Rain, rain go away...

Wow - it rained cats & dogs yesterday! (Where do we get that phrase ???) Thunder and lightning and pounding rain.  It really didn't last all that long - maybe 30-45 minutes.  But it definitely changed things up a bit.  We are staying in Luwero while we are with Daniel Male's church, which is in Kikyusa, and the rain delayed our departure.  We finally got the nod to get on the road - have I ever told you how much we appreciate our driver, Moses Mukembo?  The dirt roads weren't as busy as usual but they certainly were muddier than normal.  There were a few times when the van slipped sideways - very much like driving on ice, not much control.  But Moses kept it steady and we made it to church just fine.  And the rain stopped as soon as we got inside the church! Amazing.

This was the day that Daniel Male had planned for pastors to come for a one day conference to hear the visitors from the US speak.  One gentleman came 144 km to participate in the meeting.  It was a humbling experience.  They were all so attentive and eager to hear what the Lord had to say to them.  Of course, there were more there than just pastors - I'd say about 15-20 pastors were able to come. Ashley was the first to speak - her topic was about abiding in the vine and understanding the need for pruning versus being cut off.  Sandy spoke about God's faithfulness in bringing her to Africa, a dream she has had for more than 30 years.  I, Joy, spoke next on trusting God in all of life, especially in the turbelant times.  Virgil talked about grace - we all need to hear that message over and over again.

Daniel's team served everyone lunch - the sacrifice made to serve others here is amazing.  It was true love for the brethern in demonstration.  You can readily see the heart Daniel has for pastors and their families.  He is full of joy when he greets them and truly cares for their wellbeing.

Healing testimony from 2010

We prayed for individuals, many said their pain left after prayer.  AND we had the distinct pleasure of meeting the woman we prayed for last year who was having so much heart, stomach, and back pain last year that she thought she would die.  She looks wonderful and testified that she is prospering in every area of life.  WAHOO!  God is sooooo good!

Daniel prayed for this lady before we came and she was delivered of witchcraft and other demonic oppression.  She would run naked through the village causing all sorts of disturbances.  She testified to the goodness of God's mercy on her and she is living for the Lord.  She was so excited she was practically preaching! Oh happy day!!!!!

Ashley has  been doing a great job of sharing the word of God.  She is learning to slow down a bit so Daniel can get the interpretation done...:)  It's been fun to watch them work together.



Unfortunately my camera was having issues during this meeting and I didn't get as many pictures as usual.  Ashley & Sandy took a bunch so we'll be able to share those later on.  But I just have to share one more - these two were great "hits" with the crowd!

Daniel Male & Virgil

Blessings to all of you reading this - we'll be home in a short while.  Looking forward to sharing more God stories!

An Exciting Day at Amazing Grace of Christ Primary School!

Amazing Grace of Christ School children greeting SYI Team

Today was an especially happy day!  We arrived at the Amazing Grace of Christ Church, School & Orphanage to a seige of happy, happy children!  They were all lined up on both sides of the road - we had to exit the van in order to walk to the school.  They were singing and smiling and clapping - so happy to see us!  This school is truly marked by joyful happiness and abundant peace.  It is the school, church and orphanage that Daniel & Prossie Male founded.  What a wonderful experience!  I have posted some videos and pictures below that tell more than I could in a million words.

The SYI Team brought many toys, balloons, balls, and food.  We fed them rice & beef - a special treat usually reserved for holidays like Christmas & Easter.  They were very thrilled.  The children all received a "sweetie" (candy) and sweet biscuits, too.  Of course, teachers and helpers received as well.

This isn't the best video and I can't get the others uploaded, but it will give you an idea the food Daniel was able to purchase for the school.  Sorry about the audio, too - the little Flip camera I used wasn't too powerful in the audio.

Rice & beef for the children - oh happy day!

Children receiving their food

Jump rope - what fun!  What energy!

We will be at Kikyusa today meeting with pastors and members of Daniel's church.  Lots of speaking, praying, worship, and visiting - looking forward to it!

Widows, Church, Prison, Schools.....

This past Saturday was amazing.  We had church with about 275 widows.  We sang and danced - wow! Was that ever fun - listening to a crowd of women singing praises to God is ...is...is... I can't even think of an adjective that would adequately express how totally awesome that is.  Their voices and their dancing and their smiles all mingled with such great need for more of God.  I guess the best way to say it is that it was like being with a bunch of friends I didn't know I had and all of us TOGETHER blessing our Father God with our love for all He has done and will ever do for us.  I'm asking God to give me the capacity to carry such an anointing with me wherever I go.  We truly experienced the presence of Almighty God in these meetings.  We ministered the word of God, several widows received Jesus as Lord,  and then the Say Yes Team prayed for all!  The needs ran the gamut - head pain, chest pain, back pain, swollen leg & foot, burned foot, neck pain, sorrow, arthritis, etc.  Many women showed that their pain left after prayer by demonstrating they could do what they were unable to do before.  It was a great time and very tiring, we were all dripping wet with sweat before it was over.  Then the widows received gifts and were fed.  It was a very satisfying day for all!

Sunday was a five hour church service - intercessory prayer, worship, dancing, mini-sermons, greeting, salvations, and then it was Virgil's turn to preach.  He gave a wonderful message on Luke 10 - The Hidden Story of the Good Samaritan.  The people were blessed and many came forward for prayer.  Afterward, we went to see Moses & Betty's house they are building.  It is going to be so nice - they are very excited about getting it finished and moving into the very first home they have ever owned.  Moses says they need just $7000 to finish it.  We're a bit sceptical about that as it looks like it will take much more.....but this is Africa - what do we know?  ALL things are possible with God!

Monday the Team split up - Ashley, Mark and Kevin went to a school; Sandy, Joy & Betty went back to the hospital to check on some of the people we prayed for; and Virg, Jessica, & Shailynn went shopping for a blanket and some other stuff.  The most cool thing happened - we got the blanket and a mattress for Daniel Male's mom (Priscilla), who lives in a mud hut.  There are several families living in a little community of mud huts in this area.  So when we took the blanket and mattress to Priscilla the whole community turned out to watch!  Wow!  One woman was so moved by the demonstration of love she said she wanted to live for Jesus, too!  We hadn't even spoken to her - she was just watching and listening!  So she was introduced to Jesus and accepted Him as Lord.  Way cool!  (Did I mention that we led Daniel's mom and brother to the Lord just a few days earlier?)  Don't ya just love the way God does things?  THEN we found out that Moses knows Daniel's mom from years past but neither Moses or Daniel knew that!  So now he will be sure to include her in the widow ministry he and Betty sponsor.  WHOOPEE!  God appointments left and right! YES!  WE LOVE YOU GOD!

Later in the day we went to the prison.  Yes - it was a sad thing to observe these men and women in prison, suffering deplorable living conditions, hard work, and lack of proper medical attention - all due to wrong choices of each one.  However, there can be liberty even in prison!  We witnessed this in a few of the men - one young man knows he is free in Christ and also knows he has a call of God on his life to be a minister when we is discharged.  We prayed for some very sick men - some looked as if they would not live another day.  We are trusting God for their healing - both soul and body.  Then we ministered in the women's part of the prison - about 15 women are there and 4 have babies/toddlers with them, which isn't the best of situations, to say the least.  We invited them to receive Jesus as Lord and many did just that!  We gave them gifts, sang with them, and prayed for them.  After the thunder, lightening, and rain we went to the Wodilas for an outstanding African meal - wooooow!  There's nothing like it.  From prison to freedom to great food and fellowship.  What a day - only God can do this.

There are many stories I have not included - if I did I'd never get this blog posted!  We are back in Kampala now - Betty & Moses came with us so they could see their daughters in boarding school in Iganga and Mokono, and then they stayed the night in the same hotel as the Team.  We got to meet their older children - Faith & Sam - that was a great treat.  Moses & Betty will return to Tororo this morning,  But Betty was sooooooo excited to get to see her children, get away from the pressures of ministry for a little bit, AND to have time with Moses - which just doesn't happen!  She is one happy African Mama!

I will post a picture blog soon.  I hope.

Thanks for your prayer support. Can't wait to share our many stories!  (We leave for Daniel Male's home town of Wobulenzi tomorrow (our Thursday). 

God is Good - All the Time!

We were in Lugazi this past Tuesday to visit with Pastors Hudson & Mercy Suubi.  You will never meet a more hospitable couple.  Their arms are always open wide to their visitors and we always have a great time sharing what God is doing on the earth today!  The team was treated to one of Mercy's incredible meals - everyone said it was the best meal they had had since arriving in Uganda.  Mmm...good!

We had the privilege of ministering in Hudson's church - God's House of Miracles.  Ashley and Kevin spoke and afterward there was prayer.  One man that Virgil prayed for - he simply asked that Holy Spirit would minister to him.  Virg didn't know it, but when he gave his testimony he said he was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues! A lady requested prayer from Virgil for her knee.  He commanded her knee to be well and began to walk her around the platform - back and forth.  There was no immediate change.  But after the service she experienced a little bit of relief.  The next day Hudson called when we were on the road to say this lady had gotten up that morning completely free from pain.  She was jumping up and down very excitied!  We left the meeting to visit with the kids at Faith Children's Home - an orphanage of 50 children that Hudson & Mercy have.  We treated them to ice cream and visited with them a little bit.  We got to see the young man we have been sponsoring for the last year - Paul Mukisa.  What a neat guy - he is in Senior 5 and is looking forward to continuing his education in social work once he graduates A level.

Wednesday we had a free day so we visited Bugagali Falls and the source of the Nile. While we were in transit via a boat to where the Nile begins the guide pointed out some wild life - a beautiful bird, a fish eagle, a black mamba (curled up) YUK!, and a very large lizard (monitor?)  One of the team wondered if these were "planted" specimens since the guide seemed to know right where to look.  But we'll never know since were in the safety of the boat and no one really cared.  It was a very pleasant and relaxing day.  We enjoyed being together as a team.  We continued east to Tororo, met up with Pastors Moses & Betty Wodila and got checked in to a very nice hotel for a much needed rest.

Yesterday, Thursday, the team was split up - 4 of the members went to a college to minister the word of God to the a bunch of students.  Mark made the observation that as he looked into the crowd of students he didn't really feel much compassion.  But when they came up for ministry he found he had a compassion for them as individuals - real people with real needs.  He was very moved...

Virgil & I stayed on the church compound to help with the food preparation to feed the hospital later in the day.  We didn't "help" with anything but the ladies were very gracious to allow us to learn what and how they cook for so many.  The kitchen is just a 3 wall type of set up with a metal roof.  They had 5 or 6 fires going with pots on each one.  Hot?  You bet!  I told them this was a small taste of how hot hell must be!  I could talk for pages about this time we spent with the ladies as they prepared the meal, but there's too much more to say so I shall carry on.  I am sure we will have time to share these precious moments later.  The time came to take the food over to the hospital - but before serving we prayed for the patients.

Husband tried to kill this lady with a machete

How does one put into words what we saw?  The scenes were so pitiful.  I was in the first women's ward and it was so full that many women laying on the floor.  Pastor Betty introduced us a team from the USA and we prayed a general prayer.  The Ugandan team that was with us spread out and began to pray for those individuals wanting prayer (which was pretty much everyone).  We moved to the next ward - there weren't as many patients here.  The Say Yes team split up and began praying for individuals.  The first lady I prayed for had been attacked by her husband with a machete - he had cut her face and shoulders.  Apparently, his intent was to kill her as he no longer wanted her as his wife (he had others).....  I asked if she was born again - she wasn't.  We led her to the Lord and then prayed for her physical wounds and the wounds of the emotional trauma.  Betty will follow up with her and encourage her to attend church to grow in the Lord.  I believe her wounds will heal quickly and she will prosper in the Lord's hands.

Woman with burns over much of her body

One of the widows that was with us on the prayer team asked me to pray for her daughter.  So we went back into the ward.  Her daughter had been cooking an alcohol mash when it exploded - her right arm, right breast, stomach, thighs and legs were badly burned.  Only Jesus knows her pain.  I asked if she was born again - she wasn't so I introduced her to Jesus and she received Him as Lord.  Then we prayed.  The woman was not able to put her arm down or move around too much.  We left to pray for others but Daniel Male was very touched by this woman.  He went back to talk to her and asked how she felt.  She told him that as I was praying for her she felt cold water come over her.  When we went back to say good bye she was sitting up in bed and smiling!  What a precious Jesus we serve!

Prayer of salvation for these 2 gentlemen

Kevin & Jessica Hall praying for young girl with malaria

There were many more impacted by the love of Christ this day - more healings, more salvations, more hope stirred in the hearts of those that Jesus loves.

The young girl that Kevin & Jessica prayed for had malaria and was unable to speak. They prayed for her to receive Jesus as Lord and for her healing and then left to help feed the patients.  They went back in after a while and the girl was sitting up in her bed able to talk! Her father was so amazed that he gave his life to the Lord!

Serving food to hospital patients & their families

Days are running into each other!



Saturday, Sunday & Monday has been a blur.  Saturday we attended a celebration of students graduating from JuDan Say Yes International School of Tailoring and Sewing.  The festivities got a late start due to a serious rain and thunder storm during the night.  But they perservered and got 'er done - decorations and all!  There was singing, dancing and eating - more singing, dancing and speeches - and then the presentation of the graduates to receive their certificates.  It was all quite fun, a bit confusing at times, and very, very long.  We had to finally put our foot down and say we had to go as it was getting late and we had already spent the better part of the day there.  The hosts were gracious and finally consented.  Sigh....

Virg speaking at Jonah's church

Sunday we were with Pastor Jonah Kawere - sort of.  Jonah had arranged for each team member to speak at different churches and, of course, each church was quite far from the other.  It was weird for me (Joy) to be speaking in a church without Virgil.  And one I had never been to before nor had I met that pastor  before.  Yep - definitely different.  Sandy,  Ashley, Mark & Kevin were all dropped off at different churches to speak.  Virgil never did speak that morning since he was with Jonah dropping the rest of us off at other places.  He made up for it though by speaking 3 times later in the day as Jonah had directed him to teach about Holy Spirit.  (Jonah is such an "in charge" kind of guy!)

Kevin Hall speaking in Jonah's church

Kevin was the last speaker.  There was an opportunity for anyone who had not received the gift of speaking in tongues to come forward.  As a result all those who came forward all received their new language.  Ashley & Sandy prayed for a young woman who was delivered of demonic influence - she became very rigid and started slithering like a snake on the floor.  When she got up off the floor she went to Sandy and gave her a big hug of thanks.  Virg prayed for a little boy (7 or 8) and as he prayed for him he immediately went out under the power of God. He layed on the floor for at least 20 minutes. Virg prophesied over him about having an evangelistic call on his life.  When Virg talked to Jonah about him later Jonah said the boy is now living with him & Sylivia.  He had been a Muslim and was now born again, which is why he's living with Jonah.

I (Joy) spent the rest of Sunday with Jessica & Shailynn in Gganda Village getting their hair plaited just life the Africans.  Although I should have known better, I believed Juliet when she said it would only take an hour.  It was to start at 2p, the lady started working on Jessica around 2:30 ish and the gal doing Shailynn's hair finally showed up around 3p.  We started back to the hotel at 7p!  Yep - we are definitely in Africa!  The girls really liked their hair-do but it's really tight and stretching their scalps a bit!

Gershibon Education Centre - kids everywhere!

Today we got to spend time with the kids and teachers at Jonah's school - Gershibon Education Center. The kids sang, danced and had smiles all around.  We distributed cookies and sweeties to all including the teachers.   We had a great opportunity to speak to the teachers to encourage them to stay the course. It is very difficult to retain good teachers, especially if their pay is delayed from time to time, which it has been due to insufficient funds.  They are a great group of people.  There is one who is a Muslim lady who teaches the kindergarten kids.  She is very good with them and actually asked me to be her friend. We are believing she will receive Christ soon.  Mark got a lot of very good interviews - looking forward to seeing his videos!

Rajeesh - Muslim Teacher

Ashley got to speak in two different high schools!  She presented the Word of God and was well received.  While she was doing that we distributed the gifts the team brought to Jonah's kids - what a zoo that was!  They were so excited they could hardly contain themselves.  We had to stop several times to push them back so we could get to the stuff.  We got great pictures of the girls in their new pillowcase dresses and the boys in the tee shirt pants.  It was a blast seeing the kids so excited about getting something new - not an everyday happening in these parts!  And we know it blessed Jonah & Sylivia's hearts, too, to see their kids so happy.  We thank all of you who played a part in making this a reality.

Virgil spoke again this evening at Jonah's church - more about Holy Spirit.  No one can ever get enough of Holy Spirit!  The people were very appreciative of the teaching.  Kevin spoke after Virgil and gave an altar call for those who wanted a better relationship with Jesus.  Many came forward for prayer.  The team members and other pastors prayed for each one.  Virgil prophesied over several children and worship team members.  It was a great time in the Lord for sure!

Parker Panther tee shirt pants on Jonah's boys

Pillowcase dresses & toys (Jonah's kids)

Hard labor unloading charcoal bags

Sandy giving Sylivia Kawere a ton of toothbrushes & toothpaste

Sylivia receiving the gift of a necklace from the Miller family - she is very happy!

Abundant Blessings!

We arrived in to Entebbe late (of course) and were pretty much the last ones to pick up our bags - but since all the bags actually arrived, we were not complaining!  We were greeted by at least 20 people at the airport - most of whom were from Kikyusa/Wobulenzi, Pastor Daniel Male's area, about 2.5 hours away.  What a blessing it was to see our friends again.  They greeted the whole team as if they had known them for years.  It was awesome.  By the time we reached our hotel it was around 1 a.m. and we were greeted with no electricity - which came as no surprise.  So, by small flashlights, we tried to find what we needed in our luggage and finally got to sleep by 2 am.

We spent the bulk of Friday in Gganda Village to see Pastors Daniel & Juliet Atwijukire.  We visited with students in the sewing shop, drove to see Daniel's wood shop, brick making business, played with village kids, and enjoyed some fruit with them.  Jessica & Shailynn are naturals with children - they were surrounded everywhere they went.  And Kevin really knows how to keep the attention of the little boys.  Everytime I saw him he was engaging them in games or just listening to them.  Kids are kids everywhere - they all want to know they are important and Kevin is gifted in showing his love for all of them.

What's been kind of neat is the team members do not seem overwhelmed with the poverty that is in their face every moment of the day.  They are all looking for a way to demonstrate love without letting the circumstances get in the way.  Sandy played keep away with the kids, held babies, played the never ending game of pat-a-cake and just loved on the kids.  It's been a joy to watch!  Ashley has been observing (I think it's the teacher in her) while she has played with kids of all ages, held them, challenged them with math problems.  I think she's in her element.....hmmmm.

Mark is playing a very key role behind the scenes - he has captured pictures of the trip in both video and photos.  He has a keen eye as to what will tell the story without words.  He is so patient, insightful, and curious.  We love having him on the team!  It's going to be fantastic to see the SayYesTeam Uganda in action after the fact!
Later in the day Virgil spoke at Daniel's church - Bethel Healing & Deliverance Church.  He preached a great word on the plan and the provision.  Then there was an atmospheric shift in the spirit and the presence of the Lord was there to heal. Virgil had a word of knowledge about pain in the back and several people came forward.  Virgil & Ashley prayed for them and they were all healed!  Then the whole team, including Shailynn & Jessica, came up to pray for those with heart and stomach issues.  They, too, received their healing.  What a wonderful God we serve!

Jessica & Shailynn fell in love with the children in Gganda Village - especially those in Pastor Daniel's church.  Time alone will tell what God is doing in their young hearts; for surely they have already been impacted by the love of Christ all over again!  The girls just told us they would like to go back and stay there for the rest of the trip!

Kevin connected in a big way with a little boy named Ivan.  He just showed us a picture of Ivan crying as we were driving away.  That's what God does - He matches the heart to the cry.

This will have to do for now.  Hope to have pictures in the next post.  Thank you for praying for us.  Please continue.  There is still much to be done as we step into what God has for us each day.  Today we are in Pastor Jonah's church and surrounding areas.

The ride over

This posting is being done in flight to Brussels the evening of September 7^th.  The whole team made it to Portland just fine and successfully checked in 16 fifty-pound bags!  And each member has a pretty hefty carry-on, too.  Whew – it was a piece of work but we did it.  Yeah God!  Got to Philadelphia late so we had to hotfoot it to our next flight – got there just in time to check in with just a few minutes to spare.  We blessed all of our bags so they will make the connection, too!

How cool is God? Well, let us tell you – our seating assignments on the US Airways planes we were booked on had Virgil and I seated in different areas of the plane, so we asked them to fix that.  And they did.  So now we are seated in the front section of the economy class – the one that doesn’t have a seat in front of it.  AND we are seated next to Pastor Carmen DiBiase of Philadelphia (Pastor D) – a wonderful Assembly of God minister for the last 72 years!   He has been in at the same church the last 62 years!  Pastor D is on his way to speak in several churches and seminars in Brussels, Germany, Italy¸ Belgium, and to a youth gathering in Maasmachlen in Holland – all at the young age of 90!  We were amazed when he told us how old he is – he actually looks like he might be 65 or 70!

Kevin & Jessica Hall and Mark & Shailynn Miller

Ashley & Sandy Robinson

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Back to the team – Jessica & Shailynn are great to travel with….no complaining, smiles all around, and wonderfully full of energy.  They are going to be a wonderful blessing to have with us during our time in Uganda.  Of course, Kevin, Mark, Sandy & Ashley are great to travel with, too.  They are super excited to see what God will do in and through them.  They have a good word to bring to our friends in Uganda.

As Pastor D says “Dieux est Bon!”­ -- that’s French for “God is GoodowjHdddddffffuhjkbyuigljk   eeeeow H!”  And we in turn say – ALL THE TIME!

Pastor D with Joy on flight to Brussels