Pressing on toward the goal

On June 12, 2014 By Jacob LeeIn Discipleship, Evangelism, Missions

“There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit

Jacob and I have been reflecting a lot on this season of life with sober joy. The rough patches do their good work of humbling us, helping us sort through priorities and causing us to keep our eyes on the prize. The joys of seeing fruitfulness encourage us to continue with hope. In one way or another, to one degree or another, everything we hoped and prayed and planned for is being accomplished. In God’s good purposes, however, the way has hills and valleys, ups and downs, so that our hearts are never fully satisfied except in Christ. We rejoice soberly until every good work begun by Christ is brought to completion on that Day!

What a solid blessing that we, at RAU, are not walking the way alone! It is almost like a broken record in my head: we could not do anything here if we did not have believing, praying and giving partners back home and around the world. One of my recent analogies has been that you are the bow that the Lord uses to launch the arrow that is RAU so that it hits its mark! Philippians 2: 1-2, especially, describes what we have been experiencing in relation to you all who are partnering with us—encouragement in Christ, fellowship in the Spirit, and comfort in love. It is a joyful, wonderful thing to be of the same mind, united in spirit, and having one purpose. Thank you for uplifting us with prayers and support and encouraging words!

We happily report the completion of two more Pastors’ Retreats—one for pastors from Yumbe and the other for pastors from Obongi and Maracha. Two very rigorous weeks, but what satisfaction! Even if back-to-back retreats place their demands on us, they certainly come with a greater measure of encouragement. There is nothing better than hearing the pastors express thankfulness and enthusiasm in being better equipped to serve their people.

Early in the morning will I rise up to greet thee!

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Every retreat solidifies our goals for the ones who come: that they would be strengthened in life and in teachings that help them love and lean on Jesus; that they would be encouraged with love and be refreshed in Christ through fellowship and the Word. All of the men are leading in very difficult situations and with little support and few resources. We hope that the days they are with us are truly a “retreat” from the rigors of their world, but also resourceful for them upon returning to the rigors of their world.

This is why one of our greatest joys is being able to gift them with the “resource bag”. Can you imagine your Christian walk without books, DVD’s, online teachers, access to Bible Schools or online degrees? We are saturated with resources in the West. In “their world“, they are blessed if they have a New Testament or even a complete Bible. For them, receiving a bag filled with a ESV Global Study Bible, books and other items is much like the excitement of Christmas morning as we experience it in America. Thank you for making that possible! We are certain that these resources are going to be well used and that the fruit of joyful obedience to Christ will grow in their lives.

We are looking forward to many more of these retreats! Our goal is to have two retreats per month with other ministry and preparation time in the weeks between. This is what we have planned in the coming months.

At the end of this month, June, we will be hosting some brothers in Moyo from the Church of Uganda. Sam will also be accompanying Mindra and Anzo to Kampala so that Anzo may receive her long awaited eye surgery. We can’t wait to “see” a marked improvement in her ability to see! There is also a local pastor who will be going along to have an eye problem assessed.

Big sister, Anzo. She will have eye surgery next week.

The month of July is being reserved for outreach in Yumbe District which will include evangelism, teaching and medical care. During their last retreat here, several pastors from Yumbe testified to their lives having been spared from death or danger at the hands of Muslims who oppose any Christian presence or influence in Yumbe. We want to support them in a way that is equal to their struggles as Christians. Part of that month will involve a retreat for Yumbe leaders here at RAU. Most of our time will be spent in Yumbe, itself. We are expecting a young couple, Preston and Laurel Sink, from the States to join us for part of that time.

In August we will have two more back-to-back retreats here at RAU for two groups of Baptist Pastors from the Moyo region.

The youth group from First Presbyterian Church of Uganda/Kampala will join us for the week of September 8 through 12th for ministry in this area. The following week we’ll be hosting a group of pastors from the DR of Congo, as well as Koboko and Maracha, two nearby districts in Uganda. Each of these districts have counties within them without one single church.

Note: Please pray for us on the back-to-back ministry weeks, especially that it does not rain too heavily. It is difficult to get all the sheets and towels washed and ready for the next group if we do not have sufficient sunshine! Pray for safe travel for the teachers as well as pastors and leaders who are traveling to be here during rainy season.

Rain or shine, the week after the last retreat in September, we will head to Kampala to catch a flight back to Texas; we plan to be in the States for a little over a month. We are expecting the birth of our 4th (!!!) grandchild at the beginning of October and anticipating the happy reunion with family and friends.

Looking over the proposed site for Hall of Tyrannus-Obongi Branch

This week, Jacob, Sam and a couple of men who work with us traveled to Obongi to finalize the purchase of a small plot of land where the Obongi branch, Hall of Tyrannus will be. It will also serve as a location where Godfrey can meet with those whom he is shepherding. Jacob has shared much about Godfrey who pastors a growing gathering of believers. Just yesterday, Godfrey shared with us that, as a result of some tracts that he passed out, two people made professions of faith. We believe they will thrive under the enthusiastic, patient and loving care of Godfrey. And by the way, he did an amazing job of organizing and orchestrating the group of leaders from his area. The more we spend time with him, the more clearly his shepherd’s heart shows through. Also, please pray for his health as he seems to struggle in that area. Pray for this piece of land (for which a gracious couple in Texas provided funds) and the building that will be raised there. We know that this physical investment will play a part in producing eternal dividends in the spiritual care of many!

Continue to pray for all of these activities—

*retreats—teachers and attendees, for safe travel, health and well-being, enriched growth and learning, that resources will be a solid, visible help to pastors and leaders.

*outreach in Yumbe—opportunities to proclaim the Kindness and Mercy of God in word and deed, safety in the midst of opposition, believers who are strengthened and emboldened to stand firm in their faith.

*medical outreach—location of and continued support for children or adults that can be assisted with surgeries. Pray for Anzo as she undergoes surgery on June 18th.

Thank you for always keeping us in your hearts!

Carol (and Jacob)

Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Blog: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

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

Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)

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!

Tax deductible charitable donations may be made via PayPal. PayPal also has a way to make reoccurring monthly gifts. To do so please click their link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All gifts given through PayPal are now tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501 c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization. If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate Missions, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.

Second Yumbe Pastor’s Retreat

On May 30, 2014September 20, 2015 By Jacob LeeIn Discipleship, Missions

Yumbe Pastors

We have just finished another retreat for pastors from Yumbe District. Please pray for them. What a blessing for us to hear their stories of faith!

Just like our last time with a different group from Yumbe, we were so moved by their exuberant worship and prayers and their desire to link arms with other believers in the area to reach out in Christian love and unity to those who have not had the privilege of knowing and loving Jesus. Bob Gad and I shared the teaching sessions (we had 9 long sessions between the two of us.) Our emphasis was on the fundamentals of the faith and on becoming ones who have a heart for discipleship. Pastor Bob, from Kampala, did an excellent job of, not only teaching, but inspiring and spurring on the pastors to go back and equip their churches to be ones who are ready to serve in humility and to share what they have learned with others. It has been a week of pressing 2 Timothy 2:2 into their hearts and thinking (teaching the faithful who will in turn teach others.) It was a delight to be able to send them home with the many resources which your donations have allowed us to purchase and ship here. In the link below you will hear the testimony of one pastor who beautifully expresses what many of them feel after the retreat is over.

Bob Gad

Above are the resources pastors at RAU retreats have been receiving. We are praying we can get another shipment of Global Study Bibles and Christian books as supplies are dwindling. The 1100 Global Study Bibles and books which came in the container are great,great blessing!

We are breathing a happy sigh of satisfaction this afternoon before we start up, again, tomorrow washing sheets and towels in preparation for the next retreat this coming Tuesday. Normally, we don’t like to have them back to back because it is such an intense time, and we need some time to prepare for the next one, but circumstances made it difficult to do it differently.

This coming week we will have the privilege of hosting pastors and church leaders from another area, 17 from Obongi and 1 from Maracha. We are happily busy doing exactly what the Lord put it in our hearts to do! The Lord has open the door to us in West Nile Region of Uganda.

The week before this, Sam and I were busy running around in Kampala, doing what was needed to bring the Land Cruiser back here to Afoji. We also were able to see Anzo (Mindra’s daughter) receive an eye examination and and set up a date for eye surgery at Mengo Hospital for June 17th. It was a time crunch to get everything accomplished, but it was a joy to finally be driving back to RAU in our Land Cruiser! Since I had never driven in Uganda before, it was a welcome relief to have Bob Gad along to do most of the driving. I tried my hand at it on the last leg of the journey from the ferry at Laropi to our home at RAU (Afoji). I am slowly getting use to driving on the wrong side of the road, sitting on the wrong side while driving and shifting with my left hand :-). Now that we have the Land Cruiser we are planning with Yumbe pastors a month of outreach (July) in Yumbe District for discipleship, evangelism, and medical care.

’02 Land Cruiser

Thank You!

Jacob (Carol) Lee

Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Blog: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

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

Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)

Praising God in Kampala

On May 24, 2014May 26, 2014 By Jacob LeeIn Mercy Ministries, News and Status Updates

Sam and I spent most of one day at Mengo Hospital Kampala with 8 year Anzo and her father Mindra. They live near us at Reaching Africa’s Unreached and Mindra has been helping us a lot at RAU. We have had a consultation with doctor for this sweet little girl who has suffered from congenital cataracts from birth. The good news is that she can be helped with surgery. We will be back in mid June for that and afterwards she should be able to see clearly…PTL!

The doctor who examined Anzo stated the hospital wants to help children in the West Nile Region who have eye problems but finding the children,transportation to Kampala, and care in the hospital has kept them from being able to help. This very well may be a way RAU can be a part of helping children with eye difficulties in much neglected rural village areas of Yumbe and Moyo Districts. We are already working with a hospital in Kampala for children with cleft pallets, club feet, etc. This is just another opportunity for us to show the love of Jesus.These children are forever changed and their families/clans hearts are softened to hear the good news of Jesus Christ!

This was Anzo's and Mindra first buger and fries. — This was Anzo’s and Mindra first burger and fries.

I had a very encouraging conversation with the Mengo hospital administrator in charge of the eye department. It does looks like we will be able to partner together to help other children in Northwestern Uganda (West Nile Region). Their funds from a grant will be soon running out and they may not be able to continue doing the surgeries for free. The administrator stated when their grant is is fully used if we could contribute at least $200 we could still bring children there for surgeries. What do you say?

These children have no hope for corrective surgeries unless someone comes to them and helps them…just like the Lord did for us! The Lord is providentially bringing these children from Moyo and Yumbe Districts right to us. We cannot turn away from them! We have opportunity to help an additional two children with cleft pallets from Yumbe District and from Moyo District a child with severe club feet, another with knee issues, and yet another with a wrist problem. Please pray for these children and help us help them.

We also had hopes, when in Kampala, that Carol and I could buy an ’06 Land Cruiser. Pastor Patrick had spotted one for us. Just after arriving in Kampala we were told the vehicle was sold to someone else. I should have felt very disappointed but I was not. I am a firm believer in the sovereignty God! I remember RC Sproul once stating, “If there is just one rogue molecule in the Universe God is not sovereign.” I agree! We did everything we could and the door was closed to the ’06. I knew the Lord had something better for us and He did! The next day a ’02 Land Cruiser was located which was in better shape and with fewer miles. It has everything we wanted with the exception of a winch and right kind of roof rack. Hopefully we will be able to get the winch later. We have had a big rack made for it which will be helpful to carry things and be used for a platform to preach from in villages. I am sure George Whitefield would have done the very same thing if he, too, had had a Land Cruiser.

Now we will not be hindered from going out from RAU for discipleship, evangelism, and medical outreaches. We will also have the means to mobilize and bring children from the West Nile for corrective surgeries.!

A group of pastors will be arriving from Yumbe Tuesday and will be with us until Friday and then the following Tuesday through Friday another group from Obongi will be with us. These pastor/leadership retreats are the backbone of RAU’s mission and vision!

Thank You!

Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Blog: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

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

Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)

“Your Mercy, My God, is the Theme of My Heart!” by Carol Lee

On May 12, 2014May 12, 2014 By Jacob LeeIn Mercy Ministries

I have so much joy in being able to relay to you the mercy and faithfulness of our God in allowing us to see harvest at RAU and to show you what your work has done. Often, Jacob and I think about the fact that if it were not for you and your financial and prayerful partnership, and your joyful obedience to the Lord, we could accomplish nothing. As Pastor Josh Jordan from our home church, Lifegate, preached this last Sunday (which we were able to hear via Skype) RAU is only a conduit of your gospel generosity! I have had the opportunity to thank many of you who have given and my theme has been how God’s faithfulness through the faithfulness of His people spurs us on to be faithful in our calling here in Uganda. It is the beautiful cycle of giving and blessing that we see in 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 that is described in agricultural terms: the Lord’s people plant (cheerfully and generously) and receive a bountiful harvest; this yields an ever increasing harvest of righteousness that glorifies the Lord and produces thankfulness in people because they experience the mercy of our Savior. Thank you all for giving, whether it be money, prayers, personal visits, encouragement or love…it will, all of it, yield a harvest of righteousness as we see the Lord’s people blessed by it and God receiving glory in it! May we become transformed by the Gospel in such a way that the world will see that we have been with Jesus!

The following are areas in which we clearly see growth and blessing:

1. The physical structures are completed. That is a tremendous relief and it is gratifying to see these goals completed.

2. The land has been cleared and tilled and crops (G-nuts, beans, maize, cassava, and soybeans) have been planted. Jacob has, I think, given a good accounting of exactly what a big feat that was. As I am writing this, Jacob just finished paying the ones who did the planting and it started pouring rain! The timing couldn’t have been better! We await the harvest, the selling of which will allow reinvestment into RAU ministry. The first planted G-nuts (ground nuts or peanuts) are already sprouting out of the ground. I am grateful for Jacob and his diverse talents, all of which the Lord is using here! I am also grateful for the local people that work at RAU. They are showing themselves to be diligent and a joy to be around! It is a mutually beneficial relationship.

50 more grafted mangoes to plant — 50 more grafted mangoes ready to plant

3. While we had a few postponements of Pastors’ retreats, they are all back on the schedule…all six of them. (As if to give example to Romans 8:28, the postponements worked for the good of giving time to get the plowing and planting done.) Even if there has been a breif hiatus in retreats, we have still had, almost on a daily basis, pastors dropping by for resources which RAU is so blessed and privileged to have available for them, thanks to many donors! It is encouraging that they not only want the resources, but truly enjoy the fellowship and discussions on Christian living and the Bible. In upcoming retreats, we are truly looking forward to serving each and every pastor that attends a retreat by providing them with teaching and resources, but also in getting to know them and their specific challenges as pastors. We want them to go back home encouraged and spurred on to serve their people as Christ’s Under Shepherds.

4. Medical Outreach is happening in more of an unexpected, but beautiful way. As our RAU vision for a Medical Clinic on site is a “down the road” plan (even if we had the funds to start building right away) it is encouraging to me to see that there are ways we can help immediately. Out of our Kerwa outreach, where RAU was able to not only work in a clinic there, but provide medicines, we identified a child with a cleft lip and palate and then, later, another child with an even more severe cleft lip and palate. (This has already been reported on in another post.)

Two happy moms and their babies who received cleft palate surgery

These children, whose lives have been clearly changed, opened our eyes to see others who have deformities or disease that can be corrected/treated if only they can receive the appropriate surgery or intervention. The following children have been diagnosed with correctable conditions: (all photos were taken with the permission of the parents)

Anzo ( 8 year old daughter of one of the men who helps on RAU property, Mindra)—she has bilateral congenital cataracts. She and her father, Mindra, will be traveling with Jacob to Kampala where Anzo will be evaluated at Mengo Hospital, which has a department specifically dealing with eye disorders. The hope is that she will receive corrective surgery in the near future. At this time, her day vision is very poor and she can only see up close with squinted eyes.

Ezron (3 year old boy and nephew of one of the men who works at RAU)—has severe knock knee or genu valgum. He would initially be taken for an evaluation at CoRSU in Kampala (where the infants with cleft palate had surgery.) At CoRSU they have a special pediatric orthopedic clinic.

Richard (a 5 or 6 year old boy we saw at a church we go to often)—has bilateral club foot. The father, Michael, who is a teacher in South Sudan, said that he had attempted several times to find a way to get corrective surgery for his son, but was unable. Our plan, if we have the funds to do so, would be to take Richard to CoRSU Hospital in Kampala for surgery. In his case, also, we would first need to get an evaluation by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. They have clinics every Monday for evaluations which includes x-rays and blood work.

Emanuel (9 year old girl from our local community)—had broken her wrist which healed badly and is now deformed.

Without forgetting or undercutting our primary calling to pastors and church leaders, we would like to bring these medical needs to your attention so that, if you have a burden from the Lord to help meet them, you could specifically allocate funds to help these children.

We thank God for the encouragement of seeing fruit! We pray that it will be the Lord who receives glory through cheerful sowing and reaping and grateful receiving.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

Thank You!

Carol (and Jacob) Lee

Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Blog: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.org

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

Our “wish lists” may be found at Amazon (Click on the “Wish List” link and type in our names)

African bush becomes Farmland

On May 9, 2014May 9, 2014 By Jacob LeeIn Missions, News and Status Updates

We have completed one more milestone at Reaching Africa’s Unreached. When the Lord opened the way in 2011 for RAU to purchase the 17 acres we now have, it was wild African bush. It was full of brush, thorns, huge termite and ant mounds, snakes, and tall thick grass. By God’s grace and a lot of hard work it is now all cleared and the whole acreage is ready for crops. The soil is fertile and we are praying the Lord will bless it with many wonderful harvests which will help supply funds for the ministry. Please continue in your prayers for us. Thank you!