Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. Acts 5:42
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope you all are enjoying the summer. In Uganda, while its hot or warm all year, December, January and February are our summer. This time of year is kind of a combination between spring and fall. It rains on and off and we have some cool days and some very warm days. While we are not in our summer, summer in the States and Europe bring many visitors to Uganda and through the Far Reaching Ministries Guest House. We are currently preparing for a couple very large teams as well as we are currently hosting a family from Russia, who have been very involved with ministry in our church.
Before the Teams begin pouring in, we, with the help of Sasha and Sveta, have been trying to take the time to really get to know the people in our church better. It has been a blessing to get to know where people live and how many people are in their family. Most of our church comes from a near by slum area. Visiting the people in their homes blesses them as well as opens the doors to witness to the many neighbors who all live very close together with them. We have actually seen some of these neighbors come to church. Visiting the church members at home also opens our eyes to what true needs they may have. Living in a developing country like Uganda the needs can seem overwhelming, we obviously can’t meet all of them and that is not what we are here for. While personally ministering to people, as we share the gospel verbally we can also give some help to meet some pressing physical needs such as food or medical care. Sasha and Sveta have shared with us how these home visits have blessed them as much as the people who have been visited have been blessed. I believe as word has gotten round that home visits were taking place we were also specifically invited homes to visit families, meet new babies and to share a meal with some of our church members.
At the FRM guesthouse we have quite a few nationals who serve along side us. When we started home visits at church we also had some visits to the staff of FRM. Some of the staff we have visited in the past but for some it was the first time. It is quite interesting because we live at the guesthouse and see these people almost everyday so it seems that they are part of our family and home. In reality they actually go home to their own homes and families. Most of those who work at the guesthouse also attend Arise Christian Fellowship but through the visits we learned more about their personal ministries outside of work and church.
This month at the church we were able to dedicate 2 of the babies from the families visited. During the dedication we shared with the parents that the dedication is really more for them than the baby. It is their public commitment to raising their child in the ways of the Lord. At each of the dedications the church also committed to coming along side the families and children to help them in their pursuit and service of the Lord.
As well as visiting families, this month we were invited to come to Calvary Chapel Entebbe and share with the Sunday service there. Brian taught the service and Sahsa greeted the church in Russian and played a song of worship in Russian for them. The church has recently taken on a new pastor so it was good to meet him and to encourage him in the ministry. We are good friends with the founding pastor of the church and Brian is on the Board so we have been involved with the church for many years. We look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do for their church in this new season.
Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry in Uganda.
In Him,
Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee and Liana
Prayer Requests
- 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 the families that have been visited. Pray that they personally know the love of Christ and have been encouraged in their faith. Pray for the neighbors and family members who heard about Christ that they would come to know Him.
- Pray for the babies who are being born in the church, for their parents to raise them with a strong faith.
- Pray for the Russians who have been staying with us and for the ministry they have been doing alongside us. Pray for their country.
- 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 tea
