18 March, 2018
Good morning from Uganda. Yes, we're back at what feels like home here in Kampala. Both Jimmy Barry and I are getting ready to see our families. It's been a long time. Jimmy has been here for three months; I have been here two and 1/2. We have traveled with two amazing men of God from Uganda, Kasimbura Benon and Kintu Deo. Along the way we met and journeyed with other giants for Jesus - Masika Geofrey Bisagati, Xavier Mpanga and Sam Owino. We met and think some sort of partnership might be in the future with Doug and Jennifer Lawson, who live and serve in Kitale, but they work throughout Central Africa. We saw many others who have been so influential, and I cannot mention them all here, but I will continue sharing many of their stories.
We have traveled throughout much of Kenya. We have sweated in Mombasa, closed our eyes in fear of the traffic in Nairobi, froze nearly completely in Eldoret, left a jacket in Kisumu - which was sadly really needed in Eldoret, but everywhere we have traveled we have met a lot of passionate people whose lives were changed by the Gospel. We met drunks, thieves, murderers, taxi drivers, school teachers, mothers, people dying of AIDS, shop keepers, and many more who Jesus found and offered a gift which they accepted, and it changed their lives. Then they ran with this message to others also, so they too can share in His blessings. In Uganda we call these people serious. They are serious men and women who heard a serious message and now they treat their lives as a serious example of what Jesus does when He changes everything. They seriously run fast with the Gospel.
We finally have our NGO status, so we can legally move with the word and baptize. Now Timothy in Kakemega won’t have to spend time in prison for doing what Jesus commanded him to do. As we traveled and observed the work we saw areas that needed a little tweeking. We made a few changes here and there. We opened an office in Mombasa. We bought a computer, priced motorcycles, and prayed a lot. We did some things to hopefully to help the message move even faster. We were very pleased at what we saw.
We were also surprised. In fact, Kenya showed us that the organization needs to make some deep changes. You see, a movement of Jesus in Uganda, jumped a border into Kenya, and in less than 18 months the Jesus influence that traveled through the guys and gals of the IMFC has doubled the entire ministry. In Kenya, it stands now at the border in Mombasa almost ready to cross the Indian Ocean, and its down toward Tanzania, it’s perched on the edge looking longingly into Ethiopia, and it’s moving into Somalia. I met the man running with the Gospel there, and he begins his marathon next week. You see we entered Kenya thinking we were building an organizational plan and structure for Kenya. We already knew the IMFC influence was in the Congo, South Sudan and Johanesburg, South Africa. Well Kenya showed us that we better make plans for the world. By the way I speak Spanish, I wonder how God might use that?
We need your prayers.
