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 Dear friends and family,
Here is the second update for this month! In the past month I have visited two relatively new churches. The first is a church in the town center of Iganga (second largest town in Busoga after Jinja). The first time I visited this church it consisted of two women and a man who actually worked in another town and was not usually around. I returned last month on a Sunday and found around 15 people worshiping together. A man named John Patrick Bagole who is a strong leader in one of our churches in the village of Wonkonge has committed himself to working with this church and we are now seeing the fruits of his labor, which is more than just the increase in numbers. This is important because our team has been praying for and working with those two women for several months. Churches in town centers like Iganga have been difficult to begin, but we think that strong churches in larger town centers will play an important role for surrounding village churches in the years to come. In Ugandan culture, town centers are seen as a place with resources and bring a sense of pride and unity for surrounding villages. To have churches in town centers is tangible mark of encouragement for churches in the village.
The second is in the village of Namalesa which is just 10 Kilometers outside of Jinja. There are several Christians in that village who would come to town to attend Jinja church and at one point held a small group bible study in Namalesa. However, because of the cost of getting public transport into Jinja, many stopped making the trip and soon stopped attending the bible study. While visiting one of those Christians named Jonah, we discuss the idea of just beginning a church in Namalesa. Now there is a small group of people meeting in his home every Sunday. I spent a day walking the village with Jonah, looking for and inviting all who had previously attend the small group bible study to church. I then spent a week teaching in his home a few of his friends and neighbors and encouraging those who have stepped out in faith to begin this church. There are many other village churches that I visited but these two stood out as places where God is at work. It sounds a bit boring as I re-read this update, but to see faith take root in the lives of these Ugandan and to see God use them is an amazing thing. Please keep these churches in your prayers. As I have mentioned in my past updates, we are so excited about the addition of the Manry family to our team. They have set a date of arrival for November 11th. In addition to the Manry's coming, we are thrilled that my brother, Adam who has been to Jinja several times, has committed to join our team for two years. He plans to arrive in December and will primarily work in Jinja town with the Jinja church, Source Café, and Christian Aids Network. Since Adam is gifted in business and finance, one of his primary roles is to re-establish a micro-loan program for our church members. He will work with Ugandans to help them finance and establish businesses and programs that will help an economy which suffers from poverty. He will do this by teaching basic business and finance class and do on site mentoring for those who receive loans. We are currently raising money for a fund that will supply the loans. If you have any interest in supporting a project like this or just want to hear more about it please contact me by email or Adam at
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. We ask for your prayers for both the Manry's and Adam as they prepare to share their lives with the Basoga people. We have had many visitors come our way in the last month. Our teammate, Spencer Bogle hosted his mother and brother, Fabienne and Shipton Bogle, for two weeks in July. We had a great time with them and of course love to be with family. The Bogle's also hosted Kevin and Julie Grim from Round Rock, TX and Bert and Ann Bryan from Rochester, MI. Both couples were really an encouragement to us and contributed to our work in many ways.  Last but definitely not least, we were thrilled to host for one day Steven Curtis Chapman and his family to Jinja! As many of you know Steven is a famous Christian musician. He has also started a foundation called Shohannah's Hope which helps people who want to adopt children. Steven with his wife Mary Beth and children Emily, Caleb, Will Franklin, and Shohannah came to Uganda with Scott and Kerry Hasenbalg and Wendy Cosby, who oversee and work with Shohannah's Hope foundation, to visit Uganda and learn more about the enormous orphan situation in Uganda. During there visit, they came to Jinja to raft the Nile with us and eat at the Source Café. And before they left that evening to drive back to Kampala, Steven did an impromptu concert with his two boys at the Source Café. The place was packed with missionaries and Ugandans from different organizations and churches. We were all so blessed by his music and words of encouragement! The Chapman's, the Hasenbalg's, and Wendy are wonderful, faith filled people who have a heart for missions. We are so grateful that we got to spend the day with all of them and that they shared their lives with us. Attached is a picture of our family with the Chapman's (Sorry Scott, Kerry and Wendy for no photo coverage!)
Thank you to all for your prayers, support and encouragement. Everyday we are improving in language, getting used to living here, and growing in love to the people we came to serve. We couldn't do it without your prayers, love and encouragement. Blessing to you all! Ben, Kym, and Elijah Langford
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Check out our team website!
www.jinjamissions.org
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Box 2205
Jinja, Uganda
East Africa
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