By Carol Lee

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

St. Augustine

“The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

Maya Angelou

“At the end of the day, it isn’t where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I’m going and never have been before.”

Warsan Shire

“These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. But they now desire a better place — a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:13-16

Jacob and I are almost at the close of 3 months on furlough in the USA during which we have experienced a broad spectrum of emotions and thoughts as we visit family, friends and supporting churches: adventure and new sights, people, food and sweet fellowship with dear friends (old and new); longing for stillness, space to breathe, longing for home (which one?), enjoyment of creature comforts; out-of-place feelings; hopes of serving, inspiring, and prodding the Church towards faithful service.

How does one sift through all these longings and find peace in them all? That has been our quest, particularly this time around.

The focus of Jacob’s message (Hebrews 11:13-16) to the churches has been to remind us of the “long view” and of filtering every human experience and desire through the lens of what matters most from heaven’s perspective. When we have seen our lives through such a lens, we have been able to find greater peace (and joy).

If earthly longings steer the ship of our earthly experience, we will shipwreck all the plans God has for us; but, as Jacob quotes C.S. Lewis in his sermon, if you “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.” We praise God for adventures, sensory delights and friendships–He has given us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17); we do our best to prioritize some times of stillness and space, recognizing our finiteness (Sabbath is a gift from the Lord–Exodus 16:29); but we long for home (a place of true belonging) which is not here in the States or in any other earthly country. We are still traveling and transient as we await a better country–a heavenly one. That is what keeps us on course when competing desires wrestle within us.

Jacob and I arrived in the States from Uganda on July 2nd. In our first week, we rested and prepared for our doctrinal interview with ABWE Africa Director, Ron Washer, along with the leaders of our sending church, Lifegate (in Seguin, TX) and RAU Board of Directors. Next, we traveled to Harrisburg, PA, where the International Headquarters for ABWE is situated, for 6 days of Missionary Orientation so we could formalize a partnership with ABWE as Associate missionaries. We remain missionaries with Reaching Africa’s Unreached (RAU). We have written in the past of our desire to collaborate with a like-minded, long-standing mission sending agency. ABWE has existed and ministered well for nearly 100 years with around 1000 missionaries who are cared for by them. The Lord, in his grace, has put us together, ABWE has Christian International status and RAU is a Christian Ugandan NGO. We firmly believe RAU can be more effective for the Lord’s glory for generations as we minister in collaboration with ABWE in our Ugandan West Nile Ma’di, Aringa, and Sudanese (South and North) brothers and sisters in Christ.

Our next joyfully anticipated destination was Colorado where we had planned to gather as a family–all 17 of us–for 5 days in Winter Park. It was a delight to be together in one place–our 3 children and their spouses and our 9 grandchildren! The last time we were all in one place was at Josiah and Unyae’s wedding in 2018. It was every bit the memorable celebration we had hoped for!

After spending some extra days with Josh and Becca and their children, we traveled back to Texas where we also spent time with Anna and Kenny and their 3 kids and our Rocky Point Baptist Church family whom we have grown to love and appreciate as they faithfully intercede and partner with RAU financially and by sending teaching teams.

The month of August found us mostly in Texas, enjoying the homey space provided by Lifegate church members, Mary and Gerard Lopez, in their guesthouse. We traveled most every weekend to someplace in Texas to gather with one of the many churches who support the ministry of Reaching Africa’s Unreached (RAU). On weekdays we met up with friends and fellowshipped over a meal, met in home groups, squeezed in dental, health and business appointments–and enjoyed some very relaxing times (naps and reading or not doing much of anything).

What a privilege and joy to be back at our home and sending church, Lifegate, where both of us shared in Adult Sunday School and then Jacob preached during the service!! We have been members of Lifegate since 1982. Jacob served as elder from 1986 up until our move to RAU. The warmth of love and celebration was present from start to finish, ending with a tasty potluck lunch and catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. We look forward to receiving a team from Lifegate to RAU and pray that all the necessary pieces of the puzzle will fit together to make it happen soon!

Praise God for the many churches in Texas who are linking arms with their intercession and giving which empowers the ministry to continue and to thrive: Home/Sending Church Lifegate in Seguin, Rocky Point Baptist Church in Stephenville, Bread of Life in Uvalde, Gospel Life Fellowship in New Braunfels, Mission City Fellowship in South San Antonio, One Hope Church in Geronimo, Hill Country Fellowship in Burnet,  Amazing Grace Baptist Church near Seguin, The Country Church in Marion, Nixon First Baptist Church, Nixon Methodist Church (Jacob taught at Nixon HS), Comfort Baptist in Comfort , Cross Church in Seguin, and and Faith Lutheran Church (LCM) in Seguin!! Our out-of-state-supporting churches include Forest Hills Presbyterian (PCA) Church in Forest Hill, Maryland (see more about our time there below) and Valley Bible Church in Pleasanton California. We are also very grateful for the many individuals, families, and other para-church ministries throughout the country who intercede and support RAU’s 2 Timothy 2:2 mission and vision. As you can see from this paragraph, the Lord has been and is most gracious in bringing together his people in collaboration for the spreading of the Lord Jesus Christ’s fame in Uganda, South Sudan, and the Republic of (North) Sudan. 

One exception in August to “staying in Texas” was a short trip to Peabody, Massachusetts, where Christianbook International Outreach is located. Over the years, Jacob has developed a friendship and partnership with the Director of the Christianbook International Outreach who has been instrumental in getting the 20,000+ ESV Global Study Bibles and other wonderful theological resources to RAU’s campus. We are happy to report that this partnership will continue and broaden in the near future.

Jacob and I enjoyed a delightful visit in Chattanooga, Tennessee with our beloved Josiah and Unyae (son and daughter in law). We took extra naps, did walkabouts and other activities in downtown Chattanooga and, in the evening, we met for food and fellowship with our family. We are proud of and grateful for the two of them. Such times are priceless to us and a high priority as we travel about the country.

From Chattanooga, we traveled to Forest Hill, Maryland, where one of our supporting and partnering churches is located. We have grown to love our church family from Forest Hill Presbyterian Church and appreciate their sending a team 5 times over the 10 years we have been in Uganda. They are bringing, Lord willing, another teaching team in early January. Joel and Dawn Raiber and their family welcomed us into their home and, as always, gave us the best room in the house! We enjoyed Sunday Service and then, in the evening, one of our absolute favorite events–a “WELL-ATTENDED-by-young-and-old” Hymn Sing at the Raiber home. Forest Hill Presbyterian has come on-board in a big way with RAU’s ministry. We love and appreciate them so much!

Flying from Maryland, we went to Iowa to stay with Jacob’s sister, Jackie, and to meet up with many of his family members, particularly his Dad, who is nearing 93 years of life. It is a certain destination for us as we cannot but wonder “if this might be the last visit“. We honor Jacob’s Dad (Keith) as one of those foundation stones upon which Jacob’s life has been sturdily built–upon whose shoulders Jacob stands. We were also able to meet with some of my family (John and Nancy Mayer). Such are rare and precious opportunities to reconnect!

We never miss a chance to spend time with our dear friends, Edward and Jennifer Heinze, in Louisville, Kentucky, where we travelled next–the last leg of our journey eastward. It is an “obligation” of love and joy to prioritize that every year. The Heinze’s spoil us with royal treatment, but mainly, we enjoy sweet kinship and fellowship–and, well, pizza and ice cream, too! We were blessed to meet Edward’s parents who had recently moved to Louisville. Jacob brought along an extra, small suitcase to accommodate his treasures from the Southern Seminary bookstore.

We also had a wonderful breakfast/fellowship time with good friends Wayne and Nancy Riegel. Wayne had invited Alex and Sarah Tibit, Jamin and Kristen Eben (with Teaching Truth International) to join us. Both Alex and Jamin are graduates of Southern Seminary. Also joining us were Dr. Steve Wellum and his wife, Karen. Dr. Wellum is a professor at Southern Seminary. He is the author of a number of books, most of which I have in my library at RAU. At some time in the future, Lord willing, my library will be part of an accredited Bible Institute at RAU. We would love to have this group come and teach at one of modules in the RAU Hall of Tyrannus.

Back in home territory, Jacob preached for his final time (during furlough) at Hill Country Fellowship in Burnet, Texas. Hill Country Fellowship is an amazingly mission-minded church with impactful outreaches into the surrounding communities as well as globally to various places around the world. In April of 2024, they plan to send several of their leaders and a few other members to Uganda for a survey trip to discern the most fruitful ways they can partner with the mission of RAU. We have been warmly welcomed and cared for by them and, specifically, by Ben and Margaret Ward who opened their home to us. We appreciate the church’s commitment to the Great Commission.

Our last Sunday, October 1st, in America we will be with Lifegate and we will be sent off once more by them. “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Romans 10: 14-15)

We are now looking wide-eyed and a bit “panicky” at the FIVE DAYS we have left before we travel back to Uganda where we will, once again, hit the ground running.

Please be praying for:

*Safe passage with all our tubs and suitcases and for favor and support as we check in our bags and then retrieve them in Entebbe, Uganda and transport them north to RAU. Please for God’s grace to be with us as we leave. One would think it would get easier to leave each time, but it does not. There is “rejoicing and sorrow” (2 Corinthians 6:10) at the same time in our hearts.

*Our very first Dental Outreach in the Moyo community at the end of October and into November in partnership with Hope Smiles, from Jinja, Uganda. We hope to have 3-4 clinics per year. The clinic will be done in RAU Hall of Tyrannus. Hope Smiles are bringing a team of eleven along with all their dental equipment! Photos below (provided with permission) are from other Hope Smiles clinics in Uganda. To our knowledge this will be the first ever dental clinic in our area.

*Favor to receive an FM Gospel/Agriculture Station operating license from the UCC in Uganda. Radio South Sudan has promised the radio tower, radio equipment and free training as long as RAU gets a license from the Ugandan government, uses the radio station for the Gospel and maintains the license.

*Granting of Land Titles for RAU newest properties purchased so that, at the right time, buildings can be built for a Dental and Eye Care clinic as well as a tutoring center for children and Accredited Bible Institute. Also the provision for the buildings.

*Timely support for our two families, the Pryce’s and Langworthy’s, who still long to join us at RAU for increased breadth and depth of spiritual care in our region (West Nile) among the Ma’di, Aringa, and the Sudanese and South Sudanese (in Refugee Settlements) as well as their contacts in both countries.

*For ongoing partnership with Christianbook International Outreach for more bibles and sound theological books for church leaders. There continues to be great demand in our West Nile region of Uganda, South Sudan, and the Republic of (North) Sudan. Large numbers of refugees from the Republic of Sudan are pouring out of the country to surrounding countries, including the Nuba Mountains and South Sudan because of the war in the Republic of Sudan. Pray for Sudan! It has been reported to me that there is ongoing persecution for Christians. Nevertheless, the gospel continues to go forth…pray, pray, and pray!

*Continued evangelistic outreaches in Yumbe among the Aringa and Ma’di in the Metu Mountains. We would like to see new churches planted in both places and leaders trained up to shepherd them. There is renewed interested in starting up again our Christian-Muslim dialogs with Sheikhs and Iman’s.

*As the Lord opens the way we want to continue with RAU’s mercy ministries: agriculture trainings with RAU’s demo farm, more water wells drilled, and another medical outreach with Pearl Haven Ministries & E5 as we had earlier 2023.

*The purchase, shipping, and distribution of Pearl Audio Bibles from the Digital Bible Society. They would contain the New Testament in Ma’di, Aringa, Bari, English, and Sudanese Arabic. We also would like the Digital Bible Society to print interlinear gospels of John in these languages.

*We would like to complete the Arapi/Gbari Community Church building. It would also be used as a training center for the northern Metu Mountain church plants. It’s counterpart, Aya Baptist Church, has a completed building which can be used for a training center for southern Metu Mountain church plants. The Ijujo Church needs some basic repairs as termites have destroyed the the wooden poles. We would like to help them put in concrete poles to replace the termite eaten ones.

*Most importantly we hope to have 5-7 pastoral/leadership module trainings in the RAU Hall of Tyrannus in 2024.

We are very grateful for your prayers and support. Please consider giving as you are able. We need more and more rope holders as the ministry grows and we definitely need more team members to join us long term. We commit to be good stewards, using your God-prompted gifts in the above areas (and others which may come up) for the proclamation of the gospel, being zealous in good works, and doing our God-given part in Jesus building HIS church in the West Nile of Uganda, South Sudan, and the Republic of (North) Sudan. Thank you.

Your fellow Pilgrims and Co-laborers in Christ,

Carol and Jacob Lee

PayPal Link for donations: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=WAR99DL4JFWXQ

Donations are tax deductible

Checks may be written to RAU and sent to our secretary Beth and she will deposit them into RAU’s account : Lifegate-RAU, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin, TX. 78155

RAU’s YouTube Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRmHafoBSemE7jS8kEHCG6Q/videos

RAU’s Mission and Vision Statements/Statement of Faith: https://reachingafricasunreached.org/about/