“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Dear Friends and Family,
This past month has been the definition of this passage in Ecclesiastes for us as a ministry and as a family. Let me start with the ministry.
For the ministry it was both a time of planting and a time of reaping. It started with the arrival of Paul. Paul is a Nigerian by birth but has spent much of his life in Russia. It was in Russia that he got born again and began to serve in the ministry. Recently Russia revoked his visa and he returned to Nigeria. Missions was still on his heart and he came to visit FRM’s ministries in Uganda and South Sudan. After spending some time at both he will be helping out the ministry at Canaan Farms in Uganda.
Not too long after Paul arrived we received Dmitry and Mark. Mark has been serving along side FRM for a very long time and Dmitry is only 20 years old. Dmitry feels very called to teaching God’s Word at this young age. After spending some time with him, Brian gave him the opportunity to share at Arise. It was Dmitry’s first time teaching in English. He is Russian. The teaching was amazing and what really made it amazing is that his English appeared to have an Ugandan accent. This made it clearer for the English speakers and easier for the translator to understand when translating. I believe God has great things instore for this young man.
Mark and Dmitry were here to be part of a larger team that was coming to teach at a conference in Masindi and at the chaplain refresher course in South Sudan. I have to say these men were used by God to help me in all the preparations and work that I had to get done to host so many people at once. I am so grateful for them and the timing in which they arrived.
A week after Mark and Dmitry arrived we received a team of 27. It is one of the largest teams we have had. They were divided into 3 groups, 2 that would begin in South Sudan for the chaplain refresher and 1 that would begin in Masindi for the Pastor/ Teacher conference. The first night they were all at the guest house Brian and I held a cultural debrief with them and shared about security, health and what to expect with the differences in culture. The team was very responsive and asked a lot of questions which is always a good thing. We prayed for the many ministries they’d be doing and for the opportunities that would arise as a result of those ministries.
The teams set off, with two of them flying on MAF to South Sudan and one driving a van to Masindi. The team in Masindi held a pastor/leader conference. Many Pastors from all around the area came. The women on the team held a women’s conference as well. Some of the team served at a new church plant in the village. They were a great encouragement to all that came. In Sudan, the team ministered to the chaplains who have been serving on the front lines and all around South Sudan. Some of the team members were able to interview and get updates from the chaplains. There were over 300 chaplains as well as other local church leaders who attended the refresher conference. The women on the team held a women’s conference as well. About halfway during their time in Africa they switched places before returning to Kampala.
This now brings me to another part of Ecclesiastes… A time to be born and a time to die. It is with great sorrow and tears that I write that we have lost Brian’s brother Augustine Serugga. He was more than Brian’s brother but Brian’s best friend, right hand man, the children’s closest uncle—bringer of weekend treats. He was 9 years younger than Brian and healthy so it is beyond shocking and painful. He was at our house on a Tuesday helping with food for the team returning.
On Wednesday he did not come for mid week service because he was not well. The Dr said he had malaria and needed to rest. On Thursday morning he said he was already feeling much better. On Thursday evening after we sent off all of the team ,we received the call that he had died. He leaves behind a widow and 4 daughters. He was so involved in every detail of our life, church, the parents business and so many others lives. We know the Lord is in control but pray as the gap he leaves is huge and the pain is great. Pray for Brian as he grieves. He saw him as the next generation he was raising up, not just as a brother but as his child in Christ. On the day of the burial, the wife of Brian’s other brother, Fred, gave birth to a baby girl.
Thank you for praying for our family and for the ministry in Uganda.
In Him,
Brian, Jill, Luke, Laylee, and Liana
PRAYER REQUESTS
- We are so thankful for the many ways the Lord has blessed us and for everyone who supports us and the ministry in Uganda.
- Please pray for Brian and his family as they go through this very painful time of mourning. Pray for Augustine’s widow and daughters. Pray for wisdom and guidance for the way forward.
- Pray for the team that was just here. Pray that the Lord blesses them for their ministry. Also many of the team got malaria while here and 2 got very ill once returning home. Please pray for the health of the team.
- Pray for all of the people who were reached by the team. Pray for those who came to know the Lord and for those who have known the Lord along time to have been refreshed.
- Pray for the Kanyike children to get called for their citizenship interview.
- 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.
