February 15 - Weak but Strong in Christ and A Joyous Reunion for Me

February 15 - Weak but Strong in Christ

Morning Distribution - Bugubi, Uganda
In Bugobi, the church is packed. The roads here were a places impassable except for going around peoples property. This place was picked because it is very rural, away from towns, relatively weak and poor. ​

Pastor Godfrey is so welcoming and his congregation is hosting many today from the area. 
 
Mamas come now, backs bent from years of bending, washing, hoeing, sweeping, and carrying water. These men faces are worn with hard work.
 
Pastors nod their head as they make connections between the Old Testament and New Testaments. 
  
When asked if they had never owned a Bible, almost every hand was raised. I am so sad to see these hands raised and wonder what the Church would be if they had Bibles.
 
A young girl (see video below), Sauba, cried at end as she didn't have even the small donation for the Bible. I had met her earlier. She had been Muslim 5 years ago. Larry O'Malley walked over and gave her a Bible. Crippled and small she must have felt like the lesser one. But her testimony is powerful.
 
188 Bibles distributed! We pray for the churches here that they will be strengthen by the Word of God!

Bugobi, Uganda - Bible Distribution

Afternoon Distribution - A joyful reunion for me

This Place...oh, how I love it
This place, Nakasisi, is more remote than any place we have been over the last five days. Like many of the villages, many wear clothes that are ripped but still used. Children wear clothes that have been handed down and then handed down and then worn and worn.

We've seen few vehicles even motorcycle for the last four days. The people here are so humble and so blessed that someone thought of them. 

2012 to today - Failure, failure, now growing
In 2012, we helped Bugiri Baptist plant a church here. The village had had a church but the pastor was removed in 2004. The village elders and leaders asked for Bugiri Baptist to help them start a church. We planted the new church under a tree in 2012 on the grounds of the public school.

But over the next two years because of the remoteness, two young pastors came and went.

In 2015, the village elders asked us to return to help them find a new pastor. We went back and the Pastor of Bugiri Baptist committed to send Pastor Ronald, his right-hand man, to stabilize the church.

Finally, in 2017, the church was growing under Ronald's faithful leadership. They were using one of the school's classrooms as the church. But a larger one was needed.

The village elders convinced the school district to donate one of the run-down school buildings to the church. The building was renovated.

Pastor Ronald raised up a young man, Pastor Barack, who was a former Muslim and perfect for this place, to replace him. We sent Barack to seminary and he recently graduated!

The church has outgrown the building. Often people have to sit outside to attend church. They are planning to expand the building....

AND the church is planning to plant a church nearby! Praise be to God!

Bible Distribution - Nakasisi
Over 200 Bibles were distributed here....to joyous shouts and praise to God!