Dear Friends and Family,
On August 20th Larry Nelson and I returned from a very blessed and prosperous journey to East Africa. Before going any further I would like to thank you for your many prayers. God gave wisdom, strength, resources, and protection when needed. Please do not stop praying because we are home but increase your prayers to daily interceding for East Africa and the opportunities God is giving. Let me share with you some specific prayer requests.
Joshua was involved with eight churches being planted in South Sudan. Many of those believers are now in northern Uganda in refugee camps. He and others he trained in their BI in South Sudan have established 10 churches in the camps. A building was built while I was there, and the 11th church will be established with a BI there in the middle of these camps. There are more than 1 million SS refugees in Uganda and more than 1800 new ones cross over into Uganda daily. Joshua graduated from our UBBI in 1996 while he was a Sudanese refugee. Pray for many to get saved and trained before they go back to South Sudan. Pray for wisdom and resources for Joshua and the other pastors.
John Balijura is 45, married, and has 10 children that range in age from 10 months to 25 years. He was saved in 1988 and graduated from UBBI in 1998. He has been the pastor of Kyatiri Baptist Church since 2001. He has just planted a second church. John knows six languages besides English and can preach in five languages. Pray for John to have strength and power as he preaches in his church, in villages and on New Life Radio.
I have been ministering with Gilbert Okecha and his wife Oliver for many years. He is the director of UBBI in Masindi and is a circuit rider in the central part of western Uganda. He works primarily with the Alur people helping develop pastors and young churches. He teaches school to support his family but will leave that the first of the year to serve more effectively and also preach regularly on New Life Radio. He has recently experienced fresh revival in his heart. Pray it will not diminish.
If you read my prayer letters you know the names Alex and Denis. Alex is the pastor of UBC in Buhimba. Alex and Denis work together keeping New Life Radio in both Buhimba and Moyo on the air. They are in the midst of expanding the outreach of NLR in Buhimba. Both of them preach on the radio in Runyoro and have many listeners. They have recently started a new church from radio listeners and are getting ready to start a second one from other listeners. Pray for them as they train men who only speak Runyoro and as they start other churches. They need funds, Bibles, songbooks and buildings as they respond to many listeners to New Life Radio.
I want to tell you about Bernard, Sadock and Ignace but have run out of room. I have not been able to tell you about the burden, the plan and the strategy God has given me for reaching the country of Rwanda in 10 years. It is from the Lord, and He is blessing and blessing. I will write more soon. If you are not getting my email updates send me an email message and I will add you to the list. Pray for more laborers for South Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. Pray for Kathy and me to have wisdom, strength, energy, and power in ministering.
Your missionaries to East Africa – Tony and Kathy