Dear Friends and Family,

We had a wonderful day, Saturday (4th), interacting with 54 Imam/Sheikhs from Yumbe. They all listen respectfully to the clear message of the gospel.

 Perti and Heidi Söderlund, Aaron and Hannah Mason,Cam Seals, and Joseph Mann joined Charles, Carol and myself. It was Aaron’s, Hannah’s, Cam’s, Joseph’s first time to be with us and Perti’s and Heidi’s second time.  Everyone at the gathering introduced themselves and then I was given and an hour and 10 minutes to speak, which I used to the minute. I taught/preached from John 10:1-18. After I finished. Perti shared his stirring testimony.  

 

Then a spokesman from the Imams spoke for about 45 minutes. Next I was given a short time to respond. In closing, I shared our desire and plan to bring agriculture training to them as well English lessons.

All the Imams and Sheikhs were very hospitable and attentive. Our friendship is growing. These dialogs have shown to the community and world that Christians and Muslims can sit together in friendship and respect in spite of their different and strong convictions of belief.

We brought and distributed Bibles, literature as well as medicine and dental care items.

 

This coming Tuesday (7th), we will meet with a different group of 60 Imams and Sheikhs from a different area of Yumbe District.

Thank you all for your prayers and support! Please continue to pray and give as you are enabled that we may continue in our outreach to Muslim leaders among the Aringa unreached people group and other ministries of outreach into surrounding churches and communities.

In God’s Loving and Sovereign Grip,

Jacob (Carol) Lee

http://www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

 

Dear Praying Friends and Family,

On Saturday, the 4th, I have another opportunity to meet and dialog  with my Muslim friends in Yumbe. Our friendship has grown since our first dialog in June of 2015. Charles, our faithful co-worker in Yumbe and my interpreter, reports that we are expecting around 50 Imams and Sheikhs. Our topic remains “Who is Jesus?”. Every time we have met the Muslims leaders have been hospitable and friendly. They have been openly appreciative of the Bibles, literature and other gifts they have received.  In this dialog Perrti, a missionary from Finland, will be joining me. In one of our previous dialogs Perrti as well as Pastor Illka from Finland, also spoke. Illka has an active and fruitful ministry in Finland.

This time along with more Bibles and literature I am bringing some RAU-grown Matoke bananas, soap, medicines, tooth brushes/paste which were sent back with us the last time we were in Texas. I will preaching and teaching from John 10:1-18. Please be  in prayer for our time together. Usually we meet for 4-5 hours. Pray that each and everyone will behold the Good Shepherd who, of His own will, laid down His life for the sheep.

This past Saturday, we took a 10-member team with Adventures in Mission to the Metu Mountain village churches of Oku and Cinyi. Members of the team shared their testimony and encouragement from the Word of God. On Sunday, the 29th, they broke up and went to various churches in Moyo District. They left on Sunday. Carol and I greatly enjoyed our short time with them.

Tuesday, I returned with Tobious and Samuel to Cinyi Community Church . It is a rugged drive. I continue to be thankful for the Land Cruiser which enables these kinds of trips. Thank you for the support given to make constant repairs on it. The Cinyi church has now been in existence for two years and continues to grow. Tuesday we had Bible Study, distributed Madi NT’s and literature, medicines, building supplies, Kindle Fires with “Jesus” film in Madi (with accompanying portable solar panels donated by “Study To Be Approved”) and another drip irrigation kit donated by “M.A.R.S.”.

On a sad note we are literally  watching a mass exodus of people and things passing by us. The South Sudan border is just a little over a mile from us. A quarter of a mile south of us in the Afoji trading center where the UN is setting up a processing center for all the refugees leaving Kajo Keji . It is heartbreaking to see all the people fleeing and most with just what they can carry. Some, who have money, are able to hire bodas (motorcycles) and trucks to ferry their things. You can see the fear and despair in their eyes. Please pray for those fleeing the fighting in their homeland. The Lord has set them right in our midst so that we may show the love of Christ in both Word and deed. In about a month our banana trees (6000) will be in full production and we will get soybeans planted when the rains begin in the first of march. Lord willing we will be able to assist them with these crops. Pray for us and help if you can. Thank you!

Carol and I as well all the RAU team appreciated your love and support. We could not be doing what we are doing without your faithful prayer and financial support. We pray you will not grow weary in your gracious support and prayers!

Carol worked hard and put an overview of RAU’s ministry in 2016. You can read it here. She has included many of her beautiful pictures. Our Lord is so good!

May God Bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you!

Thank you,

Jacob (Carol) Lee

http://www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

Reaching Africa’s Unreached Year End Report 2016

“But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.”

― John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life

Looking back over the activities and projects of 2016 stirs up amazement and thanks to the Lord for every opportunity to live out what we believe is a God-centered, Christ-exalting and Bible-saturated passion:  to reach a certain area of the world with the Gospel, with resources and with redemptive development. Jesus reminds us in John 15:16 that we have been appointed to go and bear fruit that remains.  That is our longing and prayer.  May what is of the Lord bear lasting fruit and may the Lord continue to refine our vision and our heart’s desires so that all we do will glorify Him and serve His redeeming purposes.

When the Lord called us to serve Him in Uganda, He directed us providentially to an under-served and under-resourced area – the West Nile region of northwestern Uganda.The expanse of needs extends from here-and-now reality to eternal joy in God and, as we grow in our understanding of those needs, God is also expanding our vision and our resources.  To see lasting fruit in the form of spiritual and structural change in this region there must be sustained effort.So,we are especially thankful that we have been granted a renewal of our NGO status for another 5 years as well as the renewal of our work permits for another 3 years.  Praise the Lord!

“Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!” 

 John Wesley

To take a snapshot of a year’s worth of work is daunting, but worth the effort because the “picture” speaks thousands of words about God’s faithful, loving kindness and about His redeeming grace, not only for our eternal joy, but also for our temporal good.It speaks thousands of words about the people whom God has joined together in collective, effectual effort.  The goal of our efforts is expressed well by this quote from Elisabeth Elliot:

“We want to avoid suffering, death, sin, ashes. But we live in a world crushed and broken and torn, a world God Himself visited to redeem. We receive his poured-out life, and being allowed the high privilege of suffering with Him, may we then pour ourselves out for others.”

The specifics of our efforts fall into categories:  Gospel outreach and Biblical training, Agricultural training/resources and Mercy ministries.

Gospel Outreach and Biblical Training

The bulk of our efforts have revolved around communities within the Metu Mountains and Yumbe District.

In the Metu Mountains, we have partnered with a vibrant, “go and make disciples” kind of Church – Aya Baptist, where brother Ojji Tobious is the lead pastor.  Under his leadership and partnership with him and Aya Baptist, nine villages in the Metu Mountains have small but thriving churches and together we  vision to see even more reached with the Gospel.  While most churches are holding on to their resources (people), Tobious is encouraging young men who are growing in the Lord to take on the responsibility (as itinerant pastors) of discipling new believers in the remote mountain villages. RAU is helping support them in their calling.

The transformation is spiritually palpable and noteworthy, but also visible and tangible in lives and livelihoods in these villages.  For example, in Oku, where we once saw widespread alcohol abuse, we are seeing industry (woodworking/carpentry and agriculture as a business and improved health) in addition to the commitment of meeting together for mutual spiritual encouragement.

One very effective tool in telling the Gospel and which comes through RAU from the heart of Delmar Hager (Kindle Man) and his “Study To Be Approved” ministry, is the Kindle Fire device loaded with books and the “Jesus” film in several languages.  Our specific target for these Kindles has been pastors and leaders in very remote places who otherwise would have no access to such technology.  In addition to the Kindle, we give these itinerant pastors a portable solar panel (also a gift from Delmar) for recharging the devices as electricity is a scarce or non-existent commodity in remote places.  The Kindle Fire is particularly effective in reaching families or small groups of people with the Gospel message as presented in the Gospel of Luke and presented in the “Jesus” film.  Brother Tobious is reporting amazing responses of faith in Christ to the showing of this movie in various villages and locations.  It is an exciting new venture.  Thank you, Delmar and your family, for your vision and investment!

Here are some of the specific events that took place in the Metu Mountain villages in 2016:  June – a two day conference at Aya Baptist Church with Preston and Laurel Sink, Apiku Emma (Ag), Samuel (DR Congo) and Carol; November – visits to several villages (Aya, Alugodu, Chinyi, Oku and Lea, Gbari/Arapi, Duku and Oyo) with friend, Kevin Turner; December – Kampala youth group visit and distribution of resources as well as spiritual encouragement; and December – visits to same villages with friend, John Howarton.

Yumbe District has been another area of intense investment of time, resources and passion.  We are privileged to partner with Pilgrim Church and, specifically, Onduga Charles, in many ministry opportunities there.  Charles is such a faithful, joyful and godly man.  His friendship and his example of courage, kindness and hospitality in a potentially hostile place is amazing!  Charles is a wonderful translator for Jacob, whether the venue is dialogue with Imams and Sheikhs or preaching from on top of the Land Cruiser for open air.

Over the past year and a half, Jacob has had the unique opportunity to establish and nurture a growing friendship through peaceful dialogue with many Imams and Sheikhs in Yumbe District.  The part that Charles has played in forging this friendship cannot be overstated as it is his friendship with local Muslim leaders and their trust in him which opened this door of opportunity.  2016 has been a milestone year for fanning to flame this platform of goodwill and mutual learning as well as in impacting lives with the Gospel.  There has been fruit born through this ministry and we are seeing the budding of much more fruit as we push forward – slowly by slowly, as we say here.

In a completely unique setting, the Kindle Fire has played its part in introducing Muslims to the life of Christ as depicted in the “Jesus” film (in Aringa). Many gathered groups of Muslims have watched it and it has opened helpful dialogue with the person showing the film.

In March, there were two dialogues, one in Kuru and one in downtown Yumbe. Also in April, another dialogue was held with Imams and Sheikhs in Lodonga.  In every dialogue, there have been around 25 Imams and Sheikhs who have been presented with literature, including Bibles in English, Aringa and Arabic and other books and documents.  There is time for Jacob to share and then time for various Imams/Sheikhs to also give their input.  So far, the interactions have been very cordial.  The district and county Khards (elected leaders) have made every effort to keep the interactions peaceful and to ensure that such dialogues continue.It is Jacob’s winsomeness and kindness that also nurtures an open relationship with the leaders who gather. At this time there has been a total of nine dialogs.

This year we have had two groups of Imams and Sheikhs visit us here at RAU. In April, we hosted 4 Imams/Sheikhs for a meal and for interaction.  They also received a tour around the demonstration plot with some informal training from Emma, our Ag specialist.  In December, we received a visit from some Yumbe leaders who came out of a desire to “check on Jacob and Carol” after hearing we had both been ill.  It was a wonderful gesture of good will.  A meal together afforded us the opportunity to get to know one another.  These men also received a tour of the demo plot and hands-on training in drip irrigation.  They returned home with many resources and gifts, such as the drip irrigation kits (from M.A.R.S), Matoke bananas from our trees, seeds and, also, some literature.  We hope they experienced warmth and welcome from our hearts as well.

In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving with Pilgrim Church in Yumbe.  After the service, we moved the sound equipment to the Taxi park and it was set up for an open air preaching event.  This venue is initially a little nerve-wracking until the singing gets going and a curious crowd gathers to listen and watch.  There is never an “alter call” so to speak, but a “scattering of the seed of the word” with an urging to trust in Jesus alone for salvation and prayers that many in this conservative Muslim town will hear and respond to the grace of God displayed in the life and death and resurrection of Christ Jesus (Issa) – the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In December, we had several more ministry events in Yumbe, including some one-on-one and small group meetings with leaders within the Muslim community while our friend, Kevin Turner, was visiting.  We had the privilege of sharing our Christmas celebration with Pilgrim Church in Yumbe town.  After Christmas, we received John Howarton for several weeks of ministry in Metu Mountain villages, Yumbe and Obongi and a leadership retreat at RAU.

Retreats have been a major ministry focus of RAU for all West Nile where we bring in around 25 church leaders from various areas for 4 days and provide room and board and transportation in addition to the teaching and resources.  In July, we had 2 retreats with Ron Zeiner as our guest teacher; one retreat was held for Metu Mountain leaders and one for Yumbe leaders.  It is always a wonderful support for Jacob to have guest teachers as it allows him to focus on administrative details and to receive refreshment from the teaching himself.

In August, we had the blessing of welcoming another trio, but from Texas.  As you know (if you have been following our ministry through the years and as mentioned above), Delmar Hager has added a vital component and resource to our ministry by providing Kindles loaded with books and other literature.  This time, in addition to donating more Kindles, he came in person with two friends and fellow church members from High Pointe Baptist Church in Austin, Texas (Otis Fields and Dagne Balcha).

During their visit, we hosted a retreat for leaders from several areas of the West Nile:  Moyo, Metu, Yumbe, Obongi, Maracha and Koboko.  This retreat was unique in that it was a trial for what has now become the first module of a three-year program (3 modules per year) through Reaching and Teaching, a ministry designed to facilitate Bible training in remote places where Bible Schools are not accessible to many church leaders.  We eagerly anticipate the direction this will take us and the benefit for the leaders who will participate in the program.

Obongi remains an area of great interest for us.  This year we took several short trips to encourage Pastor Amani Godfrey and the believers he cares for.  Pastor Godfrey remains faithfully serving in a very difficult town under difficult circumstances.  We are so grateful that he has a few good men around him with whom he can fellowship and grow and through whom he can receive encouragement.  Godfrey has an open, happy and giving heart and it draws many to want to interact with him, including many children who receive his welcome.  He is a man who studies and, also, shares with others what he has learned – a good disciple-maker! His joyful spirit also makes a hospitable environment for the Muslims in town who enjoy interacting with him.

Jacob continues to have the opportunity to share every other Wednesday on the radio (TBS), reaching a larger audience over the airwaves.  He is glad to share that spot with visitors when they come or with Samuel (from DR Congo) when other matters of business interfere with his ability to preach.  This year he has been going through many of the parables of Jesus.

On an ongoing basis, RAU gives out many resources such as Bibles (ESV Global Study Bibles, Ma’di, Aringa and Arabic), numerous books given by The Gospel Coalition and other tracts and booklets.  We have invested a lot in having Jacob’s Muslim-Christian Dialogue booklets printed out and distributed among the Muslim leaders of Yumbe, but also to Christian leaders who wish to be knowledgeable in their own dialogues with Muslims.

While the many activities we do are about building relationships, building knowledge and building up people, from time to time we must stop what we are doing to take care of some business that will affect everything else we do…such as building buildings!

In March, we started the renovation of the tukalus (which are used to house leaders during retreats) to make them more permanent structures and more comfortable.  This involved raising the roofs and replacing the grass thatch with iron sheets.  Larger windows and better doors were added to improve light and ventilation.  The tukalus now have lights which are powered by solar.  We also decided to renovate and enlarge two of the rooms in the big house for long term sustainability and housing of visitors.

These expansions have had a big pay-off for the ministry and have personally been a huge blessing for Jacob and me.  We now have a space which is more like a home and it has allowed us to spread out a little!  When we look back at the space we used to occupy we have to laugh and wonder how we managed for 2 ½ years!

Agricultural Training/Resources

 Apiku Emmanuel (Emma) continues to thrive under his expertise and through funding and resource partnership with M.A.R.S. (Missionary Agriculture Resource Service).  We are amazed by the feedback (verbal and project success) that we receive and it confirms to us that we are investing in a worthy venture.

The Ag Extension Program consists of the demonstration plots (here at RAU and in Aya), classroom/field experience which is provided to church leaders during leadership retreats and to community members (formally and informally) and the supply of some resources, such as drip irrigation kits to selected leaders.  One full day of every retreat this year (except one) has been dedicated to teaching the basics of Agriculture and Agriculture as a business.  The rapt attention paid during the training and the number of questions asked is a good indicator of how much people need and appreciate the training they receive.  In this region, agriculture plays a vital role in food and income security.  Most of the attendees are greatly inspired and given the hope that their lives can change in a tangible, sustainable way.

This year, we were proud to introduce, to the Ma’di speaking community, a call-in radio program styled after the lawn and garden show which Jacob used to listen to in Texas.  Since its start in March, we have sponsored 44 weekly broadcasts in partnership with TBS Station out of Moyo.  Airing one evening a week from 8:30 to 10:30 pm, the two-hour program, done in Ma’di, covers one topic a week either on farming or livestock.  Emma discusses each topic thoroughly (in Ma’di), reviewing the previous week’s topic and then moving on to a new one.  The number of callers to the show reflects the breadth and depth of interest from Adjumani, Moyo, and Yumbe Districts (and others) to South Sudan, where we heard of folks finding Ma’di speaking people to translate the program for their benefit as well.

Here is a timeline of the key Ag events of the year:

In February, soy was planted. (There are two growing seasons where we alternate between soy and upland rice; numerous vegetables are also grown throughout the year using drip irrigation in the dry season).  In addition, during March and April, additional grafted mangoes and banana suckers were planted so we now have 740 mango trees and 6000 banana trees scattered over our 17-acres.  Onions, pepper, tomatoes, eggplant and Kale were transplanted from seedling beds into the garden.  In July, we were able to harvest a good yield of soy.  As we go, we are learning which areas of the 17 acres give the greatest yield of rice and soy.

Throughout the year, we host various groups and individuals who come for inspiration and knowledge from the projects on our demo plot. They get to benefit from our successes and failures and the latest information in crop management.

In March, we hosted several members of Window of Opportunity, a NGO from South Sudan, who were interested in learning how to graft mangoes.  A group of 100 members from the Moyo District Farmers’ Association came in June to RAU for a day of capacity building and introduction to a new venture – watermelon tasting and growing!

Also in June, RAU took its Ag Extension service to Muslim leaders in Kuru (a town in Yumbe District).  Along with a day-long seminar in Agribusiness, soy bean seed was given (and, as always, Jacob passed out Christian literature – another kind of “seed”!).

Two retreats were held in July in which a full day was dedicated to agricultural training, both in the classroom and out in the field.    As Socrates states,

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.”

These have been common themes in the feedback that is received from radio listeners and visitors alike, who come to see what’s on the ground at RAU:  1) a genuine gratefulness for inspiring the community to do what they did not feel was possible and, 2) tangible results of having implemented the information.

While we were away (end of August through mid-October), Emma (with the assistance of our able manager, Misengile Samuel) continued to oversee agricultural activities here at RAU and the demo plot that had been cultivated in Aya and pressed forward with the radio program without missing a beat.  It gave Jacob and me great comfort and peace of mind to see our operations in the hands of two trustworthy people.

In the months since we have been back at RAU, Emma has continued to contribute to the retreats, inspire and educate the community over the airwaves and provide drip irrigation training here at RAU and among many communities, including Alugodu, Aya, Obongi, Gbari and Arapi, Duku, Oyo, Lea, Oku and at the Metu Sub-County office.

Mercy Ministry

While our biggest focus of time, vision and resources is in the Gospel/Biblical training and Agricultural Ministry, the emphasis and expression of “good works” has always been an intricately woven thread in the tapestry of RAU’s efforts.  It’s not the Gospel PLUS good works – it’s ALLthe redemptive love of God on display!

Every activity which is done through RAU has the aim of pointing people to the beauty of Christ through words and displaying the beauty of Christ through action. “For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.”(Ephesians 2:10)

We love (especially with our guests from the USA) to visit all the places we have described above to encourage them in their faith and to also bring them resources which their remoteness does not often afford them.  Some of these things include medicines, eye glasses, tarpaulins, clothing, Agricultural training and drip irrigation kits (thanks to M.A.R.S., an Agricultural resource ministry of Douglas and Becky Neel). We are so thankful to the many who have answered our call and have sent along with us many of the items we have asked for or who have given towards the purchase of these resources.

It so often feels like just a small drop of relief in comparison to the large ocean of need, but the goods delivered serve a greater purpose than the meeting of physical needs.  To the people receiving, it is also a reminder that, though they are remote, they are not forgotten.  It is stunning to hear from them and we have heard it spoken often in various ways: “We thought God had forgotten us; now we know He has not forgotten.”

Some areas of helping have a greater certainty of lasting benefit, such as the education of children.  In 2016, we were able to support 10 children, ranging from Primary through Secondary school.  Our appreciation goes out to Covenant Junior School at First Presbyterian Church in Kampala which has worked hand in hand with us to provide a solid start for these children of the West Nile. The reports are encouraging that the children are progressing and many are rising like cream to the top of the milk!

Sometimes we show compassion to people in their desperate plight and it brings about good, but not all the good we had hoped for.  Such is the case of our dear friend, Walter, whom we were able to send to India for heart surgery in August.  The surgery was successful, but his complete recovery was cut short by, what appears from a human standpoint, an untimely and unexpected death – complications in his recovery.  We await, eagerly, the day when we will see and know, with certainty, the Lord’s good plan which, right now, seems hidden.

As always, the reading glasses and medicines and other resources are such a blessing.  There is nothing like losing our own reading glasses to press home the value of a pair of $1 reading glasses.  There is nothing like being in pain and not having pain killers handy to remind you what a blessing it is to have such a resource readily available.  Here, people just do without – and really suffer for it.  We love having the ministry of reading glasses and Ibuprofen!

In all these endeavors, we have had MANY partners and helpers.  As Jacob and I were discussing about this report, we both agreed that not one part of what we have done this year, or any year since moving here, could have been possible without the Lord’s gracious enablement and provision through His people!

Thank you, dear friends, who came to visit and serve with us this year.  You used your gifts to bless the people of the West Nile.  You blessed and encouraged Jacob, me and the whole team here. Thanks,  Preston and Laurel Sink, Ron Zeiner, Perrti Soderlund, Illka Salminen, Delmar Hager, Dagne Balcha, Otis Fields, Kevin Turner, the Kampala Youth Group, and John Howarton. We also are grateful for our friends who have come for a visit: Zorah, Helen, Muhtar, Vivian and Kenia.

We love and appreciate our board members, both in Uganda (Patrick Bukenya and Nyombi Samuel) and back in the States (Dr. Jack Deetjen, Mike Mercer, and Kevin Kolb).  The collective wisdom and goodness among this group of people is immense!

We are so thankful for the people with whom we serve here at RAU: Misengile Samuel, who beautifully managed operations while we were visiting in the USA; Apiku Emma agricultural help, and Lucy and Christine, who serve us faithfully in the kitchen and upkeep; John, the watchman, Pastor Henry, Mindra, Zakeo, Fred, Stephen and Patrick, who work with us to make the Demo Plot what it is but also serve in many other ways, and our night guards who serve to keep us safe.

(On a side note, we are grieved by the loss of a friend and co-worker, Mundrugo, who recently died very suddenly and left behind a widow and 5 children.   Please pray for them.)

We cannot thank enough all the churches, individuals and organizations who have participated through donations of money and resources.  We are sustained and enabled to keep giving and fulfilling our mission because you, our donors, keep on giving and praying and prioritizing!  Thank you!

^“3 For by the grace given to me I say to every one of you not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, but to think with sober discernment, as God has distributed to each of you a measure of faith. ⁴ For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, ⁵ so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.” 

Romans 12: 3-5

Website: http://www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

BUSY WITH WHAT MATTERS – PART 2

By Carol Lee

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” (Unknown)

Our beloved and “truly great friend” and co-laborer in Christ, John Howarton, has come and gone.   We are thankful to John’s wife, Angela, for “loaning” him to us for a season!  During this season we also had the GREAT joy of having Nurse Sam and Muhtar back home with us from university,  adding to Samuel and Emma who stay here.  Believe me, it was beautiful to have our table full – of people, laughter and conversation!  Jacob and I have often mused about the struggle we feel after our friends come and go.  It’s such an encouragement and a boost to us all.  Their absence feels like a wide and deep chasm.  However, as Samuel reminds me often, “that’s missionary life!”

Let’s just say that when John got here we pretty much hit the ground running.  Jacob likes to schedule as many ministry opportunities as possible to squeeze the maximum blessing out of our guests – so much so that, I’m sure, they have to return home to recuperate!

Sunday, January 1st, was spent with our brothers and sisters at Ayaa Baptist Church.  We have grown to love these people – their fervor for the Lord and their commitment to making disciples of Christ in all the surrounding villages is amazing to see.  Pastor Tobious and his wife graciously hosted us for lunch afterward.

On Monday we headed to Gbari with Tobious and a couple of other men.  We dropped off our Principle Ag Extension Officer, Emma, and John there to do a drip irrigation training for Pastor Geoffrey and a few other folks.  The rest of us continued the drive towards Duku and Oyo where John Howarton gave some words of encouragement.  As most of the adults were at a funeral, John had to do some quick thinking to adjust his message towards young children.  He did a wonderful job of sharing the life lessons of a young shepherd boy – from a small, insignificant village in Israel from the tribe of Judah – David!

The story that John shared reminds us that God does significant things with “insignificant” people in “insignificant” places.  We experienced our own such moment when we reached the vehicle after spending some time at Oyo.  A gentlemen was guarding our vehicle.  He was armed with a bow and arrows and a panga (machete).  After a few photo ops, Jacob engaged this man in a conversation about serving Christ, “being a soldier for the Lord.”  The man queried, “When can I do that?”  Jacob happily answered, “You can do it right now!”  At this point, Jacob explained the saving work of Christ more thoroughly and what it meant to “follow or serve Christ.”  And, at this point, the gentleman prayed a prayer to submit himself to the saving work that Christ did on his behalf!

Please pray for him – that the Lord would protect him in the faith and that this man would receive helpful discipleship from Pastor Sam who has been faithfully walking to Oyo each weekend to care for the believers in there. (On this trip we brought bamboo poles on top the Land Cruiser for Pastor Sam to use to finish the tukalus where he can stay when he comes on the weekends.)

On the way back we checked on the little girl who had burned her foot and for whom we had brought antibiotic ointment.  The mother was absolutely rejoicing as she showed us the beautiful healing which had occurred.  (Our initial concern was that they were using a traditional method of smearing goat dung over the burn.)  Back at Gbari we saw the plot which had been set up with drip irrigation and then enjoyed a small meal before returning to RAU.

Unexpectedly, we received some deeply sad news on Monday evening – that good friend and co-worker, Mundrugo, had passed away very suddenly.  This meant a definite change in plans from heading back to the Metu Mountains to visit the folks in Oku and Lea to hanging around and being available to those who were making the funeral arrangements for our friend.  Both Tuesday and Wednesday were devoted to honoring Mundrugo and supporting the family through their devastating loss.  He was the breadwinner for his family and even extending beyond his immediate family.  We still think of him often and are reminded of the blessing he was to RAU when we walk around the compound.  Some lovely friends provided the funds so that we can support the widow and four youngest children for a year.  RAU is also helping two more of his children attend Covenant Junior School run by First Presbyterian Church in Kampala where our brother, Patrick, is a pastor.

On Thursday, we (minus Emma and Samuel, who were staying behind because of the evening Ag radio program) headed to Yumbe for Pilgrim Church’s annual Youth Conference.  We were there for the next two days as well.  While there, we met up with Perrti and Heidi Soderlund, from Finland, who are also longtime missionaries in Uganda.

John and Jacob both shared inspiring messages with the youth.  On Thursday evening, Jacob and Charles did open air preaching in the downtown Yumbe taxi park. It’s a great place to draw a crowd and for people of this primarily Muslim town to also listen to the message at a “safe” distance.

 Our young people also served in various capacities:  Nurse Sam, Samuel and Muhtar shared Bible lessons with a younger group and Emma took a couple of sessions to teach Agriculture as a business. It never ceases to amaze me how eagerly people soak up the agricultural information. It is so key to their lives and livelihood.

Thank you, Charles and all your people at Pilgrim Church, for the incredible amount of work you did to make this conference happen!  We pray that the Lord would bless all those who attended with godly, knowledgeable zeal which will impact all the communities from which they came.

On Sunday we made it to Obongi, where our brother, Godfrey, pastors Obongi Town Church.  He is faithful in a difficult place and situation.  Thankfully, he has a small band of faithful brothers who encourage and help him in the work.  It’s always amazing, too, how many young children from the neighborhood gather and Pastor Godfrey is always welcoming of them and looks for ways to encourage them.  This time, John Howarton brought a soccer ball from a student of his who raised money to buy them.  Godfrey shared the miracle of receiving that ball as he had been wanting to clear a place for the children to play.

Monday was preparation day – for our 23rd Leadership Retreat!  And Tuesday came around too fast!  Unlike most retreats, our attendees arrived very early, leaving us scrambling a bit to finish up last minute arrangements.  We had a total of 28 attendees  from Adjumani and some unexpected “wee” ones!  As always, we run a tight schedule for the retreats in order to maximize the learning time, so…we hit the ground running!  Normally, the retreats run from Tuesday to Friday.  However, we had to get John to Arua on Friday to catch his flight to Entebbe on Saturday morning, so the retreat was cut one day short.

It always seems that just about the time we are getting to know and appreciate the attendees more personally, the time is up and they are gone!  John, Jacob and Emma did a wonderful job of teaching, inspiring and counseling. We thank Samuel, Lucy, Christine and Rosemary for doing their part to make the retreat run smoothly, as well as the men who work with us at RAU who make the compound the beautiful garden that it is!

Jacob is enjoying a low key today (Saturday) after the pressures of a full schedule and a ton of driving on rough and very dusty roads.  This hot, dry and dusty season has added its stress to our busy schedule, though some good face masks have made the trips a little more bearable.

Though this hot and dry season is bad in some ways, it does make for a good time to move ahead on the next building project, our Bible Training classroom.  By faith, and with the money we have received, Jacob has begun to have materials (sand, stones and bricks) delivered so that when the funding comes in we can move ahead without delay.  Our hope is to have the classroom ready by the time our Reaching and Teaching Team comes in May for the second session or module of their 3-year program.  The classroom will be larger than the Hall of Tyrannus room which we are currently using and will allow for larger groups to come for community seminars (Agriculture and Bible training), 4-day retreats and the Reaching and Teaching program.

Once the classroom is ready we will move the library books into the hall of Tyrannus to make the library more accessible to leaders who are here for training.  The room where the library currently is will be made into another bedroom which can be used when we host larger ministry teams.

Please consider a special gift towards this building project so that the other funds received can be used to keep our daily operations and ministries going.

Jacob continues to have amazing doors opening up to him in the Muslim community. Currently, a Muslim background believer has  shown the “Jesus” Film in 9 mosques and has received permission to show it in all 219 mosques in a certain jurisdiction.  Because the method of showing the film is with small computer, there is a possibility that Jacob may be allowed to bring the RAU projector and speakers to show the film on a larger scale in the Mosques.  Please pray for this possible opportunity.  The Lord is at work.  Only He knows the fruit of these efforts at this point.

Thank you all for  your loving support and prayers!

Carol (Jacob) Lee

http://www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

BUSY WITH WHAT MATTERS

By Carol Lee

“The opposite of busy in today’s world is sustained, focused attention. It is deep engagement in activities that really matter to us, or in conversations with those we care about.”
― Tony Crabbe

Having moved back and forth between the USA and Uganda for several years now, there is something which strikes us.  In the States there is a massive machine of activity which cannot be resisted and draws us in like an object being swirled in to the vortex of a whirlpool.  Coming back to Uganda is like hitting the reset button and being allowed to think about and calculate the activities which will channel our energy and focus.  Though being here has had its challenges (as we have shared in past newsletters), this ability and opportunity to define our busyness has been a blessing.

This past Christmas was sparse in terms of holiday scurrying, but it was celebrated sweetly and simply nonetheless.  There were not many “Christmas activities”, but we enjoyed engaging activities and conversations.

 Jacob was invited to preach at Pilgrim’s Church in Yumbe, so we left early from RAU to make it for their combined Christmas service.  His sermon was a reminder of the centrality of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel: “Emmanuel, God with us; Jesus (‘the only one who CHOSE to be born’)  CAME to die, to bear sin and to rise in conquering power over sin.”  The church service was a wonderful (though long!) opportunity to celebrate this central message.

After the service, we were invited to the home of Jackson (one of the leaders in Pilgrim Church ) where we enjoyed good conversation and food.  It was a special treat to celebrate with Omar who was enjoying his first Christmas.  This Christmas season was a time of expanding our emotional definition of family. It was especially a time to have the light of scripture narrow its illuminating beam onto Jesus so we could see and remember and savor our Savior!

On Tuesday, Jacob and Samuel went back to Yumbe to meet with the Yumbe District Khard.  Here is what Jacob wrote about this very encouraging day:

“I had a good day in nearby Yumbe. Samuel and Henry rode with me to Yumbe where we met Charles and Omar. We then met with the District Khard, Swahib, and had a blessed time. We met in his office just outside Yumbe town’s very large Mosque. Although I have been doing dialogs with Imams and Sheikhs in Yumbe for 18 months this was my first time to personally meet this leader of leaders in Yumbe.

Upon arriving I presented him with a large bunch of bananas grown at RAU which he joyfully received. He was very cordial,hospitable, and appreciative of the Bibles, literature and medicines he had received a few days earlier. He had begun reading them. In our our discussions I found out he has jurisdiction over 219 mosques and their Imams in Yumbe District. He gave his approval on further dialogs with Imams and Sheikhs in Yumbe District. This is a big praise the Lord!

We also discussed how we can best bring in agricultural training for his leaders. I also brought up the idea of conducting weekly English classes for Imams. Many of them who have received our English reading materials want to learn English better. I will be getting a newsletter out soon with more information on this on how you can pray and support this endeavor. I was clear with him that this would be done with Christian teachers and perspective and he was OK with that.

Before leaving I presented Swahib with a drip irrigation unit on which Omar will train him how to use, two cases of Bibles (ESV Global Study, Arabic, Swahili, & Aringa NT’s) and a number of books, including my Christian-Muslim Dialog ( https://reachingafricasunreached.org/allahs-korbani-plan-o…/ ). He plans to happily distribute the Bibles and books. The Lord has given me another good Muslim friend and pray that I may be a good witness to him and all those he leads. God is good and He is good all the time!”

Tomorrow we head back THROUGH Yumbe to Arua to pick up good friend, John Howarton.  Jacob has a full and engaging schedule planned for us all!  It makes me tired just thinking about it – though, without doubt, it will all be worth it!  We will have outreaches into the Metu Mountains and Obongi. We have been invited to participate (both in biblical teaching and agriculture) in Pilgrim Church’s Youth Conference (over a 3-day period).  We will also host a leaders’ retreat at RAU while John is here.

Every endeavor in which we have become involved during the last 3 1/2 years has only strengthened the initial hook and line which reeled us in to the West Nile region of Uganda:  “training leaders (with the least available services) well who can also train the ones they lead“.  The scope of the training has broadened to include agriculture for sustainability and economic capacity building among the communities we serve.  We are steadfast in the desire to strengthen church leaders in their faith and ability to lead well, but our understanding of their need has broadened to include ways to help them be self-sustaining.  Agricultural training helps them make better use of the main resource they have: fertile land.

The influence and scope of our training programs is also broadening as we assess the widespread need for communities of the West Nile to improve in their capacity to meet their own needs (and all the more so as refugees from South Sudan flood into our district).  This is best being accomplished through the Ag training provided over the radio by Emma as well as through on the ground training here at RAU or on demo plots in specific nearby communities.  Our training has grown to include Imams and Sheikhs in Yumbe (with drip irrigation) and other key leaders.  Our hope and desire is to express, in tangible ways, the love and care of God the Father and to display AND tell the excellency of Christ to all those who will listen.

To these ends we continue push to see our training center built to accommodate more students (adult learners), whether it be for biblical training or Agricultural capacity building.  We have been keeping this goal before you as often as possible for two purposes:

1. We are entering into a partnership with “Reaching and Teaching” to host students through a 3-year Biblical studies program (3 modules per year for 3 years).  The modules are in written form in a book by David Sills called, “Hearts, Heads and Hands”.  We want to have a facility which will accommodate the students well for classes and for studying and living.

2. We are continuing to expand the scope of our Ag Extension services from church leaders to Imams and Sheiks and, hopefully, key leaders from the Refugee camps.  Having a larger and better lit classroom will be a great advantage for hosting larger groups of adults for Ag training.

We strongly plead for your financial burden-bearing partnership with us.  The goal is to start as soon as possible (during the dry season) to build so that the classroom and dining/study quarters will be ready by the time our team comes from “Reaching and Teaching”  as well as for our regular church leader retreats and agricultural training center for the community.  Building this classroom/study /dining hall will allow us to move the Library into the current Hall of Tyrannus and open up another guest bedroom in the house when we have larger groups coming to serve.  We do have enough funding given to start the building but not to complete it. The cost of building materials has increased considerably since our initial estimate.  We are making adjustments in the plans to minimize costs. We are needing $20,000 for completion.  Jacob has spent many years in construction and makes sure every dollar is used wisely.

Another need (and opportunity) we would like to put out there is our desire to hire (as mentioned above in Jacob’s post) 4 Christian English teachers to teach Imams and Sheiks in Yumbe.  We will also need to get the curriculum for the teachers to use in helping their students learn English.  We hope to divide Yumbe District into 4 geographical areas that will allow Imams and Sheiks easier travel to the learning centers.

Does all of this sound overwhelmingly busy? – YES!  However, as the beginning quote states, “ It is deep engagement in activities that really matter to us, [and] in conversations with those we care about.”

Your partnership paves the way for this vision to be realized.  Your prayers are a means of calling down heaven’s resources and grace. Your loving communication with us encourages us to stay busy with things that really matter!

Thanks for that!

In Christ,

Carol (and Jacob)

Website: http://www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org