Harris Family Update
- March 2026 -
So those who were engaged in the work labored, and the repairing went forward in their hands, and they restored the house of God to its proper condition and strengthened it. 2 Chron. 24:13
It is amazing to see how God can use one person to transform a nation. Judah suffered under the year-long reign of Azariah and the 7-year reign of Azariah’s mother, Athaliah. Under their leadership, Judah turned away from God and robbed the riches of His temple in order to serve and worship Baal, the god of the Moabites. However, the country was reformed under the watch of the High Priest Jehoiada. Jehoiada liberated the nation from Athaliah, inaugurated the rightful heir, King Joash, oversaw the repair of God’s Temple, and established biblical worship and reverence for God throughout the land.
I did not have the pleasure of watching Jehoida renew Israel, but I have had the privilege of watching God use many other leaders to transform communities in Uganda. It has been a huge blessing to walk with nearly 100 men through the entirety of Scripture and to see a handful of them exceed all of our expectations of what God would use them to do. Amongst them all, Samuel Olara, the man featured in the video, truly stands out. We met Samuel as a student in our first host of Pastors, but we quickly saw his character, prior knowledge, and abilities, and promoted him to a teacher instead of a student. Samuel has since served in the ministry for nearly 10 years as an invaluable asset.
Samuel is impactful. His life follows a strict schedule filled with purposeful habits. Samuel is a man of daily prayer and a great student of God’s Word. Samuel works with me closely as the Dean of Students at our Bible College, but he is also much more. Samuel is the head pastor and founder of Calvary Chapel 12 Springs, a thriving church of nearly 200 people that has planted three daughter churches, a large widows ministry, and a school of discipleship. He is the founder of 12 Springs Nursery and Primary School, a large school that intentionally disciples children, including dozens of Muslim children whose parents are refugees from South Sudan. Samuel is the chaplain of the highest performing primary school in the country, the head trainer of Sunday School teachers in all of Northern Uganda, and also a leader of Northern Uganda’s Child Evangelism Fellowship. He even became the president of the institute we sent him to for his Bachelor’s Degree.
I love Samuel as a friend and look up to him as a humble servant of God. When Samuel’s church members are struggling in their marriages, he does not just counsel them; he invites them to live in his home and watch and learn how he and his wife relate to each other. When a member of his church was dying of a horrible disease, he did not just visit him; he gave him a room at his house and stayed up with him nightly, changing his bandages and singing praise songs with him. When class is in session, he not only teaches the students in the classroom, but also sleeps on campus and mentors them personally. Samuel does not just teach his family about God; he has helped his sons to become leaders in their schools and the church by traveling and preaching with them wherever he goes. Even Samuel’s wife, Concy, is amazingly impactful. She presents the gospel to tens of thousands of children a year through school presentations, hosts huge yearly women’s conferences, and all this while raising their four sons.
Please pray for Samuel, Concy, Agape, Caleb, Christian, and Luke, as they continue to grow in Christ and expand His kingdom!
In Christ,
Matt & Noelle & Family
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