We will be leaving on May 28th for a week in Uganda. Then we will travel to South Africa and spend a week there returning on June 10th. In Uganda we will be leading a pastors conference, working at a middle school, visiting a prison ministry and working with three or four micro business that have been started in the past 5 years. This is in Northern Uganda, an area ravaged by decades of civil war and the likes of Joseph Kony. In South Africa we will be leading a men's event in Sweet Home, we will be working to connect some larger churches to the community leaders in Sweet Home, helping the CHE leaders be more effective in their community and the biggest of all, trying to finally help this community meet their number ONE felt need over the past five years, to have an alcohol and drug abuse recovery program in the township. We as Americans only see the side-effect needs (orphans, unemployment, gangs, disease, poverty, housing) while the locals see the real needs (alcohol and drugs fueling extreme poverty and suffering). They've tried (us too) to get one started on several occasions and it hasn't stuck yet and hopefully this time we can help make it stick. If not, we'll keep trying. Pray for a drug and alcohol recovery program in Sweet Home.
In general the CHE (Community Health Evangelist) model has been gaining a lot of attention in our church given the powerful changes occurring when you create sustainable community development powered by the people in their own community. The work being done by our partner Bridges Of Hope in Urban CHE has created some miraculous changes in the cape flats area over the last 10 years. The relief model is good for short term solutions, but detrimental over longer terms. CHE brings sustainable transformation to a community as a long term solution to an impoverished community. Our team will be working in the community of Sweet Home to come to a better understanding of our last 5 years and how this model of sustainable community development can be used in other ministries. I'm very excited to be able to share the details of our ministry in Sweet Home without our church leadership.
I will try to give blog updates, but given the typically long days and rural aspect of the Uganda week, I might be forced to create the blog posts after I return.
Please pray for our travel, team safety, team unity, and for God to speak through each and every one of us as he shows us His ministry. You could also pray for our families as we are gone for two weeks. I'm leaving my new twin girls and 22 month old boy and will miss them dearly.
This verse has been on my heart for almost two years now and my connection to it has been heightened as we have been training and the trip approaches.
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14
repeated for effect
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Exodus 14:14
I just love the faith that Moses showed leading up to the parting of the red sea. I will be leaning heavily on the Lord during this trip and know He can do all things. I'm blessed to know that serving Him is our life's purpose.
God Bless,
Wood
