Pilgrims on the road to Kampala

There is a shrine in Kampala, the capitol city of Uganda that was built to commemorate 22 young Ugandan catholic martyrs who were killed by sword or fire for their faith in 1885.  On June 3 of each year there is a pilgrimage to Uganda that draws over 1.5 million people to visit the shrine and commemorate their sacrifice.  There is a small lake at the site where the executioners were said to have washed off the blood of the martyrs and pilgrims dip themselves in the lake seeking blessing.  Many of these pilgrims walk for days and even weeks with nothing but their clothes and a few provisions, stopping to stay the night at different catholic churches along the way.  During our last visit to Uganda in May we witnessed hundreds of people walking to the Namugongo shrine to participate in the memorial.
As we observed these weary travelers, Cyprian commented that Romans 10:2 describes their condition:
“For I bear witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge”.
This is a great reminder of why God has called us to go to Uganda to come alongside our Ugandan leadership team to establish Frontier Force Bible Institute.  Peter reminds us that:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,”  2 Peter 1:3
Our FFBI course this month will be “Jesus’ Developmental Plan for Healthy Disciples & Leaders.  We will spend the week of September 12-16 studying the way Jesus recruited, trained, observed and released his disciples.  Each of our 9 rural churches will send their pastors and key leaders to apply this teaching to their own ministries.  We are excited about this material as it clearly communicates the principles of discipleship that Jesus modeled for us to use today.

First Frontier Force Bible Institute Class

We are delighted to have Carleen Elledge, Scott Friesen and Karen Swanson join us from Vintage Grace Church in El Dorado Hills California.  Vintage Grace shares a common passion for church planting and dynamic discipleship with our rural ministries and we look forward to connecting El Dorado Hills with Uganda.  We will depart for Uganda on September 7 arriving late in the evening on September 8.  Our VG team will return on Sept 20 and Kathy and I will return on Sept 29.

We have been missionaries with New Missions Systems International for nearly 8 months and are so thankful that God brought us here.  NMSI exists to “Proclaim Christ and make disciples globally” through 5 strategic focus areas.  We invite you to read this report and see how our ministry in Uganda works toward accomplishing these strategic focus areas.

Church Multipication.  Helping to establish vibrant, caring Jesus-following communities that consistently replicate themselves is also a focus of Frontier Force Christian Ministries.   The Wabinyira House of Prayer was the first FFCM church planted in 1999 and has been a catalyst in the establishment of many more churches in rural Uganda.  In 2015 Kinyoni village in the Masaka district of Uganda was the site of FFCM’s most recent church plant.  This brings the total of FFCM church plants to 9.

Community Transformation.  We also seek to help communities solve important local issues like health, clean water, sanitation, and education.  FFCM currently runs a primary school in Madudu village with plans to expand underway and a dental/medical clinic near Zirobwe in Luwero district is being developed.
We are partnering with international organizations to provide low cost, sustainable bio-sand water filtration systems at the household level.  We are working with Local individuals and business to provide these filters to homes in the villages where FFCM churches are active.  In May we delivered a Tiva Water filter to help purify water from this source in Rakai district

Global Youth Ministry.  Uganda has a median age of just 15.5 years old making it the second youngest country in the world.  Over half the population are teenagers or younger! A ministry of NMSI called YouthHOPE is committed to transforming the lives of global youth and equipping the church to meet their holistic needs.   YouthHope has developed excellent training materials and programs that have been used in other parts of Africa.  We are looking into the possibilities of bringing this training to Uganda.

Marketplace Ministries.  In addition to being one of the youngest countries in the world, it is also among the lowest in per capita income.  Providing job opportunities is a strategic focus of both NMSI and FFCM.  Over the years FFCM has helped with startup funds and training in agriculture and small business. FFCM is helping churches to develop income by planting trees on their church land.  A eucalyptus seedling that costs about 10 cents will grow to a tree that can be sold for 10 dollars in about 5 years’ time.  A pine tree seedling can be even more profitable over 10 years.
Trinity Bridal is a new business that collects used wedding gowns and makes them available for rental in Uganda. Trinity Bridal has a store in Kampala and we are developing a new location in Mukono.

Short Term Mobilization.  God is doing great things all over the world, and Short Term mobilization as all about providing opportunities for people to experience what God is doing.  We love bringing people to Uganda to introduce them to the love and dedication of the church that God is building in rural Uganda. The picture below is a team from Hessel Church in January 2016.  In September we will be bringing a team from Vintage Grace church in El Dorado Hills California to see first-hand the ministry of Frontier Force Christian ministries.

Thank you for your prayers and support of God’s work in Uganda.  We would love to get together with you and tell you more transformational stories from Africa.
If you would like to learn how to invest in our work in Uganda
please visit our ministry page