January Mission Trip Ministry Update
(Pastor Bigimba Ngabo and Jen Greene)
Week 1
Bigimba made an agreement with the current owner to purchase the Grace House property; one of the sites we were currently renting to house our children. The property had several structures on it allowing everyone to live in one place. It will provide more stability for the children, which is a tremendous gift given the MANY transitions they have experienced in their lives.
What a blessing! Thank you for supporting this need!
Jen's focus was on English for some of the Goshen Gganda church leaders and members. English and Lugandan are the primary languages in Kampala, Uganda. Most of the leaders and members have been in the country less than 2 years and speak neither of those languages. The church leaders need English lessons so they can connect with local people and reach out and serve the community. The days of training were fun and well received and are really making great progress in their English (it is 3rd or 4th language for most of them).
There is a HUGE need for English training in future trips and the only requirement is that you speak English! No teaching experience required. Week 2
Bigimba was incredibly busy with the church leadership preparing for a weekend Crusade held at the Goshen Gganda church. The event included a choir and dance group from Rwanda. Additionally, there were 13 visiting preachers and evangelists from the surrounding area and countries. In addition to all of the preparation, the inside walls of the church were painted and/or wallpapered, a rented sound system was installed, and ceiling fans were added. The Crusade was scheduled for Friday Evening, Saturday afternoon, Saturday overnight, Sunday morning, and Sunday evening. In the end, more than 1,500 people attended the Crusade at some time during the weekend.
The Crusade was an amazing success and the success of this event for a two year old church is more proof our God is powerful and very much ALIVE and working through His people!
Jen’s main focus this week was Young Adult teachings: preparing them for education and career decisions. There are 20 Goshen children who are 16+ and since May 2017, Jen has made 4 visits to help them progress in their career exploration and decision making. Two Young Adults in college have found part time jobs in restaurants and are doing very well. One will graduate in May and has written a very thorough business plan to start a hair cutting salon. He hopes to make enough money cutting hair to save and start his own technology business. Week 3
After the Crusade, Bigimba and the Goshen Gganda church leaders prepared to launch a new church in the Kawaala neighborhood of Kampala. The Kawaala church is closer to downtown Kampala and in an impoverished neighborhood and about 15 minutes from the Goshen Gganda church. The Goshen Gganda church leaders identified two lead pastors for the Kawaala church with one of the lead pastors coming from the Goshen Gganda church to ensure the churches communicate the same vision. The opening event for the Kawaala church was a 6 hour celebration of singing, dancing, and preaching! Somewhere between 200-250 people attended and everyone was blessed by the love and joy of Jesus Christ. As the Kawaala church begins its first week, the church has nearly 25 committed members. The Kawaala church members have already identified a group of widows with young children who want to launch a ministry to support other women in the same situation. We trust that God will work mightily to show his love to all involved.
Jen spent this week focused on helping the Young Adults plan their futures. She visited a local university as well as a computer training center to find out more information as to the educational opportunities available to them. Though jobs are challenging to find, entrepreneurship is thriving. She also met individually with each Young Adult to discuss their career and education goals, as well as to develop a plan to explore and research information before her next visit in April. A sample of their career aspirations includes: doctor, computer technician, ministry leader, web designer, teacher, business owner, mechanic, engineer, marketer, manager, accountant, and many more! It is so interesting to learn about their talents, hopes, and interests.
Please join us in praying God would clearly reveal His will for each of these young people and would create opportunities and open doors for each of them to serve Him and their communities! Thank You for your love of Jesus and the Goshen Ministries International.