Monday Recap

(Eileen Moore's Monday Night Email to the Prayer Team)

The Uganda Team built 10 kitchen shelters today for people who live in huts and cook outside on the ground.  These people now have an enclosed but vented place to prepare meals.  It was a long hot day, but when the Team returned to their home at SOS Ministries they had a "delicious chicken dinner followed by dessert."  Tomorrow (Tuesday) the whole Team, except Charles and Jason, will be going to three different government schools where they will put on evangelistic programs.  Please pray that the children will be attentive to the message, that the Gospel will be shared clearly, and that people will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

Charles and Jason will spend the day teaching youth pastors who have traveled from all over Uganda to attend a Regional Baptist Youth Leaders Conference.  Please pray that Charles and Jason will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, that their teaching will be clear and understood by those in attendance, and that they will be an encouragement to all of the youth pastors at the conference.

For all of the Team, please continue to pray for their strength and health.  Pray that they will be an encouragement to the people they will encounter tomorrow and to each other.  Pray that the Team will see a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit. 

Once again, here are some of the other things the Team asked us to pray for:

1.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them; 

2.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ; 

3.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior;

 4.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another; 

5.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe; 

6.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace; 

7.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and 

8.  That the Team members would be able to sleep.

Again, thank you so much for your faithfulness to pray!

Sunday Recap / Blessed Be Your Name

(Monday Afternoon from Rusty Banks)

Talked with Kelley today and she said everything is going well. They were building kitchens today. Yesterday was church service and Olivia led "Blessed Be Your Name" while Weslan played guitar and Ethan played the African drums. The whole team came together on the platform with them and sang.

The team has one more full day of ministry with S.O.S. before they go on their overnight safari. They were able to have a traditional African meal Sunday night in one of the villages, prepared on an open fire by the women of the village.  The team has been so blessed by the response they have received form the people of Uganda.

Monday in Uganda

(From Eileen Moore's Sunday Email to the Prayer Team)

The Uganda Team is scheduled to build kitchen shelters all day (Monday).  The Ugandan women cook outside over fires and during the rainy season it is extremely difficult.  The kitchen shelters will be a huge help and blessing to them.  This will be difficult work for our Team as they do a lot of physical labor in the hot and humid weather having had little rest over the past few days.  Please pray for their strength, physical health, and protection, and that they would not have any accidents or mishaps.  Also, please pray that they would quickly learn how to build the kitchen shelters and that the work would go smoothly so the Team can build as many shelters as possible to help the people in the village. 

As always, pray as the Spirit leads you.  Someone told me today that they were praying that God would do things through this Team that the Team had not even imagined or thought possible.  I thought that was a wonderful thing to pray, so I am passing it along to all of you!  Thank you for praying and standing together in this work that God is doing in Uganda this week.

Saturday Recap

(From Eileen Moore's Email to the Prayer Team)

Good Evening Uganda Prayer Team!

I received a long text from Charles today about the day's events.  It sounds like the Team had another full and wonderful day.  Today, they worked cleaning up rocks, debris, and sticks from the grounds of newly-built apartments for teachers at the Christian academy.  The men participated in "Men's Muscle Month"-an athletic outreach to the community.  They played handball and Jason spoke to the men on fathers loving and leading their children.  The women worked cleaning the church sanctuary.  Everyone is feeling well physically; however, Charles is experiencing some dizziness and a dull headache that he thinks may be due to the malaria medicine he is taking.  Please pray for him to feel better.

Tomorrow the team will be teaching Sunday School at the church.  Charles will be preaching at the church service in the morning.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit will empower the teaching and preaching and that people will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Tomorrow evening the Team will be having dinner at the homes or huts of the villagers.  Please pray for boldness and the opportunity to tell people about Jesus and for those who hear to have receptive hearts.  

As always, please pray as the Lord leads you to pray for the Team.  Again, here are the specific things they asked us to pray for:

1.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them; 

2.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ; 

3.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior; 

4.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another; 

5.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe; 

6.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace; 

7.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and for Doug Truitt as he grieves the loss of his aunt while members of his family are away; and  

8.  That the team members would be able to sleep.

Have a wonderful day worshiping our Lord and Savior tomorrow!

Friday Recap From Pastor Charles

It was a great day.  Almost everyone has fallen into bed exhausted. I finally took a cold shower when given the chance to get clean. After less than three hours of sleep, some from our team led chapel at the school at 8:00 this morning, and we were all warmly welcomed by the children (with big hugs and ear-to-ear smiles). After that I was asked to address a group of pastors as S.O.S closed a two-day pastors' conference. I encouraged the men from Joshua 1.   

All day we visited classrooms and led activities or played with the kids at the academy. We hosted a field day with great games on the lawn. Squeals of delight all afternoon! Lunch was prepared by the school staff on an open fire (there is no kitchen). Beans, plantains, and something like grits were tasty and served with love.  Late afternoon took us into the villages for door-to-door outreach. 

Tomorrow (Saturday) holds athletic outreach for men and agricultural outreach for those from the surrounding area whom we personally invited today. There is much poverty, much family disintegration, and much sadness after AIDS has ravaged many of the husbands and fathers around here in recent history. But our great God is at work, and S.O.S. shines exceptionally brightly against such a spiritually dark backdrop.  

~Pastor Charles

Friday Chapel at Legacy Christian Academy

Praising God for an amazing first day here in Uganda! 

God is so amazing.  After about three hours of sleep, we hit the ground running with chapel at the legacy Christian academy, loving on kids in the classroom by helping with reading and writing and organizing the office and school supplies area. After enjoying an amazing Uganda lunch, we led a sports day for the school and canvas area villages promoting an outreach event tomorrow.  An amazing first day for the glory of God.  ~Jason

(Photo found online at SOS Ministry's site) http://sosministries.com/legacy-uganda

Safe Arrival

(From Eileen Moore's Email to the Prayer Team)
God has been so gracious to the Uganda Team.  They have arrived safely at SOS Ministries and with all of the luggage!   I have been told that they got some beautiful pictures as they flew over the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, and close to Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

They arrived at their final destination at around 2:30am (6:30pm CST).  It was an extremely long trip and some of the kids have gotten some mild upset stomachs just from the traveling.  The schedule has the Team getting up at 7:00am for breakfast and attending chapel at 8:00am.  Charles is scheduled to preach at the chapel service. 

Other things on their agenda tomorrow include:  an orientation to SOS ministries; ministry in the classrooms and offices of the ministry; helping with organizational tasks in the ministry office; and running a sports camp for children! 

I don't know how any of them will be able to function without God's supernatural strength.  So, please pray for supernatural strength and for God to protect them from getting sick.  Please pray for the kids who are already feeling a bit under the weather.  Please pray that they will all be able to sleep well. 

Thursday Travel Update: UGANDA

The team has landed in Uganda!  They've made it safely, and have a late night drive ahead of them (three hours).  Remember, they are eight hours ahead of Central Standard Time.

UPDATE: Everyone is loading up for the van drive.  All luggage and all the ministry supplies also made it there!  Everyone got their visas and the buses will be in transit to S.O.S. for the next few hours.

Stay tuned... we'll be eager to share stories from the team as we hear more information from them!

Thursday Travel Update: Rwanda

We've just received word that our mission team has landed safely in Africa!  They have another, shorter flight to Uganda that will depart after a quick layover.  Praise God for the safe travel so far!

MISSION: UGANDA

The 2014 Uganda Mission Team is on the move!  Here's the team in the Memphis Airport, ready for the long journey to Africa.  

(3PM UPDATE: the team made it to Detroit, next stop, Amsterdam)

The Uganda Team started its travel to Uganda last night, with a drive and short night's sleep in Memphis.  The trip includes approximately 27 hours flying time on four different planes.  Their route takes them from Memphis to Detroit, Detroit to Amsterdam, Amsterdam to Kigali, Rwanda, and then Kigali to Kampala, Uganda.  Once in Uganda, they will travel by some type of motor vehicle to SOS Ministries in Kubamitwe.  This will be an extremely arduous trip.

Here are some things members of the Uganda Team have requested we pray for:

1.  That they would not have any fear about flying, but would be filled with an unbelievable and supernatural peace;

2.  That they would be useful, and that God would be gracious to show them how He is using them;

3.  That they would have opportunities and boldness to share Christ while traveling and while in Uganda;

4.  That they would truly be changed more into the image of Christ through this trip and that they would come home with hearts that look more like the heart of our Savior;

5.  That there would be complete unity among the team members.  That they would have supernatural grace, forgiveness, understanding and love for one another;

6.  For protection against sickness.  That everyone would be healthy throughout the trip.  That there would be no accidents or mishaps.  That God would keep all of them safe;

7.  That God would strengthen Jason as he leads the team, and that the Lord would give him wisdom, discernment, energy, and peace;

8.  For strength, protection, and safety for the team members' families who will be without their loved ones, and for Doug Truitt as he grieves the loss of his aunt while members of his family are away;

9.  That all of the luggage would arrive with the team and would be intact; and

10.  That the team members would be able to sleep.