January 2022 Kanyike Update

 “… And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Romans 12:12

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy New Year!!

This year the holidays began to feel a bit more like normal.  Last year, I remember Christmas was the children and I’s first Sunday back to church after the lengthy lockdown and the government forbidding children under 14 in church.  Even then we still had to meet outside, which was actually pretty nice.  This year we started the holidays in church and had fun decorating, preparing the Christmas performances and making the sanctuary festive.

The first of our holiday events was a women’s conference.  This was the first conference we have had since Covid first arrived.  It was so exciting.  We invited the ladies from the church, the ladies from my women’s Bible Study, and even some ladies from South Sudan signed up to come.  The theme of the conference was Thanksgiving.  We had 4 Sessions.  The first was Give Thanks, the second was Thankfulness in All Things, the third was Thankfulness is a Sacrifice, and the last was Thankfulness for Christ and the Body of Christ.  It was really a special time of fellowship.  Vicky Bentley taught along with myself and our worship leader, Evelyn. We had planned on 40 ladies and almost 60 came.  I saw ladies that I had not seen since before the pandemic. 

In the middle of the day we had break for tea and snacks.  This tea time lasted twice as long as what we had planned because the fellowship and catching up with one another was flowing so beautifully. I heard many stories of how the ladies had been affected by covid.  Some had had covid and recovered others were mourning the loss of loved ones.  All seemed to have had some financial strain due to the lockdowns.  After the conference one young lady who had been living in sin came to me in tears saying how the message on Thankfulness is a Sacrifice was so convicting and she did not want to continue in her sin.   I was able to counsel her and pray with her.  We ended the conference with worship and communion, focusing on all the Lord has done for us and how no matter what is happening or has happened we always have a reason to give thanks.

On Christmas Day we had a Christmas service at the Church. We sang Christmas carols and had a few special performances. Luke played the piano for a couple of carols. We are so proud of him and his commitment to practice and play for the Lord. Brian gave a Christmas message titled, The Meaning of Christmas. When I was growing up I thought everyone knew Christmas was celebrating the birth of Christ. As a missionary of many years now, I know that this is not the case. For many people in Sudan and Uganda hearing the meaning of Christmas is a surprise to them. Christmas is more associated with a time to eat nice food and get new clothes for the upcoming year. As a family we read through the book of Luke, one chapter everyday till Christmas so that by Christmas morning the children hopefully could understand the significance of why Jesus had to be born. I pray for the church members and all of those who came to church “just because that’s what you are supposed to do on Christmas”, that after Brian’s message they understand what the true meaning of Christmas is. After church we had fellowship and my kids had stocking filled with treats to hand out to everyone.

Every Christmas we try to reach out and help the most vulnerable in our communities.  This year we were able to deliver chickens and other necessities to 10 families in need.  As well as focusing on our community FRM was able to deliver a shipment of much needed medical supplies to the Nuba Mountains in South Sudan .  We are thankful also for the pilots from Mission Aviation Fellowship who delivered them for us. The medicines were received just before Christmas and were a very welcomed Christmas gift by the chaplains and the people they minister to there.

Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry in Uganda.

In Him,                                                   

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

PRAYER REQUESTS

  • We rejoice and thank the Lord for the ability to meet together to celebrate the birth of or Savior. 
  • We also give thanks that there have been no more terror attacks in Uganda.
  • Pray for Arise Christian Fellowship as we meet and fellowship together.  Pray for all the people who have heard the messages on Thankfulness and the meaning of Christmas to take it to heart.
  • Pray for the many needs within the community, physical and spiritual.
  • Pray for Jill and the Kanyike children as the new school year is about to begin.
  • Pray for Brian as he pastors and leads the ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship.
  • Please prayerfully consider becoming part of the Kanyike Family support team.