We are greeted with cheers and song by the children and staff as we pull to the entrance of Good Shepherd's Fold. The mood is festive and full of appreciation for the parents of Corinne, one of their family. At that moment, the intensity and strains of this GSF work seems as far away as our 24 hour journey. These brief times of loving communal celebration are the glue necessary to bond this team through the stress of ministering to 400+ children through the staff of 80+ Ugandans. The calling of GSF ministry demands a sturdy and firm attachment to the Vine by each missionary. This firm sturdiness must produce an individual pliable flexibility necessary to minister together as a team in this environment of life and death (literally). It's not war but there are similarities with periods vacillating between the total serenity of rural Africa and the life threatening medical crises in this same rural Africa environment. Only prayer can empower the needed strength and meekness for this ministry.
A week of personal observation evidences a ministry influencing hundreds - likely thousands of people in the surrounding villages. Aside from the huge variety of employment provided for 80+ Ugandans, many of these same employees have planted churches and are pastors in these villages. These churches have developed so well that this year, GSF discontinued Sunday services in their own chapel building. GSF missionaries and orphans now attend and engage with local village churches. The worship and ministry truly embodies Christ in power through His grace in an effective Ugandan way. The mature understanding of GSF missionaries to engage with the Ugandan church indicates their selfless commitment to build and disciple effectively. Instead of worshiping conveniently in their on site brick chapel hearing their own missionaries speak and worship American style, they walk about 1/2 mile along dirt (or mud) trails to worship in one of the local villages. No parking lots, doors, windows or even bathrooms but benches on a dirt floor and real worship in Spirit and truth.
Corinne's primary assignment for her first year has been to organize and grow the Sponsorship program for GSF. Unlike most ministries, orphanages need a continual outside source to sustain them. There is good reason the Bible mentions "widow and orphan ministry" as the example for true religion (James 1:27). These are not able to quickly help themselves and there is an endless supply of this segment of the population in every country. The sponsorship program provides food, clothes, care and shelter for orphan children that otherwise have none. The missionaries raise their support for their own travel, food, shelter and ministry. But funding for the needs of the orphans comes through individual sponsors for each orphan and constitutes the majority of the income for GSF. In her first 6 months, God has blessed Corinne's efforts by greatly increasing the number of sponsors and streamlining the communication process between the orphans and their sponsors. This is the kind of job where success produces more work. Increasing the sponsors results in increasing the need for communication. Creating meaningful communication results in increased correspondences and packages. The Post Office employees know Corinne like a personal friend and couldn't wait to meet her parents. Our hour long Post Office visit filled the back of our vehicle.
Did we mention flexibility? By October Corinne became aware of the need for an operational and facility makeover in the toddler house. This challenge was far outside her primary assignment but her calling to dive into this was confirmed by the rest of the team. Youth and inexperience worked in favor toward her optimistic goals to accomplish this makeover by Christmas. Realism set in as the immensity of the makeover increased to change some personnel. African deadlines for construction completion are non-existent. So a brief 1 month side-assignment became a 2 month project with the hard relational challenges of personnel changes. The move-in day was delayed until last Saturday - a process always greater than anticipated. Then, to top off this huge culmination of 2 months, that evening Corinne was asked the "will you marry me " question by Daniel Iya. No one, including Daniel and Corinne anticipated these 2 big events happening the same day. Did we mention flexibility? Oh, the answer is "YES" both to the flexibility and marriage questions.
Prayer from the rest of the body is the source of powerful grace that keeps this ministry in Kingdom work. The needs are endless, the challenges are immense and the enemy is ruthless. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood ...... but against the dark powers of this world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12). Like each member of our body, all of us are in need of intercessory prayer. Hopefully this blog will help you in this work of prayer - this means of grace as our body works through Corinne in Uganda.
Merle and Diane
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| Out to dinner at the Haven! |
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| Right after Daniel proposed |
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| Diane and me enjoying Uganda |
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| Diane and Corinne |
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| Corinne with the toddlers at the opening of the redone toddler house |
