PLEASE JOIN US FOR WEEKLY PRAYER

While we are enjoying our time back in the USA, we have resumed our weekly  prayer service that began more than five years ago during the beginning of this ministry.   When God blessed us with this home, we immediately knew we would set this back in motion.    

Please join us for fellowship in prayer every Thursday evening at 7:00 PM 

401 Lake Front Drive

 Harrison, Idaho

Bring a friend!

If you would like to have a prayer night in your community, we would be happy to guide you into hosting an evening with the Lord for your friends too!  Just let us know and we will share how God's grace will make it happen.  Just don't wait until you have time!

Please forward this to a friend!

1 Peter 3:12

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today, in the USA, we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.  It is an especially wonderful time for families to come together to celebrate a great feast and to give thanks for their blessings.

 We would like to celebrate today by praising our almighty God and thank Him for so many blessings because He has truly provided for all of us.  As missionaries, we have learned to trust in Him for all of our provisions as we are committed to serve Him.  God always amazes us with His plan for our lives and how He orchestrates everything  to work together for His good and in His time.  We have learned to honor "His time", but sometimes it takes a lot of faith and patience.

Our Testimony Of How God Has Provided For Us 

In January, God provided the airfare for Robyn and then again for Jim in July, for them to go on furlough in the US.  It was a much needed break because 18 months is a long stretch without a day off with the help of only one part time staff member.  In Uganda, nothing comes easy and a seemingly simple task back home can become a difficult challenge there.  To make all of this possible,  God provided a partnership with Love In Action, to care for our children during our break. This has been a wonderful transition and truly blessed by our Lord as our children are doing fine! This has been a great relationship for all of us because Love In Action has been able to provide additional support to our children, like social workers and other staff.  We have continued to transfer the sponsorship funds to cover all the costs of our kids for education, food, shelter and clothes, and we thank and pray for our faithful sponsors who help to provide for these children.

  We thank God for this time with our family and to check up on our health and to rest.  While in the USA we stayed with our daughter Jenny and her family since we had no permanent home other than in Uganda.  Todd,  Jenny's husband, was offered a pastor-ship at a church in the neighboring state of Idaho.  We were then called into action to help prepare their house to be sold, this worked out pretty well since Jim's background includes owning a construction company specializing in home improvements.  The Lord had the house sold in record time as we have seen Him do before with our own house just three years earlier.  When God calls you, He will take care of everything, including all the necessary details.  In faith, our plan was to stay in the home until the close of escrow and then go wherever God sent us.   Just a week before the close of escrow,  the new owners of the house offered for us to stay with them for a while until we had a place to go, of course we thought; Wow!  It is just amazing how God works!  We have found that many times the Lord will give more than one solution to a problem or a need, just to remind us how magnificent he really is.  A few days later we were at the new location of our daughter's house in Idaho after helping them move.  On the day we were to return to Montana, we found out the house next door had become vacant.  We were able to meet with the landlord and she agreed to an extremely low amount for rent, (what we could afford) with no deposit or up front money, she simply said; "we need you here"!  A truck and trailer were provided for us to move our  possessions to our new home.  We have been blessed with a little home overlooking beautiful Lake Couer d' Alene, which is next door to our family with five of our grandchildren.

  In his heart man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Late one night, a visit to the emergency room became necessary  because of a case of pneumonia. The bill for the ER services was $600.00, and we don't have health insurance.  When we went to make arrangements to pay the bill, the clerk said you have no balance.  The hospital bill was "mysteriously" paid!  

On a follow-up visit with doctors, many other needed tests were performed for various medical conditions, and all of the medical fees and several months of the very expensive medications were covered under a grant program.  Since getting settled, the Lord has provided us with food and other needs through many people in this wonderful community.

 ...The Lord will provide... Genesis 22;14

During this time in the US, besides resting, visiting and praying we have been working on our future plans in Uganda.  We were blessed again recently when we met with a director of Love in Action to discuss our future  in Uganda regarding the continuing care of our children along with some other exciting possibilities. 

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19 

Yes, this is a time of Thanksgiving!

"Baptize Them In The Name Of The Father, Son and Holy Spirit"

On a recent Sunday we had another exciting event at the Door Of Hope!  We decided to have our weekly fellowship at the evening service at church, because one of our boys was ready to publicly proclaim his Christianity, by being baptized!  Our entire family was there along with the other church members, to witness this wonderful event.

  About two years ago, Moses accepted Jesus Christ as His savior and that is when he dropped his given Muslim name for his chosen Christian name.  It is encouraging to all of us as we witness our children take new steps in their walk with God.  We praise God and give him thanks for all of these opportunities as we watch our children grow in their faith and love of the Lord!

It truly is exciting to witness these milestones!  

This Is How We Celebrate Birthdays At The Door Of Hope!

Happy 13th Birthday Moses!

One thing Robyn has taught us at the Door Of Hope is how to celebrate birthdays.  In fact, anyone who personally knows Robyn will attest to this.  She makes it a special time to celebrate your life and to thank God for your existence.  It is a special day that begins when you wake up in the morning until you go to bed at the end of  the day.

  

Here in Africa so many of the children have no idea when their birthday is, let alone celebrating it.  Over the past year and a half we have introduced birthday parties and assigned birth dates to ones who didn't have one.  It has become a very popular event here.  The thing that is really exciting about our birthdays is that it is not focused on presents.  It is focused on everyone celebrating and having fun and of course birthday cake too!!

Why Was This Birthday An Extra Special Event?

Because we introduced Birthdays, "Door of Hope Style," to Love In Action!  They will be hosting the parties while we are out of the country and they joyfully welcomed our birthday party events!  The kids run the whole show, from decorating to games and skits.  It really teaches them a lot about loving their neighbor!

This was a special day for Moses as he turned 13!  This is truly a time to thank God for all His blessings, because just a little over two years ago, Moses was on the streets without a home.   The Lord has blessed him and us!

Stay tuned for later this week to see what else is in store for this young man!

Robyn Is So Happy, She is Doing Handstands!

Well, almost handstands!

File photo- the day we received the ministry-cycle

Thank you for the donations to get Jim home!  We appreciate it so much.  So far we have collected $1140.00.  We praise God and give thanks for all His blessings.  It is so wonderful to have friends who are able to help make this happen, it is very encouraging to all missionaries around the world! 

7 As you go,  preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.'  8 Heal the sick , raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.  Freely you have received, freely give.  9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts;  10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

11 Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.  Matthew 10: 7-11

The fees and paperwork for the Work Permit Visa have been submitted, so we are hoping to be able to make airline reservations soon!

We Believe He Will Provide!

We Are OK, Praise The Lord

The US Embassy has advised us to contact our friends and families to tell them that we are OK! 


"U.S citizens in Uganda not directly affected by today's events are strongly encouraged to contact friends and family outside of Uganda to notify them of their well-being."


 We are a couple of hours away from the capital where the bombings took place.  We know from past experiences to be extra careful and watch for local activities that are spurred on from events such as these.  So saying a few extra prayers for us is always helpful, they won't go to waste!


Here is one of the full communications our Embassy has sent us:


On 11 July 2010 at approximately 2310 local time, a bomb exploded at The Ethiopian Village restaurant, which was filled with spectators watching the World Cup finals match.  Approximately 10 minutes later, a second explosion occurred at the Rugby Club, also crowded with customers watching the soccer match.  Initial reports indicate that at least 13 people were killed at the Ethiopian restaurant.  At least 40 were reported by the police as killed at the rugby club site.  Many others were reported injured at both locations.  At least one American was reported killed in the blasts.

U.S citizens in Uganda not directly affected by today's events are strongly encouraged to contact friends and family outside of Uganda to notify them of their well-being.

Bombs are popular for criminals and terrorists because they are easy to conceal or place.  A device does not have to be complex to be effective, and even a small size bomb can cause great damage.

It is critical to remember that a bomb can look like anything.  It is limited only by the bomber's imagination.  Practice good situational awareness by being aware of suspicious objects or individuals around you and remember the "3-R Rule" to responding to a suspicious device:

--Recognize
--Run Away
--Report


The following are other protective measures in response to a suspicious device:

--Do not attempt to move or investigate anything in the vicinity of the device
--Move people away from the immediate area
--Do not move the object
--If you do hear an explosion:
--Move away from windows
--Evacuate to a safe area
--Assist the injured
--Be aware of the potential for secondary devices or explosions

U.S citizens are reminded to maintain a high level of vigilance and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.

The Great Preacher Has Already Come!

  Our radio broadcast this evening focused on one of our familiar verses.  One of my favorite scriptures can be found in several books but I usually go to Matthew 28: 16-20.  It gives us specific instructions:  All authority in heaven has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 

The Great Commission of the Old Testament! 

What I find very interesting is that this was not the beginning and end of that message.  As we dig deeper we find that we have been directed to do this from the beginning.  Yes, in the Book of Genesis we find in chapter 12: 1-3 The Lord said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.  "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  

We find in Isaiah 49: 6 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

So where does that leave us?  Surely, this is a big responsibility that we have been given!  How are we all supposed to do this?  We can't all leave our country, can we?  We can get out of our comfort zone.  We can  get out of our favorite chair.  We can go outside and down the street to a neighbor and share the Word of God.  

But we might say; "We are not all great preachers!"  My answer is the great preacher has already come, we are here to reflect the light of Jesus. Christ is the light of the world!  Remember if we are reflecting the light of Jesus, we don’t need to be a "great preacher."  

 You might ask; "How can I get enough strength and confidence to do this?"  The answer will be found here in   Acts: 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Let us all pray that the Lord continues to have you and I work for His purpose, honor, and glory and that the Holy Spirit will come upon us and give us the power!

Working Together For A Common Purpose

Tonight as I was driving a truckload of kids, African style, I thought how amazing God really is.
We had about 18 of us loaded for the journey!  Here this is a pretty normal way to transport from one point to another.  They have school trucks here instead of school buses, if that gives you any indication of our methods of transportation, in fact I have been in the bed of a pickup truck several time.  Actually the journey over our bumpy roads keeps you in about second gear at tops for most of the short trip to the  homes.

We had fellowship tonight at Love In Action's compound.  This is a Sunday event that we participate in, first we have supper and then the fellowship.  We have drums and worship music singing in Lugandan and English, pretty awesome!  We have some talented children sing, drumming, and dancing all to the Lord!  We have  a small sermon on the Word, which tonight was given by Peter our resident advisor for the boys.  What is really cool is this; Love in Actions compound is just up the road from Equator Radio, where Jennifer and I share the Word on Saturday and Sunday evenings.  So After the fellowship we walk or get a lift to the radio station and do our half hour show and then we meet back with the others and we journey home at about 10:00 PM.

So why was I thinking; "God is so amazing" on the way home tonight?  Well, Alan from Love In Action is on his way to the UK and Beryl was taking him to the airport.  So neither one of them was here to do the regular transporting of the kids home after the service.  And I don't have a truck, our ministry fleet is a motorcycle.  I am driving the Eagles Wings Truck, because one of their girls stays with the Love In Action girls (Hosanna House), as they are located about two blocks from Eagles Wings.  Eagles Wings is our very close neighbor, just about  the distance of a city block from our compound.

So why I think God is so amazing is because He has all of us working together for a common cause, His Cause!  We all recognize it is God's ministries that He has appointed us to run.  We all have our specialty services and projects we each offer, but we all have Jesus Christ as our common focus.  So as I was driving I was thinking; He Will Provide Ministries (USA) is driving the Eagles Wings (Canada) truck transporting kids from the three ministries who were fellowshipping at the Love In Action (UK) compound.  In the "real world" we would be competitors!  Could you imagine two companies sharing  their trucks or facilities?

Thank you Jesus, we are truly blessed doing your work and seeing how you provide for our every need!

Ahhh! At last, My Time Has Come!!

Even the Lord took a day off !
Genesis 2:2

 So yes my time has come, but I need some help!

I have been prayed for, encouraged, and even justified that I am deserving of some help.  This is my first public appeal for finances for myself!  Honestly it is easier to ask for donations for our children. I love our kids and feel very strongly about them and will go to any length to take care of them. Quite frankly that is one reason I do have to ask for help.  We are also a donor to this ministry, like many of you, and actually we have nothing left for ourselves.  We couldn't let the kids go hungry, a place to sleep, school fees, or clothes so we just did what we had to do. I am telling you when we are on the front lines we are called to action!  Of course it didn't help that last year we were robbed of money we were saving towards airfare.

 So now the time has also come for us to make an appeal!  Will you please help us out.   We have targeted needing about $1700.00 between my airline ticket and immigration papers.  The immigration papers include my two year Work Permit that has been approved, but not paid for yet, it will allow me to get back in the country upon my return .  We have installed a donation button right here for your convenience.  Please make a notation that says "LTM Jim Fruehan".

Send A Missionary Home!

Believing He Will Provide,

Jim

He Said "I Will Take Care Of Everything"

When we patiently wait for God's answers

 they will eventually come!

Our first night at the Door of Hope. (January 2009)

God sets the lonely in families Psalm 68:6

We never knew the length of time God wanted us in Africa, so a lot of things in our lives have been up in the air. Our plan has been to be obedient to His calling.   As a matter of fact we both have been spread a little thin, especially lately with Robyn on one end of the world and me on the other.  Basically we manage two ministries to make all this happen, Jireh Ministries Foundation in the USA (the support) and He Will Provide Ministries here in Uganda (the Project).  Robyn has been in America since the end of January and she really has needed me to assist with a few things back home, as many of you know our story, we still have vehicles to sell and belongings that are in storage. We are eager to reunite, especially since this is the longest that Robyn and I have been apart in our 34 years of marriage, and it is time for me to see our "other family" including our six grandchildren!

Since this ministry involves the lives of children it is a non stop operation, in taking care of all of their needs, clothing, food, medical, school, along with their spiritual welfare. The children have not been without at least one of us since we began this home in January 2009, and that is a long stretch without a day off.  Through God's infinite wisdom and mercy, He called upon some friends to offer to help care for our children so we could have a break! Praise God! Yes they offered!  They listened to God!  I don't know for how long and I don't have a flight scheduled or the money for the fare, but for now I will leave that in God's hands too.  I hear him saying; "I Will Take Care Of Everything!" 

Robyn Fruehan and Beryl Went (pictured with Hadra)
For an afternoon of fellowship in 2009

After their offer to assist us, we have made arrangements with Alan and Beryl Went of "Love In Action" to care for and watch over our children in our absence.  Love in Action is a UK charity and a Ugandan NGO who are blessed with a large enough staff to perform their good works, as they have been doing for quite a few years. Our children have known and fellowshipped with Love In Action since our beginning, so they are not strangers.  They will continue with basically the same love and care they are accustomed to and we are assured they will be provided with the proper care!  Of course our children will continue to be financially supported through our sponsorship program.

 This actually is a good step forward in our growth, as most Directors including the Went's are able to leave their project for holiday breaks throughout the year.  Because we are still small in number without a staff we have not had this opportunity until now, but our Lord God has Provided for us!  The Lord has proven that He does not have boundaries and is able to move mountains in order for His will to be done!

Please continue to keep us in your prayers so we receive the necessary funding to make this complete.

Please tell us how God is working in your life!  

Friends, Fellowship, and Jesus!

Thank You Jesus! 

 We Praise You For Providing For Us!

We always need to see the Lord working in everything we do.  The little things are really important because so many times it is all the little things summed up together that makes the big picture!  The Lord has provided friends for us to lean on during times of need, whether it be spiritual fellowship or friends to share a meal with.  We have become friends with other people here that have a ministry similar to ours.  This has become very important to us lately because I am doing this alone as Robyn has been in the states since February.  

On one of our visits to the "English Garden" in 2009, under a magnificent Mango Tree!

We recently began a weekly fellowship for the kids with our friends Alan and Beryl Went at Love In Action, who are from the UK.  If you have ever been here to Uganda you will know them as Masaka Internet Cafe, it is one of the branches of their ministry.  You may remember the English gardens we visited a while back and that is where our group photo / Christmas card was snapped. So on Sunday evenings we have dinner and fellowship.  It makes a nice size group of about 30 and the kids play the drums and sing worship songs and then we have a bible study!  This has been a real gift to me to have some help with our kids.  

I have said it before, but it is amazing seeing the Lord work right before our eyes.  I just shared with you recently of some of our needs that are just not covered by sponsorship money.  In fact it takes a few sponsors to take care of just one child.  By the time we provide shelter, clothes, food, education, healthcare, etc., well it all adds up past the pledged amounts! So each month we wait and see how the Lord is "going to do it"  this time.  To me it is a regular miracle because somehow the Lord puts it on someone's heart to take care of whatever need the Lord sees fit!  Many times it is just the right dollar amount needed to purchase some much needed  supplies, pay for school fees, purchase school uniforms, or even in Robyn's case when someone donated specifically for her airline ticket to get home for a much needed rest!

  So it tells us that the Lord knows our needs
&

we should be patient and have faith in Him! 

I know when we are ready to announce our new direction for growth, it will be at that time that the Lord will begin funding for that project.  I also have faith that the Lord will provide a day off soon so I can kick back and rest a bit, after 16 months I think I am overdue!  But God knows our needs! 

Is There A Reptile in The House?

YES!

We do have reptiles in our house.  We mostly have geckos that we consider friends because they eat bugs.  In climates like this bugs thrive and geckos thrive too.  Recently we had some new visitors that arrived with the help of some of our boys. They call them our pets!

File Photo 

These are Chameleons that are pretty abundant around here. The first one was Shane, and then came the others; Sebastian the the small green one, Sidney the big brown one, Saith the small brown one, and Sean the big green one.  These guys are pretty amazing to watch and are very friendly and love to be held.  The geckos are a quite skittish and would rather be left alone.  The geckos also can climb walls and ceilings and run fast.  

When they were first introduced we found most of the locals seem to be afraid of them.  But some have accepted them as there friends, as it seems with our family.

I am glad nobody seems to love snakes around here!  There is the black mamba which is a venomous snake which can be found in the bush areas, but thank God not in our house!

Back To School Sale

It is time for the kids to return to school for Term II!  They have enjoyed a holiday for about three weeks.  This second term will end in mid August.  Thank God that once again we were able to pay most of the school fees, we just have one child's fees yet to be covered.  We want to thank all of you for supporting us to make this all happen.  We are still lacking in a few areas and we have come up with a new page that is called Our Current Needs, you can see the tab on top of this page just under the header.


While you are at it you may take a look at these other new tabs as well.  We have added tabs for Prayer Requests, Be a Missionary, Become a Sponsors, Meet The Authors, and Visit Our Web Site.  Our hope is with this new feature that more people will connect and participate with us!  


If you notice, the Prayer Requests is specifically for you to tell us where you need prayers.  Our children have learned to pray for others around the world.  This way they are loving their neighbor as themselves and learning not to focus on their own problems.  They see and understand how they can make a difference in other people's lives by the power of prayer.  You may also consider attaching a photo, the kids love seeing pictures.


So what is the BACK TO SCHOOL SALE?
We would like to introduce you to our sponsorship program if you are not presently involved in it.  When you become a sponsor of the Door of Hope Family you will be known as an Auntie or Uncle to the children.  We encourage you to exchange letters and pictures with any or all of the children.  It is the combined effort of several people that makes this project work. 

 Our successes can be seen when we look at just one child's life.

Johnny
Johnny was on the street in 2008 when he was found by a missionary team.  He is 11 years old and had never been to school.  He was abused by his step mother which was ignored by his father, which is a common problem here.  We first met him in 2008 while he was in a temporary home and we brought  him here in January of '09 to join us at the Door of Hope.  He did not speak English and school was very difficult at first.  He is now top in his class and we can hold a conversation in English.  He loves to fix things like a handy man, he also loves farming, and is a really great tree climber!  He is also blessed with a wonderful sense of humor! 
  Praise God!

We have three levels of sponsorship. 

 $14.00 per month for Junior Sponsor

 $28.00 per month for Sponsorship

 $60.00 per month for Level II Sponsorship 

Read Barbra's Thank You Letter to our Sponsors

Grasshoppers A La Carte

The grasshoppers are swarming in clouds of smoke in the bright lights over the barrels to catch them.  At night, as you look in the distance at the bright lights, you will see thousands of them. During the rainy season, which we are in right now, they are in abundance and these people are ready for them too.  They are a true delicacy and the locals love them.  Robyn and I both had one in 2008 and that satisfied the curiosity for us!  


The grasshoppers are a boost to the economy as well by supplying food to the people and the birds along with other animals.  As they are rich in protein, they may very well be a good supplement to their diets.  During the night the collection stations are numerous and during the day you will see the vendors walking the streets with the prepared treats in clear plastic containers with a measuring scoop inside. The preparation is taking off the wings and legs and frying the bodies.  For eating, it is just popping them in your mouth.


Last year one of our boys ate a few too many.  He woke up with a swollen face, itching all over and trouble swallowing.   A quick dose of an antihistamine seemed to settle him down.  I noticed he is a little more reserved about eating them this season.  One theory is that since the grasshoppers eat vegetation, they become rich in pollen and  it may be after eating the grasshopper we ingest a large dose of pollen thus an allergic reaction.


As I am writing this, one of our boys just got home with a pocket full of live grasshoppers that someone gave him , I think he stopped on the way home and picked them, which is another common way to collect them, just on a smaller scale.  As he emptied his pockets, grasshoppers starting spilling out and jumping around the kitchen.  He willingly shared them with the other boys and said; "I don't eat these anymore, you take them."  They quickly captured all of the grasshoppers and began the process of winging and legging them so they could prepare another batch.


I Just wanted to share with you another way of enjoying God's creation and giving thanks for all that He gives us.  

Confession or Testimony?

Recently, I sat here staring at 6,000 schillings the equivalent to about $3.00 USD, yes three dollars!  I said OK Lord, this is your ministry, so it is your move.  What else do you want me to do?  I told God that I will have faith and not worry about it.  Now, I know our commitments and what it takes to run this place, and it is pretty hard to just shut those things off like they don't exist. So I became more intrigued on how He was going to do it, because I did have Faith in Him. There were all these thoughts on how He has never left us without food, He has always come through.  Over the past five years, since the beginning of this ministry, there would always be an unexpected donation from the least expected person to cover our needs.

This time I did have different thoughts go through my mind.  Here I am, all the way on the other side of the world, alone (as Robyn is in the US right now), sitting here with these children that the Lord has entrusted to me with  a meagerly $3.00.  What kind of caretaker am I?  I don't have big financial backers behind me.  We have our few faithful sponsors that contribute each month to make this happen. Is He testing my faith again?  OK, if He is then it means He has plans for us.  Because as all this was taking place, the Lord was telling me to grow the ministry!

 GROW THE  MINISTRY?  Yea right, take on more kids Lord?  OK you want blind faith?  Then you got it!!  This was all your idea from the beginning and I am only following your command.  He has taken over the keys now as I am writing and I don't know where we are going, as I am in the Spirit  right now.  What is He telling me?  Where are we going?  I should complete my testimony to you.  As I was sitting there with the $3.00 I knew we were behind in payments at the school and we are preparing for the next term with a financial obligation that is compounded by what we were already in debt for.  Robyn and I decided that we would not go further into debt and just trust God. Then an unexpected donation came in from a church, who we didn't even know, for $490.00.  That totals nearly all of the school fees that we need right now to cover this past term and this new term.  Within that few days other sponsor money had come through and we were able to once again meet our day to day obligations. But that was a major pivoting point for sure!

Do you know what that is like to see God working right before your eyes?  As He comforts you and says "I have it all under control, trust me."   I think; What does He have me here for?  He can cover all the costs of His projects with one person or a thousand, I think it really depends on His plan, how He will include people, who's life does He want to touch.  His miracles are always multifaceted and I don't think we could ever understand the full impact of one of those small things He does in our lives.  How amazing it is to be a part of it all!

So as He tells me His plans of expansion to include more children, and evangelism, I still have to wonder how He is going to do it , not out of doubt, but out of amazement.  The message I got from all of this is that He wants our faith first, the same message that He has had me preaching lately.  He doesn't want the vision, or the huge task that needs to be done, because He can do that easy enough.  But He wants our faith and He will manifest off of that.  I often think of how Peter was to step out of the boat and walk on the water towards the Lord, and I realize that is some pretty heavy and awesome faith!  Am I ready?  Here I am Lord!

Now I am looking to where I am suppose to insert commas and do a few humanly things to make this legible.

 I have been re-reading Rick Warren's book The  Purpose Driven Life, the same book that helped get us here in Uganda in the first place.  In chapter ten he talks of totally surrendering our lives to God. He tells a few stories of how some well known people, especially in Christian circles, had surrendered their life to God.  In Romans 6:13 it sums it up by saying we should surrender our whole selves to the service of God to be used for a righteous purpose!  How awesome is that?

I surrender my life to you God, a slave to our Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen

Achieving Milestones In Our Infancy

In December we posted this entry about our NGO status:

December 2, 2009

We Received Our Approval For An NGO!

We have been working on this all year, and comparatively speaking, it was a lot more work than getting our 501 (c) (3) in the USA! So now we are allowed to apply for Visa Work Permits instead of Visitors Passes which in the long run will save us money along without the hassles of going to the immigration office every two months. This is important to all of us long term volunteers. It will also allow us to apply for any government grants that are available in the USA or Uganda.

This Officially puts us on the map!

Jireh Ministries Foundation, Inc. USA
He Will Provide Ministries, UGANDA


May 1, 2010

Now our work permit has been approved! 

 Another milestone!  

Being a young organization, as we are in our 5th year, these are all the steps needed to do the job we are doing here.  The NGO is a non government organization equivalent to a non profit organization in the states.  The work permits are for the  immigration department so we can work in an organization without renewing special visa passes every two months. They have issued a two year work permit to us.  This will save us money in the long run because of the cost of special passes, and save so much inconvenience not having to deal with the capital city for all the immigration services. 

This is all good but it doesn't come without a price tag.  We are in need of some additional funding as this all adds up.  The one work permit we have right now for Jim  is $250.00 per year for two years and the processing fee for the work permit is $150.00 and the processing fee for the NGO is $200.00.  This total comes to $850.00!  This is kind of expensive just to be a volunteer (it is still called a work permit) to do God's work!  But I guess it goes with the territory. We are really grateful, because once submitted both our NGO and Work Permit were  approved relatively quickly as we have heard some stories of long delays.

If you are able to help out with these costs it will be greatly appreciated.  We know the Lord will provide, we just don't know how He plans on doing it and who he is going to use.  But we just want to give everyone the opportunity to participate.  Please memo your donation: NGO  These can be made on line or by check.  

Regardless of how you can help, everyone please pray for us!  

A special thanks goes to Richard at MAF, Mission Aviation Fellowship, who assisted us by the processing of this paper work for these two government agencies.  May God bless them as they have been the missionary's missionary. This is an extra service they do besides their main ministry of flying missionaries and supplies into remote areas. 

United We Serve The Lord Our God!

Amazing Maize

How Sweet It Is!

Farm Project Update

Just a few months ago we shared with you about our co-op farm with God's Revival Church here in Uganda.  This project which is funded by donors, enabled us to develop and plant four acres that were available to us to grow crops.  Our maize is now about 5 feet / 3.5 meters tall!  It seems we planted at the right time, just in time to take full advantage of the rainy season.  The timing was not ours but the Lord's since we were dictated by the donations we received to fund this project.

I would love to show a picture but we don't have a working camera at the moment.  

It is funny, in the village the people are amazed at our corn crop because many of theirs are just beginning to sprout.  Some didn't plant because they were afraid the rain wouldn't come, others didn't plant right away because they doubted the rain at first and then planted late.  We planted when we had the funds and on faith that the rain will come!  Sounds like a bible story to me!

With the crop both ministries will use some of the corn flour or known locally as posho, that we will have milled.  We are planning to sale some to the market so we can purchase other food, and prepare for next season.  The donations made to us will be multiplied through this project!

We will keep you posted as we get closer to harvest time!

Rejoice In Our Suffering

I prayed; "Please God Heal Me" as I was heaving my way through the night, I knew I had become really ill.  My head had been aching non stop for hours like it was going to explode.  My eyeballs felt so much pressure like they were going to pop out.  I could barely crawl back to bed and wondered how soon I would have to get back up for more, because I couldn't move fast if I needed to get out of bed in a hurry.  Everything hurt!  I was just waiting to the point when I could at least drink some water and keep it down.

It seems I have malaria, and as I started taking the course of medications, my body was rejecting anything I was taking by mouth, and that meant no headache medication either. It seems I am now on the road to recovery, not 100% yet, but getting there, it will take a couple more days.

So what is so joyful about this?  As I am alone here with my kids, I realized they are supposed to depend on me but I have nothing left to give.  But when called to action they stepped up to the plate and kept checking to make sure I was still alive.  Yea, I mean that literally, malaria is the number one cause of death in Uganda as well as in several other African countries.  They have seen death occur far to often, so they know the possible consequences of an illness.  Most everyone here has had malaria or have seen it, so they know all too well the effect it has on your body.  So they made dinner and followed the schedule for the cleanup and chores.  The evening prayers and worship were conducted as we have scheduled.  They prepared the morning breakfast and locked the main house so they would be able to come in and get their morning breakfast without disturbing me.

All of this is something to rejoice to the Lord about.  My little children, made up mostly of orphans and street kids, have learned what "Love thy neighbor as thyself is all about". I think they also know what having a family is truly about too!  Praise God!
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No Joking Matter

As Jennifer and I completed our Bible Study Radio Show on Sunday evening, she turned to me and said; "Jjaja, do you know who those people were?"  She was referring to the ones that were entering the studio for their show as we were signing off and exiting.  Because of the local language unless you have an interpreter as Jennifer, a lot can go by unnoticed.  She said they are witch doctors, and they are selling their healing preparations.  This is the reality of what we have here in Uganda.

I know back home in the states, when people hear of witch doctors they depict something from the movies, people with colorful headbands and shakers dancing around the fire and the impact is usually humorous to the observer.  Jokes are often made about them and they are used in comedy routines as well.  When you see first hand the impact they make on a society, it is not so funny anymore.  It is very real and often people are cursed.  So much of the time the fear of the curse is enough to bring people down.  Land has been cursed because someone is building a church, or because of a family feud.  Unborn babies are cursed to have deformities or to die.  It is an evil practice but very real.  False healing is given to others and because they did not get proper medical care they become more seriously ill or die.

We have a variety of culture, religion, beliefs, and cults here!  We need to be aware of our surroundings and to take things seriously.  It is must be quite an interesting contrast to be listening to the radio, because within the same hour, they hear about Jesus and eternal life and then hear of the evil side. This is how blatantly Satan operates here.

Since I know the Lord was on our side during our broadcast, as we always cover ourselves in prayer, we have faith that His almighty power was covering our listeners. Please remember to keep all of us in your prayers.
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To Have A Servants Heart

In John 13: 1-17  we learn a good lesson in humility and to have a servants heart.  When Jesus can go around and wash his disciples feet it really teaches us a few things.  The example that He laid down for us is pretty amazing.   He is teaching a level of leadership that can be really challenging for most of us.  Our human side tells us that this is not the proper protocol of a leader of a kingdom, company, organization, or a church.  But Jesus is telling us otherwise.

Tonight we played out the Gospel story.  Matty was the narrator, Rob played Peter, and Jjaja Jim played Jesus.  So as Matty began reading the scripture I went with a basin and a pitcher of water and a towel as Jesus showed us, to each of our children and proceeded to wash their feet.  When I came to Rob, he read Peter's part; "Lord are you going to wash my feet?"  7Jesus said; "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand."  Then we continued through the scripture 8-12.  I completed the washing of our children's feet / After the completion of washing the disciple's feet Jesus said:  13"You call me teacher and the Lord and rightly so, for that is what I am.  14 Now that I Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."


Then the children proceeded to wash each others feet as it says in the scripture;  16  "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."


It was just on Saturday that I was talking to the kids about having a servant's heart.  We should have a good attitude about helping one and other and offer to do something that you see needs doing.  We find that all of of life's lessons can be found in the Bible.  Hopefully this will be one of those Bible stories that will stick with them for the rest of their life!
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A Birthday to Remember!

We had some donations through "Causes" on Facebook for my Birthday, totaling $60.00!  Wow and thank you so much!  This is where a person can designate a cause for someone to donate to, in lieu of giving a traditional birthday gift. Of course my cause was Jireh Ministries Foundation.

So what was so exciting this year on my birthday? It was telling the kids that they will receive "birthday presents" on my birthday!  There were things that we had on the list to purchase whenever our budget might allow it.  So, some real needs were met, and we had an extra nice party too.

So for about $11.00 usd we had goat, plain spaghetti, home made chapatis, deviled eggs, with cabbage salad!  The kids said it was like a Christmas or Easter dinner, a real feast for all 14 of us here!

The gifts were an allowance of the equivalent of $2.50 / 5,000 schillings each to purchase sandals for the boys and some necessities like knickers, bras and petticoats that the girls shopped for and picked out their most needed items.  They all were extremely excited about this gift!  Some of us take the basics for granted but everything is a blessing here, Praise God!

So that totals $31.00 for food and clothes which leaves us with a balance of $29.00 to go towards some of our other needs, like, school fees, rent, food, utilities, etc. Thank you so much for the birthday gifts!

We played games, danced, played drums, and had birthday cake too!

Priscilla came up with this game of sorts, where you pick a small wadded piece of paper from a bowl and after you unravel it, you have to do whatever the message tells you.  Well, little nine year old Joseph decided to keep cashing in on his ticket.  It said; "Hug Jjaja", so every so often he would come over, take it out of his pocket and show me what it said, and  then give me a big hug and a big smile!  It really shows all of us how important a hug can be!

So much of the day was spent in preparation for this party.  Just in case you might think it is a waste of time and energy, it was not.  It shows the kids thinking of others more than themselves, not focusing on their own problems or difficulties and being optimistic and happy about life.  There were children decorating as I was not allowed to go in the living room until party time and even then had to be escorted.  They walked to town to buy their birthday gifts, made birthday cards, iced the cake, made chapatis, fried the goat and cooked the  dinner.  Kids were hiding things and covering their papers as I would walk by, just a busy excitement in the air.  My job was making deviled eggs & spaghetti, and preparing the icing for the cake.

We closed in prayer and a few songs about 11:30PM.  What a long and productive day!  To be the guest of honor was a real blessing in itself but I also realized, we met another milestone! Praise God!
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My Birthday Party Reveals A Renewed Spirit!

In February 2009 we opened the Door of Hope Families here in Uganda.  My birthday, March 31, was the first to be passed by, almost unnoticed.  Robyn mentioned it, but birthdays don't have much meaning over here.  For one thing, several of our children did not know when their birthday was, and they surely never celebrated one before.  We tried to have a little fun and they were going to guess my age, well that was a real smart idea Einstein.  93 - 78 - 65 OK lets stop this, and try something different.  Most of them had not spent much time with a muzungu before and we look different than the locals, and the longevity of life here is in the forties.  I was 58 last year, not too old yet, right?  But for a young African child, this white man with graying hair must have looked ancient. 

Well through this past year we learned how to celebrate birthdays and before long everyone decided that it could be a good thing.  We assigned birthdays to ones that didn't know theirs and we had cakes and parties, games, and music and fun!

 Here is the stories on how we make Birthday cakes:

http://hewillprovide.blogspot.com/2009/07/proud-father.html

http://hewillprovide.blogspot.com/2009/07/more-pancakes-please.html

 This was all made possible by Robyn's joyful spirit.  She taught them how to decorate and make the day special.  We never started with gifts as a necessity or a focus.

They started bringing small gifts with home made gift wrap of something that was special to them that they were willing to give up and share.  The decorations were soon taken over by a couple of girls that "took the ball and ran with it" as they could make a room look festive by going out in the village and gathering vegetation and that added with a few traditional balloons, and like magic it was a party!

Birthdays were now a time to give someone a special day and for all of us to celebrate with each other.  We would always include prayers, and worship, and testimonies and talk about what this person means to us or discuss their special attributes and praise God for the gift of life.

So this year my birthday still falls on March 31, but there was a different excitement in the air.  The kids said we need a good party this year because last year it wasn't very good.  Can we have a real party?  Yea lets have a great party.  How about goat or beef for dinner (meat is only on special occasions, like Christmas or Easter), and chapatis, and eggs, and jack fruit.  OK lets do it, so how about we wait until this weekend when we are out of school so we can stay up longer for games and fun.  

The excitement of this event was a healthy change in their lives.  It was optimistic, thoughtful and fun.  When your family is made up mostly of orphans and street kids you realize that events like this are a true blessing from God and we thank Him for showing us the change that is being made in these lives.

I will tell you how it went on the next post!

How do you celebrate birthdays?

REJOICE IN THE LORD!

In the mist of some tough times we can Rejoice in the Lord!  We learn this in a few places like;  Romans 5:3 and Matthew 5:12.  We will see where it tells us to rejoice in our sufferings!  This week I noticed how the Lord kept blessing me with small but powerful conversations and events that have turned into what I will call mini-testimonies that I am sharing with you.  Sometimes we have to listen carefully an we can hear the answers to our prayers and God speaking to us about direction and confirmation through people.  I always imagined when He talked to Moses, Noah, Abraham, and all the others, that it was with the loud voice coming from the heavens, I guess Hollywood helped with that thought a lot too!

• One of our boys asked me for a box, and because boxes are not easy to come by here, I first asked; "What do you need it for?" He told me that his teacher was suggesting the kids bring some of their clothes, that they no longer wear, for the less fortunate children and he wanted to take a shirt and trousers. One nice thing was that our children are not in that category anymore, although we are still in need.  I told him to just put them in a plastic grocery bag.  As he motioned with his hands he said; "I can't do that Jjaja, I need to wash and iron them really nice and place them in a box so it will make it a really nice gift!"  I think that translates into: Do it with love!  Yes, I got him a box with some makeshift tissue paper.  Interestingly enough, this is one of our two boys that don't have shoes right now because they were stolen.

•  Another young boy that has been, well... lets just say in the learning stages for most of this past year.  He has been making some real visible changes in his character and it looks like he has really accepted Jesus in his heart. As I was preparing dinner the other night, he came up to me, as I usually have an audience as I cook, and said Jjaja; "I have been abusing (that means insulting like verbal abuse, calling names, etc.) this other boy in the family, in the past, but I am not going to do that anymore.  I just want to apologize to you for that and I am not going to do it anymore. Kind of speechless I said; "What?  Why?  Whats this all about?  He said "I just am" because it wasn't right.  I asked if he apologized to the other boy and had asked Jesus for forgiveness, he said; "yes."  When we accept Jesus in our heart, the changes will come.

• We received a package this week that was in transit for five months.  It was an answer to some of our needs and a few "extras."  Some of the items were boy's belts because what we get here fall apart in a few weeks.  The boys were very excited, in fact,  for a surprise I had told them we were going to talk about repairing their belts and bring your old belt to the meeting.  One was almost in two pieces, just falling apart, so he was pretty excited as he had a choice of a couple styles and colors to choose from. The Lord Will Provide.

• In this package were also scientific calculators for our senior girl students.  They were so excited, I wish I had it on video!  They opened the packages, smelled the new packaging, looked at the interchangeable colored covers and then were additionally excited to see they were dual power, battery and solar, because it will reduce on the need for batteries.  They all needed a calculator  desperately for several of their classes.  What we found here last year was inferior models that really did not perform as a scientific calculator or the others would just quit working, so we didn't waste our money on the local models again this year.  This morning as we were leaving for church I noticed one of the girls had her calculator, and I asked; "Why are you bringing that to church?"  The girls all laughed and said Jjaja, "She even slept with it last night!"  I think they really cherished these gifts.  So it was appropriate to bring a gift from God to church.  Did I already say The Lord Will Provide?

• When I was talking to the girls about these gifts, we also presented the results of a recent craft project they did.  They made some yarn hand bags and when Rita went back to America she presented them to some churches in in Indiana, and when she returned, she brought the proceeds of the sales for the girls.  These earnings were unexpected by the girls and they were joyfully overwhelmed because they don't often get the chance to make income.  That is a wonderful gift from God, thank you to the people that purchased them.  But it gets better than that, read on:

• Today at church there was an exciting event that took place.  When it was finally time for the tithes and offerings we had some new participants!  I say finally because I think they could hardly wait!!  We had four people this week that had earned some money and calculated their tithes.  Three for the handbag sales and another from some local work here in our village. This was the first time for some and if not the first time, it had to be the largest amount that they have ever given to an offering.  If you are able to give a tithe it means you earned some money and that is a great gift. To give back to God with a happy heart is priceless!

• There were a few other events that showed generous hearts, where some had shared their money.  One was so happy to have her clothes chest repaired with her own money instead of having to wait until we could afford to have it repaired.  Another was able to help out a relative with some transportation needs that had come unexpectedly because of a death in the family.  We are often blessed by the least expected source.

As I said in the opening, I was truly blessed this week witnessing God at work in so many areas!  I am really happy that He is answering some questions and giving us encouragement, as He guides us further into this journey. God gave us so many happy things that I just can't remember what those bad things are right now, I won't give them any honor!  Rejoice in the Lord!

Amazing Grace

Moses has found a little job in our village, and he is excited to be earning some money.  A woman at a nearby house asked him to do some weeding and yard work for her. She has had  him back a few times to do addtional work, so maybe he has a regular customer.  Moses is twelve years old and came to us in February 2009, he didn't speak a lick of English and had not been in  school since only God knows when.  He had been on the streets for a couple of years.  He is now in P3, speaks English and is 3rd in his class!  He is an amazing boy.  He is saving his money and each time he brings home his earnings he places the money inside an envelope inscribed with his name that we hold for safe keeping.

We talked about tithing and how savings can add up with hard work over time.  So the big question you might ask; what is he saving for?  He is saving for a bicycle.  Having a bicycle here in Uganda is really special.  There are even adults that would like to have one, because transportation is not easy.

So I asked him;  "When you were on the street, what would you have used that money for?"  Without hesitation, he looked up at me and answered; "FOOD!"   I am really happy that he can now think about things that a twelve year old boy should be thinking about, and he is willing to work for it.  Picturing yourself riding a new bicycle in the future is a much healthier thought than wondering if you will eat today!

We speak of God's amazing grace, and here it is!
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