ministry

Summer Travels Keep Us Going

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

This has been a great summer! We have visited 15 states in the 2 months we have been traveling around America! Crazy! But we have really enjoyed our time with different churches, family, and friends. We are so incredibly blessed to have an amazing support team of family and friends, so “work” is more like catching up and sharing life together. We know we are blessed in this unique experience of home assignment. We know many missionaries and families who have to do a lot of fundraising in order for them to continue their mission work, so we are very thankful our time refreshes our souls, even when it’s physically exhausting traveling, sleeping in other homes, and living out of a suitcases.

We can’t express our gratitude for all the love we have received over the MANY years!

Our trip back to the U.S. had a bit of a rough start with the U.S. government restrictions causing us to change our flights and travel plans due to their concern for Ebola. We were not in any danger or a threat to anyone else, but it was a very stressful and expensive change for us (apparently it is our responsibly to re-route flights and pay for the added expenses). We were frustrated and disappointed, but we made it to the U.S. and had an extra day in Dallas to get some sleep and prepare for the summer travels. We are blessed by a ministry called Tech Team Advantage, where we were able to rent a minivan for all our travels and the cost (including vehicle insurance and mileage) is about $25/day – a WAY better rate than if we had to rent other vehicles, especially since we practically lived out of the minivan as we roadtripped all around.

After Dallas, we made our way to Central Texas to spend 9 days with our supporting church, Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple. We enjoyed conversations and meals with many friends and supporters who are like family. While it was a really busy time with 4-5 meetings, meals, appointments, and meet-ups each day, we loved our time with people we love and who love us. Adalyn also got to spend some time with dear friends and ride horses, which made her very happy.

After Central Texas, we went to Houston to see my mom and we were blessed to enjoy a vacation with her. It was a nice break after a hectic time and we made some great memories together as a family. We went on an Alaskan cruise to see Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Victoria BC, and returned back to Seattle, Washington. Then we traveled back to Houston to do laundry and repack for our next travels. We are thankful for the time together as a family. Plus, Alaska was beautiful!

We then drove about 12-hours to Franklin, Tennessee to visit with our former teammates, JP & Jill Robinson and their family. We also got to spend time with Harpeth Christian Church, who are partners with the mission work in Uganda. We are so thankful for their support, prayers and partnership. Plus, spending time with JP & Jill is always a blessing since they know the life of missionaries and how stressful home assignments can be. They always spoil us and make sure we get some rest.

We traveled to Georgia to see my sister and her husband, and we got to visit with former missionary friends from Uganda before continuing to Alabama to spend the weekend with Leland’s brother and family. It was such a nice time to see family and friends. We continued to Arkansas to see Leland’s other brother and our niece before we drove to Oklahoma to see some friends on our way to Colorado.

Colorado was another busy week of seeing many dear friends, and meeting with Legacy Church in Boulder. Legacy Church is a new church that was formed when two churches merged together a few years ago, so our relationship with Legacy Church is new compared to our relationship with the previous Boulder Valley Church of Christ. It was a nice time seeing old friends and enjoying the beautiful weather in Colorado. We also celebrated my birthday with dear friends.

Over the long weekend, we took a flight to California to spend time with family and friends before returning to Colorado for more road tripping. We drove up into the mountains at 9,100 feet to stay with some friends who have a cabin near Jasper. Then we drove through New Mexico and got to see a few friends as we continued back to Texas. It was a lot of miles and elavation changes, but we enjoyed the time with family and friends.

We spent the weekend in Lubbock, Texas to visit with Quaker Avenue Church of Christ. As the founding church of the mission work in Uganda, there’s a long history and lots of relationships to connect with and share about the ministry. It was a good weekend of seeing many sweet people.

After our time in Lubbock, we drove back to Central Texas for a few days to see other people we weren’t able to visit earlier in the summer. And we were spoiled with a day on Lake Belton, which was beautiful! There are so many people in the area, so there’s never enough time to see everyone, but we are thankful for all the support of everyone who loves us well. After Central Texas, we continued through College Station to see family and friends before spending some time in Houston and Dallas as we are wrapping up our time in the U.S.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired writing down all the travel we did this summer, just reliving it all. But as we wrap up our time in America, do our final shopping of the items we need for Uganda, and begin the packing and preparations to leave, we ask for your prayers for smooth travel and easy flights. It never gets easier to say goodbyes, and it’s always emotionally and physically exhausting to travel across the world. We have been blessed by our time with so many people in so many different states. While it was a really busy trip, we are so thankful for the opportunity to be able to travel and see people. Thank you for your continued love, prayers and support for us.

Goals & Plans for 2026

/ Leland Sawyer / 1 Comment

January is a time of year of dreaming big for what’s to come! It’s an exciting time, full of hope and possibilities. People make resolutions, big life changes, and dare to dream BIG! As a mission here in Mbale, we also want to dream (and PRAY) for big things in this New Year!

We are praying BIG THINGS for 2026. The first BIG thing we are praying and planning for is the Leadership Team. Last year, we started meeting regularly with leaders, who have been discipled and moved closely with over the past decade, to involve them in decisions, planning, discerning, and guiding the overall ministry. These are leaders who have traveled around with us to visit churches near and far, so they have a feel for the needs of leaders from all over Uganda. They are also men and women who we’ve seen fruit of spiritual maturity in their lives – and seen them actively making disciples – so they are able to think of Godly solutions in difficult circumstances. This year, our plan is to empower them more and more as the year goes by, so that their voices grow and their impact deepens. We believe this kind of leadership team is vital to the future of the mission work here in Uganda.

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Recap 2025 – Ups, Downs, and In-Betweens

/ Leland Sawyer / Leave a comment

Another year of ministry in Uganda has come and (too quickly) gone by. This has been YEAR 10 for our family serving in Uganda, and each year seems to get busier and go by faster. Here are a few highlights of the year in ministry:

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Thankful in the Midst of Hard

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

I am in a season right now where I am feeling HARD of life in Uganda! In our training at Missions Training International, we learned that as missionaries, we wake up at a higher stress level than we used to when we lived in our own passport cultures by almost double. We have learned to adjust and adapt, and even thrive in our lives here in Uganda. But sometimes, all the things that we can normally manage become overwhelming: things that shouldn’t take as long as they do; having to go to several stores and still not finding the food items we want for months on end; instability of consistent water, electricity, and sunshine (which the combination is needed to do laundry); household items that continuously break without the ease of buying a new one or getting it repaired correctly; good mechanics are impossible to find and roads tear up our vehicles; having work done on the house NEVER goes how we expect or want, often with errors, lack of appropriate tools or supplies, and any mistakes are at our expense; and don’t get me started on driving with the “mosquitos” we call bodas (small motorcycle taxis) that swarm the streets in ridiculously large numbers. We typically manage these daily challenges, and they have been part of our lives for the past 10 years. We have not only adapted to these things, but things have also improved with more options available in town, people we can call when we need repairs, people who help us find things we need from town and even deliver them to us, and a community of friends that is always willing to help in all sorts of situations. In the midst of the HARD, I can also see the GOOD.

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Partners in Ministry

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

We are always so blessed when people visit Uganda to see the ministry here. Not only do we get the opportunity to show them how God is at work for His kingdom in a variety of ways (from disciplemaking in villages to community development projects to bible studies in churches to conferences and trainings and so much more) but we also get the opportunity to share our life with people. And answer questions about our everyday life that is so different than what our life was like in America.

At the end of June, we were blessed with 15 men and women, ranging in age from 14 years old to adult (we won’t mention ages), from Quaker Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. This is a special trip because of the history Quaker Avenue has with the mission work in Uganda. It’s the founding church who sent the first missionaries here to Mbale to start the work with New Testament Churches of Christ thirty years ago, which is the organization from where all the various ministries have come from (Messiah Theological School, Livingstone International University, Tyler Homeschool Cooperative, Good News Production – Mbale branch), and of course what the work is doing now with disciplemaking and church leader development.

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Looking Back at What God Has Done in 2024

/ Leland Sawyer / 2 Comments

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…”

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Women’s Discipleship Reunion

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus says “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” This verse means more to me now that we are doing ministry here in Uganda. Over the last 8 years, it has been amazing to witness the way God is moving in and through the lives of people here. As Leland and I have both mentioned previously, discipleship (making “fishers of men”) has not been an easy road. But Jesus’ call isn’t an easy one. He never promises health and wealth, although that’s often a lie told to people from all backgrounds. He actually says the opposite: that we will be persecuted, mistreated, abused, taken advantage of, scorned, laughed at…we will be tempted and pursued by Satan to discourage us and pull us away from God.

But God is faithful. Jesus is victorious. And we get to see how the Holy Spirit is transforming lives to be more like Jesus here on earth.

My first discipleship group was an emotional and spiritual challenge. The ladies were very spiritually immature, even though they would never admit it (which was part of the problem). They were hoping to get some financial benefit out of being in the group or from being close to me. Even my co-leader left the group once she realized it wasn’t the employment opportunity she was wanting. But I have stayed in contact with the ladies through phone calls, visits, and conferences, and I have watched how God continues to move in their hearts and lives. It may have been at a much slower pace than I wanted, I have seen how God is transforming each of them into who HE wants them to be. I have also experienced how God has been growing me through my relationships with these ladies: in trusting in His timing and in His plans. He has also humbled me, reminding me that I am NOT the one to save them, but Jesus. My job is to disciple them – He will do the rest.

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2024: What Lies Ahead…

/ Leland Sawyer / Leave a comment

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!

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