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!