The Right Time

In Ecclesiastes 3 we are reminded that to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven. As we send out this update, we are reminded of these verses and can see how the Lord works everything in His time.

We are so encouraged by the recent progress of the church building out in Kizenga! Here are a few pics of the progress below. This is where we have been meeting since January of this year.

The Lord provided for us back in September to finish the brick work all the way up including the ring beam.

Then shortly after that was completed, He provided again to build the rafters and put on the sheet metal! Everything in His time :)

And my personal favorite picture. What do you do when you don't have anything to lean the ladder on? Just use any humans standing around!

Thankfully no one was hurt, and the work turned out really good. It was a very different building experience for me, more of an unconventional approach.

The first Sunday under the new roof we had a big rain, and we were so thankful for the shelter! Next we will close up the gable ends, add windows, and a door all in HIS time :)

The church feels so much bigger now!

So thankful!

Here are a few pictures of the Sundays prior to the new roof.

We continue to have 50-70 children each Sunday. I think it's safe to say that Jennifer loves these children, and they love her! They have a hard life out in the village and crave the love and attention she (and us all) gives them :)

Thank you for your prayers for the work out in Kizenga. Please continue praying for the physical structure of the church building to be completed and especially for the spiritual growth of the small body of believers!

Out in Ujiji I had to recently restock Emmaus courses, as the courses were running low (which is a good thing!). I thank the Lord for how He is using this discipleship tool here among pastors, young believers, and hungry followers.

We were blessed with a visit from a few believers in Kizenga. A friend drove the 40 min and brought them to Ujiji to visit us in the maktaba. One of them is an elder in kizenga, and the other is a young believer in fellowship who is progressing through the Emmaus courses and serving the Lord as he gets opportunity.

They also joined Gerald and I as we went to teach at the 2 schools (Karuta and Mbano) for the weekly Bible lesson. It was great for them to see the work going on in Ujiji since we usually only see each other in Kizenga.

The kids even had a choir song planned which was fun! They often come up with an original song of praise and choreography to go along with it. It's so much fun to see their creativity!

A few of us went to a small village about 45 minutes away to preach the Gospel in the market area.

In most places we go the kids are so curious and unafraid to gather and hear what the "Mzungu" has to say and watch the painting unfold, illustrating the Gospel. The adults are much more cautious and like to listen from a distance, with some exceptions. Either way, the truth is going out and the Lord is working.

We had the opportunity to partner with Luke and Gina Johnson and host a youth social at our compound. Luke gave a great message on the two ways presented in Proverbs 3. The way of wisdom and the way of foolishness. We had a good turnout and everyone was encouraged by the Word given.