Living Water in Uganda!
When you are thirsty there is nothing like clean cool water! As I sit here at my desk I am enjoying a wonderful cold glass of water. Just went to the faucet, filled my glass and I have all the water I need. Sure sounds simple, and for most of us here in America we have the luxury of having all the clean water we need. But this is not the case throughout the world. The experts will tell you that the average person cannot live without water after 3-5 days.
One thing I have learned over the years on my many ministry trips to third world countries is that clean water can be very hard to come by. This November, I will be returning to Uganda for the 10th time. I have been working with Pastor Fred Muyimba as we plant new churches in villages where there has never been a church before. We are also giving much of our time to help equip and train these new pastors as they take on this call from God to help build His church on earth. In most all of these villages, they do not have the blessing of clean running water. Most will have to travel some distance to streams or lakes to get the water they need to live each day. Many years ago God gave Pastor Fred a vision to build a church, school and orphanage in the village where he grew up. It is the very place his Mom still lives. You have to travel about an hour and a half outside the capital city of Kampala to reach this village. It truly has been a miracle of God to watch how He has provided and met the needs of Pastor Fred’s vision. Many years ago Pastor Fred was able to purchase 12 acres of land, with the hopes of one day being able to see his vision fulfilled. I am happy to report that it is getting very close to being done. The church is up and running and the building of the school and orphanage are getting close to being completed. The land is being farmed and inhabited with chickens, pigs and cows. But it has lacked probably the most important ingredient needed, water! Clean living water! To get water to such a place is no easy task, yet it is so vitally important for this village. With all that said, Pastor Fred and his team embarked on this incredible challenge. Many months ago they started digging and that is digging by hand! They would use shovels and their human strength as they headed deep into theearth. After many months of hard work and a hole that was now 80 feet deep, they would hopefully be able to strike water. They went 80 feet down with no machinery, just rope, buckets and a determination to find that living water. I remember the day I got a call from Pastor Fred and he said they were ready to hire this machine to come in and do the final drilling for the water. He was only lacking one thing, the resources to have the final leg of this completed. They needed to move quickly because this company was able to come and finish the project. But before they would commit to come they needed to be paid. The cost was $2,000 and Pastor Fred didn’t have the money needed. As soon as he called me I knew I needed to do something to help. As I prayed, I felt like the Holy Spirit made it very clear to me, I needed to step out in faith send him the money and trust God to provide as only HE can!
You can be a part of this amazing gift!
I am delighted to report that today, in this village called Mpigi, so far away from America they have living water!!! This truly is a miracle of God. I would like to invite you to be a part of helping bring this living water to this village, school and orphanage. If you would like to join ETM and be a part of this, “LIVING WATER” gift you can make your tax-deductible gift out to Empty Tomb Ministries. The next time you go to your faucet and fill that glass with clean, living water you can say to yourself, “because of my gift, there are people in Uganda drinking clean living water!
Uganda
November 3-12, 2013
As I reflect back on my previous nine trips to Uganda, there is nothing that I would change. Each trip was unique and fruitful. The Holy Spirit did exactly what God’s word said He would do, lead and guide. As I prepare to embark on trip #10, I am looking forward to a powerful time of ministry with Pastor Fred and his team. I will not be traveling alone, my good friend and co-laborer Greg Miller will be traveling with me. Greg and his wife Rebecca are part of our leadership team at Empty Tomb Church. This will be Greg’s first trip to Uganda and I am really looking forward to all that God has planned for us. Once we arrive in Kampala, we will head out to a city called Fort Portal which is about a 6 hour drive from the capital of Kampala. It is there we will join with our host, Pastor Solomon. During this week of ministry we will be bringing in all the pastors from the village churches. We will meet with them during the day doing leadership training. At night we will be doing open air meetings in the city, worshipping and bringing the word of God to all who are in attendance. We are trusting for a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, with many coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We will also be praying for the sick and seeing the power of God set the captives free. Your prayers would be a great blessing during this trip. Also, if you would like to help support this work financially, that too would be a tremendous blessing. It is part of ETM’s gift to all the pastors, to cover their costs of traveling and food, while they are away from their villages. Your support can be a wonderful blessing to all of these village pastors and the work that they have been called to do. It is such an honor for ETM to be used in this amazing way.
Arkansas Valley Prison
September 27-28, 2013
God has opened some amazing doors for this ministry over the years. When God gave me the vision for ETM many years ago, I don’t know if prison would have been tops on my list. But one thing I do know for sure, I was willing to go wherever I felt the Holy Spirit was leading. Since that time I have had the privilege to join up with a prison ministry called Warriors for Christ. We have found real favor with the Department of Corrections here in Colorado. They have pretty much opened the doors for us to come in and minister to these men who have gotten off course and done some pretty bad things in their lives. I could use your prayers as we head back September 27-28. There has never been a time when God sent us in that we didn’t see Him work in the hearts of these inmates. Many of these men will never walk the streets again as free men. Many times I have wondered to myself what it would be like to have to stay in such a place for the remainder of my life. I always seem to go to the word hopeless. It would be so difficult to face those prison walls and live in a cell the rest of your life. I am reminded of who our hope is in, He is Christ Jesus. Each of us has been called to be His messengers of HOPE! It is such a privilege that God can use you and I in this way. It is my prayer that as you open your heart and will to the purposes of God, that you would see His mighty hand at work in your life, so that you could carry His hope to those who so desperately need it.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20