Over 1,100 Global Study Bibles and 3,500 christian books for distribution to pastors and others are on their way ..PTL!
We have many reasons to rejoice in our Lord and to be thankful for your prayers and support! Let me briefly share a few of those reasons which have recently come our way.
We have often asked for your prayers for protection. Even though we are not receiving persecution like the Corinthians in the Apostle Paul’s day, the truths contained in the verses below express well how the Lord has delivered from a “deadly peril” here at R.A.U. and has caused us to set our “hope” afresh upon the Lord and “give thanks…for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”
“He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”
2 Corinthians 1:10-11
This past week I almost stepped on a cobra! I left Carol’s and my room to go fill my water bottle for the night. As I was filling it in the kitchen I looked down and my bare white shiny foot was just an inch away from from a coiled cobra. I was using my excellent Coast LED flashlight as I had just turned off our solar power system for the night. I am praising God that I “just happen” to shine my light downward to see the cobra right next to my foot and it “just happen” not to strike. I was able to step back and call for back up. Thank you for your continual prayers! .
Killed cobra on our kitchen floor. Because of poor lighting the picture is not clear.
Thinking back on how we killed the cobra I have to laugh. First, Sam struck wide to the right with a voracious whack which snapped the stick he was using. Then Aldo our guard struck with his stick hitting it in the middle stunning it and then again holding it down with another whack. Then Stephen our other guard stepped on its head with his army boot…dead cobra!
We have been hard at work making a good clear perimeter around the house..about 60 yards at the narrowest point. As far as we can tell there are no holes into the house with the exception of the garage doors. We are actually thinking (not that I like this thought) that it may have been in the house all the while we have been here. Our “best guess” is that it was staying in a kitchen floor cabinet which we have not been using and just came out at night Maybe God used my very,very white feet to confuse the cobra but more likely it was because of your prayers and God’s gracious deliverance from “such a deadly peril” !
As you know from our past newsletters Carol was to accompany Gabby Bukenya, Patrick’s and Vickie’s 4 year old daughter, to California for heart surgery.They have arrived safely to Gabbie’s Aunt’s home where Gabbie will be staying. Gabbie and Carol are fine but very tired. They went via Dubai and their flight from Dubai to LA was 16 hours long!! Thank you for your prayers! Please remember to pray for Gabbie!
Carol will return here soon via a short stop over in Texas where she will be staying with Kenny, Anna, and our newest grandchild Keira. She will be with them three days in Stephenville. Josh, Becca, Eliza, and Ben are planning to make the trip to Stephenville. Carol is very excited to be able to see them all. In the midst of missing each them very,very much I am very happy that they can have this time together. I will look forward to being able to to do the same thing this coming Christmas. Please continue in your prayers that the Lord would continue to grant us grace in the midst of missing family very much. This is the most difficult hardship we face.
We are rejoicing that R.A.U.’s first 40 foot container has left Seguin Texas and is heading our way. It is due to arrive at R.A.U. in mid November. Carol and I have so many great friends and a home church, Lifegate, which is very,very supportive who have helped with this. Without their gifts and hard work this would not be happening. Christ’s love is so evident in their lives for us and Jesus mission (John 20:21)! Thank you to all who donated items for the container and the money to ship it. Thank you to each one who worked on it’s shipping and packing! There were so many things given the packers were not able to get everything in the container and many things had to be left. Lord willing, at some later point another container can be sent. To see everything which was given and pictures of the loading visit this link here. Please pray for its safe arrival to us!
Last time I wrote about how the Lord is helping us get ready for the container here at R.A.U.. Being in a remote area of Africa presents unique set of challenges for us! When the container arrives we will first off load it. Then we will have the truck drive to a spot where I will have a slab poured (one of my many projects to complete). We will tie the the back of the container with cables that are in it to the base of a tree. Then the truck will pull forward to drop the container on the slab. The plan is only an idea in my head now, please pray that the idea can become a reality :-)!
After R.A.U.’s founding in 2010 and it’s receiving of Ugandan NGO status our first phase has been to purchased land and have a place where pastors,evangelists, church leaders, and church planters could come for refreshment and strengthening in the gospel of grace so that they could be an encouragement to their congregations and actively be a part of spreading the gospel by planting churches in unengaged villages and among unreached people groups. There are 3,000 such groups in Africa with a number of them not far from R.A.U.. In September we want to bring in our first groups of pastors to the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus.
We also wanted to have a place for teams to come on short term mission trips and share their gifts with the people. Currently we have three American teams and one from Kampala coming. Because of gifts and prayers of many we are closing in on completing Phase I with the finishing touches to the Guesthouse/Hall of Tyrannus, work on the grounds around the Guesthouse, planting of fruit trees (97 planted so far) for a future income for the ministry, and Tukalu guest quarters. Praise God for His abundant grace, provision, and the people who have helped make this happen.
We continue to ask for your prayers and generous support to carry out the vision and mission given to us by Christ. We are seeking to be good and wise stewards of what is given us making every dollar stretch to the maximum for God’s glory and spread of the glorious gospel to the unreached! Thank you very much!
Here are some the needs and that lay before us to complete:
1. Finishing up the refurbishing of our four existing tukalus on the land. The four have now been roofed with new grass. To repair the doors, windows, and plaster them will require an additional $1000. 2. The building of 4-5 more tukalu’s to house pastors/evangelists/church planters for discipleship. Each tukalu can take care of 4-5 people and they are inexpensive to build. To build one tukalu is around $500. 3. $1000 to dig a pit a new double stall pit latrine for the tukalu quarters with an outdoor bathing facility. The existing pit latrine is about to cave in and there is no place to bath. (See our previous newsletters on the reason we are building these tukalu quarters ).
4. $4,000 for an outdoor kitchen and attached living quarters (one small room and bathroom) for Lucy, our cook/helper. The current one is about to fall down is some distance from the Guesthouse. As stated in an earlier newsletter we need an outdoor kitchen to be able to cook for large groups with wood and charcoal. To get propane gas for our indoor stove is hard to obtain and expensive. It also opens up the room Lucy is now staying in for guests.
5. The pouring of a slab for the container: $800
6. Prayers for the safe arrival of the Land Cruiser which is on its way from Japan. Prayers for continue protection, wisdom, good health, and anointing in our teaching and evangelism.
Pressing Onward and Forward for Jesus and His Mission,
Jacob
“I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God: first, it is impossible, then it is difficult, then it is done.”
Hudson Taylor (Missionary to China in the 1800’s)
Reaching Africa's Unreached 