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 It has been humbling for us to catch news clips on the internet, via email and on CNN as we pass by a TV in a restaurant or hotel concerning the tragedy that has occurred in New Orleans. In many ways it looks like something we might see here in the developing world, and in many ways it appears much, much worse. The images that we see are not images that we expected to come to us from the US while we were here, though I am sure the destruction has reached its immense proportion due to the fact that nobody really expected to see it happen there. Our hearts grieve at the pain and death of so many, and in particular, so many of the poor and elderly that had little option when the waters came. Our hearts grieve for those with whom Christ so closely related in his time on this earth, and for those the Bible spends so much time expressing care and grace. Our prayers are with you, and we apologize for our incapacity to grieve with you in person. Somehow, to say "I'm sorry" seems vacuous of any meaning, especially over the internet. Thank you for keeping us informed. Our hearts are with you all.
August was a busy month for us here. We asked many of you to be praying for us and for the big events that were occurring in Busoga. We thank you so much for the prayers and we want to share with you the blessings that have come on account of those prayers through the grace of God. Mark and Marnie Moore and their boys, Benjamin, Grady and Cooper were here with us for most of the month. Mark and Marnie were on the Jinja team that began this ministry in 1994 and they served for almost ten years. They are now living?in the Washington DC area. It was a joy to have them with us, and it was an education to be around people who have an intense love for the people and much more experience with the work here. They were a wonderful blessing to us.
 On August 19-21 we gathered in a village called Musima, about 20 minutes from Jinja for the annual Busoga-wide Conference. People throughout the region from all of the churches of Christ were invited to a time of praise and fellowship. There were over 100 people in attendance from around half of the 60+ churches in Busoga. Many were encouraged in this event. The Busoga-wide conference provides a forum for discussion concerning ideas for ministry, development and sharing the love of Christ within both town and village. It also provides a wonderful forum for us to get more time with the people that we are growing to love. We are learning so much from them. On the way home from the conference Emily and I were approaching a roundabout into Jinja when a sudden jolt slowed us down a bit. We were driving Ben and Kym's Nissan Patrol, and a semi pulling 2 flatbed trailers was turning off of the roundabout. The semi hit one of the many potholes the size of Rhode Island, one of the trailers came unhitched, the front end of which took a nose-dive directly into the right (driver's side) rear wheel. It bent the rim and slashed the tire, but all of us who were inside escaped unscathed. We just wanted to thank all of you who have been faithful in praying for us while we are on the roads. Ben and Kym even received compensation for the expense of the new wheel from the trucking company in only 3 weeks for the full amount of the damage, a feat consisting of enough verifiable miracles to qualify our entire team for sainthood.
 The day after the Busoga-wide Conference ended I started teaching an advanced level class in Busoga Bible School on the Book of Hebrews. It was a wonderful week in the Word with 5 students who are ministering in villages throughout Busoga. I am constantly amazed at the wisdom, insight and devotion to scripture of these students. We are constantly challenged with the question, "How do we translate this word of Hebrews into the life of the Soga community?" With every class that I teach, more of the assumptions that I carry into my own reading of scripture are exposed.  Last week our team headed to Mbale, a town in eastern Uganda near the border of Kenya for the National Meeting. This is another big annual event that allows the members of churches from across Uganda to come together for worship, proclaimation, and fellowship. We had just over 20 members from villages throughout Busoga attend the conference and there were over 200 people in attendance from towns and villages all over Uganda. It is amazing to be in a place where over a dozen languages are being spoken, sung, and read, and it is humbling to be in that place and only know 1 ? of the languages.
In only 2 months the Manry family will join our team here in Jinja, and then in December Adam Langford will arrive. The Manrys have made a commitment to be in Uganda until 2010, and Adam has made a 2-year commitment. God is answering our prayers to bring more people into involvement in this ministry. Please pray for the Manrys and for Adam as they prepare for a big move (slightly understated), and please continue to pray that God will lead more and more people to be involved in this ministry. Please pray that God continues to rise up Ugandan ministers and that God gives them wisdom as they contemplate the Gospel in Busoga. Prayer is truly the breath that keeps this ministry alive. Thank you for being our lungs.
Visit the photo gallery for larger pictures: http://www.jinjamissions.org/index.php?option=com_zoom&Itemid=64&catid=1&PageNo=2
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