Day Seven

Day Seven

30 Seconds to Preach!

These are troubling words for any preacher! Whether they mean: “you only have 30 seconds to preach the word” or “you have 30 seconds until you preach” (without prior notice). However, personally I much prefer the latter…and that’s what happened last night. The Ggaba praise team led in thirty minutes of lively worship including a time of dancing before the Lord. When the time came for preaching the pastor had been called away and the translator/worship team member came to me and said, "Pastor Donnie, you must preach the word now…we have finished the music time and if not, the people will leave." So, I grabbed a Bible and in the next thirty seconds God impressed on me to preach on the story of Nicodemus. I don’t remember exactly what I preached but I do remember the invitation. I looked up at the altar call and down the aisle came Mike whom we had led to Christ at a table in Bbiina and the most amazing thing was that he was bringing a friend with him to pray to receive Christ. Then two of the other boys that were sitting at that table came to profess faith in Jesus publicly. I believe that Mike will become a leader in Luzira church. After counselors had taken the new converts out to meet with them, the Lord impressed on my heart to offer another invitation to those who are born again and are planning to join Pastor Enoch in planting this new church. The response was overwhelming and it was such a blessing to see Pastor standing there with what will be the nucleus of his new church. God is good…all the time…all the time…God is good…that is his nature! (This is what the students say at the Christian schools before we begin each presentation).


Shop 'til you drop!

Actually, we didn’t shop that long because this was also a ministry day since we had a school assembly but it was fun to buy all sorts of unusual and exotic gifts for each of you!...O.K. we really only bought for MOST of you!...O.K. I’m lying straight up! We only bought for our families…and really, really...most of the really good stuff we bought was for ourselves, but we do love you.


Today we had our most powerful experience in a school. It was also the school that is located closest to the church. We were invited on campus by the Scripture Union Club but other students came and joined us. Some of our schools have started out pretty tough with kids that were sitting back, reluctant to join in, but this one was different. From the very beginning they were alive and involved. We sang songs for them and with them and taught the Helping Hand to Christ. They were truly excited about learning the Helping Hand to Christ, and about twenty of them prayed to receive Christ. Afterward, a young man that was clearly the leader of the group, Roland, came and told us how much he loved it and said that he would be responsible to continue to teach it to others at the school and to lead the way in praying for revival. Please pray for Roland. He could be a key person at the Luzira church.
-Donnie

This week, God has continued to whisper this phrase from Matthew 9:27 to my spirit “…According to your faith, let it be done…” "Get serious and stop playing games with God" has also been a recurring thought. I have really been stretched in my faith by the sweet Christian young people of Uganda to trust God in areas that I had previously reserved for myself. God has shown me His character and nature in such beautiful ways. Today, one of the most precious and loving young men from Ggaba Church was used by God to fulfill a promise given to me by God several years ago. God had encouraged me to become a gospel clown with the thought of using this tool internationally to share God’s salvation and to raise up other believers as clowns. Tanya and I have “clowned around” at each of the schools that the team visited and we helped Ivan Woods, the young man from Ggaba Church, to become a clown for Jesus in Uganda. A group of us huddled around him as he applied make-up and laughed to see his new character emerge from the grease paint and clown clothes.

Your prayers and encouragement have made it possible for God to strengthen my faith and see the reality of His word come alive. I am looking forward to seeing what He has waiting for me tomorrow!

Bump a nose for Jesus!
Bob
AKA Buzz