Jet Lagged but Joyful

Sodestrom_Header_2016

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KLM 606 – Somewhere over Greenland

We are excited and exhausted, jet-lagged and joyful, hopeful and humbled that God would allow us to participate in the Great Commission by traveling to “the ends of the earth” to serve Him.

One of the questions that we often hear is “Are you going to move to Africa”.  It’s a great question and one that we have been asking ourselves for many months.  When answering difficult questions it is sometimes helpful to begin by asking a different question.

Over the past 9 months I have asked the question “Is it best for us to move to Africa or to make several visits each year”?  I asked this question of many Westerners as well as Africans and an intriguing pattern emerged.  Most of my American friends thought it best to move to Uganda and learn the language and culture, but every one of the 20+ African church and mission leaders I talked to said the opposite.

I had a conversation about this idea with some African colleagues that I serve with on the national committee of Ethnic America Network Dr. Peter Asiamah (Ghana) and Dr. Moses Neumann (Nigeria).  They reminded me that God has accomplished a great work with Frontier Force Christian Ministries over the past 12 years with us coming and going, so why change?  Moses said “You will always be welcome when you come and go, but if you stay it will change the dynamic”.

Cyprian shared the same thoughts with me and we agree that we can accomplish what God has given us to do by following the Apostle Paul whose ministry was characterized by missionary journeys.

We love being in Africa and are always blessed by the time spent in the Word, Worship, Fellowship and service with our FFCM brothers and sisters.  We will be in Uganda from May 9 through May 30.

We leave San Francisco on Monday at 1:55pm and arrive in Uganda on Wednesday at 2:00 am.  We will be excited and exhausted, jet-lagged and joyful, hopeful and humbled but thankful to be serving in the Kingdom of God.

Prayer requests
  • Safe travels for us and those who will attend the Institute.
  • Good health for all.
  • that God would be honored and the Church in Uganda will be strengthened.
  • Wisdom as we explore new areas and new ministry initiatives.
  • We are praying for additional Bible teachers who would like to join us and teach in the Frontier Force Bible Institute

 

 

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April 2016 Update

Please take time to read our April 2016 newsletter!

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Trip to Uganda January 2016

 


“Watch to see where God is working and join Him in His work”.


 share_1442056417834Henry Blackaby, author of ”Experiencing God”  reminds us that God is at work building His kingdom in the world and as people of His kingdom we are invited to take part.

11 years ago, God introduced us to what He is doing among the rural villages in Uganda, and we have been part of the ministry of Fro               ntier Force Christian Ministries ever since then.  We listened to Cyprian Masembe tell of his vision of:

  • Reaching out to a lost world with the good news of Jesus Christ by planting churches in unreached communities.
  • Strengthening existing church plants in order to realize spiritual and numerical growth.
  • Making disciples who will make disciples.
  • Showing the heart of God the Father to orphans, widows, the elderly, and the needy
  • Setting up income-generating projects to sustain the ministry.

God has used our partnership with Cyprian Masembe and the FFCM team to: Plant 9 churches in rural villages in Uganda, Develop leaders from within the original churches who are now planting new churches, Conduct yearly Bible Conferences and Pastor Training conferences, Plant 2 schools, Build a training farm, help villagers with income producing work, and have begun building a medical/dental clinic.

God is truly at work in Uganda and we invite you to join with us as we continue our involvement in God’s work in Uganda.

mmkesIn January of 2016, we will once again lead a team to Uganda to work alongside our FFCM partners as we experience what God is doing.  This will be Andy’s 10th trip to Uganda and Kathy’s 5th.  We will be conducting a Bible Conference, conducting a Pastor’s conference, planning for future ministries of FFCM and shoulder to shoulder encouraging our African brothers and sisters, experience what God is doing in Uganda.

Andy will be teaching at the Pastors Conference and Bible Conference, and coordinating the trip with Cyprian.  Kathy will be teaching women at the Bible conference and teaching and encouraging Pastor’s wives at the Pastor’s conference.

The cost for the trip is $2,500 per person.  This will cover the costs of airfare, food and lodging, and ground transportation for our team.  It will also cover the costs of conducting the Bible Conference and the Pastor’s conference. These yearly conferences are a highlight of the year not only for us, but our African friends as well.

On Sunday I was talking to a Ugandan man living in Santa Rosa who has been to many of these conferences and He was a great encouragement as he said ;

When you come and teach the Word of God, it changes things.  It makes a difference. Please don’t stop coming to Africa!

We invite you to join with us in what God is accomplishing in Uganda. You can be part of the team by:aschicken

  • Praying for our teams Health, safety, effectiveness and our continued friendship and partnership with FFCM
  • Contributing to the costs of our trip to Uganda.
  • Begin to ask God if He would have you to visit Uganda and experience firsthand what God is doing. Half of our 2016 team will be experiencing this ministry for the first time.

Please fill out the response from at the end of this letter and mail it to Hessel Church. 5060 Hessel Ave. Sebastopol, CA.  Or if you prefer to give online, follow this link https://secure-q.net/Donations/HesselCh/5639 and indicate “ 04 Sodestrom” in the list on the form.

Henry Blackaby defines missions as:


“Missions is God finding those whose hearts are right with Him and placing them where they can make a difference for His kingdom”


We are praying the God would touch your heart and you would join with us as we serve His kingdom in Uganda.  Thank you for your interest in God’s work in Uganda

Serving the Kingdom with Joy
Andy and Kathy Sodestrom
I would like to support Andy and Kathy’s trip to Uganda:

_____ I commit to pray for the team as they serve the Kingdom in Uganda

_____ I would like to contribute $ ________ to the cost of the trip

_____ I would be interesting in joining a team going to Uganda in the future
Checks can be made out to: Hessel Church, 5060 Hessel Ave, Sebastopol, CA  95472

All donations are Tax-deductible

 

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