By Carol Lee

Arnold, Abe, Jonathan and Rachel

We had barely said goodbye to dear friends, Wayne and Nancy Reigel, when it was time to prepare for the next group–from Canada! Here is what I posted on FaceBook after they left: “We just said goodbye to some friends from Canada who have been wonderful partners in some projects we have done–specifically boreholes (water wells) and Bibles. We laughed a lot, had deep conversations, and took them into the mountains to see several of the boreholes in remote villages…”the ends of the earth”?…seems like it! We even did our level best to work on the USA/Canada tariff and trade agreements! Mostly, we marveled at how much more we have in common in Christ, than differences that divide us. It was so much fun!!“

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Hill Country Fellowship TEAM

Travel List:

• Pack tubs with Toys, Treats, Texas plates, Thingamajigs and more: CHECK!
• Malaria Medication: CHECK!
• Jerky and Protein bars: CHECK!
• Walking shoes: CHECK!
• Pain medicine, Blister treatment, Pepto and Electrolyte replacement: CHECK!
• Camel Back Back Packs: CHECK!
• Passports, tickets: CHECK!
• Sense of Adventure: CHECK!

And OFF THEY GO to Afoji, Uganda!

On the heels of Team Canada was the Hill Country Fellowship Team! As you might surmise from the picture above, this one would require Multivitamins and Energy drinks! : } We received the Team (which actually combined members from 3 different churches) on April 28th after their long couple of days of flying and too little sleep. They were able to recoup a bit of that sleep on Monday afternoon–just in time for Jacob’s “boot camp” style ministry schedule!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were long, jostling days in the Metu Mountains with a good bit of walking, including the particularly treacherous climb back up the hill from Oku and Lea which Grayson (the Team Leader) affectionately named, “Oh No” Mountain! Last year, he seriously struggled to make the climb. This year, he trained hard and, if I’m not mistaken, was the first one up the hill! Who knew that preparation for a cross-cultural ministry trip required many trips to the gym?!

In each of the church plants that the team visited, each one shared some encouraging message from the word of God and took time to interact with adults and children alike. During debrief it was evident that one of the most impactful realities for the team members was the difficulty of the lives of the villagers in these very remote places. Equally, they recognized the strenuous and complex nature of the pastors’ work, not only spiritually but physically. Who knew that to be a Pastor in the Metu Mountains would require a good pair of hiking boots?

On Friday, Charles came to pick us up with his van and we headed to Yumbe for a couple of days. On Saturday, we went to Lodenga again as it is our aim to make our brothers and sisters in Christ there know they are supported and loved. This visit focused on the youth and children. Robert, Tiffany, Grayson and Esmeralda took on the youngest of the children. For the older ones, there were rotating stations where team members would encourage them spiritually, allow for Q & A and a hearty and hot (not heated) game of football (soccer). Who knew…well, actually, we ALL know how easy it is to connect to youth through sports. What was a joy to me was to see all the ladies out there, dresses and all–barefoot–getting in on the action and the fun.

After lunch and a bit of rest (this was especially appreciated by Jessup and Zach, who played football nonstop–in the heat–for several hours), we headed to a market location for our usual one-on-one interactions, a open air gospel message of Good News from Jacob and Charles and then the Jesus Film after dark. The last time we did this, Jacob and Charles got rained off the top of the Land Cruiser and we had to forego showing the Film. This time, we got started timely and were able to finish it just as raindrops started randomly falling. Thankfully, we loaded up before the rain fell heavily.

On Sunday, we headed back to Lodenga from the hotel. Our brother, Vinton, preached during the service–a great encouragement to all of us. After service we ate lunch with Charles and his family at his home and then headed back to RAU knowing that it would leave the Team a few hours to get some rest and pack before their departure on Monday morning. Who knew a week could go by so quickly?

Well, Jacob and I do, actually!

In our last debriefing on Sunday evening, we enjoyed a lively, thoughtful and productive conversation recognizing the most important truths about ourselves and the people we serve (and hope to serve): 1) each one bears the image of God; 2) everyone has something important to contribute to their own lives and the lives of people in their communities; 3) while all suffering matters, our greatest need is spiritual; and 4) poverty is more than physical and involves also spiritual, social, psychological scarcity and so our efforts must be holistic. (For insightful reading on these matters please read “Helping Without Hurting“, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, and “Helping Without Hurting in Short Term Missions” by the same authors.) Each member of the Team loved others well! I could see the appreciation in the eyes and gestures of the people with whom they interacted. They were a grand blessing in so many ways!

Following the departure of the HCF Team, Jacob and I looked forward to a slower pace before the visits of our final two teams. BUT! It has been less frenetic, yet certainly not with a measure of busyness!. As I write this, it’s just a little over a week before the Rocky Point Baptist Church Stephenville Texas (RPBC) Team arrives followed by the Forest Hills Maryland Presbyterian (PCA) Church (FHPC)Team 3 days later. Please pray for their safe and uneventful travels back and forth. Pray for Jacob’s and my strength and endurance for these busy but significant times. The RPBC teaching team will hold a retreat module for church leaders focusing on Hermeneutics (“the art and science of biblical interpretation”) and the FHPC teaching team will go through the book of Romans!! There will be some gospel “side hustles” going on too–the ladies from RPBC and I will do a 2-day teaching on Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. Jacob will take some of the young men into the Metu Mountains. A ministry trip to Yumbe will also be included in the RPBC and FHPC visit.

Not very long after our friends have departed, Jacob and I will be making our way south to Entebbe for our yearly trip to the States! While in Entebbe, we will travel into Kampala to pick up our Permanent (5-year) Resident permits. Since we have lived in Uganda now for nearly 12 years we could apply for these residence visa’s. This is a huge answer to prayer as we were unsure as to the logistics of entering back into the Uganda next October! We were hoping for at least a 10-year permit, but as was explained to us, they start with 5 year residence, then just a review and 10 year residence, then just a review Life Residence! Jacob joking said he will be just mere 84 years old when Lord willing we get permeant residency! However, I think we might be on to a better life by then (if you know what I mean : ) )

Please be in prayer for us in these coming months of activity and travel. Both Jacob and I are “feeling our age” and nothing is as easy as it used to be! Ha! Who knew getting old would require so much strength of will and perseverance? Well, all the people that have gotten old before us, I guess!

While we are gone, our Ag Demonstration Farm will continue its good work. At the moment, our biggest focus is mango grafting/seedling production in addition to seedlings of many kinds–eucalyptus, orange, cocao, avocado, jackfruit and more! Mangoes are in full production mode now and so we have many interested vendors. The sales of these and seedlings help to offset the cost of production and labor but we are no where near full sustainability without subsidization.

We are also awaiting another batch of Africa Study Bibles (ASB) which are being printed (by Oasis) in India right now. Also on the way and due to arrive May 30th are 23,760 more Pew Bibles through ChristianBook International Outreach and Crossway International! Here’s to encouraging a reading culture with the Bestseller of all time!

In all these things–Team visits, ongoing, daily (and often mundane) work at RAU, trainings, literature distribution–we appreciate you, our prayer warriors, supporters, friends and partners more than you can know! Thank you for your interest and joy in hearing our stories and seeing our pictures! We love you all so much!

Carol and Jacob

Donation Information:https://reachingafricasunreached.org/donations/

We are grateful to be  Associate Missionaries with ABWE. 

Video Interview: “What does it mean to be an Associate Missionary with ABWE?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NIk9-mNdWk&t=12s