Hello! Let Us Introduce Ourselves.

Hello,
Greetings from Uganda!
We are, Denny & Cassie Nuwagaba, missionaries to Denny’s home country. We have four young boys – Asher, Korbyn, Jaden and Rhys. We love God and desire to serve Him. Our passion is to reach the youth of Uganda for Christ and to see them discipled in Him.

Having been born and raised in Uganda, Denny is able to relate with many of the struggles and hardships that most of the young people here face on daily basis. Coming to the Lord at a youth camp, Denny has always had a heart for the youth in his home country to know and love the Lord. When he dedicated his life to the Lord, he asked God for someone to walk along side of him, to do the work with him –  I came to Uganda June 2009 on a short-term mission’s trip. We both loved the Lord and desired to serve Him and His people in Uganda. After a few trips back and forth to Uganda between 2009 and 2012 – Denny arrived in the US April 2013 and we were married June 2013.  We spent 8 years in the States. In those 8 years we worked to build a home in Uganda, joined ABWE – began support raising, we also welcomed 3 boys into our family – Asher, Korbyn and Jaden. After 8 years in the US, we made the move back to Uganda in May 2021. Two weeks before we moved back, we found out that we were expecting another baby, Rhys joined our family in January 2022, here in Uganda.

We currently live in Kampala but serve in a small village community about an hour and half northwest of Kampala, called Namayumba. We have been partnering with one of the local pastors and his church in this community for several years now. When we relocated back to Uganda, we knew that we wanted to continue working to reach this community with the Gospel. By the grace of God, since we have returned the Lord has opened up doors for us to setup a community center in the village, called Tendo Bible Camp.

We have a great tasks set before us in reaching the youth of Namayumba for Christ. Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly 70% under the age of 25 – most of these young people grow up in absolute poverty and face extreme adversity from a young age – abuse, abandonment, limited access to clean water and electricity, limited to no access to education. Living in such conditions leaves people feeling hopeless and desperate for a way out. They become easy targets for those who want to take advantage of their situation. Through Tendo Bible Camp, we desire to share the love of God with the young people that come that they may learn of their value in Christ and that they would live for him. We pray that God will use us and Tendo Bible Camp to transform the community of Namayumba, for His glory.

Please stand with us in prayer for the Lord to open hearts and transform lives through the preaching and teaching of His Word.

In our next post, we will go share more details about Namayumba, how we got connected and the vision for reaching the community with the Gospel.

FEBRUARY 2019

FEBRUARY 2019

“Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.” 
– Psalm 124:8

God is Mighty!

This a core truth that Asher is learning through the verses and stories in Awana this year. And it is a core truth that the Lord is reminding us of as the Lord leads us on this path to Uganda. 

The same Mighty God who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt is the same Mighty God who delivers people from the bondage of their sins! 

 Everyday, we see the Lord at work and doing things that only He could do! He opens doors that seem to be shut tight. He soften hearts that seem to be harder than stone. 

We praise the Lord that He is able to complete what He has begun in us!

During the month February, we reached out to more than 200 churches and we have had a few responses. Lord willing we will be setting up some opportunities to share the ministry in the next couple of months! 

We are still trusting the Lord to bring us to the 50% of committed monthly support by June 24th! Pray that the Lord will provide the $1900 which will cover our housing!

We are thankful for how the Lord is equipping us for the work that He has planned for us.  At the beginning of February, Denny began his Bible Study Methods class and we are registered to take “The Roots of Faith: Old Testament & New Testament” course at ABWE HQ in June.  

As Disciples of the Lord, it is important that we are always students of the Word.

Denny is planning to travel to Uganda in August, with our Field Director and a medical missions team. We will have more details regarding this trip in our next newsletter. Please pray that all the details will come together.

Thank you for you constant love and prayers,

Striving Together,
Denny & Cassie Nuwagaba

Prayer Request:
1. Denny as he goes through his classes. 
2. Opportunities to Share in Churches 
3. 8 More Churches to Join our Sending Team 
3. Open doors to share Christ with Neighbors & Co-workers
4. Reach 50% by January  – We are currently @ 21% – we are praying to raise the $1900 monthly support  by June 24th, so that we can attend the required training in July.  
5. We have been given an opportunity to reach out to the African community here in Grand Rapids. Pray that we will be a blessing to these people and that we will speak boldly the Gospel! 
6. Denny’s trip to Uganda in August

Moving Forward

Greetings,
What a year we have lived through – so much anguish and turmoil happening in the world around us. A constant reminder of our need for a Savior, one who will free us from the bondage and destruction of sin. If this year has taught us anything, it would be that we need to be in the Word of God daily and sharing the Gospel with the people around us.

There is only One who can transform a life and set us free and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. We must proclaim His name to the nations. It is our prayer that as we go to reach Ugandan’s with the Gospel, that you will also be reaching the people in your neighborhoods. We are all called to be witnesses. Let us be bold for His name.

Over the summer, we had the opportunity to lead a small group on missions. We read through the book Sending Forth Laborers’ by Dwight Tomlinson and Paul Chappell.

We had great conversations about the responsibility and qualities of missionaries and about the responsibilities of churches to send out missionaries. We would highly recommend this book for any individual, group or church that would like an excellent resource on sending missionaries into the fields.

Since about April/May, We have had several new individual supporters and one church join our sending team. Plus we have had a few of our current partners increase their support. The Lord has shown himself faithful to provide even, when we thought that we may lose some of what we have already had raised. We praise the Lord for his faithfulness.

In September, we began our homeschool year with Asher starting Kindergarten and Korbyn preschool. As we prepare to go the field in Uganda, it is important for us to remember the field that the Lord has given to us right in our own home, our children. Pray with us as we train and disciple them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

 Lastly, our home in Uganda is just about to be complete! We are just down to a few minor things that we will be finishing when we arrive. We are so excited!

Before this year began, the Lord was teaching us about planning and allowing God to have his way with our plans. I find it quite fitting for that is exactly what we have been learning throughout this whole year. All the plans that we had made have been changed.

We were planning on returning to Uganda in November, yet because of COVID and everything being shut down, we are having to push back our plans of traveling. We praise the Lord that Uganda is finally opening up their borders for International flights, but because of things being closed over the spring/summer, we still have a few outstanding things that we have to accomplish before we can return.

Also, we having to travel with 3 small children, we would like to see things settle a bit more, before we make the move. We are now looking to leave in March/April, Lord willingly. The Lord is sovereign, He has a perfect plan and He is never late. We continue to wait and trust upon Him.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support. We always give thanks to the Lord for your love.
Striving Together,
Denny & Cassie

Upcoming:
October 11th – Gowen Bible Church
November 15th – Grand Rapids Baptist Church

Praise:
We praise the Lord for keep us safe and providing for us during these uncertain times. 

Prayer Request:
1. Uganda – as the country reopens.
2. Pray for Denny’s classes
3. Opportunities to Share in Churches – 
4. 7 More Churches to Join our Sending Team 
5. Open doors to share Christ with Neighbors & Co-workers! 
6. Prepared hearts in the communities we will be working in
7.Transitioning to Uganda – Lord willingly – In March/April 2021

Connecting with the Community

“I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.”
Psalm 7:17

We have been here a month and a few days! We praise the Lord for His goodness and faithfulness as we continue to settle in. Our bodies are finally adjusting to the different foods and environment. 

The first couple of weeks were rough on the boys’ bodies, especially Korbyn. When one changes his diet, things begin to happen – we had a lot of running stomachs, but thankfully it all has passed. 

Also, Asher had a minor allergic reaction to something in the air, we were able to find some Benadryl type medicine that was able to help him recover quickly. Jaden has been the best to settle in.

Slowly but surely our home and compound are coming together. While we wait for our kitchen to be installed, we have been enjoying our meals with Yaya and Papa, which has been helpful for the boys to adjust to the Ugandan cuisine. 

Denny has been able to connect back up in person with Pastor Patrick, our ministry partner whom we have known since 2014.

Pastor Patrick lives and serves in Namayumba Village in Wakiso District. 
God is doing great things in this village – from a church demolished and nowhere to gather – to seeing God providing a place for the people to gather and to hear God’s Word more, because the Bible is being preached.

A lady who attends the church every Sunday told Denny that she has noticed God’s Word being preached, as in the Bible.

We are not here to change methods or programs, but for the Word of God to be preached and lives to be transformed by the hearing of the Word.

Often times in the rural villages, Pastors have not been trained and many of them do not open the Bible when they stand at the pulpit on Sundays – but they share whatever they want and often times it is leading their people astray.

 Our desire is to preach the Gospel and disciple local pastors in this village of Namayumba and the surrounding villages, so that the community may also be reached with the Gospel and be discipled.

My (Denny’s) task ahead is great, as I work on training these men and walking with them to stay on the right path of the true Gospel.

Every week, I will be setting out to meet with them. Along with training the local pastors, I (Denny) will be leading Bible Study Classes.

Please pray for me as the Lord directs my path.
Keep us in prayer as we work to proclaim the gospel in this village. We have so far seen God do great things in this village – a church plant, God is opening up more and more opportunities for the gospel to be preached.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to meet up with Pastor Patrick to discuss ministry opportunities – little did I know that he was taking me to a celebration service for a new church plant – and I was the guest speaker.

It was an honor to take part in what the Lord is doing in this community. 

 Along with helping the local pastors, we will be helping to start up small fellowships in the communities and we will be reach out to the kids each Saturday – through a small children’s club. We are excited to see the work of the Lord in this community. Lives are being changed. We praise the Lord. 

We have our plans laid out – we were to begin the children’s ministry June 19th, but the Lord had other plans for us and is giving us more time to prepare. June 7th the President of Uganda announced another 42 days lockdown. 

All schools and places of worship closed for 42 days – schools are not to open until all teachers have been vaccinated. We are not allowed to travel between districts and there is a 9pm curfew and we must wear mask in public places.

 Then on June 17th, the President made another announcement restarting the 42 days afresh with stricter restrictions. Until the end of July, we are not allowed to travel by public or private transportation. 

If we need to go anywhere, we must walk. Please pray that after these 42 days, Uganda will open up freely. In the meantime, Denny will continue to meet up with a few of our ministry partners who live close by to continue to plan for when things open up. 

Serving Him,
Denny, Cassie Nuwagaba 
Asher, Korbyn & Jaden

Praise the Lord

“I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.” Psalm 7:17

As we approach the end of the year, we give glory to the Lord for all that He has done over the previous months. He is indeed faithful to those whom He has called – to work in us and through us, for His own glory.

We give God the glory for the way He has allowed the community in Namayumba to receive us and His message. We are encouraged by the local Pastors’ who have been encouraged and strengthen to serve their people with the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In October, we began going through the Story of Hope with the students on Tuesday’s. It is an evangelistic tool that walks through the Bible from Genesis to Revelations – revealing the redemption story – one event at a time. We are praying that many of the students will trust and believe in Christ. Pray with us as the majority of the students that attend are unchurched- with several of them being Muslim and a few Roman Catholics. We have one student that is a Muslim, yet she is the most active in the study – reading the Bible and answering the questions. Pray with us that her heart will be opened to the truth and that she will put her trust in the Lord and that her family may be reached as well.
In September, we put the request out to raise $500 to purchase Bibles for the teens. We are thankful for those who gave as we were able to purchase and distribute the Bibles to the teens. They were so happy and excited to receive the Word of God.
Each week we see an increase of students. They are always inviting their friends and have started to bring their younger siblings. Because COVID restrictions have been reduced and we are able to meet in larger numbers while following SOP’s, we have allowed the younger kids to come and have their own lesson.

We praise the Lord for the open doors to share Christ with the little ones.
As previously mentioned schools here have been closed pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic, back in April of 2020. According to a news article, Uganda students have missed more school than any other country in the world. But Lord willingly, schools will reopen with the new term in January. It will be a messy transition for both teachers and students. Many of the older students will not return, as they have found ways of making money and many of the young girls have become mothers. But, with the opening of the schools, we will be shifting our Tuesday fellowship to Saturdays, which means that the grounds where we have been meeting will not be consistently available. Plus with the added number of students the grounds are becoming too small.
Denny took some time to look around the community to find a new and more permanent place for us to meet. And praise the Lord, we have found some land available in the community that we will be able to utilize for the ministry.
It was previously a banana plantation. For the place to be functional for the ministry, we need to build a bathroom, a kitchen with a shed and then a shelter for a meeting place. We are praying to have the place functioning in January when we shift the youth ministry to Saturdays. This piece of land will also open up other opportunities to serve the community, to train pastors and leaders.

We praise the Lord for all that He has done this year and we look forward to seeing what He will continue to do in the new year. Over the next few weeks, we are planning out the coming year. Pray with us for wisdom and direction, as we have many opportunities to share Christ with those around us.

A few things that we are planning:

  • Leader’s training – involving/training leaders from the local churches to be active in the ministry. Denny will be having monthly meetings/trainings.
  • Children’s Christmas program – at Victory Community Church – we have been practicing a few songs with the children to share with the church in December
  • 14th December – we are taking the Youth from Namayumba to a Recreational center for a small Christmas party
  • 3rd -12th January – we have a small team of friends coming to serve and help build a few things for the ministry.
  • women’s ministry
  • Pastor Trainings
  • we also have some opportunities for some short-term teams to come between June & September

Thank you for standing with us and striving with us in the ministry,

Denny, Cassie
Asher, Korbyn, Jaden and Baby Boy
Nuwagaba

tendo camp

Praises:
Churches reopened in October 
We found a ministry Van – this will help us transport volunteers we have from Kampala to Namayumba 
Available land to develop for the ministry 
Youth Fellowship Continues to Grow 

Prayer Request:
1.  Schools to reopen in January 2022
2. Youth Ministry in Namayumba Village Tuesday – Evangelism and Discipleship
3. Developing ministry opportunities and community outreach in Namayumba Village 
4. Cassie Healthy Pregnancy and Baby – Due December 28th, 2021
5. Health for Asher, Korbyn & Jaden as they continue to get colds/fevers 

Arriving In Uganda

“I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.”
Psalm 7:17

We arrived safely in Uganda, May 11th at 12:30am after traveling for 26 hours. Everyone did really well in the airplanes and even with our long 8 hour layover in Brussels.

 When we arrived  Uganda, we were taken to a local hotel where we had to undergo another COVID test before we could process to our home.

 After waiting another 3 hours for our results, we were finally able to proceed to home, which took another 45 minutes. So, we arrived home at about 5:30am. Denny’s mom greeted us with some warm tea. We used Tuesday and Wednesday to rest and recover. Korbyn struggled the most with fatigue, but after some food and rest was back to normal.

The boys are adjusting well to their new environment. Jaden is especially enjoying the new foods. Asher is still learning to like the food. But all three boys are enjoying the outdoors.
These first few weeks we are here we will be working on settling in.

 There are a few things that we need to do to complete our living space – adding our kitchen cabinets and furnishing our home. We are also having pavers (pavement) put in the compound to reduce on the amount of dirt and mud. Here in Uganda our dirt is more of red clay and when it rains the mud just sticks to everything. 

We will also be working on adjusting our immigration statues. 

We arrived on tourist visas, which is the typical way people come into the country and then have their statues adjusted before their visa expires. 

As Denny is Ugandan, Cassie and the boys will be dependents and Cassie will also have to apply for a work permit. Please pray that we will be able to get all of our paper work done and that we would not run into any problems. 

We will also be looking for a ministry vehicle. Denny’s sister Irene has some contacts of people that can help us find a good deal on a vehicle.

This coming Sunday, May 23rd, we will be going out to the church in Wakiso, that Lord willingly we will be begin serving in. 

We will be meeting with Pastor Patrick after the service to discuss things. Please pray for us to have boldness to proclaim Christ and for hearts to be prepared to receive the Gospel.

We want to say thank you for standing with us and being an important part of this ministry. We would not be able to do what God has called us to, without you doing your part! Thank you!

Striving Together,
Denny, Cassie
Asher, Korbyn and Jaden.

 Internet is a luxury here in Uganda. It is still very expensive and slow running. Also, Uganda has blocked Facebook because of some political reasonings. We have found away around it. With that we will try to update our Facebook group/page as often as possible with pictures, so that you can see what we are doing.

Prayer Request:
1. Ministry Vehicle
2. Ministry in Wakiso
3. Immigration Statues
4. Asher to adjust to the food

Praise
Arriving safely with all of our luggage and being able to settle in.

“I only have five loaves and two fish”

13  “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.” – Matthew 14:13-21

Life in Uganda can be challenging at times. Somethings are not readily available in villages. People often go without some of the basic necessities. When we go out to Namayumba, we often get overwhelmed by the needs of the people that we are trying to reach with the Gospel. 

There are days that we feel as though we are lacking in resources and the knowledge to effectively reach the community. Like Jesus’ disciples, when he lead them to feed the 5,000 people, we look at what we have in our hands and we tell the Lord, “I only have five loaves of bread and two fish”- ‘it’s not enough”, “I can’t do it”. It’s through our weaknesses that the Lord teaches us about His all sufficiency. 

He allows us to experience the emptiness of our hands to teach us to trust in Him alone.
When we do take our eyes off of our own inadequacy and look to the Lord, we can see His faithfulness to those who trust in Him – we are never lacking.

December & January

tendo-camp

Youth Fellowship

Trip Out

We wanted to do something special for the students for Christmas/End of the Year celebration. We looked around and found a Recreational Center in Wakiso town that had a small zoo, horse back riding, grounds to play and a swimming pool. 

Not knowing where the funds would come from, we began planning- we knew that we could bring about 70 kids in total. We would need to cover the entrance fee, plus transportation, and food/drinks for the day.

In November, we had a friend reach out to us wanting to send us a love offering. Through her special gift we were able to bring 108 students and a few leaders! Everyone had a wonderful time. 

They were so thankful for such an opportunity. It was a great way to end out the year.

Schools Reopening
After 2 years of closures, the government finally allowed schools to reopen. With students returning to school, we have moved the Youth Fellowship to Saturday’s.

 Here in Uganda, students can go to either day school or boarding school. Those who go to boarding will stay at school until their term break in April.

Many of the students that have been coming to the fellowship have gone to boarding, so they will not be able to join us on Saturday’s. We have decided to continue through The Story of Hope with those who have remained behind and we will work with those who went away when they return. 

Special Visitors & A Special Gift

tendo-camp7
tendo-camp visitation
tendo-camp visitation
tendo-camp construction
tendo-camp construction
tendo-camp construction
tendo-camp

Being on the field about 8 months our dear friend, Dustin, from back home in Michigan called to check on us. During our conversation, we mentioned the need for help on the grounds at the location the Lord has blessed us with for the ministry.

Without hesitation, Dustin said he was coming to help with the work. So, Dustin came along with two of his sons, Colton and Layne, the second week of January. 

With their coming to help, our home church Gr.Church, did something truly amazing. They fundraised the finances need to help put structures on the property. With their generosity, we were able to put up the meeting hall, the kitchen, office and storage building and toilets.

We are so excited about all that the Lord is going to do at this property in reaching people for His Kingdom. We are thankful to the Lord for those who are coming along side of us, partnering with us to make this dream a reality. 

Lord willingly, we will begin meeting at the site in March. 

river nile
The guys went white water rafting down the Nile River. It was a trip of a life time.
nile voyage
The guys went white water rafting down the Nile River. It was a trip of a life time.

Upcoming

Bible Clubs  – With schools opened, we have contacted a few of the local schools about holding weekly Bible Clubs or chapels for the students.

 A couple of the schools have given us permission to come. Apparently, one of the schools were anticipating for us to contact them as many of the students were apart of the fellowship. 

So, when Denny went to ask for permission to hold a Bible Club, the head teacher was ready to give us the go a head. We praise the Lord for these new opportunities. Please pray for us and for the students. 

Vacation Bible Camp – Schools will have their first term break Mid-April through the first week of May. We plan on holding a camp the last week of April. We are expecting to have at least 200 students.

 Please pray as we plan for the week and for provisions need to provide the students with lunch and a snack each day.

 Also, pray for the students to make decisions for the Lord. We need about $1000 to effectively run the camp for the week. This will cover lunch, snacks and juice/water for the week and also for the supplies for games. 

We also need to raise about $1600 for 200 plastic chairs. Each chair cost about 28,000 Ugandan Shilling, which equals about $8 USD. 

Visiting Local Churches – Denny, Ivan and Pastor Patrick will be visiting a few of the other local churches in the area.

Short-term Trips 
We have a couple short-term teams coming. A medical team coming in August and a church from South Florida coming in September. 

Family Update

Jody Nuwagaba

We are pleased to introduce our fourth son – Rhys (pronounced “Reece”) Jody Nuwagaba – born January 3rd, 2022 at 6:50pm East African Time. 

Mom and baby are healthy and doing well! He was almost a week late, but came fast when he did decide to come. We praise the Lord for a quick and safe delivery.

Asher & Korbyn have gone back to school. Asher is in grade 1 and Korbyn is in Pre- K 4.
Jaden is at home helping with his new brother.

Praise & Prayer Request

Praises:
Schools Reopened in January 
Ministry property taking shape
New Ministry Opportunities 

Prayer Request:
1. Youth Ministry in Namayumba Village Saturdays – Evangelism & Discipleship
2. Youth Camp last week of April – Open hearts, provisions for food and materials for the camp, volunteers to help
3. Short-term Teams in August & September 
4.  Renewing Asher’s passport & Reporting Rhys’ birth abroad. 

5.$1000 for Camp in April to cover food & drinks, craft & games supplies 
6. $1600 for chairs 

Thank you for standing with us in reaching Namayumba with the Gospel. May the Lord bless you for your love for the nations.

In Christ,
Denny, Cassie
Asher, Korbyn, Jaden & Rhys
Nuwagaba 

January 2021 Update

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Years!!!
Here we are already halfway through the month of January of 2021! As the world around us continues to be chaotic, we keep our eyes and hearts fixed upon the Lord. We know that He is sovereign over all things! I have been slowly studying through each book of the Bible over the last few years and this year I am studying through the book of Ezekiel. I am using Warren W. Wiersbe’s book ‘Be Reverent: Bowing Before Our Awesome God” as a help. In his comments on Ezekiel 1:26-28 concerning the throne of God, which Ezekiel saw in his vision, Dr. Wiersbe made the observation that “Noah saw the rainbow after the storm (Genesis 9:13-16), the apostle John saw it before the storm (Rev. 4:3), but Ezekiel saw it over the storm and in control of the storm…. Ezekiel realized that he was beholding the glory of the Lord” (p.18). Ezekiel was able to accomplish all that the Lord called him to because he encountered the glory of the Lord. No matter what he would face, he would be empowered.
When we spend time with the Lord in His Word, we are strengthened to do what the Lord has called us to, no matter what the world around us is like. We are able to carry on because of the Hope that we have in Him!
We pray that you will find the strength to carry on in the work that the Lord has called you to, as you seek Him in His Word.
————————————————
This is the year! By faith, we will be heading back to Uganda! Our goal is to be there no later than May! Please pray that we will be able to get the clearance to leave. Our home in Uganda will be complete and ready to move in by March! It is really neat to see the progression of the construction. Denny’s sister gave us a video walk thru of it and the place is just amazing! Beyond excited! This will be a huge blessing to us and those who the Lord brings to minister along side of us!
Over the next couple of months, we will be sharing more in depth details of our plans to leave. You can follow us more in our Facebook group: Nuwagaba’s in Uganda, as we will be posting more frequently to keep everyone updated and to be able to see the ministry in action.
Thank You for being a part of this ministry, reaching Ugandan’s with the Gospel.

Striving Together,
Denny & Cassie

Prayer Request:
1. Final clearance to be able to leave for Uganda by May
2. Transitioning to Uganda for Asher, Korbyn & Jaden (especially Asher as he is older and can understand).
3. Connection with local Pastors in Wakiso District

Love One Another & Home Update

Love One Another
Greetings!

We have been praying for you – We know that these last few months have not been easy for most of us. So, we have been praying for the Lord’s protection and provision over your lives.

This year will surely go into the books of history as being eventful! In the future, our children will be telling their children about this crazy year. We hope that you have been able to make the most of the time and make good memories with your loved one’s. As the world around us continues into chaos, we can trust in the One that holds all things together. He is working all things out for our good and His glory. Though the earth gives way, His Word remains!

Our hearts are saddened by the recent events in America. Injustice is nothing new to this world – from the time of the Fall – people have been oppressed and judged wrongly by others. We are firm believers that all people are created equal and every person regardless of their ethnicity is valuable, because every person has been created in the image of God. Our response to evil is not to be like this world, we are not to repay evil for evil, but to repay evil with love. Because ,Christ has loved us and has made us right with the Father, we are called to be ambassadors of Reconciliation. It is only through Christ that we can be reconciled to God and therefore to others. As believers in Christ, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. We preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that in Him people are made whole.
______________________________________________________________

We still have the goal to be in Uganda by November. We still have a few things to finish up that were put on hold because of the lockdown. This month, we will be working on passports for Korbyn and Jaden, planning homeschooling for the boys and then organizing some of the materials that we will be using in the community. We will have the privilege to minister to a large group of children in the community, which will open doors for us to minister to their parents. If the Lord allows, we desire to hold a club/fellowship for these kids once or twice a week at the church.

Now that we have reached the $500/month match gift, and with the addition of 3 new partners, we are remaining with raising about $600/month in committed support for us to be able to leave in November. We know that the Lord will provide!

Thank you again for standing with us in prayer.

Striving Together,
Denny & Cassie

Even with the lockdown, we were able to move ahead with the housing project! We were given a virtual tour this past week and it is coming together so nicely! We can only praise the Lord for His provisions! Little by little, we are getting there. We plan to have a Thanksgiving/Celebration when we arrive to give thanks to the Lord for all that He has done and will do through this home. 

PRAISE! 
We have gained 3 new individual/couple supporters and 1 new church supporter! 

Prayer Request:
1. Uganda – as the country reopens.
2. Pray for Denny’s classes
3. Opportunities to Share in Churches – 
4. 7 More Churches to Join our Sending Team 
5. Open doors to share Christ with Neighbors & Co-workers! 
6. Prepared hearts in the communities we will be working in
7. transitioning to Uganda – Lord willingly, we are still planning to leave in November.


 

Above All – He wants our Hearts ❤

March 2020

Above all, He wants our hearts! He wants us to trust in Him alone!

And just like that, all of our plans for the next couple of months have changed, been put on hold or canceled.
All of us have had our lives impacted by COVID-19. Our health, jobs, schools and churches.Like many of you, we have been practicing social distancing by staying at home to help flatten the curve. We have been trying to keep things as normal as possible for the boys – playing outside, going for walks and doing fun activites during the day. We are using the extra time that we have to pray and read the Bible together as a family. We are also spending time putting together some ideas that we have for the ministry in Uganda.

At the beginning of the year, I started a study of the book of Jeremiah. One of the things that has stuck out to me is how how the Lord just wanted the hearts of His people Israel. The problem that He had with Judah was that they had forsaken
Him and had built cisterns with their own hands. Although, they would go into the temple to offer their sacrifices to the Lord, their hearts were not really for Him, but for their false gods or idols.  For after, they would leave the temple, they would continue to do their evil deeds.  In chapter 4 of Jeremiah, the Lord calls Israel to return to Himself – if they would put away their abominations – their idols and evil deeds, He would allow them to remain in the land.  God invited Judah and Jerusalem to return to Him from a harden condition. Their hearts were hard, and they were sowing among thorns. Their hearts were like fallowed ground, which is uncultivated farmland, land that was already plowed before but laid dormant for a year or more. It is land that is overrun by weeds and thorns, taking hard work to be useful again. Before Israel could be useful and sow seeds of righteousness, they had to break off their evil ways, repent of their sins and then the good seed of the Word would have room to grow and bear fruit.

There have been times in my own life, where I have allowed the things of this world to choke out the Word of God. Instead of turning to the Lord and trusting Him, I have turned to my own abilities and my own riches for help and after awhile, my heart begins to get hard and it needs a good ploughing of the Word to break up the hard ground, in order that I maybe fruitful for the Kingdom of God.

As we prepare to go serve the people of Uganda, I have been praying that the Lord would break up any hard ground in our own hearts. That We would wholly lean upon Him.

I have been praying that the Lord would allow my own heart to be soft towards His ways – that He would break up the weeds and thorns in my life that keeps me from His Word. That the ministry that we will have in Uganda will bare much fruit.

We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know the One that does. So, we look to Him to carry us through these uncertain times.

We know that the Lord did not cause this virus, but He has allowed. And we know that He is using it to wake up His church and to call people to Himself. We pray that you will use this time in your life to open the Bible and to seek Him. We pray that you will allow the Word to penetrate through your heart and that you will know the Prince of peace.

Striving Together,
Denny & Cassie

Our home in Uganda is coming along nicely. Lord willingly, we will be finishing the outside of it, as soon as things go back to normal. Then we will be remaining with the inside, which will be complete before we arrive in November.

Prayer Request:
1. Uganda – Stay at Home order – we know that the Corona Virus has had a toll on all of us. This week the president of Uganda has put in some hard regulations to help stop the spread of this disease – for 30 days Ugandans are required to stay at home and are not even allowed to travel by car unless they have permission for medical reasons. Also, the only one that is allowed to distribute food to needy people during this time is the government.
2. Pray for Denny’s classes
3. Opportunities to Share in Churches – 
4. 8 More Churches to Join our Sending Team 
5. Open doors to share Christ with Neighbors & Co-workers! 
6. Prepared hearts in the communities we will be working in
7. transitioning to Uganda