Pastor called him his new son. I witnessed the salvation of hundreds of lost souls which is the greatest miracle of all. I was touched by the tears streaming down faces as they repeated the sinner’s prayer. I could almost see the angels peering down from Heaven and counting them one by one, then turning around to start the jubilant celebration. I saw the Gospel message, the Great Commission, manifested as every newborn soul was jotted down and would become a part of the discipleship program and taught the Truth. They will grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Jesus Christ. I was humbled by messages that were preached because they were as much for me and my situations here as it was for the people of Uganda. Jesus is no respecter of persons and I am truly blessed that God spoke to me as He spoke to others. If we would strive to have a teachable spirit and open our hearts to receive what the Lord is speaking we would be so much stronger spiritually than we are. Though we came to minister and bless these people, I, in turn, was ministered to and blessed; maybe even more so than they. My heart leapt as a little boy was thanking God for sending an angel to chase a demon away from him and acknowledging God as the provider of a sponsor for his school fees. I was humbled to see the generosity towards a waitress who was saving all of her tip money in order to buy a new mattress. I watched as God’s hand outstretched to give her the last 10,000 shillings (which is about $6.67) she needed to finish her purchase. I saw the heart of God in the humble servant hood of Damalie as she carried Bibles and escorted Ms. Wanda to our mini-bus every day. Not only did she have a humble spirit but also a sacrificial spirit. She does not have much but she gave each of us ladies a beautiful beaded necklace; a modern day widow’s mite. I experienced the magnitude of a touch and a hug as the children pressed all around just for one hand shake and one squeeze. One little boy even sat on the end of the bench I sat on one night but inched his way over to the point of being right under me. I spent the rest of the night with one arm around him and he just nuzzled right up to me and loved every second of it. I remembered feeling like the Pied Piper as I looked on either side of me and behind me to see that I was surrounded by children whose faces lit up when I acknowledged their presence. I saw the impact of a prayer for a little boy who was having nightmares as tears streamed down his cheeks. We have no idea what they go home to and the demonic forces are very real and tangible there. But I believe that God is raising up a new generation of young warriors. They will never forget our visits and they will never forget the message we brought. They will know Jesus and all that He can do for them. I also witnessed Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, in action as He directed us from an unsafe hotel into a sheltering place that was far more comfortable and welcoming than the other. I witnessed a group of people with a determined heart and mind to do whatever it took and whatever it cost to make everything work out because every soul was worth it. God stretched the finances of each of us just in order to meet our needs and the needs of the people in Uganda. A new ministry was established in the city center. It will grow and spread throughout Kampala, throughout Uganda, and throughout Africa. I played just one small part in it by being in its attendance. So what I leave from Uganda with this time is that God doesn’t always have to do something big because He is ALWAYS in the little things. I know it seems so elementary but its importance is no less. Did I see something this time that I never have before? Most definitely! And it was probably the greatest thing I could have seen. I saw the little things. And I saw that God loves us so much that He probably pays more attention to the small things than we realize. It’s in those small things that birth out large things. The small things must take place before anything large can because the large things are just a combination of the smaller things working together. As I wrote that on the airplane God even revealed to me the importance of that within the church body. We are eagerly looking for the big things of God to take place but they will not come until all of the smaller parts and things are working together, unified. It won’t take much to work together for something big but think how much greater that big could be if more small things would pull together! My prayer is that God will reveal to each of you the importance of the small things in your life and in our church and that it would so overwhelm each of us that it pushes us into a unified action. For His glory and His renown!!!

Uganda again

So, one week from tomorrow Jordan and I will embark on another journey to Africa for a mission trip. I am excited yet nervous about this trip. I'm nervous b/c I have so much going on here at home that I haven't had time to really prepare for this trip...in terms of packing and getting all of my travel stuff organized. That means that I will be going crazy by next week if I don't get some of it accomplished before then. Monday and Tuesday I woke up with a sore throat and I decided I would go ahead and go to the doctor to get a shot in hopes of knocking out whatever is trying to plaque my body. I will not be sick and miserable on my trip next week. So I make an appointment yesterday and go see the doctor. The nurse lady comes in and asks for my symptoms and she writes them down in my chart as I call them out one by one. I proceed to tell her that I am going out of the country next week and will take a shot or whatever I need to get better. She asks where I'm going and when I told her Uganda she says, "Must be for a mission trip b/c that doesn't sound like a place you'd like to go on vacation." I confirmed her assumption and she left. The doctor comes in and I give him the whole spill again (why does the nurse ask for our symptoms only for the doctor to come in behind her and ask for them all over again?)! I tell him that I'm going out of the country next week and I am very open to him giving me a shot. He agrees and sends the nurse in to inject me. The nurse is rubbing the little alcohol swab on my arm and she asks me, "are you going over there to feed them or to preach?" I reply, "to preach." She very matter of factly says, "I'm sorry but I believe that's just a waste of time." At that reply I am basically caught a little off guard and shocked that she would say that to me. So I reply back with "Really?!" "Yes," she replies, "I just feel there are a lot of people over here that need help." I then inform her, "Well, we do help a lot of people over here too. Our church ministry has helped a lot of people over the past several years. We happen to have a contact in Uganda who sets up crusades for us there and that's why we go over there. But we do still help here too. We just do both." I'm spitting out all of this info as she's closing the door and just has that "whatever" kind of look on her face. Now I'm mad! I do not like confrontation at all and I do not like disagreements. Whenever I encounter those things I tend to get emotional. I can feel my neck start burning and the nerves are pulsating up and down my weak legs. Doctor, can you please hurry and bring my prescription in here so I can leave? What I would have liked to have said to her is the following: "Are you upset at the fact that we're going over there to preach and not to feed them? Is it better that they die and spend an eternity in hell so long as they had a full belly before they did. Or is it better for them to miss a meal here only to spend an eternity in Heaven b/c they heard the Gospel message and Jesus Christ saved their soul? Not saying that I'm not in favor of feeding them b/c I strongly believe that they will not care what you know until they know how much you care. But we are not going to an area where there is an immense lack of food nor high malnutrition. And if you strongly believe that there are people over here that need help and that seems to be a concern of yours then why don't YOU help them? Or are you upset that we're going over there to preach when there are plenty of people here who need to be preached to? Well, can I just remind you that there is basically a church on every corner here in the United States and we have the freedom of choice to attend any church we so desire. So if people here needed to be preached to but they fail to get off their duffs and go to church then should you condemn me for being called by God to travel 10,000 miles away to preach to a people who are hungry for the Word of God and cannot get enough of Him? Forgive me for being a little perturbed at the ignorance of some people. You do what your convictions tell you to do and let me do what I feel God is calling me to do. Jesus said to go into Samaria, Judea and all parts of the world preaching the Gospel. Well, we're here in our community preaching and we're reaching out to the world too. Who are YOU to judge and condemn me? God is my judge and I believe He is more pleased with those who obey His commandments than those who condemn others for doing His commandments and who sit idly by waiting for someone ELSE to reach out and make a difference. So, I just needed a moment to vent that out! God have mercy on the ignorant and open their understanding.