Church Blog

More Updates from the Uganda Team

Below are more updates from the Uganda team as phoned in to Christy Sullivan and Kelly Hydoski by Isaac Hydoski, who is leading the trip:

Friday (Jan. 8):
Yesterday morning, the team once again served at the Youth Camp.  Drew Garfield and James Overman preached and did an outstanding job.  In the afternoon the team went door-to-door in the local villages visiting with people and sharing the gospel.  There was great fruit from this, as several people gave their lives to the Lord! 

Isaac spent yesterday teaching at the Pastors’ Conference.  This time there were 47 local pastors in attendance.  Once again, Isaac remarked that these men have had no theological training.  Out of the 47 in attendance, 35 did not own Bibles.  And these are the sole pastors of their congregations.  Isaac spent the day teaching on preaching, leadership, and hermeneutics.  He said the time spent with these pastors was extremely encouraging!  In the evening the entire team held its second outdoor evangelistic crusade.  Josiah Davis “knocked it out of the park” with a clear and impassioned presentation of the gospel.  Many people responded and were saved!

Saturday:
Isaac taught at the youth conference, and the team once again served through worship and drama.  In the afternoon they distributed Bibles to the over 600 youth (ages 15-29) in attendance.  The Bibles were purchased with money given by Covenant Life plus funds donated at New Attitude a few years ago.  The team said it was great seeing people read the Bible in their own language! 

Perhaps the most encouraging story originated two years ago during the first e-team trip to Uganda.  During that first visit, a 14 year old boy named Jared was saved and joined pastor Moses’ church.  When last year’s team returned, they discovered that Jared had shared the gospel with his family, and his mother, two brothers and sister all accepted Christ.  The only one in his family still unsaved was his father.  When this year’s team arrived, Jared asked them to once again pray for his Father’s salvation and also for his healing.  His father had apparently been shot recently and was still quite ill.  This morning, Jared’s father agreed to attend the youth conference so that the team could pray for his healing.  As Isaac was finishing his message, he felt impressed to once again share the gospel and ask if anyone in the audience would like to respond.  And Jared’s Father gave his life to Jesus!  Afterward the team was invited back to Jared’s house.  As they were walking along the street toward his home, many of his father’s friends saw him walking with the team and carrying a Bible.  “What are you doing?” they shouted at him.  And he yelled back, “I’m a Christian now.  I’m saved!  And you don’t want to be left behind!”

Sunday:
Sunday was “awesome!” In the morning, the team split into six groups of three to four folks.  Five of the groups visited area churches (each consisting of about 30-40 people), and Isaac’s group visited an area that Pastor Moses has been eyeing for a future church plant (there are four believers in the village).  Peter Giglio, Dan Patch, Matt Wahl, Ian Lotinsky, Drew Garfield, and Isaac all preached.  Ian got quite a surprise though; he was unaware that Pastor Moses held two services with his congregation, and he had to come up with a second sermon on the spot!

Of the five groups that visited area churches, the remainder of the team all shared their testimonies and encouraged the members with Scripture at each service. As for Isaac’s team, the morning was a little different since there was no current church.  They began with visiting people in the community; Laverne Jackson, Jess Cook, and James Overman each shared the gospel with folks, and all three people dedicated their lives to the Lord! The group then held a service. Jess Cook shared the moving and deeply emotional experience of losing her brother, Caleb.  Isaac then preached a sermon on Jesus raising Lazarus.  Two additional villagers professed faith in Christ.  By the time they left, the believers had increased from four to nine in that area!  God is faithful.  What an encouragement to Moses as he seeks to plant a church there as soon as possible!

Sunday afternoon consisted of the team breaking into two groups: men and women.  The men led an outreach at the local prison.  Ben Hughes, Frank Robb, and Olu Edegbai all shared their testimonies.  Isaac said the gospel evoked a wonderful response; many professed faith, and the team prayed for the prisoners.  The ladies, led by Sue Robb, spent the afternoon meeting with and ministering to the wives of the villagers who live just outside of the prison.

Monday:
Monday will be the last day of ministry in Uganda for our team.  They will participate in the baptisms of three locals who have professed faith in Christ.  Also, Isaac will help officiate the weddings of at least five couples, and our team will be in attendance. The evening will conclude with a community dinner provided by Covenant Life to bless the local villagers. This is also where our friends will say their farewells for this year to our dear brothers and sisters in Uganda. 

Note: The team is scheduled to arrive at BWI at 5:30 p.m. tomorrow (January 13). Photos are from the 2009 trip.