GAINING MOMENTUM IN ARUA

The year 2020 was an incredibly interesting start to our transition into living in Uganda.  We had only been in country a few months, so we had merely gotten to the point of knowing our way around town and where to purchase our basic needs.  We were supposed to move to our new home the weekend things shut down, so we had to stay put in temporary housing for the next three months.  Up to that point, we had had minimal opportunities to really start engaging with the local people.  

However, God was still very much at work, and the time was very good for our family.  God increased our faith, our disciplines, and gave us a check of our priorities.  We could invest more in our kids, their hearts, and how they were transitioning to life in Uganda.  Our idea of what was productivity shifted from a unhealthier mindset we found ourselves carrying to how God intended it to be for us.  He still brought people to our gate who we could share the Good News with, and opened doors for relationships.  It definitely wasn't what we expected our first year on the field, but we are grateful and know that God was still very much at work, both in what we could see and couldn't see.

Now, being a few months into 2021, we praise God that the year so far has been one where we are gaining more momentum in culture, language, and discipleship.  We have a language teacher we meet with multiple times a week to learn the local language, Lugbara.  God is deepening relationships through intentional discipleship opportunities.  It’s been a joy to study God’s word together, discuss cultural influences and how it affects our faith, and pray for one another.  We’ve seen God bring revelation through His Spirit, and a desire to dig deeper into His Word.  We give God all the glory for what He has done so far. 

Please pray that we would walk in sensitivity to the Holy Spirit as we continue to engage in these friendships, and that together we can more deeply understand how we all can obey the Word and be more like Jesus.