Out and About, Doing This and That!

Although I have no recent news or reports from Kajjansi, it doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy.  Here are a few snippets of information, hopefully to encourage you to pray.

Nyazi Visit

No, we weren’t visited by the men in brown shirts, it was Bentry, Edward and myself doing the visiting, to a church Edward is involved with.  Edward is ABU’s electrician (a noble trade if there ever was one!), and Bentry is of course, one of our faculty members.  Edward had asked me on more than one occasion to come and preach to the church, and Bentry who had visited before, was glad to come along too.  The church was about 100km from ABU, so the journey took the best part of 2 ½ hours, but the fellowship and company were good, and the time soon flew!

The Three Amigos, outside the church

Bentry is the better preacher and should have led the main service, but he was happy to take the Sunday School and allow me the honours of the day!  Both of us spoke on the subject of church leadership, order and obedience, which seemed a perfect fit for the church, as they were in the midst of choosing elders and deacons.

I think Bentry let me preach, so he didn’t have to wear a suit!

After the service, we were fed Ugandan style: matoke (savoury banana), rice, g-nut sauce (ground nut, very similar to our peanuts), Irish (potatoes) and pork!  All of us ate sufficient for the journey home.

Tucking in Uganda style (though this wasn’t all for us – we shared it between five of us!)

Wakisa Ministry

So why haven’t I been to Kajjansi, recently?  Well, first we had Evangelism Explosion for the First Years, so outreach was put on hold for that week.  Then we had our Spiritual Emphasis Week (which Natasha told you all about), so that meant there was no outreach for a second week.  Then, last week, I joined up with the Wakisa Pregnancy Crisis outreach team, as part of my job assisting Kurt Schimke in overseeing this area of ABU’s ministry. 

Some of the Wakisa team (Francis Ocen, Moses Ken, Kabeije Glorias, Peter Aloro, Kyarisiima Merab, Njagi Esther, Faith Wainaina), standing in front of our recently acquired 8-seater, 1994 Toyota Prado – perfect for such trips!

This outreach involves visiting the Wakisa Ministries Uganda centre and sharing the gospel and friendship with the girls (I say girls, as many of them were very young), singing and sharing a short Bible study.  The week I was there, Faith Wainaina led the study, speaking on Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, and how this should be a great encouragement to us all.

Faith leads the way!

She was very nervous, but spoke clearly, commending Christ the Saviour to us all.  Please pray for Faith and the rest of the team, and for the young ladies who so desperately need saving, in more ways than one.

Coaching Swimming

Yes, I’m coaching swimming…but no, it’s not at ABU!  It’s up the road at ISU (International School of Uganda, founded in 1969!) 

Look at the colour of that water…and that sky!  Did I dive in?  You bet I did!

Some of the missionary children are taking lessons here, and as we’re in the middle of a long hot heat wave, I thought I’d go see what the facilities were like!  And, very nice, was my verdict.  So, how can I help them, and help me?  By offering my services as a Level 1 qualified swimming coach…and that is what I’ve been doing, these last few weeks!  Of course, I do this voluntarily, without pay… but the kind people at ISU did say I could swim whenever the pool is free – which is most afternoons, when I’m free…what a bonus!

Culture Night

Every year, ABU holds a Culture Night, where students and faculty dress up and dance what best portrays their culture.  Of course, this is not a very English thing to do, as no one really wants to learn and demonstrate Morris Dancing!  But, we English do have our culture, and to prove it, Andrew Carter and I decided to treat the nations of ABU to some traditional English culture…

Of course, there was no dancing involved, but there was tea and cake, and some discussion about the cricket…oh, and lots of silence and shuffling of newspapers.  I’m not sure everyone understood what typifies English culture, but it doesn’t hurt to keep them guessing!

So, as you can see, there are cultural differences that we all need to try and understand and live with, especially as we will be spending eternity with each other.  Please pray for all faculty and staff as we get to grips with each other’s differences.

Please pray for our ministry, here at ABU and out and about, in Kampala and beyond.

Please pray for us, and remember that being away from home can be tough, with different hurdles to overcome and trials to traverse…pray God will bless our marriage and ministry together.

Please pray for our trip to Busia, later this month, with Joan and Amy.  And pray for the church there (where the water pump is still working and supplying many families!).

Many blessings and much love,

Sean (and Natasha)

Natasha's News

Dear All,

It has been far too long since I last wrote, so please forgive me. Below is a summary of the last few months, let us pray together giving thanks to God and asking Him to bless our weak attempts to serve Him.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendour and majesty. Ps 104:1

December 2014 marked the end of semester one, where I taught Library Orientation and Home Economics. Both courses went well, and although I still wouldn't say I am a teacher, it is a wonderful way to get to know the students. We have continued to open our home to the first year students for film nights (linked to their World History course), and we thank God for each one that God has brought here.

Dressed up for the Christmas Banquet, with Esther and Hope, two of our Colorado girls!

Towards the end of December we move into the dry season and so the temperature increases. As I write we are still in the dry season and I'm struggling through 30^oC days and 20^oC nights. Please pray that my body would adjust, it seems a small thing but constant heat can be very wearying over long periods of time. We had the pleasure of celebrating the New Year with friends from Canada, UK, and Uganda. We played games and watched the Kampala fireworks from our hill on Lubowa, it was beautiful under an African sky.

January 2015 is a time of recuperation, before semester two starts. Owen, Sean's friend was with us, which was a blessing. Our friends and family back home are very precious to us and although contact from Uganda is limited, you are often in our thoughts and prayers. We warmly welcome anyone who would like to spend time with us in Uganda. We give thanks for the Carter family, who arrived safely. They have been a blessing to us, and we look forward to serving God together. We are also thankful for the return of our Malawian neighbours, the Mhangos. Their African hospitality and advice has been a great encouragement to us.

Owen and an elephant 


The Mhangos: Bentry, Bongani & Hlupe

The Carter Family: Isaac, Andrew, Lydia, Edward, Julie & Carys

February 2015 is the beginning of semester two, and everything is in full swing. I am teaching Business Statistics. The course is going well and the students are interacting with the material and raising excellent questions, pray that God will equip me to share my knowledge well, and be able to answer all their questions. I am teaching Maths and Chemistry to Amy, a faculty member's daughter, as well as supporting administration needs. This takes a significant amount of my time and keeps me busy. Please give thanks to God for increasing my work load, it may sound odd, but I am much happier when I am very busy.

As we spend more time here we are meeting more people, and increasing our opportunities to serve God's people outside of ABU. Grace (right) is a young lady we have got to know, and she now comes to church with us. Please pray that she would grow in faith and that we would model  godly living to her. New City Church (where we regularly worship) had a "Youth Retreat" (youth means adult singles), and I was asked to speak to the ladies on singleness. It was a lovely day down by Lake Victoria, and I was blessed by the ministry from our Pastor, Rogers. I understand my talk was well received, and was an encouragement to several ladies struggling with singleness.  Please pray for me, I'm not comfortable speaking in front of large groups, but I always try to serve whenever God gives me an opportunity. Also pray that God would give me wisdom as I try to give Godly advice to others.

Malaki and Solomon unpack the books

It was also during this month that eleven boxes of books arrived from the UK. A member of Norwich Evangelical Church graciously arranged the resources, books, packing and posting. Our students have been very excited by the contents and several, with Children's ministries, have been blessed with fantastic children's literature. Praise God with us, books are an expensive resource here and not many have access to good literature. Please also pray for our students who are trying to set up village libraries and community centres, so that those with so few resources can learn to read and develop learning skills.

I received the sad news that my Father needed to have an operation on his eye. I praise God that the operation went well, but he has still not recovered his vision. Please pray that his vision would be less blurry and he would be able to return to work.

March 2015 provided an opportunity to worship God through ABU's Spiritual Emphasis week. Each day starts with a prayer meeting in our home, where ten students joined us for singing and prayer for Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh and Lebanon. We have three addresses a day, with some afternoon sessions as well. Dr. Bill Barcley from Charlotte NC and retired Archbishop Orombi were used mightily by God to edify us. My heart was truly warmed with new dedication to the Gospel and a love for my Saviour.

Last Sunday  was International Women's Day, and so Grace invited a group of friends to fellowship in our home. I prepared some brownies and a short talk on Proverbs 31, the woman of noble character. The meeting was due to start at 3pm, by 4pm Christine had arrived and by 7pm Sophie joined us. I gave my little talk, and trust God to use my words to encourage the ladies to seek characteristics based on God's Word and not the world.

We look forward to Joan and Amy's arrival at the end of the month, please pray that God would direct our steps as we seek to share ABU and a little of Uganda with them . We are thankful to God for you all, please continue to hold us up in prayer .

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them. Ps 145:18-19

SK on UTV

Ok, so here's the Sports News...featuring moi! Yesterday on Uganda TV!

Edgar's are Uganda's premium football coaching school, who base a lot of their activities at ABU. Most of the players played for the national team, The Cranes...and Edgar is the Gary Lineker of Uganda!  So they had a week course to train coaches, and on the Friday, asked me to be guest of honour (as Sport Director of ABU, and holder of an FA Coaching Level 1!). 

The press came along for the presentation, and afterwards, asked me a few questions. My answers were unscripted, so if I sound like I'm making it up as I go along, that would be because I was!

I'm now waiting for Sky Sports and Match of the Day to call!

February Foughts!

Dear Friends,

I did not go to Kajjansi today, as I had business here at ABU.  But I did go last week…but didn’t write up a report straight away, and then something else came up, and now it’s Thursday again!

Last Thursday felt like one of those days, when you are feeling your way back into things, and so the atmosphere was a little subdued.  Nevertheless, the gospel was preached and the lost reached out to.   Dr. Bob Penny is back to back to teach for the semester, and he was enthusiastic to ‘get out there’ and preach with us, and I’m sure the people of Kajjansi appreciated his Mississippi tones and extra-syllabled words!  The usual friends were there, and again showed appreciation for the message, and one young girl called Hannah stopped with a friend, to talk about ‘The Greatest Days in World History’.  She said she goes to church, but lacked assurance, so we pointed her to some helpful scriptures, and encouraged her to keep walking with Jesus.

Hannah with me, discussing the board, with visiting banker, Hugh Potts overseeing events, and visiting professor, Bob Penny seeking shade after preaching.

Please pray for the work at Kajjansi, and pray for me, as I’ve been recruited to help Kurt Schimke oversee the outreach programme.  This will involve sorting transport and transport payments for the student groups, and accompany them on their visits to places such as the Wakisa Crisis Pregnancy Centre, a couple of local schools, Kampala city centre for street ministry, and some local districts for door to door work.

As well as this new role, I’ve also been asked to preach in a few more places.  One was the Sudanese Church that meets in Zzana Presbyterian Church…a church within walking distance!  One of our Fourth Year students, Mulla Finish (so-called because his mother said her troubles had now finished due to the birth of such a strong son!), is the pastor of this church, and as a speaker had let him down, he asked if I would step in at short notice?  I found a sermon up my sleeve, so agreed, and preached my second Sudanese sermon (of course, someone was translating it into Sudanese, but it was my sermon!).  The young man who translated was very able and afterwards, many showed their appreciation.  

I have also been invited back to Busia and Lira, next month, and to Edward, our electrician’s village, very soon (possibly this Sunday!).  So I would appreciate pray for safe journeys and heavenly help with the preaching.

As for here at ABU, Natasha is very busy with all her admin duties.  With graduation at the end of May, she has much to do and get ready.  She also has her Business Stats class and home-schooling Amy Knight.  Me, well my teaching load is lighter this semester, so I’m offering my services up the road at ISU (International School of Uganda), as a swimming coach!  It also means I get to use their pool, to help keep my heart healthy!  I have also introduced Badminton to the men (who love it), and the beep test!  If you don’t know what that is, look it up – it’s tough!  Home is fine, as we say here, and we are looking forward to the visit of Amy McQueen and Joan Bryan, next month.  Owen Mace was here for the New Year period…so we are receiving guests…at last!  So if you are keen to find out what life is like in Uganda…

      

Sean gets up close to a giraffe, while Owen gets up close to a lion!

We covet your prayers, miss your fellowship and long to see you all again in the Summer.  Please take time to drop us a line…and if I Cc Natasha in the address, don’t forget to ‘Reply to all’.  

Thank you for your prayers and love,

Sean and Natasha.

A Christmas Story in Six Parts!

Part I: Kitgum (Friday 28^th - Sunday 30^th November)

I’ve been putting off writing this report, because I kept thinking, ‘I’ll wait until I’ve done the next thing, before writing’, only for there to be another thing, and another, and so on…until now, when I’ve come to the point of no return, and feel I can’t put it off anymore!  So, here goes…

I’ll start back at the end of November, when I was invited to Kitgum, northern Uganda, to speak at a primary school graduation ceremony.  Yes, some of you might be thinking, “Primary school graduation?  Are they for real?”  Well, yes, they are.  Education is not taken for granted in Uganda, so graduation ceremonies can encourage both parents and students to keep going, and not stop learning for the sake of the farm, or some unskilled job.  Anyway, I happily accepted the offer from Okello James Murphy, one of our First Year Students, who is also the director of Ebenezer Nursery & Day Care School.  From the map, you can see that Kitgum is just a stone’s throw from the South Sudanese border (15 minutes, I was told!), and was a regular haunt for Joseph Kony (who James was unfortunate enough to once meet!).  It is also a ten hour, exceedingly bumpy bus drive from Kampala!

The graduation ceremony, like all ‘ceremonies’ and ‘events’ in Uganda, was not limited by time.  The original schedule was for a 7.00am start, and 4.00pm finish (yes, that is correct!), but in the end, things kicked off around, 10.00am (3 hours is the recommended, and usual delay)!  Then, there was singing, speeches, introductions, sermons (mine), traditional dances, children singing, dancing, singing, etc, and then finally food (which came around 5.00pm!).  From the pictures below, you can see, it was a grand affair, enjoyed by most of Kitgum, it seemed!

Then on the Sunday, I was invited to preach at James’ church…the first of three consecutive Sunday morning preaching engagements.

Part II: The Christmas Banquet (Saturday 5^th December)

I’ll let the pictures tell the story!  Please note, though, the beard was shaved off for this event!

Part III: Masaja (Sunday 6^th December)

The next week, Natasha accompanied me to the loudest church in Africa, and to the Top Care Primary School’s first ever graduation. 

This time, the day started with extremely loud music (just why, when at the start there was only Natasha, myself, the singer and the keyboard player in the church, is beyond me – but no-one seems to mind…except us!), and a morning service (that was supposed to start at 9am, though no-one really arrived until 10am…except us!), which I was asked to preach at.  [Incidentally, this was the second Sunday I was told that someone would pick me up at 8.30am.  In Kitgum, that meant 10.30, and in Kampala, 8.00!]

After the service, traditional Ugandan food was served, and then, off to the graduation.  This time the ceremony (for one class) wasn’t so long…about three hours!  Again, we were entertained by the children, with dance, modern and traditional (some you can check out on Facebook), and some singing. Then, after the message to parents and children, from me, Natasha was invited up to give out the certificates.  Again, a good local turnout was present.

  

Part IV: Kampala Reformed Presbyterian Church  (Sunday 13^th December)

This was a rather more sedate affair, but a chance for you to see some photos of the Robertson boys, on their best behaviour, and Grace, who graces us with her presence and inimitable wisdom!

Part V: Sanyu Babies Home (Thursday 18^th December, 2-4pm)

Sanyu Babies home was opened in 1929 by Milnes Winfred Walker, a midwife at the nearby Mengo Hospital, who answered the call for the care of the hospital’s increasing amount of orphans.  When we visited, there were 48 babies being cared for.  Maureen who showed us around, told us that many of the children were abandoned in places like roadside ditches, public toilets, hospitals, shop doorways and water trenches.  Some were the result of botched abortions!  So you can see, many have not had the best start to life, but that was now no longer evident in their faces.  They were certainly overjoyed to have a group of students just desperate to pick them up and cuddle them!  They were absolutely adorable, and I confess, I wanted one!  

Pray with us, that they will all find homes, where they can experience the love every child should.

Part  VI: Kajjansi (Thursday 18^th December, 5-6.30pm)

So, as it was the last Market Day before Christmas, at Kajjansi - and I had a new Christmas talk – Frank Ssendikaddiwa, Hope and I, rushed back to preach the gospel one last time, this year, where we’ve become the regular service for many market traders.

The new talk, is titled, Christmas: Are You Ready?  It’s all about the things we feel we must do (such as clean the house, buy a new outfit, wrap the presents, send out invitations, prepare the guest room, and sort out travel arrangements), and all the things that are actually necessary (a clean heart, garments of salvation, God’s gift of eternal life, our invitation to the wedding supper of the lamb, the coming Saviour, and where our journey will end!). 

The market was the busiest Frank and I had ever seen it, and we really felt helped and up for the task of being heard over the sounds of the crowds and Christmas.  The usual traders were there, listening intently. Geoffrey and Bonny helped set up and pack away the board, Perouth introduced us to her son, Julius, who appreciated the message; Eric, a Roman Catholic suit seller, listened to the whole presentation, and asked for details of a Bible teaching church near to where he lived.  The Muslim husband of Sharida (the Muslim lady who shared with Maggie, back in February), who never speaks to me, even sold me some Christmas decorations (obviously, being a Muslim, in Uganda, doesn’t forbid you selling Christmas goodies!)!

So, all in all, Thursday was a great day.  I also got to share the new talk in our Carol Service, in the chapel on Sunday night, but sorry, no pics from that.  There might be some pictures to come from our carol singing over at Quality Supermarket on Christmas Eve, but you’ll have to wait and see!

And now, if we don’t get another chance, we’d like to wish you the best of Christmases, and the happiest of New Years.  We pray the Lord will draw nearer to you in the coming days, weeks, months and year.  We pray you will know Him in a new and right way, as David prayed!  We hope to see some of you here one day, visiting us, and sharing in the work of African Bible University.  Please continue to hold us up in prayer, and if you find yourself stuck for something to do, or too heavy to get up from the sofa, post-Christmas lunch, why don’t you drop us a line and tell us how your year has been?  We’d love to hear from you all.

Many blessings and much love,

Sean and Natasha

Natasha's News

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD. (Psalm 31:24)

Dear All,

Last June we said farewell to Uganda, having completed our first year of serving at African Bible University (ABU), and travelled home to the UK for the summer. In some ways it was an effort to leave, we had just begun to settle into our home and adjust in a small way to the culture around us. In other ways we were greatly looking forward to seeing family, friends and CPC. So with some mixed feelings we boarded the plane for the eight and half hour flight back to London.

Our summer was such a blessing to us. God used the time to encourage us, mainly through his many saints, whom we met whilst deputising, but also through our families who took good care of us. God truly used His Church to confirm His calling on our lives, and gave us strength to return and continue in His service. We visited many churches, who showed such love and interest in ABU, that our hearts were renewed. Praise God for the encouragement of His people. Special thanks go to Hilary and the Hayletts, whose hospitality was a rich blessing, especially when Sean suffered his heart attack (which he has now fully recovered from).

After spending ten weeks in the UK, we had easily re-acclimatised to western life, and so when it came to leaving, all the mixed feelings flooded back. Please pray for us as we adjust to having two totally different homes for the foreseeable future.

It's now been two months since we arrived back in Kampala and began our second academic year at ABU. Sean is teaching English, World History, Sports, Foundations of Curriculum Development, and Open Air Evangelism this semester. I am teaching Library Orientation and Home Economics, supporting three faculty children with science and maths, as well as taking on the role of Quality Assurance Manager. Please pray for us, as we seek to fulfil these roles to the best of our ability whilst showing grace. Only that which is done for the LORD will stand.

Last weekend we had the privilege of returning to Masaba Grace Missions Church. It is a village church in Eastern Uganda, close to the Kenyan border. Sean had been invited to preach around five months ago, and whilst there, the church had shared some of their needs, one of which was the repair of the community water pump. God heard the prayers of His people in Masaba, and saw fit to use friends back home to meet the needs of the church, and display His love.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will  reward them for what they have done. (Proverbs 19:17)

So, Sean and I, along with Fred (an ABU student), travelled back to Masaba to oversee the repair work and serve the Church on the Sunday. I wish you all could have been there to see the tears in a grown man's eyes, and the joy of God's people as they saw their heavenly Father providing for their basic needs. They sang and danced with hearts bursting, their God had not forgotten them. Sean preached on the living water that only Jesus gives, reminding the people that only those who drink of that water will never thirst. Please keep this church in your prayers, especially that the Gospel would be faithfully preached, Sunday by Sunday, and that God's people would live holy lives.

Recently I have been working hard to fulfil my new role as Quality Assurance Manager. We have been told that the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) will be visiting our campus on Friday 14th November. They will assess ABU with a view to granting our Charter. Please pray for us all as we seek to get everything ready for their visit. Please pray that the Lord would be our helper, that His name would be glorified, and we would be granted the charter so that His gospel may be preached to all nations.

Please pray that God would give us grace to live for Him and to teach for Him. There can be lots of little discouragements that come at once and make you doubt yourself, please pray that we would fix our eyes on Christ and trust Him for everything.

We have such fond memories of you all, thank you for standing with us.

God Bless,

Natasha

Sean preaching, as the workmen are fixing!

The well is 27 metres deep, so nine lengths of durable pipe were installed.

                           Everyone was happy, praising God for what He had done!

On the Sunday, everyone came out for the Grand  Opening Ceremony!

Sean got to cut the ‘ribbon’...Whilst Natasha acted out his sermon, 

‘A woman, a well, and living water!’

Lunch was served!

…and a packed lunch given for the journey home (one of which, we’ll be eating this weekend)!

Christmas in Kajjansi – 4th December 2014

Now if you were expecting snowy scenes or tinseled trees, I’m very sorry!  It’s too hot for snow, and tinsel won’t bring in the dough!  So, for many here in Uganda, it’s business as usual – though most are hoping sales will improve as the BIG DAY draws nearer!

For the students of African Bible University, it’s the last outreach Thursday of the year, so the turnout was good.  That might be because many of them have Christmas shopping to do, as well, but I wouldn't hold that against them!

A good sing-song! (Alimo Agnes is wearing the pink blouse)

You might have noticed that numbers seem lower this year, compared to last, and you’d be right.  There are quite a few different outreach programs for students to choose from, and although we had many Third Year students with us last year (who are now Seniors and exempt from outreach), the intake of First Years did not match them in number – so we are now a smaller, but tighter group.   Most of the First and Second Years are from the Lira and Kitgum areas of Northern Uganda, where the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) were prevalent for the last two decades.  Indeed, one of the ladies, Alimo Agnes, was twice shot by them (one bullet skimming her nose), and left for dead!  Praise God she is with us today, for she has such a godly testimony, and desire to serve the Lord.

As usual, we started with singing and praising.  We sang the African version of ‘Let it Be’, one of my favourites, and a few other tunes.  Then Frank got up to preach, by which time, we had moved down the hill, to our usual spot, to preach the Christmas message.

A  view of who we are, what we do and where we do it! 

The message this time was ‘What are You doing this Christmas?’, and it highlights the excuses many in the Christmas narrative had, for not worshipping Jesus - mirroring the same excuses today:  Too busy (inn-keeper); too familiar (people of Jerusalem); too hard (Priests and Scribes); too religious (Romans); too late (King Herod).  I then contrasted these people with the shepherds and Wise Men, who worshipped Jesus.

             

Same finger in the air, same big mouth, different translators:

Magala Paul and Nazziwa Rosemary.

The translating was covered by Magala Paul (Fourth Year), and then Nazziwa Rosemary (First Year).  One of the usual hearers was impressed with Rosemary’s efforts, and sought her out to talk to after – so that was a bonus.  And while Okello Charles Oyuku kept watch of the board, he also had the opportunity to share the gospel with some young lads.  Many more stopped for a while to hear the gospel message, and many were challenged over the excuses they have been using.  Please pray that souls will be saved, and not lost, for eternity!

                                      

        

Vespa owner Kevin trying to convince me to buy his Vespa (like pushing on an open door!), whilst I convince him of his need to be saved; the lady was not happy having her photograph taken, but was very happy to talk to Rosemary!;  and a young Muslim refusing to talk or take my hand of friendship!

We then spent some time talking and praying with the locals, and introducing ourselves to a few new faces.  Then, as we were packing up, a group of youngsters came up to the board and started looking at the pictures and reading the captions.  Among them were Emma, who said she went to church, but didn’t feel she knew God!  A good conversation followed, where Emma was reminded that God speaks to us through the Bible, and delights to hear us when we pray.  She (or he, as Emma is usually short for Emmanuel) seemed content to start regularly reading her Bible.  Then Ivan told us that he was a Christian, and that Jesus had come into the world to save people from their sins – and had saved him.  His testimony was clear, confident and very encouraging.  Charles and I were taken aback at his boldness, but praised God for His grace, mercy and kindness to Ivan.  Ivan told us that God had helped him in his school work, and that he had finished top of the class - something we were not surprised to hear!  He then asked us if we would pray for his sick mother at home (I think her name was Aunt Mary-Ann), of which we were most pleased to be able to do.  He was such an encouragement.

                

Sudanese Emma and her friends discuss the contents of the board; Okello Charles Oyuku shares the gospel with two young lads.

I linked up with Bonny (and met his wife, Mary!) and Geoffrey, Peruth and her sick (still!) friend, who really is a frail thing, Annette (who ignored me this time, as she was with someone who seemed reluctant to get into conversation), and Stephen, who said (like the inn-keeper) he was too busy!  Please pray for them all, as I do not doubt the gospel is having an effect upon them, but whether to life or death, is another, more urgent matter.

Many thanks, and blessings,

Sean

Young and precocious Ivan looks up at me, whilst I looked up to him – the highlight of our day!

Meeting Bonny’s wife, Mary, for the first time was another highlight.  He even said he would bring her to church!  Please pray he does!