Dec. 24 - Jesus did the “Loaves and Fishes” thing

Ministry Partners,

Today although I had planned to get up at 6:30, I woke at 4:30 to a cool morning here in Masindi, Uganda. Thank you so much for praying for Alfred and me. Alfred is feeling better and the awful cough I had is gone, praise Jesus! I am not sure if I had a fight with myself night before last during the night but I am now sporting a partial right black eye.

Breakfast was at 8am so I had plenty of time to get some computer work done. I have given up on finding good internet where we stay but our Mobil Hot Spot, MTN, works great when I also use a VPN.

This refugee woman is 80 years young just like me

Today we drove to Kiryandongo to the Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement where I was scheduled to hold a crusade at St. Mark Anglican Church. The Settlement is a refugee camp for refugees from Burundi, DR Congo, Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan.

Alfred is Rwandan but grew up in a different refugee camp here in Uganda so he knew firsthand what I would face today. Many years ago, the IRM team visited a refugee camp in Rwanda but I do not remember much about it except for the poverty. Last night Alfred and Aaron went into town to purchase some cases of soap and T.P. to take with us, after all, it is Christmas and we did not want to go empty handed.

Goodness the poverty was so evident today and yet in the beginning about twenty women in their beautiful African dresses welcomed me with singing as soon as we arrived at the open area next to the church.  One woman gave me her 8” wooden cross to hold and then they had me join them as they sang and we marched around the church.

The guys and I sat outside in the shade with some of the ladies still singing since the rest of the ladies were setting up the church. Aaron started trying to sing along with one of the women who was teaching him.

We had about 120 women and a few men who came to hear me share. They speak their own local language there, not Arabic like I had been told. But neither Alfred nor Aaron could speak it so they were unable to translate for me. A very nice young man did translate for me but he had a hard time keeping up so I slowed down my speaking and I had to keep repeating what I just said. I was so disappointed that they would not let the children come into the church to hear me. They said the children had a separate church but my translator asked Aaron if I could come back another day and speak to the children.

At one point, a dog entered through the open door and the translator started talking about the dog.

Regardless of the chaos, the Holy Spirit did a powerful work today as everyone received Christ as Savior, even the woman pastor. They also prayed the Forgiveness prayer and apologized to each other.

Then Jesus did the “Loaves and Fishes” thing. There was just enough packages of soap for each woman who came to get her own large package. When we finished we went outside to take photos. What a very special day.

When we finished we headed out to find somewhere to stay but places were all filled so we traveled to two more towns before we succeeded in finding rooms. The two separate prisons where we will be tomorrow are close so that is a good thing. When we finish the last prison tomorrow, we will drive back to Kampala.

A part of me is dreading tomorrow, the last day for doing prison ministry. Although I am a bit tired, I am not ready for this trip to be over and I am not ready to return to Oregon.

Please continue to pray for the prisoners, the guards, for a fresh anointing for the IRM team and for our safe travels.

That none would be lost,

Arlene