Garth Brooks is one of my favorite all-time musical artists. Sure, some can say that he ruined country music, but it can also be said that he SAVED country music. And one of my favorite songs is “The Dance.”
“Looking back on the memory of the dance we shared beneath the stars above. For a moment all the world was right. But how could I have known that you’d ever say goodbye…”
No one is saying goodbye but I love the way he looks back on an experience with such love and passion, knowing that the joy of that dance was worth the pain and heartache. And in some ways, that’s how I feel about looking back at 2024.
The year was too busy…not in a healthy way or a way to celebrate, but in a way that could have really beaten us down. And that’s something we have to address in 2025. But at the same time, 2024 was FULL of amazing God moments, both in family and in ministry. Here’s to “looking back…”
Have you ever thought about the idea of a financially sustainable mission work? I sure have. That’s the dream, right? A mission work that has the capacity to sustain itself financially and continue furthering the Gospel of Jesus without the need for ongoing foreign funds…But is it possible?
That’s the question we are wrestling with as a mission team. Not only do we believe it is possible, but we actually believe it is within reach. One of our major priorities is to be able to sustain the mission work in Mbale, Uganda by using what has already been given to create further ongoing funds for the ministry, plus initial support from partners. And the main priority in this endeavor is to build an apartment building that will provide needed middle class housing in the growing city of Mbale in a convenient location, while giving the mission ongoing funding from right here in Mbale. It may not be 100% sustainable from within (yet), but to be able to provide income that will go directly into the ministry is certainly possible!
The idea of ministry (or mission work) being supported by others is the norm in the modern world, and has been for generations. Truth be told, it has been common since the FIRST missionary was sent: Jesus. When the Father sent Jesus to Earth “to seek and save the lost”, he was supported by several disciples, mostly women. We see this very clearly in Luke 8:1-3 where it says, “They provided financial support for Jesus and his disciples.” Though Jesus did not collect money when He spoke, He also wasn’t 100% self-supporting…he had help from His followers.
Recently, at our National Conference of church leaders from across Uganda, we asked an important question for leaders: “If Jesus is THE Good Shepherd, what does it look like for His people to shepherd others the way He does?” As we try to emulate our Savior, what are the implications for how we lead? If we are to truly be disciplemakers in the Way of Jesus, then this pursuit is essential.
Looking in-depth at John 10:1-18 we can glean much guidance when Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. What qualities and defining characteristics does He point out that we can be sure that we also follow Him in?
We are regularly asked what curriculum we use for making disciples. Many people are eager to know (and try) a curriculum that we use here, with a set of lessons and a timeframe. But that question is always a tricky-one for us to answer because we try NOT to use a curriculum; instead, we try to build relationships. When we look at the example of Jesus, we see Him calling men and women to follow Him. Then He is intentional in those relationships; working in the relationships to grow them spiritually and into His image. This is central for us: If we want to make disciples of Jesus for Jesus, then we also want to make disciples like Jesus; in the same ways he did.
Welcome to the NEW YEAR: new opportunities, new challenges, new faces, and new movements of the Lord! We are excited to start our 8TH YEAR in Uganda serving the ministry here, and we are looking ahead to the ministry the Lord has laid out ahead of us:
DISCIPLEMAKING GROUPS – As always, our #1 priority is making disciples that make disciples for Jesus. And we try to line up all of the ministry, resources, and time we have to accomplish that purpose. In the upcoming year, we know we need to update the Disciplemaking Workbook we use in order to make it simpler to access within village settings. This will enable and better equip men and women who we are discipling to use it more adequately in their disciplemaking efforts, further encouraging the multiplication of disciplemakers. This is one effort to continue to equip and empower Ugandan church leaders to form more discipleship groups, helping to grow leadership and spiritual maturity. We have already scheduled 10 churches for training on Discovery Bible Study and 15 additional churches to follow-up for encouragement and further teaching on how to use the Bible study method. This is also how we hope to distribute Bibles and DBS books in different languages. Currently, Leland meets monthly with a group of 6 men and Gina meets with 10 women. In addition to this, the Mission has helped another leader begin a disciplemaking group at LivingStone International University of 14 students. And at our monthly theological school, we have begun four new groups, and we will be discipling them throughout the upcoming year. So in all, the Mission is leading/coordinating seven disciplemaking groups ourselves, and we hope to add one more new group in 2024. We also know that many of the men and women we have discipled over the past decade are discipling men and women in their own communities and churches, which is EXACTLY the point: Disciplemakers making disciplemakers that continue to multiply disciplemakers for Jesus Christ! Amen!
Every year is different, and every year is the same. Every year brings challenges, but what those challenges are can be different each month and week. Every year brings celebrations and successes, but we never know what that will be until they come. This past year has been a GREAT year in ministry, though it has been moving at a back-breaking speed. The stories of transformation and Holy Spirit impact continue to pile up, but so do the challenges and the work. We find ourselves continuing to pray as Jesus instructed: “Lord send your workers to THIS field!”
Here is a recap of some of the things we’ve been doing as a family and mission here in Eastern Uganda. Warning: This is a long post, but praise God – He has been moving!
The vast majority of the Ugandan people whom we disciple, train, and befriend with live an agricultural lifestyle. In fact, statistics say that 76% of the almost 50 million Ugandans live in rural areas and that 74% of Ugandans survive by agricultural means. This means that they live by what they grow in their gardens AND the livestock they are able to raise. In April, we were blessed to be able to help one local church start a sheep project that will multiply throughout the church and help improve the lives of church members, and the community they live in. Allow me to introduce you to the Kapuwai Sheep Project:
When we wanted to begin a project to help local Ugandans, we first started by asking the Lord to make clear a church leadership that we had good relationship with, and who we have seen growth in spiritual maturity – one that we could partner with. We thought of Kapuwai because we have discipled several church leaders from there who had an eagerness to grow in their own spiritual maturity, as well as a Christ-like leadership dynamic. When we sat down with them, we asked them about the lives of the church members: challenges, struggles, aspects of poverty that were more difficult for them, and ways that church members provide for their families. The prayer was that God would lead us into the RIGHT project for the RIGHT church…(We have seen and made the mistake of bringing a project that we think is good but doesn’t fit the area, and so it is doomed to fail from the beginning.) Through many conversations, we discussed several different ideas which did NOT work for Kapuwai, based on their knowledge/experience/desires or by our funds available.
At home, we have a vibrant and diverse garden! We grow all kinds of tasty treats and necessities (check out the details HERE). And we plant throughout the year because we have a way to irrigate. We love our little garden, but it takes a lot of work. It’s not as simple as plant, wait, and harvest. There are many steps along the way.
The same is true of sowing spiritual seeds in ministry. We can’t expect to plant the Word of God and wait around for the good fruit to come. No! We need to continue pouring into those people along the way (this is what we mean by relational disciplemaking).
The Mbale Mission exists to “train, equip, and disciple leaders in the Ugandan church” with the purpose that they may also train, equip, and disciple others; DISCIPLEMAKERS that make disciplemakers, all following Jesus in everyday living. While we are not perfect, we put everything we plan and do through the lens of making disciples who make disciples. That is why in 2022, we began a Leaders Conference to gather leaders from the many churches we work with in ONE place for a time of teaching and sharing, specifically geared towards Christian leadership. This year we focused on key scriptures regarding Christ Like Leadership:
There is a Luganda proverb which says: “Kamu kamu gwe muganda,” which means “One by one makes a bundle.” The idea is that a bundle, or large amount of something, is actually just a collection of one item repeatedly; this idea creates the mentality that we don’t have to accomplish BIG goals all at one time, but rather can build up one step at a time. Brick by brick; step by step.
This is the idea of Village Savings & Loans groups…that everyday, ordinary people here in Uganda (and across the developing world) can drastically improve their livelihoods and sustainability if they’ll do it one small step at a time. Village Savings & Loans groups, or VSLs, gather local community members together for the purpose of small-scale savings and loans. Because the vast majority of people in developing economies do not have access to banks, they don’t have access to savings accounts or bank loans which enable upward economic mobility. But VSLs brings those things into the community, working within relational contexts and pre-existing social structures to further a community together. This is not only a realistic approach, but it is also one that works in the culture of Uganda where relationships are at the center of life. It has the added benefit of being Christ-centered and Biblically-oriented, empowering each group member to be a Godly steward of what has been entrusted to him or her AND restoring human dignity by recognizing the value and giftedness of each group member.
