Journey Mercies

by Carol Lee

“Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.  

All I have needed Thy hands have provided.  

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.” 

(From a hymn by Thomas O. Chisolm, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”)

The words to this hymn are the testimony of Jacob’s and my experience.  The Lord has been merciful to us on so many occasions in our lives and in these past weeks and He has rescued us from many trials.  But let it be said, along with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that even if we had not seen a physical rescue or had not been spared from suffering, our testimony would still be, “Great is thy faithfulness,” because the Lord has rescued us from something far worse than suffering in this life.

As Jacob already related in previous posts, we came through a rough and frightening experience at our home in Afoji as we watched violence and unrest erupt suddenly around us during a local tribal conflict.  The Lord was merciful in protecting us and those in our care.  Mercifully, He sent our good friend, Kevin Turner, with SWI, whose experience and expertise in war-zone areas was an extraordinarily timely encouragement and help.  By God’s grace, the tribal conflict was kept from becoming a full blown, long-standing war as leaders from both sides met together to find peaceful solutions for return to normalcy.  We know that the Lord worked through the thousands and thousands of earnest prayers sent up on behalf of all the people in the region of Moyo district and South Sudan.

We were grateful, as  you can imagine, that the disruption of peace did not prevent our long awaited trip back to the United States to reunite with family and friends.  Traveling from Moyo to Kampala (or anywhere in Uganda) has inherent dangers and discomforts.  The Lord was merciful, indeed, to bring us safely to our destination in Kampala, along with our traveling companions.

In His mercy, the Lord made a way for some of our passengers to receive medical care here in Kampala, which they might not have gotten if not for the loving reach of Jesus’ arms through His Body. the people of His redeeming love.

Anzo returned with her father, Mindra, to have a check-up on her eyes after cataract surgery and to receive glasses which will help her as she attends school.  Little baby, “Miracle,” was admitted, again, to CoRSU Hospital in Entebbe for the second part of her cleft lip/palate surgery (repair of the palate).  We thank God for the mercy He has shown through you!

As it says in Isaiah 58:6-9

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness^[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.”

This showing of mercy is intrinsic to the message of the Gospel and must be a loving not only in word or tongue, but with actions and in truth.  (I John 3:18)  Reading recently in John 1, I was again refreshed by this:  the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. We are acutely aware of the fact that RAU is an extension of the love and Gospel-giving commitment of our supporters and that, through you, the truth of the Gospel walks side by side with the grace that is shown to us in Christ and is seen in the lives of His people.

We are eagerly anticipating our journey to the USA to be reunited with our family and friends and to meet our newest grandchild.  We are eager for times of refreshing and reconnecting with those we love and with whom we are partnered.  Please pray with us for journey mercies on the next leg of the trip.

“Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth;

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

blessings all mine with ten thousand beside.”

From “Great is Thy Faithfulness” by Thomas Chisolm

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

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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!  Jacob W. Lee

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These Videos are a good history timeline of the events here in Moyo District. Each of them were taken here in Afoji just two kilometers from the South Sudan border. We remained here through this whole period of time. Kevin Turner, President of SWI, was with us and took most of the videos posted below. He and SWI are great partners in our efforts to spread the fame of King Jesus  throughout the West Nile of Uganda.

This Ugandan TV report gives some background to the conflict

Afoji Church burned down. It is 500  yards from RAU.

September 22

We all made it through the night safely. Thank you all for your prayers. God heard them!

The women and children spent the night inside the house while the men, who were guests, slept on the veranda. We had five of us (two guards, Kevin , Mindra, and I) outside watching and Carol and Sam were manning things from within. The sighting of a leopard around 2 AM with its baby and, perhaps, a third one, was a big surprise, to say the least. It was a beautiful beast…most of the time we saw just its eyes but there were a few times when we saw its body move…it appeared big and looked to be black. It did not leave even when we all had our lights trained on it. Most likely it had a meal there on our fence line. I have always been told by the locals that leopards (lions too) are no longer here. Perhaps because of there being fewer people here, the leopard took greater courage in leaving its normal habitat in the nearby hills. The village on our east, which was numbered at 242, now has 10 people in it! The Lord sending a leopard to be on our north border fence is a very interesting answer to the many prayers that have been prayed!

A dear friend also informed me yesterday that around 90 men with their bows and arrows had formed a neighborhood (Afoji) community watch force. Also, a few regular members of the Ugandan army were mixed within them with their weapons…just another means by which the Lord answered your prayers! The powerful spotlight which Kevin  brought with him was also very effective. We received numerous reports by soldiers/police/others saying that seeing it from far off caused people to fear “this place”. No doubt intruders and those with bad intentions had fear placed in them as well. With the exchange of gun fire at RAU on Friday night, I am sure the word got out that this was not a place to target anymore. We have now had two peaceful nights. We also have been in contact with the American Embassy in Kampala. These are some of the ways the Lord answered your prayers! Thank you!

It is an honor to live and serve our majestic King along with my dear Carol and RAU co-workers Sam and Patrick in this area of His creation! It is so good of the Lord to send our dear friend, Kevin Turner, with StrategicWorld Impact ,to be with us in these very days of turmoil…what a blessing he is! He is another answer to the prayers of those who faithfully pray for my co-workers, Carol, me, the ministry of ReachingAfrica’s Unreached and the people of this region.

There is nothing on this earth that can keep us from proclaiming the good news of Jesus here. We have been told that refusing to leave Afoji and choosing to stay and help is having a strong witness in the community. May Jesus be exalted through this weak flesh (John 3:3)! Carol and I will spend the rest of our days here if the Lord so wills.

Pray for both the Kukus and Ma’dis. Pray that the Lord would bring healing and peace! In the midst of this we are scheduled to fly back to the States for a short break soon. It will have been 10 months since we have been back or had even one break so please also pray that we can get things ready on this end for our visit to our beloved family, friends, and supporters. All the extra guests that have come here for refuge need a safe place until order is restored. We cannot just “kick them out”. We are already actively seeking to support their move and facilitate it if needed. Please pray for this as well. Thank you so very much!

Today we are working on harvesting the maize between the Guesthouse and the Tukalus. The Tukalus are where pastors stay for retreats as well as very special friends, like Kevin. After the harvesting I should be able to shred the area with the tractor, thus clearing the view between the house and tukalus for our night watches. Also, I am pumping water with the generator (which is loud!) for the fourth day in row. With all the guests we have been using a lot water and, besides, the pump is pulling the water very slowly. Ideally, a solar submersible well pump would be best as we would not be dependent on generators which consume a lot fuel . In times like these, fuel is very hard to get. I try to keep a reserve and we have been using it. Solar pump systems run between $6000-$14,000 depending on the type/quality and how fast one wants to pump. We have to pull water up about 140 feet from the water source. We are hoping and praying that we can get a good solar pump system in.

Kevin and I have a lot of little projects planned as well. He is such a servant and a fine representative of King Jesus! We did not think it wise to leave RAU at any time during this conflict.We have a lot of fun together while we work. I think even our loud laughter in the middle of night keeps intruders away! It is a challenge to switch into guard mode at times, especially with Kevin’s funny antics and stories. Thank you all for your precious prayers!

September 21

​Looking northward at South Sudan with Kevin Turner. The second ridge is South Sudan.

​Direction of attack on RAU

Video: RAU Mission Compound Comes Under Attack Sept. 20th 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LehKGyzu-w&feature=youtu.be

are trying to find safer places for the women and children to stay.  It would be better for them to be out of Afoji which is being specifically targeted along with surrounding Moyo and Metu areas.

We are gearing up for another night.  There is a story circulating that the Kukus are being armed with fire power to launch a more effective tribal retaliation here in Uganda.  In light of that, we are trying to find safer places for the women and children to stay.  It would be better for them to be out of Afoji which is being specifically targeted along with surrounding Moyo and Metu areas.

Thank you for your continual intercession and support!

​One of the mothers and babies we are keeping here at night

September 20

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Prayer Update:I am getting ready to be out all night with other security personal. We have a large group of mostly women and small children inside. We must be extra diligent as we learned some disturbing things in our briefing. Please in special prayer…Carol will get post our from inside Lord will and Kevin Turner has his mobile and will make reports from the field. …we take our refuge in the Lord; He is our strong tower. Blessings to my friends!

A dear brother put this video together. May it spur you on in your prayers!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LehKGyzu-w&feature=youtu.be

I cannot thank you all adequately for all your prayers,  words of encouragement, and support. May the Lord richly bless you!

Jacob

September 19

​It is good to have Kevin Turner with Strategic World Impact back with us

“Thank you for your prayers!  We (Reaching Africa’s Unreached, here at Afoji border) are praying and making preparations. As the saying goes, “We are hoping for the best but planning for the worst.” Things appear to be getting more unstable…roads are being blocked and there are pockets of conflict, and numerous reports of SPLA causing harm. In this type of situation there is also a lot of false information which gets spread. We do have good and well thought out contingency plans in place. Kevin Turner with Strategic World Impact has been a godsend for us in this. His ministry specifically targets war torn areas and he hosts Disaster Assistance Response Training (DART) one of which I attended. We not only have ourselves to look out for but may have a number of women and children also to care for (three of which are pregnant)…please keep praying!

 

Thank you for your faithful intercession, encouragement, and support!

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!  Jacob Lee

 

​Many,many people are fleeing their homes on the road by RAU

September 16

 

We had a sad and tension filled day here in Afoji yesterday. What was meant to be a peaceful protest march, from Moyo on the road past us to the Afoji border, turned violent. The border is down the road a couple of kilometers from us. Homes (tukalus), businesses and a grass thatched Anglican (Church of Uganda – COU) church (within walking distance of us) were burned down. Because of this we pushed back to a later date the pastor’s retreat we were going to have here today through Friday. The article from one of Uganda’s national newspaper and TV gives you background behind the turmoil that is happening (Newspaper Article: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/S–Sudanese-attacked-in-Moyo-protest/-/688334/2453732/-/yashoa/-/index.html;http://www.ntvuganda.co.ug/news/local/15/sep/2014/moyo-residents-protest-arrest-district-leaders-south-sudan-soldiers#sthash.LIMT5sl1.dpbs).

 

No harm was done here at Reaching Africa’s Unreached but one of our faithful workers and friend, Zakeo, who is a native Ma’di had two of the places he rents out in the Afoji market burned down.

 

 

Please pray for peace to reign here and for the authorities, most of whom I know, who have a very complicated situation before them. Pray that the violence will not spread. Our part is to minister the hope, love, and lasting peace that can only come through the Lord Jesus Christ!

Our good friend and co-laborer in Christ, Kevin Turner with Strategic World Impact is arriving on Thursday and will be with us a week. He has ministered around the world in this type of situation. His trip was not specifically planned because of this event but the Lord worked it out for him to be here. He and SWI are a grand blessing!

 

Currently, there is an eerie quiet here at RAU. In Moyo town itself there is rioting and  great unrest. We have unconfirmed reports of a village nearby where around 100 homes were burned in retaliation for things done to South Sudanese here. There is now a steady flow of people with their belongs going by RAU to South Sudan. They are primarily leaving out of fear. However, there are rumors also floating that they are leaving to clear the way for the SPLA to come this way from South Sudan. Please be in serious prayer!
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