That means, “Greetings from Uganda!”  I have been here almost two weeks now and I am writing you on Dec 3rd from the Emmaus Guest House in Muyenga just outside of Kampala where our team (my brother Danny and son Garrett) have been staying.  We will be back home in America Dec. 5th , God willing.

Our mission has had many highs and very, very many lows.  I will start with the lows.  The best way I can describe the poverty we have witnessed here is hellish.  It is everywhere.  The living conditions of most people throughout Kampala and the outer villages are worse than we treat our dogs in America.  Mud huts, shanty wooden shacks, no electricity or running water….this is what we see block after block, village after village.  Thousands and thousands of people are walking the streets day and night.  Children are carrying babies everywhere and the pollution is horrendous.

We ministered in Uganda’s largest prison, on a sugar cane plantation (over 300 people came), and in an Anglican Church in Mityana where we were honored to meet the new Bishop, share a meal, and spend the night in his home there.  Bishop Stephen’s diocese consists of over 600 churches and 1.5 million Ugandans.  He is truly a man of God whose sole purpose there is to preach the gospel.  He uses sports (mostly soccer) to draw the youth into the church.  It was like the Ugandan FCA!  Bishop Stephen was most impressed with my teaching on abstinence/purity and invited me to come back next year to train all of the pastors in his diocese at their annual conference.  It was quite an honor and we are beginning to see God at work for the future.

One 22-year old girl came forward after one of my purity presentations and told me she was getting ready to “sell herself into prostitution” just so she could eat.  She then said all of her questions had been answered and she gave her life to Christ instead.  I gave her some money for food for one week as long as she promised to come back to the church for counseling and support.  She did and she has been coming to church every Sunday since!  One soul saved and one body free from AIDS!

Then there are the children!  Hundreds of them swarm around Garrett.  He gives them a soccer ball everywhere we go and he runs out in the field with them to play.  Afterwards, he teaches them a Bible story and a song.  They play “Simon Says” and the children are so happy.  Danny mostly teaches the elders and they have many questions about the Word of God that he and I try our best to answer.

While driving through some of the most remote villages we noticed about 20 children playing in a field kicking what looked like a coconut.  It was all they had.  We stopped and got out of our van with a soccer ball.  They shouted, “Muzungu, muzungu!”  This means white man.

Garrett took off into the field with them and began to play.  Suddenly, over a hundred people in the village gathered around us to watch.  I realized God had assembled a congregation in the heart of the African jungle and I began to share the Gospel with them all.  Paul interpreted for me.  We prayed for them the prayer of salvation which they all repeated, then we left.  They chased our van smiling and singing praises to God.  So much joy amidst nothing and it all happened because of a ball!

There is so much more to share, but I will do so in a special letter to you with pictures soon.  All I can say is there is no way we could have come here without God’s provision through you and there is no way we could have made it through these two weeks without His strength through your prayers.  As we now prepare for our 28 hour journey home may I say, “Nkwagaliza sekukulu e nungi!”  Translated: “I am wishing you a Merry Christmas!”

Until next time…

M.L. Productions, Inc.