New Hope Team Update

The past 7 days here with the New Hope Team have been extremely busy, to say the least! I know many family & friends of team members have been checking our blog to see how they're all doing & what they've been up to~ And I apologize for not posting a blog sooner! But they're all doing AWESOME! They have really stepped up to the plate and worked so hard and just poured their hearts out to the people of Uganda! You would be SO proud! And I think it's safe to say, that at times we have all been totally exhausted, but it's also been an extremely rewarding week for us all!

So... here's a glimpse of what we've been up to... A LOT of Children's Ministries & Vacation Bible School, Pastoral Training, "Hut to Hut" Evangelism, a showing of the Jesus Film, attending church in the village, and finally... a Sabbath!

First of all, we spent last Wednesday through Friday out at Uganda Christian University, where I've been doing Bible Club with the kids for the past year. They performed skits, taught the kids new games & new songs & just really showed these children the love of Jesus! There were about 100 kids or more that showed up every day, so that was really exciting! (We are all pictured above with the children from UCU)

And then after UCU on Friday morning, we headed straight to the small town of Nebbi, where we've been carrying out pastor training for the past year! It was definitely a village experience and a huge opportunity for ministry for the team. We went straight into pastor training as soon as we arrived in Nebbi & every single person on the team participated in training the pastors! (We are pictured to the right with the pastors & some of their wives) They taught on How to Lead Children's Ministries, How to Prepare a Bible Study, Qualities of a Good Leader, & did a Survey of the New Testament! I must say, I was SO proud of my brother, Ryan & his good friend Ryan, who taught on the New Testament together. They answered really difficult questions & had so much to offer to these pastors! And they really did it with confidence & spiritual authority! It was pretty amazing to witness my little brother leading these men!

In addition to helping with the pastor training, we did "hut to hut" evangelism & more children's ministries (pictured below to the left)~ about 200 kids showed up in Nebbi! And we also showed "The Jesus Film," which is a movie based on the life of Jesus that gives the Gospel message. We set up a huge screen on the outside of the church (pictured below to the right) & we think at least 500 people came to see this film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing!


And it has been SOOOOO good having my brother & sister, Ryan & Ashley here! We've had some good quality time together & great conversations in the midst of the busyness. And they have done awesome here... adjusting to the culture, being willing to be stretched, participating in ministry, loving on kids & so much more! This picture to the right is of Ryan sharing his testimony with the church out in the village that we attended. And Ashley prayed for the service! It has been priceless seeing them minister to people here! Thank you to all of you who made it possible for them to be here & for the rest of the team as well! You have made an eternal investment in each one of their lives & in the lives of innumerable Ugandans! Thank you for your prayers & support! And please continue to pray for the team & we'll keep you all updated!