Hello Family & Friends!
I bring back greetings from the churches in Uganda to all of you! I can’t thank all of you enough for your support and prayers that helped send me to Uganda a few weeks ago. I never realize how fruitful one of my missionary trips is until I arrive and see how blessed our missionaries are to be visited and loved through our presence there.
After a few long flights, Isaac and I arrived near Kampala, the capital of Uganda, where we stayed a few days with the Kanyike family. Jill was one of the first missionaries sent out of our home church, Calvary Chapel Saving Grace. Her husband, Brian, a Ugandan national, pastors an amazing church called Arise Christian Fellowship there in Kampala. We got to hold a men’s conference, go to the slums, visit the marketplace where Brian started the church, and I even got to teach the Sunday service! But on top of seeing their amazing ministry, the best part was just spending time with their family.
From Kampala, we traveled north to Gulu with the Harris family. Their ministry is special as well. We met many new friends along the way there, and the Harrises showed us the amazing operation of Terebinth ministries, a training school for pastors. There isn’t much good biblical training in Uganda, so Terebinth is a blessing, and a huge operation that includes incredible sustainable farming! Matt and his wife designed the Bible School campus and had a hand in building it themselves. They gave us a tour and it is awesome! We also visited friends of theirs and had some truly amazing experiences with local music, food, and fellowship.
Finally, Vincent and Melissa Aniku picked us up from Gulu. Before we headed north to see their home and ministry in the village of Midigo, close to the border of Sudan, we stopped to go on a safari with them. What an adventure and once in a lifetime experience for us!
Finally, we ended the trip in Midigo. The Aniku family has a flourishing church, a school that educates over 900 children (housing and feeding many of them), a hospital program, and even a football (soccer) club that has become a powerful tool for the gospel in Uganda! We were so blessed to participate in all of these things, but once again, the sweetest time we had was just spending time fellowshipping with the family.
Overall, while I am always happy to be back home, I left a little bit of my heart in Africa, and I cannot express how proud I am of our missionaries there in Uganda. They are so submitted to the Lord and are raising godly families even in difficult places. Thank you all again for sending me!
If you are not already a financial partner, please know that your prayers for us are sufficient, but you are welcomed to prayerfully consider partnering with us financially using the means provided below.
We would love to keep you updated on our ministry via our newsletter email updates if you are interested. You can sign up for those by clicking the link below:
You can also become a one-time or ongoing financial partner with us by clicking the button below, or by mailing a check made out to SGWM with “Joel Garcia” in the memo line to 17451 Bastanchury Rd, Ste 203, Yorba Linda, CA, 92886.
Love in Christ,
Joel, Amy, Maggie, Harrison, Jude, & Clara Garcia