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Greetings all in Jesus name,

I (Charlton) have returned safely from my trip to Boston! It was a blessed time of learning and fellowship.

I had the privilege and honor to teach at a week long bible school along side my dear brothers in Boston! The Lord really stretched me in an amazing way and I’m thankful for the challenge.

“It is more blessed to give than to receive”
Jesus

Truly  it is more blessed to give and our King knows best. I have experienced this in teaching! The challenge of preparing five, one and half hour messages was intimidating and new for me. But God is faithful and gave me what was needed when I needed it.

I spoke on evangelism and leading with the terms of peace (The Gospel of the Kingdom).

Brother Matthew spoke on the Church and it’s various aspects (nation, army, body).

Brother Finny spoke about Urban Christianity and how the spread of the gospel happened in cities.

If you would like to watch the sessions here is the link. City on a hill bible school 2016 FotW-Boston

Here are a few more pictures from my trip.

If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.

Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?

He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

Proverbs 24:10-12

We mentioned in a previous blog post that the single sisters were working on starting an Anti-Abortion Ministry at Makerere University. What started with two contacts at the University has turned into a group of 10 or so students who are passionate about speaking up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

 Wanda became inspired to advocate for the unborn after listening to a message by Finny Kuruvilla about abortion last year. When Elizabeth Adams and Heidi Peachey (two young women who both served with the mission here for some months) arrived last October, the first ministry they collectively prayed about starting was a pro-life ministry. Since then, they also became actively involved with a pregnancy crisis center called Wakisa Ministries. This ministry helps young girls in Uganda with crisis pregnancy while addressing their emotional, physical, and spiritual well being.

We believe that a person’s life begins at conception, and that the value of a person is based primarily on the fact that they were created in the image of God. As such, the prevalence of abortion as an accepted practice—and as what many would call a necessary practice—is a great tragedy to us, both as we think about the lives lost to abortion and the women whose situations and experiences have led them to choose abortion.

In all that we do to fight this problem, we want to remember that our primary purpose is to save lives. But just as important to us is loving women who have already chosen abortion or who are considering it. An unplanned pregnancy can be a terrifying and traumatic thing, and the women who find themselves in this situation need encouragement, support, and a real answer to the question,“what am I going to do?” Our goal is to help the mother to heal, and the child to live. We want to provide help that considers and plans for the future, not just the present. The whole situation needs to be resolved, not just the momentary trouble.

Our goal is to reach women who are already in this situation, but also to help other women to make decisions which will protect them from unplanned pregnancies. Mainly we want to teach people about God’s plan for sexual purity and try to model that in our own lives. We know that this is a message which is not popular in most cultures, and that it is a different message than that which is presented by most foreign NGOs working in Uganda. But our goal is to walk in God’s ways and to teach others to do the same, and we believe that the pattern of sexual purity laid out in the Bible (an even higher standard than abstinence) is the best solution to not only the problem of abortion, but also to a host of other issues that young people face.

 In late February we were introduced to two young women who were willing to organize a group of students at Makerere University to meet and discuss the problem of abortion. Some who came to that meeting had never heard much about abortion, and were curious to see what we would say about it. Others were already passionate about the unborn child’s right to life, and one student even used to advise friends of hers to get abortions and gave them money for that very purpose. There was quite the spectrum. After that first meeting, there was quite the feeling of purpose among the students, and the young woman who had funded abortions previously shared that she would now counsel her friends not to abort and support them in that choice. We’ve met several times since to continue to teach about abortion (what it is, what happens during one) and about sexual purity. Our discussions with these students have been both sobering and encouraging as we learn more about the situation on their campus and about their eagerness to make a difference.

“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ–with all boldness and without hindrance!” Acts 28:31

Today many people around the world are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Now Ramadan is basically a month of fasting to pay tribute to the first revelation of the Quran to Mohammad, according to Islamic beliefs. Observance of this holiday is more evident for us living in Uganda, then it was in the States. We are surrounded by a very large Muslim population, and we need to be ready to teach about the kingdom of God and our Lord Jesus Christ with boldness!

Over the weekend Brother Joseph was sharing a story about a bold advance he made for the kingdom of God, and today seems like a perfect day to share this story with all of you.

Joseph was riding in a taxi, basically a large white 14 passenger van crammed with about 20 people, on his way to the disabilities center in Jinja last Friday. He normally keeps to himself on these rides, but this particular day turned out different. The taxi driver, a Muslim man who was loudly professing his beliefs, was ranting about Christians and sharing scriptures inaccurately and out of context.”That is a lie.” Joseph could not keep quiet, he proceeded to take out his phone, and open the Bible application. He asked a stranger to read the verses, so they would not think he was lying, out loud for the man and consequently the whole taxi. He continued to teach without hindrance and with great boldness pretty much the rest of the trip. He read from the book of Matthew, particularly focusing on the Sermon on the Mount. The driver started to soften, and explained that what he stated originally was taught to him by his Imam. As people were exiting the taxi, they expressed amazement at the different message that was being preached, and everyone asked where he fellowshipped. It turned out that Joseph was the last person remaining on the taxi, so he was able to have some good one on one conversations with the driver. The driver asked if Joseph would have some time to sit and talk about Jesus, and the Bible. They exchanged phone numbers and plan on getting together soon.

We hope that this testimony will be an encouragement to the saints. Our prayer is for boldness, and the opportunity to share the Word. May we be taken out of our comfort zone for the King and His Glory. Amen.

We are excited to announce the baptism of our brother Tweheyo Brian!

Brian is a former Makarere University student, who has been seeking out the Lord for the past couple of years. He came with a friend to our Sunday fellowship some time ago, and has been studying with the brothers ever since.

Brian has decided to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and today he has gone through the waters of regeneration.

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:38

 We enjoyed a lovely celebration meal as a fellowship this afternoon. Praise the Lord, today we rejoice!

“We believe God’s design is to have a holy people who live in communion with Him and reflect the life and values of the kingdom of heaven. God’s people exist to be communities of light in a darkening world.” A Vision of Kingdom Christianity

Kampala, Uganda. A city built on seven hills, with people literally everywhere. The estimated population is around 2 million! We are striving to be a community of light in this city. A people called to set a whole new direction, that takes its starting point from the Bible and not from the way things are done in the society that we live in. We are called to be salt and light, and we believe that this is a holy and important calling.

The past few months have been very fruitful here in Kampala. We would like to highlight some exciting things that have been happening, and thank all of you who prayerfully and financially make all of this possible.

After the Stierle family arrived in Uganda, the first thing that we wanted to do was reach out to our immediate community as a whole. So, what better way to get to know your neighbors then having them over for dinner! That’s right, we invited our neighborhood over for dinner. But not just any dinner, a 50lbs Nile Perch dinner!

We all had a blast working together to make this fish fry happen. It was a fantastic opportunity to get to know our local community, and for the community to get to know us. Some great relationships have been formed, but most importantly the gospel of the kingdom has been shared. In fact, we are working with someone right now who has expressed a real desire to follow after Jesus. We are praising God for this, and are in the process of sharing the Christian faith and the true cost to be a disciple of Jesus.

Some of you may be familiar with the disabilities center located in the heart of Jinja, because we frequently visit there. For those of you who may not know about the center, it is basically a community of disabled people who live together in a compound like setting that was donated to them by the government. After a recent visit to the center, it was brought to our attention that a man named Richard was having a bit of problem whenever it rained. Basically, when it was raining outside, it was raining inside. The shack that he was living in was totally uninhabitable, especially for someone who has a walking disability. So the brothers decided to build him a new place to live. Praise the Lord for the material and know-how.

Before:

During:

After:

The brothers have also created relationships with various university students in our area. They have been studying the bible together, and visiting different Christian groups at Makerere University. The main reason we decided to live where we do in Kampala, is to intentionally reach out to students. Speaking of the university, some sisters from our fellowship have started an abortion awareness group at Makerere. We will be giving more information on this in an upcoming blog post, as well as the purpose behind the vision of reaching out to young women about abortion.

We are very excited to announce Christian Aid Ministries has decided to partner with Followers of the Way Kampala to empower, and meet the needs of the poor in Uganda. We will be administering many of CAMS aid programs such as Support-A-Widow, Help-for-the-Elderly, Hope-for-the-Handicapped, Bibles-for-the-World, as well as savings groups that Brother Joseph Ssemanda will facilitate. This savings program is called SALT which is an acronym for Shared Accountability, Lending, and Teaching. Clyde Zimmerman, a CAM field representative, recently made a trip out to Kampala to train the brothers on how to administer the savings groups. Our goal in this is to reach out to people in material poverty and teach them, not only business principles but Biblical truths. Empowerment! Our goal is to walk alongside individuals, helping them use the resources God has placed in their care, and teach them the importance of following Jesus in everyday life.

We will close with an update about brother Victor (PRAY FOR VICTOR ). This past week he went to be with the Lord, after a six-year battle with cancer. Charlton, Greg, and Wanda traveled to Kenya for the burial. He will be missed very much.

Serving the King in Kampala,

Followers of the Way

Last night the power was out.  It isn’t unusual for the power to go out but usually after a little while it kicks back on again.  Last night was different.  The power went out in the afternoon and is still off today.  Yesterday was also the hottest day we’ve had so far.  I don’t know what the temperature was but this time last week I was experiencing a New England winter.  I suspect the heat feels hotter to me than it would if I’d had a gradual spring to get used to it.  So last night it was very hot.  We have slept each night with fans blowing on us so last night was our first really hot night.  I don’t know how you are, but I have trouble sleeping when I’m hot.  At the firehouse we would keep the bedroom COLD.  No matter the temperature outside, you’d need to get all the way under the covers to sleep well.  That’s what I’d prefer.  But last night we lay awake on top of our covers, under our mosquito nets with sweat dripping off our faces.

I can only remember one other time in my life where I was that hot sleeping.  Two summers ago we drove cross-country as a family to go to Lorna’s friend Holly’s wedding in New Mexico.  I had the bright idea of camping most nights to have some family togetherness and save on hotels.  Well, one night in Oklahoma we pulled into a state park and pitched our tents.  It was pretty hot but I figured it would cool off when the sun went down.  I don’t know if it did or not but it was too hot to sleep.  I remember that same feeling of laying there with sweat pouring off my face.  That night in Oklahoma I wasn’t taking it very well.  I was irritable and I felt trapped. I wanted to go get in the car and drive around all night with the A/C on (but I didn’t think that would be fair to my family that I’d stuffed in these oven bags to save a few bucks).  After about an hour the heavens opened up and rain poured forth.  The temperature dropped 20 degrees and we had a pleasant night.  But that hour still lingers in my mind.

Last night I had a really good attitude about things.  Laying there with sweat pouring off my face and my eyes closed, there was really no difference between the two situations externally, but this time I was at peace.  The one and only difference was my perspective.

What should our perspective be towards hardship?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
– James 1:2-4

James tells us to “count it all joy”.  That can be really hard.  Trials are at best annoying and at worst debilitating.  But we are to count it ALL joy to bring us to completion.  What a challenge.  I’m grateful that my “trial” was merely being warm.  But striving to maintain the right attitude and perspective during even the little trials will help us when we face life’s greater challenges.  We serve a savior who was perfected through suffering (Heb 2:10).  Yet he never wavered from His desire to do God’s will even when it was hard.  Luke 9:51 teaches “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” What was in Jerusalem?  Rejection.  Betrayal.  Torture.  Humiliation.  But he went forth steadfastly.  Because it was God’s will.  In Luke 22:44 our Lord, praying at Gethsemane, had sweat fall to the ground as great drops of blood.  He was in anguish.  Why?  He was going forward to his death.  He was asking for the cup of suffering to be removed from Him but only if it was God’s will.  Praise God that He willingly submitted to be our propitiation that we might have life.

How about you?  What does it take to set you off?  What causes you to stress and get all bent out of shape?  Traffic?  (inconvenience) Weariness?  Pain?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

For further study see:
Jeremiah 12:5, 1 Corinthians 10:13, 1 Peter 1:6-9, Isaiah 48:10, 2 Cor 4:16-18 Romans 5:3-5

Greetings to you in Jesus name!

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. – Colossians 3:17

We are in the midst of a new church/mission plant in Kampala Uganda. Currently we have one family on the ground The Sweazy’s, as well as Wanda Sweazy and some singles. Recently a native family The Ssemanda’s  joined us, and are playing a major role in the work on the ground. Lord willing the Stierle and Buxton families will be moving to Kampala in 2016!!

We have a big vision for the seed of the Kingdom of God to be planted into the hearts of men and spread throughout Uganda into all of Africa!

We need your prayers as we move forward, there are many needs in Kampala, beyond just personal needs. We are active in discipleship rooted in relationship, leading various bible studies, as well as numerous projects from cleaning up slums, to medical care for the disabled, assisting at the crisis pregnancy center, teaching English, first aid clinics for street children, and education for vulnerable children. We also are in a time of setup, preparing for the new families to come, housing setup, and establishing an NGO, and much more.

We would like you to consider making a monthly or one time contribution to the ongoing work/needs. We are just the conduit for your financial gifts that can help accomplish much good in Jesus name. Please remember us in your prayers, and send us your prayer needs too.

Followers of the Way is a 501c3 and your donations will receive a tax deductible receipt.

For more information or if you have a prayer need e-mail us at fotw.ug@gmail.com