Remember the Poor

Our true country… (Money, Possessions & Eternity- pg 160/161)

I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same. CS Lewis

Materialism would dupe us into believing this world is center stage.

Big Days of Ministry

Distribution of soap, toothpaste and brushes, books, pens & flour for the very sick

Jinja Prison Ministry Relief Program

Today has yet been a big day of ministry. 11 men gave their life to the Lord…. John Mugabi- 6/15/08

By God`s Grace, we were allowed to take some pictures in Jinja Main Prison.  Over 48 men came to the Lord. Isn’t this wonderful!!! Continue sending us… John Mugabi 6/2/08

Celebrating God’s provision!

• $21,000 for Mark and Seggy’s Land/Homes Fund–they’ll be looking for land now as land prices there are rising.
• Running water brought to the Mugabi home (where many of the orphans live) ($2900)
• New laptop purchased for Seggy
• Multiple volunteers (in the US) have offered to help with the child sponsorship program.  Thank you!!!!
• 31 new children sponsored & a new university student sponsored ($42/mo)
• Fire equipment (required by the Ministry of Education) for the school donated ($1600)
• Medical care provided for Alice, a widow ($250)
• Elderly widow with no relatives receiving roof, doors, windows & a toilet ($1000)
• Donations from 13 Arizona prisoners to the prison evangelism ministry in Uganda. Isn’t that cool?! **(2 Cor 8:2,3)
• And so much more!

**2 Cor 8:2,3 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

Grandmum- an elderly widow in Nkumba has no roof on her home to protect her from the rain.

Grandmum
We are rejoicing at the way the Lord has provided for this “grandmum”.   John wrote us the following e-mail a few days ago:

There is a widow who has no relative at all.  She is on our food programme, but she requested me to buy her iron sheets (for roofing). She is beaten by rain, and her life is in danger.  If there could be help, I could rebuild her house.

Her house needs a lot of repair which could cost $ 1000. It would include,
1)Buying 17 iron sheets, 2)timber, 3)Cement 18 bags, 4) two trips of sand,  5) one door and two windows and 6) building a toilet for her–right now she uses the bushes.

You may recall, one of the ministry supporters held a garage sale (Acts 2:45), and donated the proceeds of the sale to GTN.  The amount? $1000.  Grandmum will now have a roof, windows, a door & a toilet!  Thank you for partnering with John Mugabi as he evangelizes his community.  We are helping him show the love of Christ in tangible ways.

Two children sleeping per bed…& other changes required by the Ministry of Education

Dear all our praying Friends,

Praise the Lord From Whom All Blessings Flow!!  Today I met with the District Education Officer concerning the matters of our Schools and he only said that,  “with the exception of the Nkumba Christian Schools, all the other schools are given only this term (from now to August) to fix their Schools or else they should not open next term(sep toDec)”

We have been allowed to operate up to Dec 31st. By this time we should have done the following:

1.Build a dining hall–When the Ministry of Education arrived, it was pouring rain, and the children were sitting outside eating their lunch.  This structure will be half walls with poles & a tin roof.  It will serve other purposes as well, so it will be well-used throughout the day.  $15,000

2.Put a fence on our Schools for security purposes.  $8,000

3.Buy fire equipment for 8 rooms(dormitories for the boarding sections) $1,600

4.Buy enough beds so that students do not share. (22 pair of tripple deckers @ 137) $3,014

5.Put in place enough security light and a new electrification of the primary section.  (Lightning struck a couple of weeks ago, and parts of their school grounds actually caught fire.  All of the electrical system was burnt.  Right now they have it jerry-rigged…but need to fix it properly. $5,000

I am so glad that our Schools, regardless of the problems we have, are now looked at as model Christian Schools.

More good stuff from Jesus & Randy Alcorn
2 Corinthians 8:14  At the present time, your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need.  Then there will be equality.

God has richly blessed us financially not so that we can show ourselves to be his children by living above the standards of others, but so that we can show ourselves to be his children by coming down a few rungs on the ladder of affluence and bringing others up a few rungs, that there might true, from-the-heart equality.  Randy Alcorn, Money Possessions & Eternity– pg. 85

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in  love in a quite absolute way.  What you are in love with, what seizes  your imagination, will affect everything.  It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings,  how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks  your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.  Fall in  love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. – Pedro Arrupe, SJ

Selling Our Possessions Update (Acts 2:45):

Several people have shared their stories with us of how they sold their possessions and have given the proceeds to those in need.  Click here to see the Acts 2:45 flyer.

$2550–old silver dollars sold
$90–used laptop
$360–4 more used laptops (from 4 different people) sold to the same buyer
$1000–from a garage sale

Children

These are a few of the children who have been recently sponsored and/or are on the food program in Nkumba.

Precious and his disabled father are on the food program in Nkumba.

Nambi- She and her mother attend Nkumba Church. Her father has abandoned them.

Rajab is an orphan. Both he and his grandma are on the food program.

Francis- his father has AIDS

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1

We are giving thanks to the Lord and recounting his wonderful deeds!

1. The letter below was written last month to her sponsor by a girl attending Nkumba Christian Primary school (in Uganda, Africa).  It is written with amazing clarity & maturity for a 13-yr old girl.

I humbly greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is working with and in you.  I thank you sponsor for your good heart that you have decided to sponsor me in my studies and in everything.  May the living God bless you.

And I also promise that in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, that I will use this support to study hard and to glorify God’s name, who always cares for me and you.

Actually, at the death of my father, I thought that the world had ended because we had no one to help us.  Mum was not working and my sisters, too.  But there is God who always fulfills his promises–whereby he says in Jeremiah 49:11 “Leave the orphans with me and I will take care of them.  Widows can depend on me.”  So sponsor, in His scripture, that’s where we see that God is fulfilling his promises, and may God’s grace flow like a spring of water in your family.

I love you so much.  Yours in Christ.

2.  7 more children were sponsored this week, bringing us to a total of 15 new orphans sponsored since Seggy & Mark’s arrival in the U.S.  35 to go to meet our goal of 50!

Juliette in her new wheelchair

3.  A wheelchair was provided for Juliette, a 22-yr old disabled young woman.  She had been forced to crawl on the floor.

4.  Two people have successfully sold items and have given the money to the needs of the poor!   Acts 2:45

• one person sold a laptop for $90
• one person sold some old coins and was exceedingly surprised and overjoyed to receive $2550 for them!