Dear Friends and Family,
Kathy and I have just returned from middle Florida where I ministered in an Ironman Conference at Hardee Correctional Institute near Wauchula. Ironman Conferences are two-day conferences designed and organized by Heart of Florida Prison Ministry and based on Proverbs 27:17. The conferences are directed primarily to saved men with preaching in the morning, afternoon and evening. This year’s topic was being a “Man of God”. I taught Thursday afternoon for about an hour and a half. That evening another pastor and I preached to the saints, but a lost sinner was there and received the Lord. When I returned to preach on Sunday morning, the newly saved man was there wanting to know when he could get baptized. We had a blessed service with many men being encouraged in the Lord. We will have two, or possibly three, more Ironman Conferences later this year at different CI’s in middle Florida.
Somsio is a fishing village on the shore of Lake Albert. The church in Somsio was one of the first outreach ministries of Uganda Baptist Church in Masindi. Stanley Onyutha went there while a student at UBBI in 1993 and started the ministry. Wilson was fruit of that work. Wilson came to Hoima to board and attend secondary school. While I was the pastor in Hoima, Wilson attended UBC and preached in secondary schools. Because he excelled in academics, he received a full scholarship to the university in Kampala. He will graduate this January and then look for a job. He has continued his ministry while attending the university and, on holidays, travels back to Somsio and Hoima preaching in the secondary schools. He is just finishing his holiday and will be returning to Kampala. During this holiday he preached a number of places but primarily in four secondary schools in Hoima. In the months of July and August, 85 students professed Christ as their Savior while Wilson preached in those boarding schools. In the Bwikya Muslim SS 26 made professions. Pray for these students to grow in Christ and take the gospel back to their home villages.
Bernard is pastor of Kitende BC between Kampala and Entebbe. This church has a Bible Institute and a primary school. Even with a busy schedule, Bernard travels to his native country of Congo 3 to 4 times a year for 2-week sessions of ministering in Swahili. Last term he had 138 Baptist preachers attending. He is there now ministering to these men. Pray for good health, finances and wisdom as he considers three new teaching locations in Congo.
My doctors have found new problems but have not helped me with what has been plaguing me. My new challenge is to be content with things as they are and to minister as God enables. Pray for me to be wise and yielded.
Your missionaries to East Africa – Tony and Kathy