“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” Matthew 28:19-20
Dear Friends and Family,
Happy 60th Independence Day to Uganda! Uganda received independence from England 60 years ago. One of the lasting influences from those days is the freedom of religion, specifically Christianity. Uganda is by name a Christian country and the ability to share the gospel openly, anywhere is a privilege most countries do not have. After saying all of this, the truth is Christianity in Uganda is “a mile wide but only an inch deep” as the saying goes. Ugandans are very traditional and most Christianity is mixed with witchcraft and other traditional beliefs and practices. Uganda is a country where human sacrifice, especially child sacrifice, still takes place. As missionaries in Uganda while it is easy to share the gospel it is a more challenging task of discipling people in obeying and following God’s Word above all else.
This month we have had the privilege of helping others who we have been discipling to begin their ministry of discipleship of others. Recently, two of our church members moved to other areas outside of Kampala. They have tried commuting on Sundays to come to church at Arise but during the week they began Bible studies at home. These Bible studies have really grown and the people seem hungry for God’s Word and to grow in their knowledge and relationship with Him. We recently had a get together at Arise Christian Fellowship with these Bible studies and with the members of our church for a baptism. Everyone came to service where we worshipped together and Brian taught on baptism and the importance of discipleship and being in fellowship. After church we had the baptism of 54 people and a small meal together to celebrate each persons decision to follow Christ and declare Him publicly.
At Arise we have had various activities and outreaches taking place for the youth. On Saturdays we have youth group, on Sundays we have Sunday school, during the week there are various community youth outreaches and on Wednesdays we have been showing a Christian movie. During the most recent school holiday we had a worship camp. During this time the worship team taught the youth all about why and how to worship and provided music lessons for those interested. Through these youth activities we have had quite a number of youth ask to be born again and to be baptized, including our own daughter, Liana. During the church baptism we were privileged to be able to baptize this next generation od believers. We pray that they would continue in the way of the Lord and not depart from it.
Brian and I have been blessed to also help out other ministries around Uganda and South Sudan. Fort Portal, Uganda and Nimule, South Sudan are like second homes or families to us. This past month the assistant pastor and his wife from Fort Portal returned from their furlough in the states. We have known them for many years, we did their premarital counseling and are the god parents to their children. We enjoyed our time with them praying and looking forward to what God has in this next season of ministry for them.
On that same note the Russians returned this past month as well. We were so happy to have them back with us. This time around though they are not to be with us in Kampala but we prayed for and commissioned them to go work with the church in Nimule. Sasha will be pastoring as he disciples and raises up a national pastor. Arise Christian Fellowship has another missionary already there called Ivan, who leads the worship team. He is excited to have some fellow missionaries from “Uganda” join him . I look forward to travelling both to Fort Portal and Nimule sometime soon to be a part of what God is doing through these faithful ministers.
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.
- Pray for Arise Christian fellowship as they disciple and raise up future teachers and disciplers.
- Please pray for the men of Arise who are reaching their communities through bible study and home fellowships.
- Pray for the youth of Arise who have made public commitments to Christ and for the 54 people who were baptized.
- Pray for Greg and Jo Clarkson and all of the ministry team at Calvary Chapel Fort Portal.
- Pray for Sasha and his family as the minister in Nimule South Sudan.
- Pray for Uganda as they enter their 60th year of independence. Pray for continued religious freedom and for many people to truly come to Christ.
- 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.
