Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

Dear Friends and Family,

The summer of mission teams is coming to an end. It has been quite a busy and fruitful season for ministry in Uganda and in South Sudan. It has been a blessing to have the guesthouse continually full of people, with fellowship and worship happening all the time.
This past month was the chaplain’s refresher course in South Sudan. We had around 30 people from many different places come through to help teach and encourage the chaplains that came for the refresher. Over 300 hundred chaplains turned up. Many have been on the front lines facing extreme conditions. This time is set aside for them to continue their training as well as to give them a time of rest and spiritual renewal or fill up. It gives them an opportunity to share what the Lord has been doing in their area of ministry and testify of the things they have seen and done. It is also a time when they can receive medical care and checkups that might not be available where they have been.

Besides spending time in South Sudan with the chaplains, the team also spent time with Canaan Farms in Masindi. There they hosted a large Pastors/Leaders conference as well as a women’s conference. Some of the team were also able to visit and minister at the school, Sanctuary of Grace, while they were there. The focus of the pastor/leader conference, as well as the refresher course, was the End Times. The theme of the Women’s conference was Wake Up and Cast Off (Live in the Fullness of Love).

For some of the team, it was a reunion with us as they had been here before. A couple of the team members used to live here and minister with us. For other team members, it was their first time, and we enjoyed getting to know them. The world is really small when it comes to missions. I met a family who lived and ministered in Europe when I did and were close friends with a couple who I had served with in Austria and Albania. For the most part, though it was such a large team, everything went smoothly, though we had one lost passport (it was found) and about a dozen cases of malaria. We praise God how he is able to work every detail out and make not just a team but a family out of strangers in Christ.

This was our last month with the Russians who had been staying with us.  Sasha, Sveta and their baby, Taya were with us for about 3.5 months.  They very much became part of our ministry team at Arise Christian Fellowship and part of our family,  we already miss them so much.  While they were here we also had 6 other Russians come through.  One couple, a pastor and his wife, came just for 2 weeks and the others for a month.  The wife of the pastor said many things that have stayed with me and encouraged me with my ministry here as well as to continue to pray for Russia. 

One evening when we were talking about the following week of ministry, I was talking about evangelism in the marketplace and the slums and she was surprised.  She asked if we could just go into public places and neighborhoods and share openly about Christ with strangers.  I told her yes that that is actually part of our ministry and how the church started. She looked at me and said,  “that sounds like a beautiful fairytale”.  On the day the couple were to leave the husband had gone to the market with the evangelism team and she attended my women’s study.  When her husband returned and she realized it was almost time to leave she broke into tears.  She said that though they had been here shortly she felt at home, like the home of her youth in Russia, not the Russia of today, and asked us to remember to pray for Russia. 

Among the other four Russians that were here were a pastor who has come a couple times before to teach the chaplains and Natasha who used to be a missionary here with us.  She came with her daughter and 8 year old granddaughter. All of the Russians took part in the Masindi conferences and in the refresher course in South Sudan.  They also spent time with Arise and Natasha and her family joined in with our worship team.  As the Russians prepared to go back, the church laid hands on them and prayed for them and their country.

Lastly, I wanted to share that a beloved member of our church, one of the original men from the market, has passed away.  His name was Blessing.  He was hit by a large vehicle while riding his motorbike home form the market.  He has left behind his wife and 3 year old son.  Please pray for his family and for the church as we grieve his untimely death, though we are confident he is rejoicing in the presence of the Lord.

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

In Him,

Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana

• We thank the Lord for everyone who supports us and the ministry in Uganda.
• We are thankful for the many people who come through Uganda and South Sudan each year who desire to share the love of God with the people.
• Please pray for for the pastors and leaders in Masindi as well as the chaplains who came for the refresher course.
• Pray for the team members who came through to not only have ministered but they left being ministered to as well. Pray for those who had malaria to be completely healed.
• Pray for the Russians who have now returned to Russia. Pray for their ministries and for their country.
• Pray for Blessing’s wife and son as they grieve for him. Pray for the church to be a comfort to them.
• 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.