Month: February 2014
Setting of the RAU Road Sign
We have put the road sign together and set it. It was very heavy. It took 10 of us to carry it and put it in placein. No cranes here in the bush of Africa! The Earl Moore family made the frame for it back in Seguin Texas. Thank you Moores! It had a long ride and wait in the container but it made it! They did an excellent job and everything fit together well. May the Lord use the sign for His glory!
Into the Lion’s Den
I continue to thank the Lord for your prayers and support. The last two weeks of ministry has been very fruitful and the things which were done could not have happened without your prayers and financial support. May the Lord pour out His blessings on you!
“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 1:11
In our last newsletter Carol wrote about the Yumbe pastors retreat here at RAU where 17 pastors from Yumbe and 2 from Obongi attended. After they all left RAU, Carol and I looked at each other, smiling, and said, “This is why we are here!” The pastors left full of joy and enriched through the teaching they received and materials they were able to take with them.
Most of this past week was spent in Yumbe itself. In past newsletters I have written much about Yumbe and our desire to see Jesus exalted there. Pastors Ben and Charles, as well as some pastors who were at the retreat, planned discipleship training in Yumbe town and an outlying, hard-to-reach sub county, called Kerwa. One day of medical outreach in Kerwa was also planned, along with open air preaching in a Kerwa market and Yumbe town itself.
(Pictures and video’s of the week are below)
On Monday, when we arrived, we checked in with the Yumbe police and the Criminal Investigation Department. These departments needed to be aware of our presence in the city and district for our protection. Plain clothes officers were assigned to us. These law officials were very kind and helpful! We also visited the District Director of Health Services. He is a Christian as well as a physician and happily received us, giving us permission for our medical outreach in Kerwa. He also found a vehicle to transport us. We just had to provide fuel and pay the drivers for the two vehicles we used from the District.
Tuesday we all headed to Kerwa, which is near the South Sudan border. The road to Kerwa would be virtually impossible in the rainy season unless one has a powerful vehicle.We had discipleship training in the local Anglican church. Anglicans, Baptists, and Pentecostals gather together. Some came from as far away as Juba. We had a wonderful time together in study of God’s Word and worship. One of the video’s which is posted below gives you a flavor of what our worship of the King of kings in Kerwa was like.Carol and Sam shared the love of Christ with many at the local medical clinic. This clinic serves a large population and the personnel were very grateful for all the help. We had purchased medicines in Kampala and they were given out with loving care and counsel. Most of the time, the clinic does not have the medicines they need. Those who needed care were many! It was a very exhausting time for Sam and Carol, but they were refreshed and invigorated by God’s grace. You would all be proud of both Carol and Sam in how they displayed Christ’s love.
At about 6 PM open air preaching began in the local market. It was market day and there many,many people there. Mosques cover Yumbe District like churches in “Bible Belt” of America! Romans 1:16 states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”. The power of the gospel was evident in this Kerwa market as over 20 people openly chose to say “I follow Jesus”! Thank you for praying!
On Wednesday and Thursday we had discipleship training in Yumbe itself in Pilgrims Anglican Church and open air preaching. I have been greatly encouraged by the Anglicans in the West Nile of Uganda. Though there are not many who are born again in Yumbe District, of the ones which are, Anglicans number the most. They are some real, Jesus-loving brethren! At these discipleship sessions many pastors and leaders attended from all over the district with the exception Kerwa where we were on Tuesday. We had to facilitate their transport, food and lodging. It was so encouraging to open God’s Word with these hungry saints! We are believing for God’s Spirit to be poured out on Yumbe District. Please join us in this prayer.
Lord willing, we will be able to keep hosting pastors from Yumbe at RAU for retreats. There are a number of young men who want to come for mentoring in the fundamentals of the faith. Because of the difficulty of transport to RAU the Yumbe brethren and RAU would like to have a resource center and Inter-denominational training center in Yumbe, aka Hall of Tyrannus- Yumbe Branch. Pilgrim Church has agreed to allow something to be done on their plot of land. Some details still need to worked out between them and the RAU team but it looks promising. I will keep you posted.
I cannot express adequately how much I appreciate you. Your prayers, support, and words of encouragement mean so much to Carol, the RAU team, and me. Thank you!
Thank You!
Jacob (and Carol) Lee
Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Blog: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReachingAfricasUnreached
For those who have asked, small packages and letters may safely be sent to:
Jacob & Carol Lee, PO. 55, Moyo Uganda, East Africa
Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)
The greatest evil is having the gospel and not doing everything within our power to get it to those who do not have it. May the Lord grant each of us His followers the wherewithal to be obedient disciples!
Tax deductible charitable donations may be made via PayPal. PayPal also has a way to make reoccurring monthly gifts. To do so please click their link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All gifts given through PayPal are now tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501 c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization. If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate Missions, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.
*If you have questions on donations please email me at JacobLeeRAU@gmail.com
Open Air Preaching in Kerwa Market
Discipleship training in Yumbe Town
Yumbe Pastor’s Retreat
Greetings to all our rope-holding loved ones!
On Friday, the 14th, we watched the van loaded with 17 pastors from Yumbe District make a trail of dust as it left the RAU compound and we felt joy and satisfaction in all that was, by God’s grace, accomplished this last week. From the 11th, when the conference started, to its end on Friday, it was a steady effort to squeeze the maximum good that was possible out of this time. As goodbyes were said and hugs and handshakes were given on the last day, these were done with an appreciation all of us had in growing together in Christ. Jacob and I received a very special blessing in having these men gather around us, lay hands on and pray for us. This blessing was also extended to all those that work at RAU. What a way to end the retreat!
(Pictures and a video are below)
This special event had been in the works since last October. Initially, the plan was for our beloved brother and friend, Kevin Turner, with SWI (Strategic World Impact) to come for this time and bring his gifted friend, Jonathon Fletcher, with him to help us teach our brothers from Yumbe. The Lord apparently had different plans than ours. We have heard Kevin say, “God doesn’t have any plan B’s, only plan A’s,” however, we were saddened to hear that the reason for the change in plans was that Kevin’s wife, Tammy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and would require immediate treatment. Please keep Tammy and the Turner family in prayer as she goes through rigorous and aggressive treatment. Understandably, this was a game changer for all of us.
Jacob called on our coworker, Patrick Bukenya (one of RAU’s directors) to help and he was gracious in accepting the invitation to come and teach alongside Jacob. Patrick also brought with him Kaabale David, an elder at First Presbyterian Church Uganda. Both men, as we learned, are excellent and inspiring teachers and served the pastors of Yumbe very well in teaching on principles of leadership! Jacob, Patrick and David each took 3 hour sessions each day and covered important topics of discipleship, leadership, suffering and evangelism. Not only did the pastors express appreciation for the teaching, but begged for future training. Between sessions there were many conversations around developing future events and opportunities and resources. This event was, by no means, the only one of its kind…there will be more with Yumbe leaders who represented different denominations.
One of the many blessings of the retreat was the opportunity to get to know these pastors a little more intimately and to identify the areas of difficulty in their personal lives as well as in their ministries in the context of living in a non-Christian environment.
One of the pastors at the retreat was a witness to the murdering of two American missionaries around eight years ago just outside of Yumbe, and he, himself, narrowly escaped. After the missionaries were bullied and then shot, this Yumbe pastor was locked in a hut which was then set on fire. He decided he would rather escape and be shot to death rather than be burned alive and found a way to climb out of the hut. When the armed men saw him, they told him to run and started shooting at him. By God’s grace he was able to escape without being hit by gunfire. Since that time there has been little help from the church outside of Yumbe. One pastor stated, “We thought that God had forgotten us!” Many times Jacob has been told that RAU is an answer to their prayers!
Part of the discussion during the retreat entailed helping them to strategize a respectful defense of their schools and property as well as giving them ideas to disciple their flocks so that everyone is prepared to give a humble, gentle and knowledgeable response to pressure tactics and a reason for their hope.
Among the prayer requests and accounts of challenges faced by the pastors, a very prominent issue is the low socioeconomic standing that most Christians have in the community. It is hard for them to keep their heads above water, economically speaking, and unexpected illnesses, educational needs and hardships can pull them under completely. This also means that a pastor cannot make his living by the Gospel and he must find means of supporting his family apart from pastoring.
Listed here are some of the specific requests by pastors for prayer: training and discipleship for church leaders, material/resources for training, people to come alongside them in their struggles, personal discipleship, financial resources to help the churches physically (buildings, transportation), illnesses in loved ones, financial resources for putting their children through school, prayer for the youth who are being drawn to the world or into Islam, wisdom in how to navigate, in a Christ-like loving way, political clashes and pressures and everyday living in an Islamic culture, unity among all the denominations that presents a positive answer to Islam, the joining together of all the churches as a united force in the region and so many, many more needs.
The pastors went away from the retreat with a renewed desire to reach their communities for Christ in a loving, gentle and powerful way.
As we move forward from here, this is what is in the works for RAU:
*On Monday, Jacob, Sam, Godfrey, and I will head to Yumbe town and District for a time of teaching, evangelism and medical outreach; this is being coordinated with pastors who were at the retreat. (See below the lists of medicines that were purchased for South Sudan refugees and for outreach in Yumbe this coming week) We will come back on Thursday.
*There is a plot of land available in Obongi for the same purpose of making a resource center and a location for interdenominational discipleship ( Hall of Tyrannus:Obongi Branch).
*There are a dozen or so young men in the pipe line for mentoring/discipleship at RAU for pastoring/church planting.
*We are closely working with the Kampala police and the Japanese Interpol to get our money for the ’99 Land Cruiser which we purchased from Japan refunded so that another one could be purchased. It is difficult and expensive to find vehicles that can take us to more rural areas. Please pray we can recover our money and find another vehicle soon.
*For the first time ever, there is an Aringa New Testament that is currently being published. Aringa is the main language spoken in the Yumbe area. For about $4 a copy (which must be ordered ahead of time) we could purchase Bibles to give out in outreaches to that area.
*Jacob did an interview with a Dinka tribesman and pastor from Bor, South Sudan, who narrowly escaped after hiding himself in the Nile for over a week. They were being shot at by rebel groups. Many drowned in the Nile trying to save themselves. He is now in a refugee camp in Adjumani. Jacob will be posting the video interview on the website. It is here.
*There are at least 3 pastors’ retreats that could be quickly be organized if funds were available. When hosting these retreats RAU transports the pastors to RAU and back to their homes, feeds and cares for them while at RAU, and provides resources for them. Please consider helping fund these retreats and consider coming to teach (if teaching is your gift and passion).
I have been thinking, once again, about how much people in this region need resource and development help from those who are rich in both. There are so many things that can be done in, not only pastoral training, but vocational training. If you are knowledgeable in any areas that could help people build life skills please consider getting a group together to come over and help! The women of the area are very involved in bringing income to the family. They are eager to learn skills that will help them do so.
Your ongoing prayerful support is very much appreciated. Please pray for our safety and health and for provisions for all of these plans. We entrust them to the Lord. May they be accomplished according to His will and purposes!
Carol (for both of us)
Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReachingAfricasUnreached
For those who have asked, small packages and letters may safely be sent to:
Jacob & Carol Lee, PO. 55, Moyo Uganda, East Africa
Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)
The greatest evil is having the gospel and not doing everything within our power to get it to those who do not have it. May the Lord grant each of us His followers the wherewithal to be obedient disciples! JL
Tax deductible charitable donations may be made via PayPal. PayPal also has a way to make reoccurring monthly gifts. To do so please click their link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All gifts given through PayPal are now tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501 c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization. If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate Missions, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.
*If you have questions on donations please email Jacob at JacobLeeRAU@gmail.com
Teaching God’s Word
Pastors
Servants of the Lord…Sam, Godfrey, and Carol!
These are drugs which have thus far been purchased with donations.
Thank You!
1) Coatem(Anti-malarial) 100 adult doses
2)Doxycycline ……………500 caps
3)Ciprofloxaciline tabs…..500 tablates
4)Erythromycine tabs …..1,000 tablets(one tin)
5)Metronidazole tabs…….1,000 tablets(one tin)
6)Cotrimoxazole tabs……..1,000 tablets(one tin)
7)Ascorbic acid tabs……….1,000 tablets(one tin)
8)Albendazole tabs…………500 tablets
9)Magnesium trisilicate……1,000 tablets(one tin)
10)Folic acid tabs…………..1,000 tablets(one tin)
11)Ferrous-sulphate………..1,000 tablets(one tin)
12)Paracetamol tabs………1,000 tablets(one tine)
13)Nystatine/vaginal Pessaries……100 adult doses
14)Clotrimazole1% cream…………..100 creams
15)Benzyl Benzoate………………….20 creams
16)Calamine lotion 100mls…………10 bottles
17)Amoxycillin caps…………………1,000 caps(one tin)
18)Syrups Amoxycillin……………..50 syrups
19)Syrup Chlorophenical……………50 syrups
20)Syrup Ferrous Sulphate/Ferro-B..20 syrups
21)Tetracycline eye ointment…….50 eye ointments
22)Chlorophenical eye ointment….50 ointments
23)Gention violet 25g tin……………1 tin
24)Disposable gloves…………………1 box
25)gauze hydrophyllic 90cm by 91cm…..one
26)Elastic bandage 7.5cm by 45cm
27)Chlorhexidine/cetrimid 1.5/15% 1L
28)Omeprazole 20mg……..500 caps
29)Griseofulvin tablets…….50 tablets
30)Nystatine syrups……….50 syrups
31)Vitamin B……………….1,000 talets(one tin)
32)Vitamin B-coplex……..1,000 tablets(one tin)
First hand report from Bor South Sudan
These are drugs which have thus far been purchased with donations.
1) Coatem(Anti-malarial) 100 adult doses
2)Doxycycline ……………500 caps
3)Ciprofloxaciline tabs…..500 tablates
4)Erythromycine tabs …..1,000 tablets(one tin)
5)Metronidazole tabs…….1,000 tablets(one tin)
6)Cotrimoxazole tabs……..1,000 tablets(one tin)
7)Ascorbic acid tabs……….1,000 tablets(one tin)
8)Albendazole tabs…………500 tablets
9)Magnesium trisilicate……1,000 tablets(one tin)
10)Folic acid tabs…………..1,000 tablets(one tin)
11)Ferrous-sulphate………..1,000 tablets(one tin)
12)Paracetamol tabs………1,000 tablets(one tine)
13)Nystatine/vaginal Pessaries……100 adult doses
14)Clotrimazole1% cream…………..100 creams
15)Benzyl Benzoate………………….20 creams
16)Calamine lotion 100mls…………10 bottles
17)Amoxycillin caps…………………1,000 caps(one tin)
18)Syrups Amoxycillin……………..50 syrups
19)Syrup Chlorophenical……………50 syrups
20)Syrup Ferrous Sulphate/Ferro-B..20 syrups
21)Tetracycline eye ointment…….50 eye ointments
22)Chlorophenical eye ointment….50 ointments
23)Gention violet 25g tin……………1 tin
24)Disposable gloves…………………1 box
25)gauze hydrophyllic 90cm by 91cm…..one
26)Elastic bandage 7.5cm by 45cm
27)Chlorhexidine/cetrimid 1.5/15% 1L
28)Omeprazole 20mg……..500 caps
29)Griseofulvin tablets…….50 tablets
30)Nystatine syrups……….50 syrups
31)Vitamin B……………….1,000 talets(one tin)
32)Vitamin B-coplex……..1,000 tablets(one tin)
Reaching Africa's Unreached 