Update from last Newsletter

Dear All,
Well, it's time for a newsletter again, and I know that because some kind person has just asked about the results of the things he was praying about from the LAST newsletter. Since I still don't quite have time to do an entire newsletter, I WILL respond to some of his questions (thanks Brian!) so you can all "catch up" a little bit!
His list and my responses:
1. NGO Application
Jess started getting the local paperwork for our application last September and we finally got the last signatures and stamps from local officials the week before Christmas. Then all the government offices shut down until after the holidays. We took a short one week break as well, and when we came back I locked myself in my office for two weeks from 10:00 to 5:00 every day and didn't even teach my usual Bible studies, just worked on all the paperwork we needed from the past five years so we could get recertification for 5 more years. The NGO office in Kampala almost NEVER accepts the application the first time you try to turn it in, as evidenced by two other NGO's that were sent back from there for "more information" at the same time I was about to turn mine in. But I went prepared with everything I could think of including three copies of the reports I was going to turn in, extra file folders, NGO stamp, NGO seal, inkpad, staples, hole puncher, paperclips, and extra recommendations, all of this covered with your prayers! The man was very difficult, but I humbly and meekly (NO JOKE!) kept my head a bit bowed and said "Yes, Sir" a lot, and he sent me back outside to do "one more thing," or get other information three times, but he finally couldn't find anything else wrong with it and ACCEPTED the application. Then he surprised me by smiling and telling me that I might get lucky and he would turn the application in to the board that week instead of waiting the usual two months. He told me to check back in two weeks. I almost broke into a "Happy Dance" in the parking lot, but was afraid he would think I was crazy and run out and give me my papers back! And then I went back in two weeks and we have been approved!! I have to go back again in two weeks to get the new certificates! Last time we did this it took us 8 MONTHS! God is good and we are blessed! Thank you for your prayers!

2. Women's Ministry
I think I told you that we had our very first Pastors' Wives conference in December, and although a few of the village wives did not come, the rest of us were incredibly blessed!! It was a great time of learning and fellowship, and all the ladies who came were SO glad that they had taken the time and the trouble to join us. Kelli and I were the teachers, and we based some of the teaching on Proverbs 31, and two of the wives said they did not realize how important they were to their families and their husband's ministries, and that they were to DO so much. They were so used to expecting the husband to just provide everything. And one wife even admitted that she realized she was totally destroying her husband's church and ministry and that she needed to change. And I was as blessed and learned as much as these ladies did, and God was just so present through the whole conference!
As for other parts of the Women's Ministry, the group at the village of Iguluibi is great and they are growing so much! The Wise Women's Bible study here at Calvary Jinja has gotten smaller but the ladies who come don't want to discontinue the study because they are so interested in what they are learning, so we each gave a verbal invitation to all the ladies in our church last Sunday to see if we can spark interest again.
And the two Bible studies in the Women's Prisons are going really well also. Danielle, who teaches in the Main women's prison has had some health struggles lately and is even in Kenya today to see a doctor, so Mary (one of our Ugandan ladies) has been teaching in her place. And Kelli is in the States on furlough, so her Tuesday teaching in Condemned Women's Section has been covered by Julie, another of our Ugandan ladies. And I am still in Condemned on Sundays and loving being with them and helping them to learn through the power of the Holy Spirit more and more of God through His Son, The Word, Jesus.

3. Pastor's Conference
The Pastor's Conference that was held in December was GREAT, with Calvary Chapel pastors from all over Uganda attending, and the teaching done by our Jinja staff, both missionary and Ugandan, and by some of the missionaries from other areas as well. I took some of the men to the taxi park after the conference and they were all still talking about it, and one asked me, "Why weren't we taught these things years ago?" And I told him it's because they weren't mature enough then, but they have been growing so much in the Lord that now was the time. He said I was right, but that they were so blessed by the conference. There is another scheduled for next week, and men from other Calvary Chapels will again be teaching. The theme is
Phil 3:17 "Join with others in following my example...." and the men will be teaching by using an example of one of the godly men from the Bible.

4. School of Ministry
Jess weeds through the students during the year and usually ends up with the ones who are serious about learning who Jesus is and how to share His Gospel. If they are in the class for money or prestige or a certificate to hang on the wall, they usually drop out or are asked to leave before the year is over. This year there are only four men remaining with one and a half months to go, but they are solid and strong in the Word, and each will face persecution in his home church when he returns there because of the false doctrine that so many of the churches teach here. So please continue to pray for the guys in the School of Ministry as they prepare to go out and MINISTER!

5. Small business loans to pastors
Not always a winning situation. This is the month to find out about the man who makes bread and sells it. We loaned him one of our motorcycles to help increase his business. From his projections he should have earned enough by next month to purchase one on his own. We will continue to pray for this. One chicken business has failed and the pastor sold off all his hens (they were supposed to be laying eggs and he was selling the eggs but they didn't lay enough), and we do not know where it will go from there. The other who failed couldn't sell his chickens for enough to start over, so he followed advice from others (and from me) about different food, medicine for a certain disease, and leaving a couple of eggs or a light bulb or two in the nests so the hens lay better. His business is increasing again through God's grace. The guys who are selling shirts will report in during next week's pastor conference. And Apollo, who is raising sugar cane to support his family, plus fund other pastors' projects, has had a terrible time getting the sugarworks to accept everything properly and then pay him! First the men who had the sugar cane loaded onto their lorries and took it to the factory stole 10 tons and Apollo couldn't prove it, so had to buy another piece of sugar cane to go along with his because you have to turn in a certain amount. Then after it was all turned in, he had to go back between 15 and 20 times to try to get all the paperwork cleared and the money in his account. Each time he went, his file was "lost" until he came up with a bribe. He soon got tired of that, so each time his file "went missing," he would call Jess and Jess would have to go out to Kakira and see the manager and the file would be miraculously "found" on someone's desk. FINALLY they approved all the papers and told Apollo the money would be in his account in a month to six weeks. That should be at the end of February or the middle of March.

6. Healing for three children
Innocent with epilepsy, age 10, still has seizures daily in spite of prayers and seizure medication. Please continue to pray.
Jesca - 9 years old with abdominal cancer, was doing well on her chemotherapy, but her brother took her to the village to see her mother, she contracted malaria and died. But before she started her chemotherapy, we prayed with her to receive Christ, so she is in heaven with Jesus today, and that makes her completely healed.
Apollo's son Jessy - 2 years old with Sickle Cell Anemia. Jessy almost died in December and we spent two days searching the country for blood for him. Uganda was out of blood over the holidays. J.B. finally drove 2 hours away to a place that had blood, and Jessy was transfused. His blood level was below the line that sustains life. Please keep praying for Jessy.

There are other things that we asked you to pray for, but I need to close now and finish preparing for the Proverbs 31 study that the Calvary Chapel staff ladies and I have been doing for the last 16 months. It is one of the best times of the week, and we ALL are so glad we are doing this study. We agree that we have ALL changed greatly! A real blessing from the Lord!

So I guess I shall close here. I will try to answer some of the other questions later. I DO want to say that Brian reminded us that Jess and I need to take "together time" with each other or things in our marriage, and consequently in every part of our lives, will not do well. We did take a week off after Christmas, and we DO take time for each other. We are so blessed that we work well together - Jess doing his part to lead and guide spiritually (and to fix everything that breaks), and I doing my part to lead the women, but to get the day to day work details of the compound taken care of through our staff. Our love for each other grows stronger every day, and we are so blessed that God put us together as man and wife. Please continue to pray for his health as the Parkinson's Disease continues to progress, but please also know that we will continue to serve God here as long as He wants us to do so. We love each other, our lives in Uganda, our ministries, and especially our God. May He bless all of YOU in every way!
With love in Christ,
Bev