Dec. 19

Ministry Partners,
Good morning from Kampala, Uganda.
After being asleep only 1 hour I woke up and thought it was time to get up so brushed my teeth and started to get dressed but decided to check and see how much time I had until breakfast.....it was only 3am. Needless to say I popped back into bed only to wake again at 4 and at 5, of course I was sound asleep when the alarm went off at 6:20.
By 6:45 I was off to breakfast where I found my favorite ........ fresh pineapple, yummmm. Also an omelet, sausage, potatoes, toast and tea. There were other things like pork and beans (without the pork), watermelon and bananas, dry cereal and ect. that I did not have. They are having some kind of a conference here so there were lots of tables filled with people.
A lady at our table overheard us I chatting and asked me why we focused on ministry in prisons as the people outside needed Jesus too. I told here we did go to churches but that Jesus had specifically called us to go into the prisons.

We watched God do His first two miracles for  us today.

1. I opened a checking account here the first year I came and we have wired funds here and then written checks to withdraw the funds for our use every year but the checkbook was nowhere to be found in out locked stored supplies. The bank told me I would have to file a police report and then file paperwork with them to request a new checkbook which would be ready for me on Monday. You can't imagine my panic as I needed to pay for the 6 week van rental, the printing of the Discipleship Booklets that go with the bibles, purchases the supplies for the prisoners and give a deposit here where we re staying .....all within the next two days! We would not be able to start ministry on Saturday. All the while Alfred was trying to help us, by phone, all the way from Australia. Eventually another bank lady appeared and told us we did not need a checkbook because our account was a "saving account". I knew I opened a checking account but I was not about to argue with the lady. So, about and hour later we left the bank with all the IRM funds needed for our trip.
2. The clerk informed us that they were only charging us 1/2 the amount as last year for taking the funds out.

The heat here is a shock to my system for sure after winter in Oregon and I started to get overheated as I waited in the car for almost an hour for Pastor Aaron to find a place and then exchange some of our American dollars for frws here.

And with all the heat there are still artificial Christmas trees being sold alongside the road.

Then it was off the see Deputy Commissioner Apollo and give him the funds to purchase the supplies for the prisoners that he will deliver to us tomorrow evening. He was so happy to see me and I was to see him, it's nice working with the same officials.

The next task was for Pastor Peace and I to purchase water and lunch supplies while Aaron went to get the airtime for our portable WiFi that we need when nothing else is available as we travel.
Arriving back at our hotel we all enjoyed a very late lunch - peanut butter and jelly or honey sandwich.
As I write this blog Aaron and Peace are working on the Bible purchase deciding how many bibles and booklets go to each prison as well as the supplies Apollo will deliver tomorrow.
After a late dinner I will continue working on sorting all the supplies.

It's been an amazing first day and I can only offer praise for how we have already watched God provide and care for us.

Thank you for praying for this trip and us and for sending us here to  share the Gospel, make disciples and share the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation.

That none would be lost,

Arlene