Life is not merely a fleeting vacation but an exhilarating short-term mission trip, filled with purpose and endless possibilities in and for Jesus!
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
“You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.” 2 Timothy 2:2
We thank God for the ministry opportunities He has given us in early 2025. Let me start with the latest ministry events and go back to the beginning of the new year.





The long-awaited first installment of over 6,120 of the 23,040 Africa Study Bibles (ASB) has finally arrived, and our hearts are overflowing with joy! We give all praise to God for this remarkable milestone! To date, we’ve raised an astounding $200,000. Our generous supporters through Oasis International, the publisher, have blessed us with $50,000, and the incredible donors from ChristianBook International Outreach have matched that gift with another $50,000, while RAU, through its beloved donors, has stepped in with an extraordinary $100,000! Despite the shifts in pricing since we first sought the Lord’s guidance to ignite hearts for these essential study Bibles, our mission remains unwavering. We are looking to God and HIS people to raise an additional $127,000 needed to bring all 23,040 copies to RAU. Because of the large donations from Oasis and ChristianBook International Outreach, the total for RAU is $227,000 with $100,000 already raised. This means the price for one Africa Study Bible for RAU donors is an incredible $9.85 for an Africa Study Bible. This includes all the shipping by container and ground transport to RAU! The primary recipients of this ASB will be church leaders who are well versed in English. If God blesses us with more dollars than needed for the ASBs, we commit to use the excess funds for local language Bibles or “Following Jesus: African Journey through the Book of Luke”. Discover more about the ASB here.
Will you join us in prayer and consider how you can help us secure the additional funds??? Please feel free to pass this on to your friends and churches who may be interested in helping.
February 13,2025 Update
Great news from our end! I’m thrilled to share an update about our determined mission to deliver 23,040 Africa Study Bibles (ASB) to RAU. As may know, we’ve received our first shipment of 6,120 ASBs! The second shipment of 10,520 ASBs had a funding requirement of $82,685. Thanks to generous donations the remaining balance for this second of three shipments is down to $23,880! Praise the Lord for His provision! Let’s keep our hearts united in prayer, steadfast in belief, and joyfully anticipate the arrival of these Bibles by faith.
Would you consider joining us in this noble endeavor to eliminate this balance completely?
Donation Information–> https://reachingafricasunreached.org/donations/


On a related note, we are grateful to share that the 20,000 ESV paperback pew Bibles provided by Christianbook International Outreach (CIO) this past August have been successfully distributed. These precious Bibles have primarily reached students and church members who are proficient in English. As we’ve noted in previous newsletters, education in Uganda, from primary to university level, is conducted in English. Sadly, many in our community cannot afford a Bible, which highlights the incredible opportunity we have to share the Word of God. Furthermore, we are very grateful that CIO has committed to sending another 20,000 ESV paperback pew Bibles! What a wonderful blessing—thank you, CIO, and thank you, Jehovah!
Students with ESV Pew Bibles
All the French Bibles that Christianbook-International Outreach (CIO) generously sent us have finally arrived in the Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for church leaders and members. We are incredibly grateful. This is one of the boxes below. It reveals the challenging journey these Bibles endured! They are now in the hands of our Congolese brother and friend, who trained alongside us at RAU and is currently serving in Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo. We give thanks to God for Samuel Misengile, who truly embodies 2 Timothy 2:2 in the DRC, and we are thankful for the support from CIO!
French Bibles for the Democratic Republic of Congo
On January 27th, we welcomed Steve Chew and Claude Durepo from Valley Bible Church Pleasanton California through MAF. They started their journey back to California from RAU on January 31st. The 28th-30th were filled with ministry. Claude and Steve were an encouragement to Carol and me as well as to our Aringa and Ma’di brothers and sisters in Christ.


Steve and Claude from Valley Bible Church
Monday, the 27th, we gave them a tour of the RAU campus and demo farm, shared about RAU’s primary vision and mission, and had refreshing fellowship over a meal that Carol had cooked. We first met Steve and Claude in 2022 when we visited Valley Bible Church (VBC), so it was great to catch up. Both Steve and Claude are on the VBC mission committee and came with the expressed purpose of seeing on the ground what RAU is doing, and then going back to VBC to give a report on how they can pray for RAU and us, and explore possible ways of support. Carol and I are so very grateful for cross-cultural, mission-minded churches like VBC!
We had an impactful day in Yumbe on Wednesday the 28th, actively ministering in a rural church located in Lodenga, Yumbe District, alongside our Aringa brothers and sisters in Christ. The church is notably surrounded by fervent Muslims. Several elder members recounted the remarkable story of how their church was founded during the era of Idi Amin, who originated from the nearby district. They candidly shared the many struggles and persecution they have faced over the years. Interestingly, prior to our arrival, the local Muslims had learned about our visit and convened a meeting right at the boundary of the church. I approached them with Charles, Carol, Steve, and Claude, greeting them in a warm local manner, engaging in conversation, and distributed our dual language gospel tracts. Carol has a special ability to connect with the women and she did with these women!
After a short and friendly exchange, two Muslim Clerics from foreign countries arrived as we were ending conversations to head back to our own meeting. There was a tangible difference in mood. Carol extended her hand to greet them, as is the common practice among all Aringa (even with Aringa Muslim men), but the greeting was not received. Instead, the foreigners used this opportunity to explain that men should only greet men and women greet only women. It was almost as if “the Pharisees” had arrived.

An earlier date at a Muslim friend’s home in Yumbe town.
We then returned to the Lodenga church for our meeting, where Steve and Claude offered heartfelt words of encouragement. I had the privilege of sharing insights from 1 Peter 3:13-18, all while the loudspeakers from our Muslim neighbors sounded in our ears. Afterward, we enjoyed a lovely meal with our church family. Following the meal, we made our way to the home of our dear friend and co-worker, Onduga Charles, an Aringa, who generously shared more about the rich history of the Aringa church—its growth, the challenges they’ve faced, and the inspiring vision he and RAU have for its future. Together, we are united in prayer and purpose, striving to lift the Aringa out of the “unreached category” through dedicated gospel proclamation and the walking out of 2 Timothy 2:2 more and more on the ground, long-term in Yumbe District! This is my new nickname for Charles, my Aringa Macedonian man.
















Upon returning home from Yumbe, my Macedonia man, shared a stirring report he received from one of the church elders of Lodenga! He shared how, after our departure, the two foreign “Muslim clerics” approached the church after encircling the church while reciting incantations. With brashness, they demanded that church leaders and the Christians there to convert to Islam, threatening to do everything in their power to extinguish the church’s presence if they did not! The church elder has reported this to the Yumbe police. After fervent prayer and counsel with Charles and the courageous elders of Lodenga, we “concluded” (see Acts 16:10) to return to Lodenga in the upcoming weekend. The Spirit has stirred the hearts of five other local churches to unite with us! We will delve into Scripture, exploring what the Word says to those enduring persecution and suffering for their faith and also study Jesus story of the unforgiving servant. As evening falls, I will preach from the roof of my Land Cruiser, my beloved pulpit, in a nearby football (soccer) field! When it is dark, we’ll share the Jesus film in Aringa, spreading the light of Jesus through the book of Luke. Then, on Sunday morning, we will lift our voices in jubilant worship with the six churches and hear the Word proclaimed. I will be bringing Bibles and Christian literature to strengthen the churches. Please fervently pray for us during this pivotal time, for what Satan has intended for evil, God has transformed into a powerful gathering of His church in praise and worship!



With news from home on the 29th, I woke up to this: my brother and sister found my second youngest brother Jeff dead at his home. He seemed to have died while taking a nap…beside him was an open Bible. I have now lost my two of my three brothers and mom while living in Uganda. I am grateful that all three were believers. I take great comfort in that.
Later in the morning on the 29th, we entered the northern section of the nearby remote area of the Metu Mountains with Steve and Claude, along with Pastor Henry and Tiondi, who are RAU co-workers. After meeting and picking up our Metu Mountain coordinator, Pastor Tobious, we visited three church plants. These churches were planted in conjunction with Aya Baptist Church from 2016-2017. Then, on the 30th, we visited four separate churches in the southern section of the Metu Mountains. Both days involved walking beyond where the Land Cruiser could go. The 30th had us going into the pristine Oku/Lea valley. The climb back up the hills is very, very steep and rugged. It is getting harder and harder for these 69-plus-year-old legs to make that walk–“but God” continues to give the strength. These hills really put the Land Cruiser to the test as well. Without it, it would be difficult to get to these locations.
Video of the Land Crusier on a Metu Mountain road: https://www.facebook.com/steve.chew.33/videos/1110044827468776











Pray for the Land Crusier to keep us going with the gospel. You gifts help us keep this gospel machine going!
Steve and Claude offered words of encouragement and shared insights from the Bible in each Metu Mountain church we visited. I also shared short messages from the Word of God in each church. One of RAU’s core convictions is that we are here to work alongside local churches in our evangelism, church planting, and discipleship, never in isolation from them.




















We have witnessed numerous new births and baptisms. Despite being asked on many occasions, I abstain from performing baptisms. I firmly believe that this public confession of faith should take place within the context of the local church’s vibrant life. However, I do have the privilege of preaching at water banks, which is a significant opportunity.







Shortly after the Lord birthed the Cinyi Community Church deep in the remote Metu Mountains 9 years ago, I went to see where the Cinyi community members were getting their water. It was important as there were so many health issues, especially among the children. When I saw where they were getting the water, I even wondered why there were not more illnesses.
Soon thereafter, the Lord opened a way for us to find water and drill a well. Since then, they have had clean water, and they have maintained the borehole. The health of the community changed drastically, and the door was opened more for Gospel proclamation. However, when I visited the church in December 2024, the elders informed me that the pipes were pulled, and many holes were found. They were told it was because of the iron in the water. The many times I drank from it, I could taste it but did not think much of it. So they were back at the hole collecting water…
Praise God for the loving donors who gave to RAU. Stainless steel pipes have now been installed and Cinyi church and community started enjoying clean water on News Years Day! Steve and Claude were able to drink from it! By God’s grace through his loving people RAU has put in 25 boreholes( water wells) in places lacking clean water.



Carol has been working very hard with Caesar translating ABWE’s Good Soil “Story of Hope” into Ma’di. “The Message of Hope” has already been translated into Aringa. Madi and Aringa are the two main language groups we work with. There are many other language groups that we work with, but Ma’di and Aringa are the ones we work with the most. Please pray for her and Caesar.
I had the opportunity in January to teach at two youth conferences. One was in Yumbe town at Pilgrim Church with Aringa youth, and the other in a smaller church in our nearby Fodia with Ma’di youth. In Yumbe, I had the morning and afternoon in one of their five days. In Fodia, I had one session two days later. Each attendee in both conferences received an ESV Pew Bible and The Epic Story of the Bible by Greg Gilbert. In addition, in Yumbe, they received Good Soil/ABWE Message of Hope in Aringa and English, and dual language Aringa-English tracts. What a joy to be with these young Aringa and Ma’di who are on fire for Jesus!







Through your heartfelt prayers, generous gifts, and unwavering monthly support, we wholeheartedly pledge to be faithful stewards of your incredible generosity. We especially appreciate every bit of increased monthly support! My (Jacob’s) transformative first journey to our current home took place in March 2007, and Carol’s and my permanent relocation in July 2013 marked the beginning of our journey as cross-cultural gospel workers. As long-term, on-the-ground missionaries, we have witnessed the Lord open countless doors, revealing the numerous possibilities for spreading love and hope.
A special note: A friend and pastor is requesting we sell one of our RAU older bodas (motorcycles) to him. We can replace the one we sell with a new boda for around $1,200. We use a boda to acquire things locally instead of taking the Land Cruiser. If anyone would like to give towards this we would be grateful.
Special Prayer Request: We are in the process of obtaining a 10-work permit or, if God wills, a permanent residence status. The latter is what we are hoping for. We can make this kind of application because of the number of years we have been working in Uganda.
A final note. Most missionary work often boils down to the relentless grind of “plodding” through mundane tasks to keep the wheels turning. One of Carol’s and my goals? Handing over a campus that’s not just functional but smoothly functioning in terms of maintenance issues. Take this video, for instance, a prime exhibit of that tedious plodding. One of the beautiful truths which came out of the Reformation is that all work done for God’s glory is “spiritual”.
Isn’t it interesting that this video follows the one showcasing the reception of over 6,000+ Africa Study Bibles and other ministry endeavors? Such sequencing is no mere coincidence.
Thank you to our supporters for coming alongside us !
What we do now in the Lord and for Him will have an eternal impact for His praise and honor; all else is fleeting!
May God’s blessing in and through Christ Jesus flow to you and your family throughout 2025! We are very thankful for your prayers, encouragement and sacrificial gifts which keep us pushing forward for the glory and fame of our King and Savior Jesus!
RAU Donation page information:
https://reachingafricasunreached.org/donations/
Gratefully,
Jacob and Carol Lee

RAU Mission and Vision Statements:
https://reachingafricasunreached.org/about/
RAU Blog posts full of Carol’s pictures:
https://reachingafricasunreached.org/
RAU Mercy Ministry Page:
https://reachingafricasunreached.org/agriculture-project/
RAU”s YouTube Video Page:
https://www.youtube.com/@jacoblee2082/videos
RAU Donation page information:
https://reachingafricasunreached.org/donations
Carol and I 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











































































































































































