september updates

Dear Friends,
How are you? I hope you’re doing really well and experiencing the goodness of God in your life. We’d so love to get coffee with you and catch up. In fact, maybe we’ll be able to do that soon! Keep reading for more info about our coming time in the States.


Mustard Seed Fellowships. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the dimness of the small room as I left the African afternoon sun shining brightly outside. I was guided to an empty chair in the semi-darkness and began to get my bearings. The ten people present, mostly seated on the floor, were sufficient to make the room seem crowded. Someone offered me a banana, which I ate in silence as all eyes were fastened on me. Eventually, Mariam took charge and led everyone in introducing themselves. I recognized several from a previous visit and soon began to feel comfortable. I was happy to see Vivian, who had decided to follow Jesus just two weeks previously. After introductions and a brief time of prayer, several of us went outside again with the purpose of sharing the gospel and finding more “people of peace” — those who would welcome us into their homes, receive the message of the gospel, and gather others to begin learning the ways of Jesus.

Jill and I have been working with Mariam for the past few months, and she has proven to be a bold evangelist and a ready disciple-maker. On this hot afternoon, I was spending time with her and the emerging team she is gathering to bring the gospel to a couple of villages near Masaka. Alex and Johnson are two young men who moved to the area within the past year and began following Jesus when someone shared the gospel with them. Vivian, as mentioned, gave her life to Jesus two weeks ago and is now learning to be a witness for Him. As we went, we talked to many people: a tough older lady who firmly rejected our message, a worn-out mom who had given her life to Christ some time before but who was discouraged, an inebriated man at a bar, two delightful and joyous believers who welcomed us warmly, and a lady who remembered me preaching in a nearby church twenty years ago(!). In each case, we were able to share about Christ, offer prayer, and begin developing a friendship. Later, we returned to the small home and Alex, for the first time, led us all in a Bible Study in which we discussed Jesus’ teachings about prayer found in Luke 11. We prayed together, shared life updates, and made commitments to obey the Word we had been discussing.

Small fellowships such as this one are meeting in many places around our city, all with the aim of making disciples who will make disciples who will make disciples and so on. We are incredibly thankful to be part of God’s good work in this place. We are currently leading multiple training cohorts, aimed at developing more disciple-makers and fellowship leaders. We are also experiencing the joy of seeing some of those we have trained in the past join our team of trainers and leaders. The harvest is certainly plentiful, and the workers are few. Please continue to pray with us for the Lord of the harvest to provide more laborers.

US Trip. We are planning to be in the US for most of October thru December, and are looking forward to seeing many of you. Right now we are making plans in Tulsa, Michigan, Virginia, and Kansas City, with possibly a few other places as well. Reach out to us if you’d like to hear more about the work in Uganda or just catch up and hang out.

Mirembe House. Our new Sent Team and Training Center, which we’re calling Mirembe House (“Mirembe” means “Peace” in Luganda), is coming along well. This has been quite the process, with many ups and downs along the way, but we do feel we see the light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, we are expecting to move in by January! This week they are installing the tiles for the floors and the railings for the balcony and stairs. Jill spent time with our plumber a few days ago, selecting all the fixtures for the bathrooms and kitchen. For more information about this project, follow this link: https://www.iamsent.net/building.html

Residency. Help us spread the word! We’re hosting a SENT Residency from January 10-31. This is a missions and disciple-making training program for young adults. We believe it will be beneficial to anyone who would like to grow in discipleship and disciple-making, regardless of whether or not they will ultimately serve God cross-culturally. We are still receiving applications, so if you are interested in this or know anyone else who may be, please tell them about it. You can follow this link to learn more: https://www.iamsent.net/residency.html