We are blessed by the incomparable richness of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus ... For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph. 2: 7,10

This month we celebrate our 10th anniversary serving in Uganda. It has been one of the most challenging, rewarding and life-changing decades of our lives. We know with certainty that God has called us to be faithful in serving the people of Uganda. Even though we have sometimes felt we are not "spiritual enough" to be missionaries, and have battled feelings of discouragement, we have also learned the importance of being faithful to do the work God has called us to do. We have seen His miracles of provision, His healing touch and His power to transform hearts. We pray that the seeds we plant will reap a harvest that will remain long after we leave Uganda.

We thank God for you and remember you often in our prayers. We greatly appreciate the love and support that our Uganda Mission family has shown us. In answer to your many prayers, closed doors have been opened, finances have been provided, and lives have been changed. We understand more than ever the need for an army of intercessors to be behind us. You will touch Uganda with the hidden work of prayer even though you may never meet the people for whom you are praying.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?

-- Worship is a lifestyle of holiness, abandonment to Him, and comes from the depths of our heart.
-- God's joy in following Him is greater than the challenges we face.
-- God's vision is never given without His provision.
-- Love is our most important work.
-- Our first mission is to our family and then God calls us to reach the rest of the world.
-- We are learning to "finish well" even with an ocean between us and our family.

PRAISE REPORTS

Lango Diocese

Thanks to the generosity of a grant by the Church of Apostles, our home church in Virginia, 46 clergy in Northern Uganda received new bicycles. This is the area that has suffered from the 20-year war inflicted by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) where thousands of children were abducted to be child soldiers and sex slaves.

The clergy told stories of the difficulty to spread the Gospel because of the many hours they had to walk to visit their parishes. Each pastor is responsible for as many as twenty parishes spread over many of miles of difficult travel. Most pastors would get to meetings late or not at all because of the great distances they had to walk to get there. Many said it was hard for them to fellowship with the community effectively because of the distances they must walk. With their new bicycles, these pastors can now reach the surrounding villages to share the love of Christ and encourage people to come to church. One pastor said that he was planning to buy a bicycle this year and had saved to make the purchase, but God did a miracle with the gift of the bicycle. Now the money could be used to take care of his family. Another said that he would be able to transport his family to the clinic and school more efficiently than before. A pastor who serves several IDP camps with twenty thousand or more people said that he was not able to visit them often because of the great distance between them, but now he can go to see the people regularly to encourage them to go to church. His new bicycle makes it possible for him to reach out to these people who are thirsty for God's Word. It is such a blessing to put a smile on the faces of so many.

West Ankole Diocese

During three weeks of travel to regions of the diocese, church leaders came together for a series of Phil's teachings on the Biblical Foundations of worship. A village church held a youth retreat where Phil spoke about the power and presence of God — there was an explosion of praise and worship with hundreds of youth from surrounding villages. Phil was amazed at the commitment and depth of these young people, as they had hour-long praise sessions which typically ended with one of the youth praying a prayer for the church that was Holy Spirit empowered. Heartfelt intercession and the fire of the Holy Spirit is alive and well among the youth of West Ankole Diocese.

Coming Up in Uganda

In June, Phil will travel to Mityana and Bunyoro-Kitara Dioceses to teach clergy and other church leaders. In Hoima, Phil will once again join a large team from Christ Church at Grove Farm in their annual "Encounter Uganda" mission. This year, the mission will reach out to the clergy of Lango Diocese. This will give Phil a good opportunity to build relationships in both Dioceses.

In July, our whole family will lead a youth team from Kyamboga University, Kampala, to Kitgum in Northern Uganda. The mission will include outdoor evening evangelistic music programs and each day the youth will participate in ministry in local schools and nearby IDP camps.

Jennifer in the U.S.

In early May Jennifer spoke at "First Friday", a group of women leaders that meets once a month in Fairfax, Virginia. She also spoke on "Forgiveness" at the Friday night Praise and Worship service which combines South Riding Anglican and Christ the Redeemer church. And she was invited to speak to the women's group at Annie Lienert's International Church on "How to Hear God's Voice in a Busy World."

May 24 -- Jennifer was invited to Ohio to attend the wedding of Bob Orombi, son of Archbishiop Henry and Phoebe Orombi. It was a blessing to join in the celebration. Bob will continue attending Seminary in Pennsylvania at Eastern University with his new bride.

June 1-6 -- Diocese of West Texas with a full speaking schedule planned by the Diocese. Betty Chumney (shown in the photo) will host Jennifer as she travels to many churches in the diocese. Betty is a dear friend and has been a Uganda Mission advocate for many years. We could not have worked as effectively over the years without her love and support.

June 8 -- Clear River Church, Centreville, VA, Jeff Ling, is a long time friend and he was the worship leader at Church of Apostles years ago where we forged a friendship with him and his wife, Zibby.

June 11 - All Saints, Woodbridge, VA. Bishop John Guersney is the Rector. He has been appointed by Archbishop Henry Orombi to care for the churches in the USA who have affiliated with the Church of Uganda.

June 13 -- Speaking at Annie Lienert's home group from the International Church in Washington, DC.

David and Owen

 

David completed his first year at Gordon Conwell Seminary and is attending summer school, working towards his Masters in Divinity degree. David is playing the bass in the praise band at the Anglican Church he attends and has a small group for prayer and accountability at Seminary. He was invited by Bishop Bill Murdock (Kenya) to attend the international gathering of orthodox Anglicans this summer in Israel. Nearly 300 bishops and 600 senior church leaders from around the world will meet for prayer, worship and planning the future of the Anglican Communion. It is a significant time in the life of the church, and David is pleased to participate in this important event.

 

 

 

Owen just completed his sophomore year at Covenant College and is working at Koons Honda dealership this summer as a sales consultant. He has a very sweet girlfriend, Sheryce, who is from Arkansas and also attends Covenant. They have demonstrated amazing maturity in their relationship. Owen has been leading a "Wild at Heart" small group at school and has seen the guys grow in their faith. He will be attending the Wild at Heart seminar in Colorado in August with our dear friend, Ron Holt.

 

 

 

We had a joyful time during David's 10-day break from Seminary. It was fun for our guys to be together again and the house rocked with music and laughter.