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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OK God, Now We Have Your Confirmation, Thank You!

Sometimes it is a thankless job, or maybe I should say most of the time.  Don't get me wrong, we are not here for the thank you's because we could get that somewhere else and probably with less work.  I think I have heard people talk of this in the medical profession as well.  I am not talking about the polite thank you like when we teach our kids manners, but something here on earth, that helps us make sense of why we are here doing God's work.  Maybe a little encouragement because missionary work is not all fun and games, it is hard work.

It all came together tonight while talking with one of our boys.  We have talked on several occasions and he is quite reserved when it comes to telling what is going on inside.  He lost his mom when he was about three or four and his dad a few years later.  He had been bounced around to a few relatives and to a children's center and back to relatives and living a pretty tough life, fending for himself most of the time.  He was working to support himself at age twelve as a fisherman.

Tonight as we were talking he said he wanted to share something with me.  He said; "I am not here for the school fees or the food or even the bed, I could probably manage with some of that".  As he touched his heart he said; "I am here for the family and the love that I get here because that is something  I can't get anywhere else."

Have you seen the TV shows that when you say the right answer all the balloons fall from the ceiling and the sirens go off?  OK anyone old enough to have seen Groucho Marks re-runs? Well it was like that!  I wish Robyn was here, to hear it, because that is what we have been tirelessly trying to create, and maybe we have been successful in the eyes of this young man in his life.  Maybe someday he will be able to show that same love to his family when the time comes.  We have said from the beginning, that "family" is what needs to be developed here in Uganda and maybe we are on the right track!

This is a tribute to all of our supporters, volunteers and church partners who all make this happen and most of all to you Lord for directing us to do your work of taking care of these children.

Donate Your Old Car, Running or Not, it Is A Treasure To Us

A treasure to us and a tax deduction to you.  We will take care of everything, just call the tow free number 1-877-227-7487 or contact on line: Donate your Vehicle running or not.  24 hours a day!
We receive a check, and you receive a tax deduction for the full value of the car!


Jireh Ministries Foundation, Inc is a 501 (c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization and all donations are tax deductible under section 170 of the IRS code.

Examples of Real Heart

There was a sports competition with 15 schools from around the area.  Rob received second place in the 3000m race!  If you notice it says Mugumya Richard.  Richard is his late brother whom we lost in January, he ran the race in his brother's memory, even to the extent of changing his name. You may recall the story: http://hewillprovide.blogspot.com/2010/01/please-pray-for-us.html

Our school won several of the competitions, including the relay race, but only the one who finishes the race gets the certificate, Matthew was the second position runner in the relay race, and as we all know each person in a relay race is important.  About not receiving a certificate he said; "It doesn't matter because our school won the cup!"  Good attitude!  Gotta love the sportsmanship!

Matty on a recent visit to his village

Hold Your Breath and Watch Your Children Grow

As a parent I love to watch my kids as they grow and do different activities.  But  sometimes it makes me skip a heart beat as I cringe helplessly on the sidelines.

  When My oldest daughter, Jennifer, was ice skating, we got past the little falls, because before long she was out there doing jumps and spins and I would jump and spin inside.  When she was a cheerleader, of course, she had to be the flyer, the one on top that they throw in the air, so wouldn't you expect it that she would be the high diver too?  That platform is pretty far up there!  Our second daughter, Kimmy, rode horses and she was very tiny but the horse was very big!  We knew whatever sport that Kimmy played, that had to do with a ball, that she would inevitably get hit! One time with a soft ball right on her braces and we had an emergency visit to the orthodontist.

Now we have this new family in Uganda.  We seem to have to go through this again but this time we have boys too!  Well John loves to climb trees, and we have a big magnificent climbing tree in the front of the compound.  Really if I was younger I would be climbing it too.  John is an exceptional climber, and he gets up there so high and sometimes just looks around at the surrounding areas, very quietly, in fact you would not even know he is up there. One day I went outside and thought John and some of the other kids were out there and I just started looking around and didn't see anyone, then I remembered to look up in the tree, and there he was.

John waves and says very quietly, almost whispers, Jjaja (grandpa), and points down below him at a nest of birds.  He has a big smile on his face as he towers in the upper branches above this little family, just observing life.  I am not cringing now, but I am a little envious, but really happy for him, because he had a real birds's eye view!.

I am glad that I did not allow my fear to stop my children from growing and experiencing life!  What makes this extra special to me is that John was on the streets less than two years ago.  For this twelve year old little boy, we are his first real family experience, I can now see him starting to grasp the importance of family.

Praise God!

The lower branches are the height of the house

MARCH FOR PRAYERS

Anytime is good for prayers.  For the month of March I have been informed of a few requests.  The last time we had our prayer list it was very successful.  If you want to be included in our list, just drop us a line and let us know.

A Couple of Announcements and Updates 

• Robyn is doing well on her whirlwind visit in the USA.  She is being blessed wherever she goes and knows the Holy Spirit is really with her.  He has truly refreshed and renewed her spirit and we give thanks to God for that.
• We have joined the BlogFrog to invite new visitors to our blog and in trying to keep up to date on the best ways to keep everyone informed of the events of this ministry.  We thank God for all the opportunities He gives for us to communicate. 

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Zak is having his surgery on March 22 nd.  You may recall that he is nine years old and lives in San Diego CA and is the cousin to our volunteer Lauren Chavez.  He has been undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer on his leg since December.  We ask for the Lord's protection and intervention during and after the surgery. You can see pictures http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=349955&id=34796135240
•  Please pray that our communications through the various communities and blogs is fruitful to this ministry and pleasing to the Lord and we ask for His guidance on how to use them effectively.
• We pray that God protects Robyn during her tour of the USA and continues to bless and comfort her.
• We pray for the congregation of our church partner, The Lord's Church in Prather, CA to meet their upcoming financial commitment.  This will secure their property for the church. We give thanks to the Lord for their faithful support.  
• We pray for all the missionaries coming to visit us this year, we ask for their financial needs for the trip to be taken care; Lauren Chavez; Paulo Split and  gang; and those that have not been revealed to us yet.  Also Casey and Erin Scritchfield to continue on their 11 month / 11 country mission trip, who visited us earlier this month and  Chris Villalobos and all the Oral Roberts group coming to Uganda this year.
• We pray for Jim & Robyn's daughter, Kimmy and her son Xander, that the Lord guides and directs her, and reveals His almighty presence to her through her trials.
• We pray for a special blessing to our "behind the scenes" volunteers that work so hard to help this ministry.  For our Web Site Administrator, Adam McWethy; IT Specialist, Jessica Brown; Creative Director, Todd McWethy; Administrative Assistant in the USA, Lacey Gipe; Media processing & Distribution, Sara Kenyon; Blog Community Coach, Melissa Bushey, .
• We pray a special thanksgiving to all of our sponsors to this ministry for their faithfulness and support.
• We pray for the congregation of our church partner Cornerstone Baptist Church in Phelan for their faithful support.
• We pray for our Local Employee staff here in Uganda, Cook and Caretaker, Fatuma; Administrative Assistant, Peter; Boda Driver, Nasulu; that they do their work in the Glory of God.

We give you thanks Oh Lord for all of your blessings that you have given us and we give you all the honor and glory, and we ask you to show us the way that we can continue to do your work that pleases you.  We know Lord that you know all of our needs even before we do, and we ask you to help us to grow in our faith in you!

Amen

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Feel The Power

I don't ever want to get used to it or take it for granted.  So whenever I feel the power of the Holy Spirit, I feel compelled to tell everyone about it .  I think it keeps us praising God and that's what we are suppose to do, right?  In fact it is our duty!

  So here is my small testimony.  Whenever  I have the opportunity teach the Word, I call on the Holy Spirit.  But like a lot of people,  I really call on Him when I know I am in trouble, like not as prepared as  I would like to be or feel  I should be.  I guess when I feel it the most is when I am on the radio.  Maybe because you have no one in front of you to see if even anyone is out there, but then on the other hand you think, whatever I say the whole world is going to hear, so it better be right!

Well tonight  I felt His presence!  I hope the listeners did as well.  I got so wrapped up in the Word I lost track of time, (not really good radio protocol).  Maybe you should look at my blog about my first solo night on the radio to get the whole feel of what  I am saying here. http://hewillprovide.blogspot.com/2009/09/our-100th-blog-entry.html  When I looked up at the clock and saw  I was over (my time slot), I looked at the door and no one was there waiting for me to get off the air.  So they must be late, alright, now I still have time for a closing Prayer, Yea !  Praise God!  Of course it was: 

Thank you Holy Spirit for being here with us tonight...

...In Jesus Name, 

Amen