Ministry Partners,
Good morning, it is a beautiful quiet morning here in Lire, Uganda. I went to bed last night at 11;00 with the loud music still blaring but I was so tired that I fell asleep regardless. Alfred could not get the hotel internet to work so he linked my computer to his phone so I could get the blog posted. I am thankful for his knowledge with tech stuff because my knowledge in that area is severely limited.
Daniel, gifted me a hand-molded clay horned bull.
I am hoping the two prisons we will visit today will be close to the main road as the rough dirt roads are causing difficulty for me, I appreciate your prayers.
Our breakfast was good but not the buffets like we have been having. I had scrambled eggs with peppers, seasoned potato pieces, Banana bread and hot chocolate, I turned down the chicken wings.
Then it was about an hour’s drive to Loro Farm Prison where there were 497 inmates and three officers that we met with. The two junior officers were both so very nice and one of them was tasked with being with us the whole time. He was surprised that I could stand and preach for two hours. I stood under a med. size tree at the edge while prisoners sat in front of me under the remaining shade. A short distance away was a large tree with inmates filling to overflowing the shade it provided.
I was thankful that Alfred and Aaron were able to translate for be into Swahili as the inmates responded to the salvation and forgiveness messages as well as the one to apologize. When we finished one inmate came forward and thanked me for coming and he said he had a gift for me, it was a hand-molded bull. I was pleased that the guard allowed Alfred to take a photo of us.
Then we headed back towards Lira and stopped at Kole Farm Prison on the way. It was such a small prison with only 62 men and 3 women. One big tree provided shade for all of us with the men in front of me and the women separate to my left. One inmate tried to translate for me but finally the Deputy O.C. decided to do the translation into the Langi language himself. He did a good job and did not have to keep stopping me.
When we finished, I gave each of the women the final three donated nylon backpacks that I had and one woman thanked me in English. One of the officers that had sat to the side spoke to the inmates and said that he was forgiving those inmates that had argued with him and he asked anyone whom he had offended to forgive him. It is a wonderful thing to watch the staff take to heart the messages I share.
I was glad to reach the hotel after our brief ride home and was able to work on this blog. They did not have what I wanted for dinner; most things on the menu are not available. It is hard to believe that I now eat because I need to not because I see or smell something that I would like to eat.
It is 8:00 and time for me to shower and go to bed and it is quiet here tonight no loud music, which just proves that there is always something to give God thanks and praise for.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your families and friends,
We appreciate your continuing prayers for:
- 1- The salvation of many
- 2 Favor with everyone we meet
- 3- A fresh anointing for the team
- 4- Safety on the paved and dirt roads
- 5- Good health and food for the team and me
That none would be lost,
Arlene
No comments:
Post a Comment