Death is defeated...the King is ALIVE

These last few weeks, here in Uganda, have been pretty eventful so I will try to summarize as best as I can. We are still in the most recent lockdown and still have about 40 days left. Things seem to be moving at a much more normal pace this time though, including the crazy traffic and too many taxis. There are still some rules being enforced around town or at district crossings, but I think even the police are over trying to enforce everything that has been restricted for so long. The lockdown has actually brought more boys to the streets and more boys to me, so I am busier than ever trying to keep up with them and the need. Since the last update, another one of my boys, Meddi, had a minor surgery but I removed his stitches yesterday and he's recovering well, praise God! I've become really good friends with one of the doctors at the clinic I take the boys to, so it's typically a smooth process when I do have to go. We always agree on course of treatment and he lets me maintain followup and post-op care. Ugandan medical services are much different than in America, and I'm so thankful for the knowledge God gave me, for such a time as this. 

     The boys are doing amazing in bible study. They are growing more and more each week, and asking so many questions. We always have wonderful discussions, and even when we go down rabbit holes, they always lead back to Jesus. This past week I had a team here from my home church and we had 15 more boys give their lives to Christ and we were able to baptize 25 in Lake Victoria! Praise GOD!!! There are 9 more who want to be baptized, but they were unable to make it to the lake in time this week, so we will baptize those 9 next week. God is moving in mighty ways in these boys and being a witness to it all is so humbling and beautiful. I thank God every day for all he is doing here, and I remind the boys each week that this is ALL from God, not from me. I am just a vessel trying to be obedient. I have no doubt why I'm here and what God is using me for and I can't wait to see the continued growth and change in the boys and in the community. Many of the boys chose to share testimonies with my team this week, and they brought me to tears. I see the change daily, but hearing the extent of the change is so powerful. Hearing them share about how they were on drugs or dirty and unloved but now they are clean, both spiritually and physically just shows the mighty power of God. Many of them testified about coming to me for medical issues because they heard about me helping and how they ended up staying for bible study and allowing God to change their lives, then giving all the glory to Him alone. I'm up to about 60 boys in bible study now, and even just 3 months ago there were only 10. God is moving, friends. He is moving in MIGHTY ways here! I love these boys with my whole heart. I can't even explain how much they mean to me. Do they annoy me sometimes, absolutely. Do they disturb me and perturb me sometimes, absolutely. But friends, if you could only see the mighty hand of God in them, you'd see why none of that even matters. I've got so many letters from boys just giving thanks and telling me how this organization is different. Many of the boys have expressed how they didn't trust at first and now they see the fruit of what I promised. As of now, there are 30 boys who have rooms and are not staying on the street at night. Praise GOD!!!! I have also been taking some of the boys to see their families if they want to go. Some haven't seen their family in months, and some it's been years. So far the parents have said the boys can't stay and they have to leave with me, but God is still moving in them and their parents. God is blowing my mind every day and I'm so very thankful that I get to be here to be in the lives of these boys. And, I'm so thankful that he's given me the life I've had, for such a time as this. 

    With the team this week, we went to one of the islands and did evangelism and spent the night. One of the proudest moments I had during that trip was being able to do evangelism alongside one of my boys, Joel. Joel has been with me from the moment I got here. God quickly changed everything about his life and he is now one of the 2 who I trust the most to help me. Joel stays at the boys house to keep it up and maintain crowd control, as well as will do anything I ask of him without complaint. Every night Joel asks me for scripture to read, and the next day we discuss and talk about what he learned or if he has questions. For a few weeks I had been asking if he wanted to go with me to do evangelism, but he told me he was fearing the lake. The day before we left, Joel came up to me and said, "Auntie, I am ready. I want to go with you and share the Gospel, because the Gospel changed my whole life." Yep, I cried. I am so proud of the young man he's becoming, because of Jesus. We had some difficult moments while on the island, but Joel helped and trusted that no matter what, God was in control. To see this young man, who was still doing drugs when I met him, change into the young man he is today, in just 4 months, is so beautiful. Praise God for the continued sweet reminders of what he's doing here in these boys. On the island we encountered much confusion, and demonic darkness. There was a person claiming to be messiah, with false teaching and even spreading over the loudspeaker that the bibles we were giving out were not truth. A couple of us had a long discussion with a witch doctor, in his hut, with a chicken head on a spear in the center of the room and one hanging from the ceiling. We had a good discussion, and he allowed us to speak, but he wouldn't even let us pray with him when we left. We are just praying that a seed was planted that day with him. Pastor Josh had an amazing encounter with a young man who was in bondage due to alcohol and demonic forces. The young man came to him later in the evening and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and to be prayed for. That young man was released from bondage that night, and the enemy was stomped once again. God is moving, friends. Lives are changing, chains are breaking, and people are being set free, in the name of Jesus! Praise God!

     Our Following Jesus class is still on hold due to gathering restrictions, however when my team came this week, they were able to bring me our newly translated Following Jesus books, and they're amazing. My sweet brother Thomas worked so hard to translate these for us, and I can't wait to use them. We also were able to have a small pastors conference while Pastor Josh was here. He lead a 2 day conference in a town about 45 minutes away, and had such amazing feedback and response from the teaching. The pastors here are hungry for truth and need truth to teach their church well. A fire was ignited in them, and they are ready for more teaching.

     Another first for me, here in Uganda, happened this week too. One of the boys got arrested, unjustly, and Mary, Mike, and I spent basically 2 days fighting for him. I won't go into details about the issue, but an old street kid project he was in got him arrested and lied about a lot. There's a lot of corruption here, and we had to deal with that on another level this week. Long story short, Semagambo was released yesterday, without bond (if you know anything about corruption in the police here, that is 100% God)! Today Sema came to my door and wanted to talk. He just kept saying thank you to me and to God. He was saying how no one has ever fought for him before and he could never tell us how much it means that we were on his side. He was so humbled that we took time out to care for him and I firmly believe he will never forget what God has done this week with him. Poor kid had to go to the hospital last week for severe belly pain, he got hit by a car Wednesday and had 2 pretty deep lacerations, and was arrested Thursday morning at 5am. But, today he saw and acknowledged God in it all. Praise God for his goodness and grace! He is working, and it's undeniable the power of Christ right here in Jinja!

      There is also some big news coming! This week, since my team was all staff from ECC, my home church,  we were able to meet with a lawyer to discuss what we needed to register as a CBO. If we are able to get registered and obtain this title, we will have much more ground to stand on when things happen, like they did with Sema. It will also allow us to move forward with the vision God has given me for this ministry. Since before I came to live here, God has given me a vision specifically for the street kids. How one day we will have land and a house for myself and the teams that come to Uganda, as well as housing for some of the boys as they rehab and reintegrate into society. We will have farm land to grow and sell crops, we will have animals for raising, selling, and eating, and we will have skill programs so the boys who have gone to school can train others in certain trade skills such as mechanics, barbering, and even crafts and cooking. It's a vision I have over and over and I know that it comes from God. Once we obtain this registration we will be able to move closer to that step and begin the next journey in this ministry. God revealed to me early on I would be here at least 2 years. Since I have been here, God has clearly revealed to me it will be longer than even the 3 year visa I have. God is moving and this is my earthly home to teach others about him and give them hope that they have never had. I can not wait to see how this ministry continues to grow and blossom in the name of Jesus Christ! 

Prayer Requests:

-Prayers for wisdom as we register for the CBO with what we need and how we need to word and organize things

-Prayers that the boys continue to see God in their lives and speak their testimonies to others who are still on the streets. 

-Prayers for continued wisdom and discernment with the boys and how best to help them and disciple them

-Prayers for God's voice to be the loudest and boldest in this ministry

     

God is moving and I'm so blessed to be here in his plans. Praise God!

God bless you my friends.

Breaking Chains and Moving Mountains

As I sit here typing this update, Uganda has once again extended lockdown for another 60 days. Even though the number of Covid cases have drastically decreased, and are almost now none, the president is following suit of last year, and maintaining lockdown as long as he can. There are a few positive changes from the last lockdown, though, including the following; 

-You can now drive private vehicles with no more than 3 people in a car and can cross district borders.        

-Bodas (motorcycles) can have 1 passenger now as long as the driver and passenger are masked. 

-Public transportation on taxi or bus can operate at 50% capacity following SOP guidelines. 

-Some shops can now reopen with SOP restrictions. 

Then the continued negatives: Churches, schools, gyms, and select other market stores are still closed for another 60 days, and you can not gather in groups of more than 20. 

None of the reasoning behind it makes sense, and the restrictions are killing more people in this country than the virus itself, because they can't afford food or medical care if they can't work. Only God can protect them, and we praise Him for His mighty hand on this country during this season.

As locked down as we have been around here, I feel like I'm still going non-stop with the street kids. The second I walk out of my house I have a swarm of boys around me. The need is huge, but the change in many of them is greater. We've been able to give 2 rounds of food bags to 75 boys during the first lockdown, provide some with extra toiletry items, and give them a safe place to rest during the day. I see God every day moving in mighty ways and I'm so blessed to be witnessing it all happen first hand. I see gentleness and love abounding. I see grace and mercy restoring lives. And I see God changing them slowly in some ways and quickly in others. It's beautiful watching a new testimony unfold in their lives.

I was able to rent a compound with a house at the beginning of July for the street kids day programs. This is a place where we are able to meet and have bible study, as well as a place for the boys to come wash clothes, bathe, and just rest during the day. I have 2 boys living there full time who are maintaining the grounds, being my security, and taking care of things when I'm not there. These 2 have been put through many tests to earn this privilege and they are taking such pride in the new responsibilities they have. They are both so humble and thankful for everything and continue to do anything and everything I ask of them. They have been such huge assets to this program and I'm so very thankful for them. Due to government restrictions and lack of CBO/NGO status I can not house more boys there, but Lord willing, one day we will have a home that can be that place of respite away from the streets for them. God is changing this community and He's providing more than I could ever imagine.

Since we got the house our bible study groups have grown drastically. Due to lockdown restrictions on gatherings, I have 2 days of bible study now, with 20-25 boys each day, and I will be soon adding a 3rd day. Until about a month ago I had 10 boys who consistently came to bible study. God is moving and other boys are seeing the change of Jesus in the core 10, and they want to know more. I have seen such a growth and change in these boys in just a short time and I can't wait to see how God continues to use them and grow them. Yes, there have been issues, and setbacks with a few of them, but at the end of the day they're still street kids who have not ever had guidance, rules, and love. God is working in them, and even when there's an incident, God convicts them and they are able to see His abounding love in the middle of the consequences. These boys are not only learning responsibility and respect, most importantly they are learning about God and they are allowing Him to change them. Praise God!

A few weeks ago I had my first Ugandan hospital experience. As we were getting ready for bible study one day, a boda came to the gate with one of my boys and he collapsed off the boda onto the driveway. He was complaining of severe stomach pain and was very clammy. After after doing some quick assessments on him it was clear he had appendicitis. I loaded him in the car and we went to one of the local hospitals where we stayed for 3 days and 4 nights. They did surgery the 2nd day and oh what an experience we had. I'm so thankful for the medical knowledge that God has given me and how He's allowed me so many amazing medical experiences through the years, for such a time as this. Moses is now back to his usual self and doing wonderful. Praise God!

Last week I had some sweet visitors here as a team and we had such a special time together here in Uganda. From our own worship nights, to morning devotionals, missions and bible studies with the street kids, and respite care for me, my cup overflowed with an abundance of love and joy. We were able to spend some sweet time with the boys, enjoy some amazing Rolex's (not a watch, delicious Ugandan food!) have 2 great bible studies with the boys, and give them a couple of extra little treats. I'm so thankful for the amazing family in Christ that God has given me. I'm so thankful for the support emotionally, spiritually, and financially that he continues to give me every day. God is so so good and every single day He reminds me of the path he has me on, being guided by him alone. I have no doubt I'm right where I'm supposed to be, at the time he wants me here. I'm constantly blown away that I get to be a part of this journey. God is so good!

This lockdown has been hard in some ways, and amazing in others. Since I can't teach Following Jesus right now due to gathering restrictions, I've been able to spend all of my time as intentional time with the street kids. I've been able to meet with them 1:1, hear their stories and get to know them more. They've let me in a part of their lives that's vulnerable and distant, but they're trusting me and opening up more and more. I thank God so much for this sweet time with them. I love hearing their stories and learning why and how they came to the street and how they want to change and be different. Some have families still, who were once abusive and broken, but they want to go and visit them to show them their change in Christ. Some lost both parents or grandparents and have no one to go home to. Today as I sat just talking and hanging out with 6 boys, they began opening up about other past street kid organizations here in Jinja. Each of them had been a part of 1 or more of the ones they were talking about and it broke my heart hearing the stories of how it became more about money than actually helping. Thomas, my right hand man here in Uganda, and I just listened to the years of built up pain and anger towards the people who said they were there to help, however didn't follow through with what they said. It made these boys hesitate and be resistant to new faces and new organizations. A good ways into the conversation, one of the boys who's been with me since the beginning, asked Thomas to translate for me. He said that with the other organizations he had been with the boys couldn't even talk to the person in charge, it wasn't allowed. He talked about how none of this gathering would be happening and he would never know the person behind the desk. Then he spoke about how grateful he was for truly being accepted and loved. How this time it's different. We reminded him that none of this is me and none of this is Thomas. This is only by the grace of God, who knew even before we were born the plans that He had for our lives. I'm so grateful and thankful to be a part of these boys lives. If you would have told me even 4 years ago I'd be living in Uganda surrounded by street kids I would have thought you were crazy. But now, here I am, living my best Ugandan life, learning the culture, the language, and the ways of the land, surrounded by some of the most amazing, loving boys, who just needed to feel the presence of Jesus in their lives. Thank you Lord for all that you've done to bring me here. The years of ups and downs, the years of seemingly random experiences and tasks, all of which led me to this point. 

I feel like so much happens every day, yet so much of it I can't even put into words. All I can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, is that God is moving. God is moving mountains in these boys hearts and minds every day. I see patience and peace. I see laughter and joy. I see kindness and gentleness. I see Jesus changing hearts in mighty ways. I see boys reading the bible in their free time. I see boys discussing what they've read, asking questions at bible study, and asking for scripture to read at night. I see Jesus here in Uganda more and more every day. I see change. I see hope. I see healing and restoration. Every day I witness God's goodness and grace abounding in these boys. God you are so so good. I praise you for all that you have done and all that is to come. 

This week I will be looking for 2 more rooms for the next 4 boys who are on the list to earn them. Along with the rooms I get mattresses, sheets, washing basins, soap, a charcoal stove, saucepans, and mosquito nets, as well as some basic hygiene items. I currently have a 3 month rule with consistency and the ones who truly want to change, wait patiently (for the most part). God is moving friends. This will make 18 boys who are now not living on the streets. Praise God!

......Prayer Requests..... 

-Continued wisdom and discernment in this program with the street kids and in this lockdown as I navigate things

-Continued prayers for Uganda as a whole as we enter this next 60 days of lockdown

-Prayers for Thomas and Mary, who help me so very much. Health, safety, and protection

-Prayers for continued heart change in both the boys and in the communities around us.

-Prayers for prepared hearts and minds of the team who will be joining me in 2 weeks, as a few of them will be entering Uganda for the first time

God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!

God Bless you my friends,

Tara