February 2, 2015

Hello all – Lyle here,

Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for being so faithful in your support of what the Lord is doing in Karamoja. We cannot fully convey how much we appreciate all of you! 

Children at 1st manyatta we hope to place a team

So much has changed since our last blog. One of the biggest changes is that AIM has reclassified the Karimojong as an unreached people group (UPG)!  This is huge. As many of you know from before, new AIM members coming to Karamoja would fall under the new framework of AIM; meaning that all ministry would be limited to the training of church leaders. Our unit leaders were able to give a presentation to the Central Region leadership regarding their findings of why the Karimojong should be a UPG. After prayer and consideration the Central Region leadership changed the classification of Karamoja from a reached people group to a UPG. This was so clearly the Lord's hand as this was an uphill road. There was a strong predisposition of the decision makers that the Karimojong were reached (although they were very open to hear the evidence), so we can really see how the Holy Spriit moved in everyone for this to happen.

In Kaabong where the "Ik" people live in the mountains

Here is traditional style of house

So what does this mean for us and for ministry in Karamoja in general? First of all, for us, it means that any future team members who come to work along with us are not limited to ministry in the area of training church leaders only. We could, for example, bring someone in to teach at the “primary teachers college.” This would then be a platform for discipleship among the students at the college, most of who (we are told) are Karimojong. The schools these new teachers would eventually teach at, as well as the surrounding community, would then be their mission fields. We can now place teams in manyattas the church has not reached (which is the majority).  Before we were limited and could not have done this. We could bring in community health workers, etc. These are simply examples, but with the Karimojong being a UGP, we can now think much more broadly. There are so many things that we “can” do, but our heart is simply to do as the Lord directs. He has been so faithful thus far and we know that He has a plan for Karamoja and our part is simply to be obedient to His direction in our lives.

Sunset in Kidepo National Park

For both of us, but maybe to a greater degree for me, this reclassification is a great relief. I think I was seeing so much that could be, but at the same time could not be addressed in the most “direct” manner.  So in other words, I was struggling with how God was going to do all the things “I” thought needed to be done. Does that seem contradictory to what I just said about trusting God and just moving in the direction He takes us? Yes it does, but I think it also points to His faithfulness as we struggle though what we know to be true in our minds, but still have difficulty fully understanding in our hearts. It is at times like these, when our faith is being tested, that God uses situations to build our faith.  For me, this was the case.  I knew in my head God has this.  I don’t need to fuss about it, yet I struggled. Through this, I see His faithfulness manifested. We have such a patient God.

So now we need to do a little rewriting on our proposal to place a team in a manyatta and gear the overall vision to a UPG, as well as broaden the scope of ministry potentials.  We will keep you all posted when this process is completed.

Napua (K'Jong for "Dusty")
The newest member of the Lathrop tribe

So now lets move on to life in general since we last blogged. From a ministry perspective we have really seen some wonderful things. The Bible study with the prison guards is going well. Ingrid has joined in with us.  Her ladies Bible study with the women from the Church of Uganda is also going on well.  At the prison we have worked through topics such as stress and relationships from a biblical perspective, and we are now beginning a study in James. As you may remember we had asked for prayer regarding beginning something similar with the police. It just seemed there was more resistance to this somehow. Again, this was a faith builder.  Without going into a lot of detail, some of the roadblocks ended up being the very things that facilitated the program getting off the ground! We really saw our Lord literally turn this situation around. Our first study time together will be February 13^th.  We are excited to see how the Lord continues to work.  Please continue to pray with us that the Lord really moves in the lives of the men and women working in the prisons and the police force; that they experience true transformation, transformation that only comes from a real and vital relationship with our Lord and Savior and how this impacts how they do their jobs. 

Pastors' conference at our home

Another joy was hosting a two-day Pastor’s conference in our home. We had around 30 pastors and church leaders from most all of the protestant denominations represented in Moroto.  Like I said, we were only hosting it, but both Ingrid and I were invited to speak and  spend a little time addressing them at the beginning of each day of the two day conference.  Please pray for the pastors in Moroto. That they are a unified front, that they recognize and teach solid biblical doctrine, and that they invite people into relationship with our Lord and Savior, not just convert them to a religion. 

Prayer Team (our unit leaders on the left - John & Krys)

Almost immediately following the conference we hosted an AIM short term prayer team.  Some of you may be familiar with this already, but if not, let me explain.  Over a year ago a request was put out have a team of people come and pray specifically for northeast Uganda. Five answered the call. There was a couple from New Zealand, a couple from Australia, and a single from Australia.  Our unit leaders were in charge of the team. The team was to travel from Tororo (south of Karamoja) north all the way to Kaabong (northern Karamoja almost to South Sudan). They spent time learning about many different ministries, not just AIM ministries, while taking the time to pray for and with the various ministries, churches, and leaders.  Ingrid and I drove down to Soroti when their time there ended and accompanied the team for the rest of their time, hosting them while they were in Moroto. We were able to show them some of the Moroto district area. We were able to introduce with them some of the precious people we have come to know, share with them our heart for the area, as well as the vision the Lord has given us.  Please thank the Lord for this prayer team and hold them up in prayer as they return to their home countries and share what they experienced and share their heart for lifting up in prayer northeast Uganda.

Pastor Noah sharing in manyatta

Pastor Noah and Reverend Joseph accompanied us into some manyattas and into the slum areas of Moroto where prayers for individuals and believers happened. They were also able to meet with Church of Uganda's Southern District head, Bishop Abura and pray and encourage him. It was a wonderful time and we could see their heart for prayer as well as the encouragement they gave those they prayed with. All of the team seemed touched by their time in Moroto and they expressed  both sobering shock and postive experiences. They found it daunting and exhausting and wonderful all at the same time. We then continued on with them until they flew out of Kaabong.

On the other side of this coin there have been a great deal of challenges. We have really had the opportunity to live out James 1:2-4, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trails of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Greeting villagers outside of Rose's manyatta

Our connection to the power grid is an example.  As we had asked for prayer on this, most of you probably know, it turned out that the connection of our home to the electric lines was done illegally. It is very difficult to briefly explain all that has transpired with this situation, but the bottom line is we called into question some things that were done by the Moroto electric office by sending some inquiring emails to the Kampala office.  So, the day after we left Moroto for an almost two week Christmas break in Kampala we received word that our power had been disconnected. If we would have known this was going to happen we could have taken everything out of our refrigerator/freezer, but we didn’t. So, when we returned home after having been in Kampala, we were greeted by a terrible stench from the rotting contents of our refrigerator/freezer. When Ingrid opened the freezer door to get the meat out, it changed from terrible to horrific. We are talking a stench of biblical proportions. Like judgment day has come and it’s in our freezer kind of biblical proportions. Next comes the refrigerator. Yes, the stench had migrated.  This was no simple migration. I think the stench was carried from the freezer to the refrigerator one molecule at a time by the maggots. There were that many maggots! We literally had to disassemble parts of the freezer and refrigerator to get all the maggots out. Even then, there must have been some eggs laid in hidden areas by the flies as part of their contingency plan in case the first wave of the maggot invasion failed. For several more days we continued to find the occasional maggot. Ingrid was like a well-trained Special Forces soldier. As wave after wave of the rotten meat was extracted she carried it out and disposed of it, like clearing landmines. While the meat was being cleared I was off doing some vital and immensely important logistical work far away from the stench. Some might say this was just an avoidance technique, some would be correct. She then took on the maggots. It took several hours, but eventually most all the maggots were cleaned up (except the hidden ones). It has been over a month now and the smell is still a little discernable at times, but nowhere close to what it had been. The most frustrating thing with this situation is that it was entirely avoidable. The Moroto office could have done things differently, but chose to do things illegally instead and then choose not to do the right thing when they could have. Even now, we still have money that we paid, but may never recoup or get applied to future utility costs.

Additionally, each day has seemed to bring unexpected challenges and interruptions. For every step forward there were issues trying to push us back or distract us. God has been so faithful and these issues have only driven us to a greater dependence on Him. I would say this was not always easy, but I also know we could not have continued on in our own power.  During this time Ingrid has had malaria, severe dehydration, and she got an really bad infection in her ankle (before traveling with the prayer team) that gave her a fever and really knocked her out in general. It required some double dose antibiotics to treat it effectively. We also feel that the resistance we have been getting is simply a physical expression of the spiritual war that is taking place in heaven. Ephesians 6:12 says it all, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Please pray for us, that we live verse 13, “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having all, to stand firm.”

As you can see, since our last blog, a little before Christmas, life has been challenging, yet extremely rewarding. To me it feels like we are beginning to really settle in and see some fruit in the form of ministry. One of our unit leaders told us that they had been told early on that it takes about a year before one begins to see effective ministry. I don’t think I had heard that before. If I had, then I had forgotten it. I wish I had known or remembered, then maybe I wouldn’t have felt like I was just “spinning my wheels” so often, which really takes me back to the lesson our Lord is teaching me that I mentioned in the beginning of this blog; that I simply need to trust Him and not rely on my own expectations and understanding. Proverbs 3:5, “Trust tin the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

As I began, so I will end. Thank you so much, each and every one of you, for being so faithful in your support of what the Lord is doing in Karamoja. We cannot fully convey how much we appreciate all of you!  Please continue to pray for us and for the Karimajong people, only God can draw them and keep us on the right path.  Prayer is His way through and we are so grateful we are not alone on this journey, but have all of you with us here.

Love,

Lyle and Ingrid

December 3, 2014

Hello from Moroto, Ingrid here.

As I write this, I am thinking of all the Thanksgiving celebrations in the United States on the 27^th of November.  Here the 27^th seemed like just another day.  A turkey here in Moroto right now costs $40.00 because fowl is the only meat available as foot and mouth disease continues and the ban on butchering hoofed meat remains. And yet, even before that Thursday I had begun reflecting on some of the things I was thankful for and expressing my gratitude to our Lord for. 

In my present world, this is a true saying: “Some things can’t be truly understood until they have been lived.”   The life I am living here is allowing me a gratitude for many of the things that I took for granted in the USA; things not within easy reach or even in reach at all for most of the people I am serving here.

• I am grateful for water!  At this point, the municipality of Moroto has been without running water for over three weeks.  I am grateful for boreholes, jerry cans to carry the water, and rain that can be harvested in any open container available.
• I am grateful for electrical power! We do not know why, but lately we have been living in an environment of having power for a few hours and then it “getting lost”, as they say here, for many hours.  
• I am grateful for a clothesline! Having a place to hang wet clothes other than in our room has been quite exciting for me.  Most wet clothes around here are hung on grass, bushes, fences or the ground to dry.
• I am extremely grateful for the provision of the house the Lord has given us!!
• I am thankful for the relationships that are deepening for us here in Moroto and in the Manyattas around Moroto district!  Through the doors that the Lord has opened for us, we are developing friends in the Karimojong community, relationships that have shifted from us being seen as a potential source of a handout to one where we are being engaged for who we are not what we represent as Westerners.   
• Most of all I am grateful that the God of all Creation has chosen me, to be His daughter and to reveal Himself to me ever increasingly. To say that He has shown Himself ever present and abundant in these last few months would be an understatement. Oh how grateful I am, as I continually am allowed to see my need for the ever present Lord and Savior Jesus; in my times of joy, in my struggles, where I wrestle with fear, lack of control or anger, He never leaves me nor forsakes me.

Exiting Manyatta

Our life has been full of ministry here both one on one and in groups. One event that continues to encourage me and cause me to worship God is what I came away with from a trip to a manyatta.  We recently returned to the Manyatta where we had left a proclaimer (a recording of the New Testament in Ngakarimojong) with a precious lady named Rose (not my language helper), who is illiterate but wants to learn more about Jesus.  The Church of Uganda has made her a deputy warden in her area. Background story on this is: She had walked all the way into Moroto town (a brisk 30 minute walk) while we were in the states, to inform the mothers union at the Church of Uganda, that the proclaimer we had given her had been broken.  We found this out a few weeks after we returned to Moroto in September.   The story is that a small child dropped it, but when Rose showed it to us, on a trip without an interpreter, it had been split in half with what looked like a great deal of force.  We were not sure we should give this manyatta another one, as the proclaimers cost us $100.00 each. So as we returned to visit Rose with Pastor Noah to interpret, we found a group of people surrounding us pleading to hear God’s word.  There were men and women speaking to Pastor Noah, and he spent about an hour and a half ministering the Word of God to them in Ngakarimojong.  We were able to ask how they would prevent another proclaimer from being broken again.  They had already worked out strategy for keeping it from harm, so we gave them a second one, but told them this was the last one.

Lyle w/warrior outside of a school in the bush

While we were there sitting with the people, a woman came up to the group and starting speaking rapidly and pointing at me and then covering the top of her head with her hand.  This went on for some minutes, and when Pastor Noah finally interpreted, he told us this woman was the mother of the teenager who had the rock thrown at him many months ago by a teen-aged girl.  I wrote of this back in June, I believe.  This woman said that because I had intervened between her and the mother of the girl and had asked them to forgive each other, she believed my faith was sincere.  She said they had forgiven each other, which is amazing to me because Rose (my language helper) and I were sure that after we left, a fight would ensue.  Tempers were high and we left them with arms crossed and glaring at each other and me.  This was such an encouragement to me and to Rose when I shared it with her.  Oh Praise to God, Whose Truth has the power to evaporate the power of anger.  This lady was coming to the manyatta to listen to the proclaimer as well since then, and has asked us to allow her to have one for her manyatta.  She said she would be responsible for taking care of it.  We are praying about it.  Please join us in this intercession where we are actually seeing a hunger for God and His Word in people.   Our first experience with this.

This manyatta is one site that may have an AIM team living along side them.  Our Vision and Strategy Paper has had one edit and we have turned it back in for a second edit before it goes to AIM leadership for final approval.  We are working on the Team descriptions as well.  What we feel God desires is for people totally in love with Him to live in a manyatta setting, but demonstrating how to live in this environment in a way different than the mindset of “its always done this way”; to demonstrate transformation as stated in Romans 12:1-2, so that the Word does dwell among the people.

Prison guard Sarah & her little girl Peace

As we work on this, the Lord has graciously allowed us to become more a part of the church He has directed us to as a home church.  We were invited to a three-day leadership conference, and while there, made and solidified some good relationships.  Also Lyle is ministering every Sunday afternoon to the guards at the regional prison, and I have been asked to join him there.  I have had a bible study with K’jong women at the same time, and so haven’t been able to attend yet, but will try to do so if I can shift this study to a different day.  I also am having a Bible study with a female prison guard every week.

Filling tower with jerry cans (Luke below, Simon above) neighbor at fence.

One of the benefits of having no running water is that Lyle has really been able to work along side the guards we have at the house.  For the “Muze” (word of respect for an old guy) to work and not just boss is unheard of and we believe very welcomed.  Our full time guard, Simon, has been wonderfully motivated to find ways to work and improve the place and together we have started a vegetable garden, which Lord willing, will produce greens for us to eat.  They have already sprouted and I can’t tell you the delight I have in this.

We are encouraged by our developing relationships with our new neighbors as well. We were concerned about our closest next-door neighbors as our homes sit very close to each other and they had not demonstrated any kind of restraint for personal privacy while the place was being built and after we moved in.  After a couple of gentle talks with them, they have become very gracious and respectful neighbors and we are growing to know each other in ways that works for all of us. They appreciate very much me feeding their little dog bones through the cyclone fence. The young dog really likes us and has dug her way into our compound twice already.  We did challenge them a bit as they were beating her over and over and we told them to stop.  Lyle was very good at explaining to them what a gift a dog is and how loyal they are and how treating them well increases the dog’s desire to protect them.  We have not heard them abusing her again. The Karimojong are very direct people and we are so glad God has led us to them as they are not easily offended which is helpful as we grow and learn to engage and interact with them.

Neighbor children

Our language skills do continue to improve slowly and we understand a lot more of what is said as long as it isn’t spoken too quickly. Please pray for us to have the discipline and determination to continue to study and persevere in becoming fluent in Ngakarimajong.

Our boys have finished the last term of school for the year.  We had them over for a game night along with all the other boys in the house, so there were 15 boys, Bill the 84 year old man from Texas who stays with them, three AIM guests who were staying with us (our first guests!!) and two young women from the Moroto expat community.  It was a great time!!!  The noise level was a few decimals above Lyle’s comfort level, but he jumped in and played games anyway.  We cooked and served beans, rice, posho, and chapattis with fruit for dessert.  The boys were ecstatic. We were ecstatic cause we actually had power that night J.

The two boys, Thomas and Joseph, who were in boarding this last term are going to become day students when the new term beings in February.  We are continuing to work with them so that they are being raised and not just growing up.  This is a challenge when you don’t live with them, but they have been so honest with us and their desire for someone to care about them is so obvious.  The teenager, Mark, whose school fees we had paid for out in a trading center, about a 20 minute drive from Moroto town, is going to come in and become a boarder at the school where the other boys are next year.  He had walked into town two weekends in a row to ask us about this, and when we were out with Pastor Noah we stopped at his school to verify his attendance and to see how he was doing at school.  His teacher told us he was there every day which was amazing to us cause his manyatta was a very long walk away from the school.  We found out that he ended up living at the school free of charge, again unheard of, because of the challenge of walking in every day.  We picked him up at school and with the headmaster’s permission and drove out to the manyatta where he is from to talk to his grandmother. She gave her permission for him to move into town for the next school year. This next year for Mark is very important as he will be in P7, if he doesn’t do well on the tests at the end of the year, he will not be allowed to continue on to senior level classes. Also, I had the opportunity to pray for a little baby girl while at this manyatta. She was sitting on a warrior’s lap (unusual to see) and her eyes were just running with mucus.  They said she had drops to put in, but she was miserable. I do pray for her even now.  The people in this manyatta were very grateful to us for helping Mark and didn’t bring any additional demands to us for help with things, which is new for us.

In fact, we are seeing this habit of the people demanding us to give things has almost disappeared.  So please join us in thanking the Lord for breaking this pattern for us.  This realization became really clear to me when I walked to the market this last weekend with our AIM guests who were visiting.  It was the first time I had absolutely no begging!!! NONE!!!!  I am so grateful for this; I was only greeted as one who lives here with warmth, not with a demand to “give” to them.  Oh thank you for your prayers for us in this regard.

Playing chess w/Kul

As I close this blog, I must say I am also so very grateful to Our Lord and Savior for ALL of you who join us in serving Jesus here in Karamoja through prayer, communication and finances.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!  For all who are going to or have been led to give to us before the end of the year please know that this act of worship to our Lord has been used to deepen our faith in the Him. His ability to provide for us has amazed us and filled us with joy and hope.  This has been a fiscally challenging time for us, as setting up a new home has required money.  We are content with two beds, one for guests and one for us, and a working kitchen and trust the Lord for the timing regarding purchasing furniture for the sitting room and a kitchen table (we have a borrowed plastic table). As nothing appears simple or easy to do here, the result of that is, our contentment with what we have and our patience is continuing to develop deeply. Furniture must be made here or hauled from Kampala, which is very expensive as many are afraid to come up here. So we desire to move slowly and make sure the Lord is leading what we fill our home with, and not just fill it in ways that seem familiar to us.

Please continue to pray for us in every way, spiritually, physically and emotionally.  We recently read this quote from Jim Elliot and even at our age find this truth to be more clearly necessary for us to embrace and understand than at any time in our lives: “One does not surrender his life in an instant.  That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”  We request you all pray that we would not only never cease in surrendering our lives, but that we would increase in this act of worship for the rest of the time we walk this earth.

As the time approaches to celebrate, The only real Blessing-Jesus Christ- born to die-that we might have eternal life, may we truly grasp in our inner person the reality of the truth of eternity and what truly matters in this life.  God is passionate about peoples’ souls and where they spend eternity—either with Him or apart from Him forever.  May we beat with the heart of our Heavenly Father: Matthew 6:21: Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be as well.  Oh that our treasure would be to see souls saved from an eternity apart from their Creator.

As CHRISTmas approaches, we wish each of you a deeper receptivity of the gift of salvation Christ came to give.  May the peace given by Jesus, the peace that passes all understanding, fill your hearts and minds in ways that last eternally.

We love you and genuinely do pray for each of you.

With love in Christ,

Ingrid and Lyle

November 4, 2014

Hello All,

Lyle here...

Wow, how time has gone by. Can't believe we are in November already. It has been a month and a half since our last post. 

Have you ever had a time where life was so full you struggle to remember everything and in the end you feel like you have done little? But then, when you take the time to reflect you see God's hand so clearly involved in everything?  It seems to me these past six weeks or so have been exactly that. 

Peter, Daniel, & Thomas

In the last update Ingrid talked about Daniel and how he had come with his grandmother to our hotel on September 20th. Ingrid had treated wounds to the feet of the grandmother caused by rats nibbling on them at night while she was passed out from drinking. We believe she has leprosy, which is why she feels nothing in her feet and is missing so many toes. Daniel also had malaria, so we took both Daniel and his mother to the Moroto referral hospital. Daniel was to get his treatment and then go to Pastor Noah's and Bill Behrman's home for boys. This is the same home where Peter lives. Short story is he never showed up, so we were of course very concerned. We kept looking for him wherever we went and did not find him. This all leads us to Monday the 22 of September. What a day. First of all God answered our prayers for Daniel. He showed up alone outside our hotel, but with an extremely high fever and sicker from malaria then he had been two days earlier. He told me he was thirsty so I gave him some water, which he immediately vomited up. Ingrid and I took him to a local clinic where they were able to immediately begin treatment. His blood work showed he also had some sort of a general infection somewhere as his white blood cell count was elevated as well as the malaria. He was able to get hydrated through an IV, he received injections for his malaria for five days, as well as antibiotics through the IV for five days for an unknown infection. What a remarkable transformation. Today this young boy's countenance bears no resemblance to the boy we encountered so many times on the street. He is now enrolled in school, living with Pastor Noah, and is extremely healthy. The joy in his smile is unmistakable! He is not just surviving - he is thriving. His transformation is a miracle.  He delights in showing us his schoolwork. If you remember, Daniel was the street boy we were concerned about, whether he was regularly sniffing glue. He seemed slow and we wondered if he had damaged his brain. May I say this young boy is not slow in any way. He is integrating well with the other boys and is excelling in school. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness in Daniel's life!!! Please continue praying for Daniel. While he is thriving physically, our heart is that spiritually he thrives just as dramatically.

Rose and elderly man

Soon after we got Daniel settled (same day) we went to a manyatta where an elderly man with a dislocated hip lives. Ingrid's language teacher, Rose, had asked her to visit him to see if she could offer any insights as to how the man might be treated. As it turned out this man's injury was over two month old. We were able to pray with him before leaving. After consulting with a Doctor, Ingrid learned, that nothing could really be done. This man must now live with a permanently dislocated hip. Ingrid was also able to confirm with the Dr. that based on his complaints of where his pain was, he most probably also had a fracture. Even in the States, a surgery would be very challenging for a man his age, but here in Karamoja, impossible. 

While we were in the Manyatta there was a drunk man waving a ponga (machete) around. We were not quite sure what was going on, but we were already in the process of leaving. As we were driving away Rose began explaining to us that man with the ponga was the husband of one of the old man's daughters. His wife was in the process of hanging herself in her hut. He was basically saying, let her die. We were not quite sure we were hearing correctly and asked Rose, "You mean she is trying to commit suicide at this very moment?" Her response was, "Yes and nobody is willing to go into the hut to cut her down in case she is already dead." I immediately turned the car around and we quickly returned to the manyatta. We were relieved to discover that a young girl had gone into the hut and cut the woman down. The woman who had tried to kill herself was alive and as drunk as her husband. She was showing us the scars where her husband beats her and wounds where he has shot her with arrows. I asked Rose what would have happened if she had died. Would the Police have been called? She said, probably not. They simply would have disposed of her body. Nothing more. This is the unfortunate tragedy of so many. They live life with no hope and numb themselves with alcohol. The darkness and hopelessness in this manyatta is palatable. 

Listening to Proclaimer

We have been able to visit this manyatta several times since then. Ingrid was able to get a crutch for the elderly man along with tylenol. He is able, with assistance, to stand up and use the crutch and a walking stick to move around very painfully and slowly. Not an ideal solution, but all that can be done for now that we are aware of. On one of the visits we were able to share and talk about John chapter one with many from this manyatta. We had brought a proclaimer with us and were able to play John 1 in Ngakaramojong as many gathered and listened intently. Through the help of Ingrid's language teacher, Rose, we were able to talk about God's love for us and how His desire is be intimately involved in each of our lives and that He is not some distant and impersonal god, as their traditional god, akuj, is. We asked if we could come back and share in the future. We were told this would be fine. People all around this elderly man are eating, but they are not his family, so they will eat in front of him and not share. He is dependent on his two daughters for food and evidently they have very little. And since he does not contribute to getting food, he only gets some if there is enough after everyone else's needs are met. This is so far from how the west portrays cultures like this as idyllic with everyone carrying for each other and joining together in community. The heart of man is wicked. It is true everywhere in the world and on September 22nd it was so dramatically played out in front of us. Please pray for this old man. We have no idea what the long term solution is. Please pray for us as we continue relationships in this village. Pray that their hearts will be open to the Gospel of our Lord. That they will find hope and transformation in Him and through Him.

Discussing John 1

Our new Unit leaders, John & Krys Cassel, are back in Uganda and we were able to spend five wonderful days with them as they visited Moroto. What an encouragement they are. As we talked through much of what we have seen and are experiencing we were able to formulate a "Vision and Strategy Plan" (VSP). For those who are not aware, AIM has recently changed their framework for ministry. The old framework (Ingrid & I are part of it) allows ministry to take place in many different forms and contexts. The latitude given was the same whether the people group was reached or unreached. AIM's new framework has been redefined and the emphasis and priority will be to unreached people groups. With the definition given by Joshua project and IMB, the Karimojong are a reached people group, so all future AIM missionaries to the Karimojong, long or short term, will be limited to equipping church leaders. In our context this simply means we cannot just set up a ministry, such as community health evangelism, unless it is done in partnership with the indigenous church and is also equipping church leaders for ministry at the same time. If the Karamojong were to be considered unreached then the context of potential ministries is expanded. So for Ingrid and I, we are under the old framework, while anyone joining us will be under the new framework. Sound confusing? It did to us also, but as we worked through this with John and Krys we were encouraged that there is much ministry potential. The vastness of the needs around us with regard to equipping church leaders offers more opportunity for ministry then we can meet, if the churches are willing. If we were to consider ministry in all of Karamoja, there would be no way we could even scratch the surface. We had received some good advise from the man in charge of all development for Northern Uganda, Dr. Robert. He told us that Karamoja makes up 10% of all of Uganda and trying to cover the whole area is not prudent. He recommended we pick a sub-county or a district. We were able to pray about this and discuss it with John and Krys. So for now we will be focusing on Moroto district. We talked about placing a team adjacent to a manyatta. That team, working with the indigenous church would be working with and equipping leaders. The team's duration would be three years, then they would move on. The team's main role would be living examples of what a transformed life looks like. They would be encouraging church leaders to remove their cultural lenses they currently view life through and replace it with the lens of God's word, just as westerners need to do the same. This means that the team would need to be willing to challenge themselves in the same way. As team leaders, Ingrid and I would be responsible for the initial team and any subsequent teams. We have written up a draft VSP and sent it to John and Krys. I'm sure it will be a work in progress, still requiring other levels of approval, but we are excited that our Lord is leading us to the most relevant way to share Him with others and to see transformed hearts and lives. Please pray for us, as well as John and Krys, as this process takes place. Once approved, the VSP will be circulated and we will then be able to write up individual job descriptions. Our Lord knows who he is calling to join His work in Moroto district. So please pray also for those who are even now being called. 

Shalome

Not all things this month have been so "heavy." We were in Kotido, a town about 2.5 hours north of us for a few days. We drove our landlord, his wife, and his daughter, so they could share their needs with their home church. It was a wonderful and relaxing time. We were able to spend a little time with the north Karamoja Bishop as well as one of the Reverend's. At church we could really sense the service was about worship, not religion. On a side note, the reason our landlord, Israel, was travel with his family, was to raise money for his daughter, Shalom, who has leukemia. It is being recommended she receive a bone marrow transplant and he is looking for those who might be led to assist. The cost of a transplant is prohibitive for him and he cannot do this alone. Here is a link to a fund raising website, that also gives the background to what is going on. Please take the time to listen and pray. If led, please help. http://www.gofundme.com/fxxd78

We were able to spend a week in Kampala the end of October. It was a great time seeing those we don't normally get to see. We went saying it was a vacation, but it was really a working vacation. I also got a tooth fixed that I had broken when we first arrived in States our last visit. Dental care in Kampala is good and significantly less expensive then the U.S., which is why we waited. 

This coming Friday will be the first day I will be at the prison. I will have 1/2 hour to share a short message with the guards and work to develop more regular times to meet. I am looking forward to this opportunity. I still need to set times with the police. Please pray that I hear the Lord and faithfully communicate what He is saying. Also, that doors will open with the police. 

On a more personal level we continue to struggle with being seen only as dollar bill signs. If I could draw a comic of how we feel, it would be of two dollar bill signs walking down the street. One named Lyle and the other Ingrid. The people would be pointing at the dollar bill signs yelling "muzungu, muzungu (name for white person). This is how we feel we are so often identified. Not who we are, but how we can be used. The begging is constant. This is not an unusual feeling. Many have to struggle through this. We know our Lord will use these feeling and experiences to grow us more and more into His image. So please pray for us that we follow Him, grow more and more like Him through this, and resist the temptation to harden our hearts or become angry. 

As I look back, what I've written about only covers part of what has been going on. We are blessed and God is active. We praise Him and give Him the glory.

Something very poignant to close with. It is a short quote given to us on a card by some friends in the States, the McNeals; "Let your weakness be a door to My presence. Whenever you feel inadequate, remember, I am your ever present help." No more encouraging or truer words can be spoken as we look back over these last six weeks. It is in our weaknesses that we are made strong. But, we have a choice. Do we allow those weaknesses to draw us into the presence of our Lord, or do we try to struggle through on our own. May our weaknesses be a door to His presence. May He be glorified as He grows us more and more into the image of His Son, our Lord.

Love,

Lyle and Ingrid