A post from Sarah Gordon, intern at CTR while serving in Thailand, summer of 2013

August 2013

Dearest Friends and Family,

I write to share with you my joy and privilege to have spent this summer season serving in Thailand with Remember Nhu.  I wish to express my thankfulness to you, for your partnership in the gospel work, from the first day of my arrival until now (Phil 1). I have much to share about the goodness of our great God and the good work He is continuing throughout the Far East.  One of the many highlights of this opportunity as an intern with RNhu is a greater understanding in seeing and experiencing how Christ’s kingdom is furthered here on earth.

Another highlight was being used in a small way to help prevent the evils of human trafficking in young lives.  As God’s Word states in the book of Isaiah: “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? (Is.58:6)....’Then your light shall break forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard’” (Is 58:8). Indeed, Christ was present because God was being glorified through the obedience of His children in this effort to loose the bonds of wickedness through sex trafficking prevention.

I lived in Chiang Mai for two months at RNhu’s newest home with fifty-two Thai girls whose ages ranged from four to twenty-two.  Part of my responsibilities as an intern was to get to really know the girls and love them.  Christ overwhelmed me with His love through these relationships which transcended language and cultural barriers.  I was given daily opportunities to depend on Jesus Christ to supply His power and perspective so that my labor would not be in vain.  Because of our commonness in Him, deep relationships began to take root with some of the girls and other interns in ways I had not expected.

The Lord used the circumstances to reveal to me more of His character and how He works for His children.  He didn’t need me to go to Thailand, He chose for me to go, having planted the desire in my heart.  My time at RNhu confirmed my desire to serve overseas in ministry for a season of my life, whenever and wherever that may be.  My relationship with those precious girls has touched my heart in such a way to anticipate a return to Thailand for a period of time in the future. In the meantime I am starting back to my senior year at Moody Bible Institute.  In due season, I believe God will lead me back.

Thank you for your willingness to share this experience in helping to send me to Southeast Asia.  God had begun His work in Thailand long before I showed up and has been using the ministry of RNhu to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with hundreds of girls and boys in that region. Through your abundant provision of prayers and financial support, I was 100% supported to go this summer. In this I am confident, that God was glorified in this venture!  

In Christ, His bondservant,

Sarah Gordon

What's my job again?

What is my job? A good question. I’m a Youth Director at Christ the Redeemer, right? But what is my job here in Uganda? This morning we sat down as a team, with Darrie’s prompting, and read the first chapter of Colossians. We came across these words:

"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." Colossians 1:28-29

Here then is my job. Like the apostle Paul, I’ve been called to encourage, exhort and equip others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether I’m with a group of high schoolers on a Wednesday night in Spokane studying through Ecclesiastes, or with a group of pastors in Uganda thinking through Biblical counseling within a struggling marriage, or even sitting at home with family reading through the gospel of Matthew, my job is to help men and women come to fully realize the powerful effects of King Jesus’ good news in light of eternity, and for today.

What truth! What a job! What a Savior!

Please be praying for our team that we would be able to magnify King Jesus as we share vital medical information for pregnant women, and as we share the power of the gospel to transform lives to the glory of God.

Stumbling toward Christ and His glory,

Loren

P.S. Here’s a few pictures of the market we visited today. Just a microscopic snapshot of what Kampala looks like.  

Uganda 2013! We made it!

Our team made it! We arrived in Uganda last night or maybe it was this morning which may have been afternoon in Spokane...I am really not sure because the 30 hours of flying and traversing across multiple time zones makes me feel like I have been through a bit of a time warp. However, we made it here safely and without major event. Our gate was only changed about four times in Amsterdam which was nothing more than a point of joking after the events of last year. When we arrived at Ebb, we even received our bags after only a 5 minute wait. Praise God! For those of you who may not have heard the events from last years travels, the ease with which we arrived this time was truly a miracle. We all slept pretty well last night and woke up this morning to a delicious breakfast of pancakes with pineapple syrup and fresh fruit. What a miracle to leave one morning from Spokane, Washington and to wake up the next morning in Kampala, Uganda. And whats even more miraculous is that as we ate breakfast this  morning, we had the opportunity to fellowship with people who have such huge hearts for God. After breakfast as we read Colossians I was struck by how amazing it is to see how God works. So we pray that God will work through us and that we will shine Christ's love every where we go. We are all very excited to be here and are currently adjusting as we spend a day in Kampala before traveling out to Kasese, where we will be doing our seminars. Darrie is currently talking to us about orphanages in Africa and as I am interested to hear about it, I think I will say goodbye for now. Please be praying for our travels in the next days as it is a five or six hour drive out to Kasese. I know I would also love for you to be praying that God would use me to advance His kingdom...in whatever way that might be. We are so thankful for all your prayers and support from back home.
In Christ love,
Joselle

Uganda Prayer Requests 6/17/12

I was able to Skype with Loren for a few minutes tonight and he asked me to post and ask for prayer in a few more areas.  They are:

• Prayer for safety as they travel 6 hours to the Bible college, near the border with Congo
• Prayer for protection from illness for the team, especially as they are run down from the long trip
• Prayer for the girls' time with a local nurse in Kasese
• Prayer for the guys' time with the professors at the college in Psalms
• Finally, prayer that their luggage would eventually arrive safely.  All of their checked bags are missing and are due to arrive in Entebbe on Tuesday.  Unfortunately, they will already be gone, so they will not be able to get them until they return next weekend.  So, prayer for the practicalities of this for the team (I guess the girls already purchased some local skirts).

As I pray for our team, I'm reminded of the lyrics we sang in church this morning...

"Your glorious cause, O God, engages our hearts

May Jesus Christ be known wherever we are

We ask not for ourselves, but for Your renown

The cross has saved us so we pray

Your kingdom come"

May Your glorious cause engage our hearts, O God, both in Spokane and in Uganda, for Your renown.

Istanbul

Istanbul. What would Paul have thought if he could have flown over Asia Minor as he prayerfully considering where to plant churches? Turkey today is cosmopolitan. Home of a large population struggling between two world views: Islam, legacy of the Ottoman Empire and Western secularism, legacy of Kemal Ataturk. How would he have shared the gospel in this context today? Turkey: is it European or Asian? Would he start with the Torah or would he start with a conversation between Islam and Christianity? Or would he just attack the idolatry of this culturally rich people? Turkey. Straddling the Orient and the Occident. Two worlds. Reminds me of being a follower of Jesus. Stuck between the now and not yet. Living by the Spirit but struggling to walk in that same Spirit. Fighting my own idolatry. Home of ancient empires. Home of a grand civilizational battle. Welcome to Turkey. Loren.

Uganda Team Update

Megan here...Loren asked me to post and let you know that their day didn't exactly go according to plan.  The team will have to fill you in on the specifics later, but what I could piece together is that their flight from Spokane to Seattle was delayed, causing them to miss their flight to Chicago by a few minutes.  That, in turn, made them miss their connection from Chicago to Brussels.  So, after a tense period where it looked like they may just have to fly back to Spokane and scrap the trip, they were able to get a flight to Entebbe via Istanbul.  It will put them in Entebbe at about 2:30 am Sunday morning. So, please pray for the team, who I think are weary but thankful that God covered the details and they are still going.  My prayer tonight is that God uses this for His glory, that the team would be thanking Him for every piece of this journey and not take for granted that simply because we are Americans we can fly anywhere in the world.  And, of course, that God would grant them rest on the long plane ride over the Atlantic and they would arrive in Entebbe peaceful, refreshed, and excited to fellowship with our fellow believers in Uganda.  To God be the glory for calling, equipping, AND delivering this team to what He has called them to.

Uganda

"I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some."
1 Corinthians 9:22 (NASB)

Loren here...

This day before our team leaves for Uganda (here's a link to Joshua Project information about Uganda) I am struck by the above words from the apostle Paul.  You see in a sense, we aren't really going where the gospel isn't.  We are headed to a place that has been Christianized, like Spokane. There are local churches there.  There are even different denominations (some more gospel-centered then others). But like Spokane, there are expectations of what a Christian is, even if those expectations are different in this particular culture, that have nothing to do with King Jesus and His gospel. There are idols and worldview issues that pay lip service to serving Jesus but aren't necessarily motivated by right actions. Just like Spokane.

Our brothers and sisters there struggle with similar issues: materialism, idol worship, selfishness, anger, bitterness, gossip, shady business dealings, and marital and family problems.  And the gospel speaks in Uganda just as powerfully and gloriously as it does in North America.

I have been reminded in my reading, praying, and conversations with Brian, Joselle, and Amanda that we are going to Uganda, fundamentally, as learners. Our Christianity here in the States is no better or more intrinsically worthy of God then our brothers' and sisters' is in central Africa.  We simply want to be faithful gospel partners.  One group of beggars saying to another, "Be imitators of us, just as I also am of Christ." Together we run to the foot of the cross as we become more fully devoted disciples of King Jesus.

Please be praying that we would 'get out of the way' and let God work through us to His glory as we travel to Uganda over the next few weeks.

Below are some maps about where we will be.  May God bless us as we endeavor to serve Jesus in Africa.  And may God bless you as you endeavor to serve Jesus in Spokane.

Where in the world is Uganda?

Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region of central Africa and borders Lake Victoria.

Can you find Kasese and Kampala?

The Kasese District is in the southwest of Uganda between Lake Albert & Lake Edward.  This is where the Bible college is located.  Kampala, north of Lake Victoria, is where Hope Alive! headquarters is situated.  

As way of reminder here is what we will be focusing on as we travel to Uganda.

  

Prayer Points

1. Travel - connections would be smooth in Seattle, Chicago, and Brussels on the way over.
2. Relationships - gospel connections would grow with the leaders and teachers of the Western Uganda Baptist Theological College (WUBTC), with our contacts at Hope Alive!, and with Darrie & Debbie Turner, the WorldVenture missionaries who will graciously be facilitating our trip.
3. Wisdom and discernment about how best we can help the local Kasese church, and what future teams might provide in gospel partnership.
4. That our family's would trust in God's sovereignty and goodness during this time.

Soli Deo Gloria!