REAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS, LORD, unto me.” We give thanks to God, as we always ought to, for another bountiful month of his blessings towards us in the mission field.
The Mission Team in Pader, Northern Uganda
Mission Trip to Pader District
It was high time that we begin to venture out of our comfort zone and begin expansion work of the influence of the gospel in Africa by conducting our first-ever church mission trip, which was successfully conducted this May 1st-6th, to Pader district, located in northern Uganda. Though it was still in Uganda, the fact that most nations of Africa are composed of many “micro-nations” (people groups diverse one from another, which was likely the original sense of Jesus’ command to teach all “nations”), usually separated by ethnic, linguistic, and cultural differences, makes this trip to be significant: it was our “Samaria” (see Acts 1:8).
Being closer to the Sahara Desert (and residing in a hotter climate), the northern Ugandans are generally darker in skin-color. They speak languages (like Acholi, Luo, etc.) from the Nilo-Saharan language family (rather than the Bantu tongues, as in central and western Uganda). We learned from our time in Kampala (where a substantial amount of northerners also reside) that they are among the more intelligent and precocious peoples in Uganda. Their recent past has the scars of an insurgency (by the infamous LRA) which displaced and disrupted the lives of millions of them, and has unwittingly perhaps produced a generation of northerners who are more prone to piety and more disposed to divine truth, seeing this mere earthly life to be far too harsh to be their habitual home.
Our trip, though 6-days, was functionallyonly 4, with one day to travel there (by public bus) and one to travel back. The experience itself will be soon recounted in a detailed film we are still hard-pressed in producing (we didn’t know what to expect, and took far less footage on
the actual trip than we needed for the film, which must be accomodated with other recordings and retellings). However, here we want to report the success God gave us: there were 320 people who got saved through one-on-one soul-winning, 35 of whom came to at least one of our lessons or church services we held, 7 of whom went out soul-winning at least once with one person on the mission team (there were 14 soul-winners on the trip), and 9 got baptized on the final day. It truly was a “Great Commission Mission”!
Results from May
Beyond and above this trip, counting from the results of the rest of the church and the rest of the month of May in Kampala at our current church plant, we had an additional 621 people profess faith out soul-winning, 46 new church/discipleship attendances, and 8 new graduates of discipleship lessons. This is certainly not the work of merely one or two people, but a committed group of dozens. I think we can all agree that these African people who make these results possible at Bible Baptist Church in Kampala, Uganda, truly do love the Lord. Consider their deep
poverty, to be so poor and so destitute of what Westerners (and particularly we Americans) take for granted: large living spaces, widely-
available free education, secure and well-paid jobs, diverse and nutritious food choices, machines of convenience and efficicency like the clothes-washer machine, access to high-quality healthcare, and, most of all, absolute, unquestioned freedom of speech and religion. These are all alien concepts to the overwhelming majority of people in Uganda and, by extension, the great mass of this church. And yet, how great is their faith!
“Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” (James 2:5).
Four-Year Anniversary
It is important to also remind our readers that we have just reached our 4th year in Africa, having originally arrived in Uganda on June 8th, 2019. We have really learned a lot since our first day on the mission field. We see what little was actually being done as we began our evangelistic work four years ago, and are pleased to report that, without a doubt, now there is at least one thriving church in Uganda which is radically committed to actually fulfilling the Great Commission, as Jesus commanded. What we find so perpetually astounding is how it has been made possible in large part—and to this very day continues—by the financial contributions and fervent prayers of a mere handful of saints. We can only imagine what would happen if a substantial amount of more people from abroad got involved in this work. Our faith in God’s providing hand has been tried many a time, but never has it been disappointed. He who believes on Christ, both in the gospel for the riches of eternal life, and later in their life to supply all their needs, will never be ashamed.
“God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies” (Hudson Taylor).
Diligent searching of our careful church records (with accounting for anomalies of highs and lows) reveals that this church currently sees, in normal circumstances, an average of about 1,000 people led to Christ each month, at least 50 of those 1000 (5%) coming to church at least once, at least 5 of those 50 (10%) finishing discipleship, at least 2 of those 5 (40%) becoming soul-winners, and at least 1 of those 2 (50%) staying steadfast in church. Probably a lack of follow-up on the part of over half of the church (and that because they often don’t have the money for airtime to make calls) contributes to having, say, only 50 new people as opposed to 100 come to church each month. And the number of people who are led to Christ can only increase with an increase in soul-winners (
which continuously is happening, but slowly) or an increase in full-time soul-winners, which we find impossible due to the financial turbulence of the ministry at this time. Therefore, please pray that the whole church would become more invovled in follow-up on new converts, and pray that God would provide us more financial means to be able to lead more to Christ each month. Though we are praying and assiduously studying to become better missionaries for Christ, and to see more people brought to the Savior, we hope it can be said of us as it was of her who offered the alabaster box of ointment on Christ: “she hath done what she could” (Mark 14:8).
To all our friends and family, to all our ministry patrons and supporters, to all our brothers and sisters in Christ, and all who in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their and ours, God be with you.