We woke after another restful night. Emmy said the governor had called him and he WANTS to meet with us around 5pm our time on Wednesday. (11 hours ahead) Hip Hip Hooray! We went for some breakfast of toast and watermelon and packed our bags for a long journey to Kanoni Pentecostal Church.
It's kinda like the Animal Kingdom safari ride, except it was real. I am not joking. Before we turned off the main road, we had to navigate the 53 million potholes in our van. We did get to see some wild zebras on the side of the road, but, of course I missed them with my camera. I have been too busy taking pictures of the Ugandan children. Thanks for the prayers because the van worked great today. We needed the prayer today as we turned off the paved road and onto a 4-foot dirt road. We saw many potholes there, but the only difference was that they were filled with water, and you couldn't tell how deep they were until you put the first tire in the water.
We navigated for about a mile, and I asked Emmy, "Where in the world are we going?". He said that we were on the road to his mother's house and were cutting through the back way to the church. Then, he told us of his daughter Faith's birth. He had to ride his wife on a bicycle for four miles on this road to the nearby clinic, while she was nine months pregnant. Then, he showed us some of the mud houses he used to live in after he became a Christian. He lived in basically a mud hut for FIVE YEARS. Oh my goodness, my daughters are concerned if they get mud on them for more than five minutes!!!!! They are starting to get the picture. Libby told me today, "Dad there are some people in my school that think our bathrooms are gross. They need to come see these people."
We made it to his mother's house and were so impressed with her. She is 58 years old and has a tiny little house. It's about 2.5 rooms, and I am ashamed to say that our closet at home is bigger than her living room. It didn't matter to her. She greeted us warmly and thanked us for blessing her son. I told her that the pleasure was ours. He has given more than we ever could think of doing for him. We prayed for her and then were back on the safari. :O) We didn't see anymore animals, but all of a sudden, there was a paved section of the road with some small stores. We pulled over, and I wasn't sure what Emmy was doing. The store next to us didn't look like it had anything we would want or need. Soon, Emmy returned with two handmade pillows for both of my daughters for the van, so they could lay down on his two daughter's laps. Unbelievable ... I love this man's heart. If only I could be so generous, I would be a better man. I am going to get him back ... don't worry ... when hecomes to Texas. I am already planning. We got back on the safari road and passed many small "homes", more like rooms, with kids out front. They would all wave to us and flash that ivory smile that is so beautiful. That has been my favorite thing to take pictures of.
We pulled up to Pastor Simon's church and just loved it. It was very colorful and well-decorated inside. This man is a humble servant with a lion's heart. He was saved in prison and has been a pastor for eight years. He brought us to his house, another 2.5 room special, but had laid out special seating for the four of us. Then, he served us all Pepsi's while his kids (Ivan being our favorite) managed to dance around in the kitchen with the chickens. Such warmth from a man of God who truly BELIEVES he is so blessed. He is.
Finally, after about a three-hour safari ride, we made it to the church. It was a Tuesday. It was not a big church day for us, but they had been going at it for hours before we got there praising and worshiping in that beautiful Ugandan tongue. We rested at the Pastor's house for a bit and then headed into the church, Emmy's first church. Wow ... we were blown away at what the Lord has grown in 12 years since Emmy left his first church-plant. There were around 200 people there, most of the men dressed in ties, some in suits. The ladies all had their best clothes on, of course, and looked beautiful. We were welcomed like royalty again, totally not deserving, but so grateful. There were about 10 pastors there sitting to my right. Eeek, another talk from Gilligan to the Skippers! :o) This time, my message was on "Being a Kid" and how if we don't enter the Kingdom like a child, we will not enter it. At the end, I passed out balloons and made them act like kids. They made the noise letting the air out of the balloons and loved that, and then I made them blow it up again and keep them in the air. Balloons were everywhere. The smiles were the biggest we had seen all week. Then, we saved the balloons for the kids who were learning scripture and string tricks from Bailey and Libby. Monica was next and shared her heart-felt story of meeting Emmy and how the Lord has changed her life through this relationship. It was awesome. Next, we heard from song, dance (with rhythm) and bongo drums. Unbelievable.
I then took the 10 pastors, and Monica took the pastors' wives, and we ministered to them outside the church for about 20 minutes. I listened to their stories. Some were new pastors, others had been doing it for 20 years. I shared a few things I had prepared especially for them and then asked them how we could help them. They said their congregations have no Bibles, but many of them could only read Ugandan language. I felt the Lord tell me what we should do is provide one teaching Bible (in English) for the 17 pastors that are from surrounding churches of this main church. If I have to do it myself, I am going to. They nearly started crying when I told them I promised I would do this and mail the Bibles to them. There was much Joy. I got their names and will engrave their names on the Bibles. If we can teach the teachers, we will reach many. The oldest pastor walked NINE miles to hear us. I couldn't believe that. They are so starved for help with the Word. I asked them how often someone "takes the safari" to come see them. They said hardly ever. They always come to the cities and not the villages. That hit home ... I am one of their only influences, and they each are sitting on literal gold mines for the Kingdom. Monica shared and prayed with the pastors' wives about singing to the Lord and supporting your spouse. It was a blessed time for her as well. We gathered in the church and all the pastors layed hands on our family for prayer. It was very powerful. They also prayed for the visa meeting for Friday. The Lord is going before us big time.
We left for the shorter 2-hour trip back home after another amazing day in the most remote Ugandan countryside. It's a beautful place with beautiful people. I am blessed to be here to see it!!! Pray tomorrow as our schedule has changed. The Lord has told me we will return to the orphanage with gifts (many soccer balls and special snacks for the kids), blessings for the teachers and a trip to see the governor. It should be an awesome day.
I better go. I need to pee. Haven't gone since 8 am, and I bettter eat something. Food is over-rated. You can go all day without even thinking about it when you are in the presence of the Lord. Goodnight.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Monday, March 10
Today we woke up after a restful night. We had breakfast with Emmy, and he shared how the Lord has weaved himself, us and Dov together to form My Brother's Keeper Uganda. We each bring different gifts, but it sure is exciting to see and dream of what might happen.
We left for the school. Upon our arrival, they were all packed into a temporary structure - wooden slat walls, dirt slanting floor and a metal roof. There were holes cut for windows. Nearly all 100 were packed in to hear us bring a message to them. Monica and the girls passed out some gifts of musical instruments. Then Monica lead them on some songs that she had prepared with a friend. They did incredibly well with only 1/3 able to speak English well. Next, it was my turn. The title of my message was "Be a Kid". It was basically saying the Kingdom of the Lord has been given to the children, and if we act like them and consider ourselves small, our God is very big. We had to have them act like kids, so I brought a balloon for each of them. At first, I made them make the balloon noise as you release a partially-blown balloon, and they loved that. It was so fun to see all those smiles. Then I asked them to throw them up in the air and not let any hit the ground. About half of them complied. The other half just kinda tossed it above their heads and didn't want to release it. It was the only toy they probably owned at the moment. My heart was heavy for their joy. They are hanging to every little thing that God provides ... literally.
Next up were Bailey and Libby. They gave a string to every orphan and were able to get through just 2 tricks with nearly 100 needing help. They loved it!!!!!!!!! We went to talk to the 8 teachers in the staff lounge building. It was probably the most humbling building I have ever had a meeting with anyone at - decrepid boards, dirt floor, and a metal roof with a hole in the top. We sat there across from them, and I asked them what their challenges are. They said there are many. First, there are very few books, a limited number of chalkboards and no desks. There are just the basics of supplies and not enough for sure. They then said something that shocked me ... they themselves were working without pay, just praying that the Lord would provide something someday. I praised them for their faithfulness and reassured them that the Lord was going to provide them a month's salary for each of them this week. We can not do it all, but we know many that will be inspired by their story. Oh how great the Lord has showered my family with infinite resources ... the least we could do is offer a simple gift to cover a whole month for each of them as a thanks from the Lord for their work. They left that building with encouragement, and I told them to be patient. We are going to build this the right way and that others would be coming. We would find a way to get them more supplies, just about anything is going to help.
Next Emmy took us on a tour. This is the hardest thing to convey in an email. We had seen the classrooms, but nothing else. He took us on a perimeter tour of the property. On one corner was a mud house next door with three children outside, all 3 years and younger. One of them had just a shirt on. He was walking around beside the family goat. He was waving to us as we walked along the property edge. We passed the classroom that had gone up in just one month's time. This was very impressive because when Dov was present in January, nothing was there. We passed by some trees arranged for 3 small areas, and I asked what is was. They said that is was the kitchen. The first area was to serve the orphans, the middle area was to cook, and the third area was a tiny area for the cook to sleep. It might be a while for that structure to be finished. Then, we walked past the church structure where we worshipped yesterday and the tarps and chairs were removed. It sure looked different yesterday. We then walked down by the river. There was a sharp drop-off to a small flowing river. This river is used by the orphans for bathing and washing of clothes, and it is as brown as can be. I could not fathom such that I was seeing. Better yet, the water had to be carried up a very steep bank from several hundred feet below. One dorm leader for the boys fetches all the water for the 100 orphans. Wow, now I was nearly crying again. Next, we passed 3 men digging a 15-foot latreen. I have never seen a bigger one in my life. Very impressive. We next got to see the dorms, which are brick structures with a concrete floor separated in the middle, covered with a metal roof. Mats are used for sleeping. It's about the size of a gameroom. THIRTY children are in one room sometimes, two to a mat. Some dorms have lockers on the side of the room and some children have literally NOTHING but the clothes on their backs. You could never know by their love that they show.
Right before we left, one of the orphans pulled out a ball of tape they had made into a a soccer ball. The game was on. It was me versus all the rest. I don't think that I have had more fun than this in a long, long time. Finally, Libby interrupted and said, "Daddy we are ready to go." The whole van was loaded but me. I got into the van and they said, "Where are you going?" I knew I must return with some brand new soccer balls.
Then we went to visit a very special piece of land. The land they are on now is temporary ... it is much too small. The new land is on a beautiful piece of property that would have access to electricity and water that the orphans could actually drink from the pipe. I have been to a lot of places in my life and some of theworld's best ... but i will have to admit ... this piece of land feels annointed. It has the most beautiful view of the river and the mountains surrounding it. Across the bank, there are some very beautiful banana plantations. It is almost a surreal place. We toured the whole property and then we gathered hands to pray that somehow, someway the Lord would provide this land that would come with title and utilities. I felt the Lord's presence and we thanked the owner for showing it to us. Dov did not even get to see this most awesome property on his visit last month. We soon have much to talk about. Wow, if I could just share this vision and experience ... others would feel the same way, I know. We will continue to pray for this perfect opportunity of a lifetime.
The day ended with Monica and I traveling to a local church about 10 minutes away. Emmy's older daughters stayed with our girls at the hotel, and we went with our driver and Emmy's wife, Sarah. We were amazed atwhat we saw yet again. People were filling a small church and literally bowing at our presence just for visiting them. Last time I checked, I wasn't a member of the royal family of England, but it sure felt like it. Monica shared first and did a great job. Then, I gave the friendship sermon. They were so appreciative of our efforts. They had been waiting for us for four hours!!!!!!!! I told them that I didn't have enough friends that would have waited more than 5 minutes to hear me, much less four hours. They came for pictures and hugs, and I reminded them at the end that someday "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." They surely would be right up front, very near the Lord. I hope I will even be able to see over the vast many that will definitely be in front of the Barret family.
I must go now. If you are still reading this, may God bless you and develop a love for these precious orphans of Mbarara Uganda. Please pray for safe travel tomorrow. The van is running well again :o) (It broke down on the way to Emmy's house, and 10 Africans helped fix it.)
We left for the school. Upon our arrival, they were all packed into a temporary structure - wooden slat walls, dirt slanting floor and a metal roof. There were holes cut for windows. Nearly all 100 were packed in to hear us bring a message to them. Monica and the girls passed out some gifts of musical instruments. Then Monica lead them on some songs that she had prepared with a friend. They did incredibly well with only 1/3 able to speak English well. Next, it was my turn. The title of my message was "Be a Kid". It was basically saying the Kingdom of the Lord has been given to the children, and if we act like them and consider ourselves small, our God is very big. We had to have them act like kids, so I brought a balloon for each of them. At first, I made them make the balloon noise as you release a partially-blown balloon, and they loved that. It was so fun to see all those smiles. Then I asked them to throw them up in the air and not let any hit the ground. About half of them complied. The other half just kinda tossed it above their heads and didn't want to release it. It was the only toy they probably owned at the moment. My heart was heavy for their joy. They are hanging to every little thing that God provides ... literally.
Next up were Bailey and Libby. They gave a string to every orphan and were able to get through just 2 tricks with nearly 100 needing help. They loved it!!!!!!!!! We went to talk to the 8 teachers in the staff lounge building. It was probably the most humbling building I have ever had a meeting with anyone at - decrepid boards, dirt floor, and a metal roof with a hole in the top. We sat there across from them, and I asked them what their challenges are. They said there are many. First, there are very few books, a limited number of chalkboards and no desks. There are just the basics of supplies and not enough for sure. They then said something that shocked me ... they themselves were working without pay, just praying that the Lord would provide something someday. I praised them for their faithfulness and reassured them that the Lord was going to provide them a month's salary for each of them this week. We can not do it all, but we know many that will be inspired by their story. Oh how great the Lord has showered my family with infinite resources ... the least we could do is offer a simple gift to cover a whole month for each of them as a thanks from the Lord for their work. They left that building with encouragement, and I told them to be patient. We are going to build this the right way and that others would be coming. We would find a way to get them more supplies, just about anything is going to help.
Next Emmy took us on a tour. This is the hardest thing to convey in an email. We had seen the classrooms, but nothing else. He took us on a perimeter tour of the property. On one corner was a mud house next door with three children outside, all 3 years and younger. One of them had just a shirt on. He was walking around beside the family goat. He was waving to us as we walked along the property edge. We passed the classroom that had gone up in just one month's time. This was very impressive because when Dov was present in January, nothing was there. We passed by some trees arranged for 3 small areas, and I asked what is was. They said that is was the kitchen. The first area was to serve the orphans, the middle area was to cook, and the third area was a tiny area for the cook to sleep. It might be a while for that structure to be finished. Then, we walked past the church structure where we worshipped yesterday and the tarps and chairs were removed. It sure looked different yesterday. We then walked down by the river. There was a sharp drop-off to a small flowing river. This river is used by the orphans for bathing and washing of clothes, and it is as brown as can be. I could not fathom such that I was seeing. Better yet, the water had to be carried up a very steep bank from several hundred feet below. One dorm leader for the boys fetches all the water for the 100 orphans. Wow, now I was nearly crying again. Next, we passed 3 men digging a 15-foot latreen. I have never seen a bigger one in my life. Very impressive. We next got to see the dorms, which are brick structures with a concrete floor separated in the middle, covered with a metal roof. Mats are used for sleeping. It's about the size of a gameroom. THIRTY children are in one room sometimes, two to a mat. Some dorms have lockers on the side of the room and some children have literally NOTHING but the clothes on their backs. You could never know by their love that they show.
Right before we left, one of the orphans pulled out a ball of tape they had made into a a soccer ball. The game was on. It was me versus all the rest. I don't think that I have had more fun than this in a long, long time. Finally, Libby interrupted and said, "Daddy we are ready to go." The whole van was loaded but me. I got into the van and they said, "Where are you going?" I knew I must return with some brand new soccer balls.
Then we went to visit a very special piece of land. The land they are on now is temporary ... it is much too small. The new land is on a beautiful piece of property that would have access to electricity and water that the orphans could actually drink from the pipe. I have been to a lot of places in my life and some of theworld's best ... but i will have to admit ... this piece of land feels annointed. It has the most beautiful view of the river and the mountains surrounding it. Across the bank, there are some very beautiful banana plantations. It is almost a surreal place. We toured the whole property and then we gathered hands to pray that somehow, someway the Lord would provide this land that would come with title and utilities. I felt the Lord's presence and we thanked the owner for showing it to us. Dov did not even get to see this most awesome property on his visit last month. We soon have much to talk about. Wow, if I could just share this vision and experience ... others would feel the same way, I know. We will continue to pray for this perfect opportunity of a lifetime.
The day ended with Monica and I traveling to a local church about 10 minutes away. Emmy's older daughters stayed with our girls at the hotel, and we went with our driver and Emmy's wife, Sarah. We were amazed atwhat we saw yet again. People were filling a small church and literally bowing at our presence just for visiting them. Last time I checked, I wasn't a member of the royal family of England, but it sure felt like it. Monica shared first and did a great job. Then, I gave the friendship sermon. They were so appreciative of our efforts. They had been waiting for us for four hours!!!!!!!! I told them that I didn't have enough friends that would have waited more than 5 minutes to hear me, much less four hours. They came for pictures and hugs, and I reminded them at the end that someday "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." They surely would be right up front, very near the Lord. I hope I will even be able to see over the vast many that will definitely be in front of the Barret family.
I must go now. If you are still reading this, may God bless you and develop a love for these precious orphans of Mbarara Uganda. Please pray for safe travel tomorrow. The van is running well again :o) (It broke down on the way to Emmy's house, and 10 Africans helped fix it.)
Sunday, March 9 - Part 2
We made it to the church area and had a seat of prominance. There were a total of around 400 people - amazing! The governor of the Mbarara district was present, and he was sitting just down from us. I couldn't believe how many people were waiting to hear from us. In addition, the Ezra School of Ministry was graduating their 13 students. We were all on the present school/orphanage grounds and under a tarp ceiling with small trees supporting it. It kind of reminded me of Gilligan's Island. I kind of felt a little like Gilligan too amongst such powerful men of God.
Wow, 14,000 miles from home, and here we are. They had a huge sound system, and they gave us many greetings to start the service. There was such joy in the church like I had never seen. There is something just verybeautiful about a true African smile. WE SAW THEM ALL DAY FROM EVERYONE. That was all I needed from the Lord to thank us for the hardship in coming. Next we were blessed with some annointed praise and worship music. I don't know if I have ever heard the Lord praised with such genuine passion. At one point, the Nnyanzi choir, composed of Pastor Emmy's 5 kids and his 18+ orphans he currently keeps in his house in which I am now typing, got up and sang to the Lord. What a line up!!!
Then, it was time to preach. We stood up and presented Emmy with an amp that runs on batteries for him to use on his travels to the various districts. He was thrilled. We asked the crowd who they wanted to hear first, and of course they chose Monica. No-brainer. She got up and shared straight from her heart several verses about unity with no notes of preparation. The Lord spoke through her, and it was well received. I am so impressed with her ability to"hear the Spirit" and to be ready to share at a moment's notice. I was next and brought a message about friendship. It was kind of appropriate to share our story of Emmy. I had now known him for 36 hours, but the friendship has been much longer for sure. The Lord brought us together for a reason, and I was now standing on this ground with the nearly 100 orphans and the entire church, plus the governor. Eeek! I have never spoken to a governor. There were at least 10 other officials there, and I have no clue who they were. But, it was humbling to show such respect to a doctor trying to fill in as a preacher. All of the other graduating pastors were to my right, and I kept thinking I am not worthy to be on the same platform with them either. We were, of course, the only white people present. It made no difference to us. We have NEVER felt more love and appreciation for simply coming to visit them than anything we have ever experienced in our lives. We were the most under-dressed of the entire crowd, but it made no difference. I told the governor that I would have brought at least a tie if I knew he was coming. Somehow, I was able to make them laugh at some of the lines, startingwith the first one, "I am a doctor, not a preacher ... but I am here today because the Lord asked me to come visit you." I told them that I had been praying hard for some friends that would come alongside of me and help build me up spiritually. The Lord has now runneth my cup over. All you could see was literally "a sea of carmel faces". I spoke about the vertical relationship we need with Jesus and the horizontal relationships we need with each other. I touched on the ten characteristics of true friendship and ended with my verse of the day, John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus did it for us ... we are called to do it for each other. Two people came forward after the sermon: one lady named "Regine" came forward to give her life to Christ and another man named "Tovar" rededicated his life to Christ. I got to lead them in that prayer of salvation and rededication.
Then, it was Bailey and Libby's turn. They shared 10 verses and had a string trick to show for each one. The crowd loved it. We all sat down and then heard from the governor. He gave a history of Ugandan government and then said how proud he was to be a Christian and how much joy it was to work for a government that truly loved Jesus and was actively proclaiming it. As we in America are trying to remove God from our schools, courts, and government, some nations have truly got it right. He went on to talk about accountability for Emmy as the head of this school and church, and I knew then it was the Lord placing him in the church that day. He said, "We are behind this school and will do everything we can to support it." The Lord had him there to listen to this story of friendship and be there for Emmy for his visa application. He came up to me after the service, wanted a copy, and I told him only if he helps me get this mighty servant a visa. He said he would love to do that. What an answer to prayer!!!!!!!!!
After that, we handed out the diplomas for the Ezra School of Ministry. They only had one cap and gown, so each student put it on and posed for a picture with us. Amazing. On a day they are so honored ... Monica and I are there handing them a diploma. I think the Lord was smiling at that one, because I sure felt unworthy of that task. Kind of like Gilligan giving the Professor a Nobel prize.
Then, we all left the church after about five hours and headed for the meal they had prepared. They have astaple of bananas, potatoes, beans and several other veggies. Of course, they put us in the front of the line, and we actually got to sit down with a table and some silverware. The rest of the church members filled their plates as high as I have ever seen on a plate and sat and quietly ate it with their hands. Very blessed we people are. We eat 3 time a day without even a thought. Once a day is a new thought. We would all probably be better off not thinking so much about what we eat, but rather about being so incredibly thankful for what God has provided.
At about 7pm, we returned home to our hotel. I told my girls that they may never have a better day in their lives. I hope you enjoyed this one. We now knew why we had come.
Wow, 14,000 miles from home, and here we are. They had a huge sound system, and they gave us many greetings to start the service. There was such joy in the church like I had never seen. There is something just verybeautiful about a true African smile. WE SAW THEM ALL DAY FROM EVERYONE. That was all I needed from the Lord to thank us for the hardship in coming. Next we were blessed with some annointed praise and worship music. I don't know if I have ever heard the Lord praised with such genuine passion. At one point, the Nnyanzi choir, composed of Pastor Emmy's 5 kids and his 18+ orphans he currently keeps in his house in which I am now typing, got up and sang to the Lord. What a line up!!!
Then, it was time to preach. We stood up and presented Emmy with an amp that runs on batteries for him to use on his travels to the various districts. He was thrilled. We asked the crowd who they wanted to hear first, and of course they chose Monica. No-brainer. She got up and shared straight from her heart several verses about unity with no notes of preparation. The Lord spoke through her, and it was well received. I am so impressed with her ability to"hear the Spirit" and to be ready to share at a moment's notice. I was next and brought a message about friendship. It was kind of appropriate to share our story of Emmy. I had now known him for 36 hours, but the friendship has been much longer for sure. The Lord brought us together for a reason, and I was now standing on this ground with the nearly 100 orphans and the entire church, plus the governor. Eeek! I have never spoken to a governor. There were at least 10 other officials there, and I have no clue who they were. But, it was humbling to show such respect to a doctor trying to fill in as a preacher. All of the other graduating pastors were to my right, and I kept thinking I am not worthy to be on the same platform with them either. We were, of course, the only white people present. It made no difference to us. We have NEVER felt more love and appreciation for simply coming to visit them than anything we have ever experienced in our lives. We were the most under-dressed of the entire crowd, but it made no difference. I told the governor that I would have brought at least a tie if I knew he was coming. Somehow, I was able to make them laugh at some of the lines, startingwith the first one, "I am a doctor, not a preacher ... but I am here today because the Lord asked me to come visit you." I told them that I had been praying hard for some friends that would come alongside of me and help build me up spiritually. The Lord has now runneth my cup over. All you could see was literally "a sea of carmel faces". I spoke about the vertical relationship we need with Jesus and the horizontal relationships we need with each other. I touched on the ten characteristics of true friendship and ended with my verse of the day, John 15:13 - "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus did it for us ... we are called to do it for each other. Two people came forward after the sermon: one lady named "Regine" came forward to give her life to Christ and another man named "Tovar" rededicated his life to Christ. I got to lead them in that prayer of salvation and rededication.
Then, it was Bailey and Libby's turn. They shared 10 verses and had a string trick to show for each one. The crowd loved it. We all sat down and then heard from the governor. He gave a history of Ugandan government and then said how proud he was to be a Christian and how much joy it was to work for a government that truly loved Jesus and was actively proclaiming it. As we in America are trying to remove God from our schools, courts, and government, some nations have truly got it right. He went on to talk about accountability for Emmy as the head of this school and church, and I knew then it was the Lord placing him in the church that day. He said, "We are behind this school and will do everything we can to support it." The Lord had him there to listen to this story of friendship and be there for Emmy for his visa application. He came up to me after the service, wanted a copy, and I told him only if he helps me get this mighty servant a visa. He said he would love to do that. What an answer to prayer!!!!!!!!!
After that, we handed out the diplomas for the Ezra School of Ministry. They only had one cap and gown, so each student put it on and posed for a picture with us. Amazing. On a day they are so honored ... Monica and I are there handing them a diploma. I think the Lord was smiling at that one, because I sure felt unworthy of that task. Kind of like Gilligan giving the Professor a Nobel prize.
Then, we all left the church after about five hours and headed for the meal they had prepared. They have astaple of bananas, potatoes, beans and several other veggies. Of course, they put us in the front of the line, and we actually got to sit down with a table and some silverware. The rest of the church members filled their plates as high as I have ever seen on a plate and sat and quietly ate it with their hands. Very blessed we people are. We eat 3 time a day without even a thought. Once a day is a new thought. We would all probably be better off not thinking so much about what we eat, but rather about being so incredibly thankful for what God has provided.
At about 7pm, we returned home to our hotel. I told my girls that they may never have a better day in their lives. I hope you enjoyed this one. We now knew why we had come.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Sunday, March 9 - Part 1
We woke up feeling great. Went to breakfast to meet Emmy. We presented him with the video camera and digital camera that the Lord has provided. This way many of you will get to know him just like us. We were kind of casually dressed. Emmy was not. He had on some very nice clothes. He told us we might want to change because the "governor" of his state (Mbarara disctict) was coming to hear our preaching. Ugh oh ... we both headed upstairs and put on the best clothes we had. It still wasn't nice enough in both of our eyes. Also, we would be presenting the minitstry students with their graduation diplomas. A real ugh oh. We were so honored that they would conider us for such a prestigious event.
We loaded in the van and headed for the church. About 1.5 miles away, we stopped. Something was happening. They WERE HOLDING A PARADE FOR US. Our jaws nearly hit the floor. We got in the back of a pick-up, stood up and waved to hundreds of friendly Ugandan people. They were so happy to see us. I could tell that they really knew us. How could this be? They have been praying for my family for a long time, and now we have arrived in their village. The parade was complete with a marching band (with rhythm), tons of great singing and dozens and dozens of little Ugandans running along side of our truck. I have been to a lot of parades in my life growing up for a time in New Orleans. This was an unbelievable experience for my family. I could see my girls' faces as they passed by one tiny home after another filled with people who have nothing, yet all smiling with joy. You couldn't ask for a better moment to show your children how incredibly fortunate we truly are. To much who is given, much is required. We knew we were right where the Lord wanted us to be.
As for what happened at the service ... log back on tomorrow. I better go back to the hotel and meet up with my girls.
We loaded in the van and headed for the church. About 1.5 miles away, we stopped. Something was happening. They WERE HOLDING A PARADE FOR US. Our jaws nearly hit the floor. We got in the back of a pick-up, stood up and waved to hundreds of friendly Ugandan people. They were so happy to see us. I could tell that they really knew us. How could this be? They have been praying for my family for a long time, and now we have arrived in their village. The parade was complete with a marching band (with rhythm), tons of great singing and dozens and dozens of little Ugandans running along side of our truck. I have been to a lot of parades in my life growing up for a time in New Orleans. This was an unbelievable experience for my family. I could see my girls' faces as they passed by one tiny home after another filled with people who have nothing, yet all smiling with joy. You couldn't ask for a better moment to show your children how incredibly fortunate we truly are. To much who is given, much is required. We knew we were right where the Lord wanted us to be.
As for what happened at the service ... log back on tomorrow. I better go back to the hotel and meet up with my girls.
Friday, March 7
We made it to London very tired. Today is Bailey's 13th birthday. We were all 4 to travel to the city, but Monica and Libby were wiped out. Bailey and I took the tube and dropped off a couple of bags, then we went for small birthday lunch at Harrods and took some pictures. We passed by the queen's house, but she was not out playing, so we left to meet up with Monica and Libby. We left a crazy Heathrow for Africa. Overnight, the flight was a restful one. I had a Fernando Ortega song on my Ipod, and I had heard it many times. This time it really touched me. Tears began to flow, big tears of joy. It's like 3 am, I am over the Sahara Desert, and I am crying listening to him say "You can have all this world ... just give me Jesus." Nothing else matters. The tears of joy were that we were about to meet the man that the Lord has told me we should go visit. We were almost there.
Thursday, March 6
We left from DFW in the ice storm - 3 hour delay. Got to sit next to the only pastor on the flight, a gifted 28 year old black man from Dallas. For 11 hours he taught us the Word. What a blessing that flight was. He was called to preach at age 5. His name is Billy Thompson. I hope your path would cross with this young man some day. Amazing teaching this modern day apostle brought us.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Thanks and Ready, Set, Go.......
The bags are almost packed. The fun is about to begin.
I want to thank a few people for making this trip even possible. First would be my wife Monica and her amazing love for the Lord. It is very special to be married to someone who is always ready to talk about Jesus, even when the game is deep into the 4th quarter ;o) I would also like to thank our kids, Bailey and Libby, for at their tender young ages they can have "ears to hear" Him and be so willing to share their faith in an open way. I would never be at this point in my walk without my friend Daniel and his gift of boldness that he has shown me. Thank you DW and your entire family!! I would also like to thank our new friends the Meltons who we have loved getting to know recently. Praise the Lord for high tech friends and blog tutors!! We also want to thank our new friends from Israel, Dov and Lyndee Gelman. With their leadership with MBKI, exciting changes are coming to the orphans and the Kingdom in Uganda and Israel. Last but not least i want to thank Pastor Emmy. I have yet to shake his hand, but somehow I love him like a brother. Only the Lord could have brought us together on this journey. One of my goals on this first trip is to find a way to share with all of you a glimpse in to the heart of this mighty servant of Jesus. So, off we go..........
In Him,
Bub
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