Thankful for Our Grandson

HAPPY THANKSGIVING HOODS IN UGANDA

Again it is that special time of the year when we hear expressions about having a Happy Thanksgiving and we focus on the blessings that have been bestowed on us. We really do not need to be reminded of the bountiful blessings we have but we do need to be reminded that we oft forget to be thankful and we accept, and even expect, these blessings as if we deserved them. Nothing could be farther from the truth…we deserve nothing but we are blessed day by day beyond measure by our Heavenly Father.

Then Ugandans seldom ever stand up to give praise or testimony in a worship service without first thanking God that they are alive when so many others have died recently. Every day is a special gift from God. And what we do with that day is our gift to God. And gratefulness should be tops as part of our daily lives.

So to each of our family and friends we send our sincere greetings to express our gratitude and love for your love, encouragement and support of us. We are so blessed by your indelible imprint upon our lives.

And to our Heavenly Father we express our utmost thanks for His love and expressed gift to us through Jesus Christ, His Son. What would our lives be like without Him? For sure we would not be blessed and life would be without hope and meaning. Glory back to God!!!

We love you, Danny and Claudia

Evert has a house...

After traveling 9 hours on some of the worst roads in Uganda we arrived in Kitgum, northern Uganda, in the heart of Acholi land. The Acholi are an unreached people group.

Evert has been led by the Lord to move to the North to lead the nationals in a Church Planting Movement.

Russia- Here we come!

Isaac - Growing Up

Isaac went to the Pumpkin Patch with his mom and dad and then packed himself in the luggage for his dad's trip to Russia.

27 Adults - 19 Children - A House Church is Born

On Wednesday... Douglas, Joseph, Benon, and I went into NETEETE to start a church... we prayed... we found our person of peace... we visited...talked with folks and shared the gospel ... setup a time on Thursday for our first service!

Yesterday (Thursday), Claudia borrowed the drums from one of our house churches. We picked Douglas and headed out to Neteete to meet our Lugandan speaking Pastors. When we arrived our Pastors had been prevented. Douglad said not to worry! The only problem was that Douglas is from the North and doesn't speak a lot of Luganda. And I speak even less. I knew this was going to be a "wash-out". But God...

Don't you just love the "BUT GOD"s in life. There was an English-Luganda speaking lady there to translate the message of God's love. Eight were saved...a church was started...Glory back to God! Please pray for this new church start.

Food Distribution

Kawempe is known for a stong Muslim presence. The Kampala Christian Church Network and Manna Ministry has invaded Kawempe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For the last four months Manna Ministry has been distributing food to 50 families in the area. But on distribution day, we have more than 250 people gathering to hear the Word of God. Many have been saved and we have planted a house church. I keep saying "we" but really it is the work of our Ugandan brothers ans sisters ... I just go and take pictures. They have "the vision" for sharing Jesus and planting churches. Manna Ministry is the arm of International Missionaries for Christ, a NGO, that allows us to work with them... they give the food... we plant the churches. The people who receive the food are refugees, HIV positive (as is the man in the picture above), and the very, very poor.

November Newsletter

November, 2007, Kampala, Uganda, Africa

October has passed quickly and many changes having been going on in Kampala, though the leaves are not one of them. Danny has been busy with some new responsibilities as interim Strategy Facilitator, which is a position dealing with the needs of our fellow missionaries in Uganda and Rwanda. He has been filling in for our SF, who was to be in the states until December but has now extended until July, 08. So he has become more heavily involved with that responsibility. Danny relinquished the role of Strategy Leader for our Kampala Urban Team to Anthony Shelton. We will still be involved with the house churches (we were at 3 yesterday) but his greater responsibility now will be dealing with needs and issues of missionaries, until our return to the states in April, 08. Also, Danny celebrated a HAPPY 63rd BIRTHDAY, on November 3.

While you all are enjoying beautiful fall colors and the touch of autumn in the air, we are still experiencing rain and things are lush and green here. But the rains have brought serious flooding in Northern and Eastern Uganda. Many crops, such as potatoes and cassava, are rotting in the ground, and the results are devastating. Roads and bridges are washed out and it is most difficult to get food into those areas. Thousands have had to flee the area. There is a huge food distribution planned, financed by Southern Baptists and gifts to SBC’s World Hunger promotion, but it will take weeks, perhaps months, for it to happen. PRAY for these displaced people.

Many of these same people have already been displaced for over 22 years in the IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps, due to the ravages of rebel Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 4 districts alone there are over 121 camps with as many as 1,061,842 people displaced from their homes in the villages. And there are many such camps in other districts. The camps are simple round mud huts with thatched roofs within 10 feet of each other and sleep 6-15 persons. Poverty, disease/sickness and starvation are everywhere. Many camps have thousands in them. So you can know that there is nothing of the Lord in Kony’s life. He has brought great destruction to the people of northern Uganda, Southern Sudan and Eastern Congo. Power, greed and money have become a force so strong that havoc is reeked out on these people in the north by their own countrymen. PRAY for Kony’s capture and demise.

I have a few family moments to share.
Please PRAY for Danny’s mom, Margie, who took quite a fall about 3 months ago, was hospitalized with lots of stitches/staples in her head, then rehab, and now at home with some home health care. She remains dizzy and is using a walker. Please PRAY that the dizziness will dissipate.
Also, mom, 84, is the oldest of six children. There were three girls, all in their 80’s and 3 boys in their late 70’s. Recently Jean Crawford, the sister next to mom, attended the Georgia Tech/Army game and experienced a serious fall. Later that day, she went into a coma/stroke and was put on life support. On October 24 she passed from this life to eternal life. She was a Christian and active member of her church, for which we are thankful. But she will be sorely missed by her family. She was the first of the six siblings to die. So PRAY for their sorrow at this time.
Danny’s brother, Charles, had a spot removed that showed melanoma 3 months ago and had to have more of it removed recently. We are happy to report that the area and lymph nodes in that area have come back clean. We rejoice with them for this report and thank our Father for His care.
Our son, Timothy, has been in Russia and Ukraine. You can know that he has missed Janet and Isaac. But PRAY for the focus that the IMB is giving this year to that area of the world and the unreached people there.

Danny traveled north to Gulu and on west to Ft. Portal with Jimmy Berry and Chuck Watson, with International Missionaries for Christ. They are the ones responsible for Manna Ministry, the food distribution program here, which meets humanitarian needs. We get to work alongside their ministry to share the gospel with groups they minister to with food. Some new house churches are developing in Gulu and Ft. Portal because new believers from our Kampala house churches wanted to take the gospel back to their villages, and they have done just that!! It is so exciting to see the nationals begin to do ministry and missions on their own. They see the need to “go and tell” to those who have not heard. Sounds like the Great Commission, doesn’t it?

They left early in the morning for the 200+ mile trip to Gulu and arrived about 6:00 p.m., due to the bad roads of Uganda. But they made it to the house church and the commissioning of some church leaders. Then the next day they traveled another 200 mile all day trip to Ft. Portal and worshipped with that house church at night by the light of little oil lamps. It was a blessed time. You will see pictures of some of the flooding in their travels. PRAY for the new house churches and also for the peril of the devastation caused by the flooding. They can not expect government assistance with the flooding as we would in America.

As November approaches, and soon December, we earnestly ask you to begin praying about giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for Foreign Missions that will be promoted in SBC churches during the month of December. This Offering is vital to the work we are able to do here and around the world. Over 5,000+ missionaries receive money for some of the work that is done. It by no means is the only resource that missionaries have but it provides a large amount of the funds we use for ministry. Every cent is needed and appreciated.

Know of our continued love and joy in partnering with you in the work of the Lord here in Uganda. Thank you so very much for each measure of support that you give through prayer, prayers and more prayers. We often say that we would not want to be here without the faithful praying of so many who lift us up day by day. And we are so grateful to serve through the IMB and Southern Baptist Churches who faithfully support international missions around the world.

You are loved so much, Danny and Claudia