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Dear family and friends, One day just about twenty-one years ago, I stood to worship the Lord with a discouraged heart. We had recently launched a training program for pastors and church planters in the town of Masaka, and the first couple of months had gone really well. I remember clearly the first day we gathered, and how I had felt such joy in the Lord and His work. I had returned to the room where I was staying with Jill and our three little kids that day, and told them I could do this for the rest of my life. I was so excited and full of hope and expectation. But just two months later I was facing deep disappointment. What had been a strong group of twenty eager pastors had apparently dwindled to three. And, to be honest, I was not so sure about the three who remained. They did not strike me as the cream of the crop. They were not pastors of respected town churches or leaders of church networks, but people who served in remote villages, laboring among small flocks of believers. And so as I stood to worship that day with these three “unimpressive” students, I was confused and unhappy and frustrated. I had put so much work and vision into this endeavor, and I was watching it disintegrate right before my eyes. As we began to sing, my heart was certainly not very worshipful. Tumutende, tumutende!.. Praise Him! Praise Him!… As we sang this simple chorus in Luganda that day so long ago, I slowly became aware of the presence of Jesus in a beautiful and powerful way. Hope and faith filled my soul, and I repented for the discouragement and for despising what God had sent me. I felt an assurance that the Name of Jesus surely would be praised across this land, morning, noon, and night, and that He would somehow use us four unimpressive vessels - and others who would gather with us - in this great work. As it turns out, the following day around a dozen students came together, and for the next two years remained faithful. Six of them eventually joined us as co-laborers at the end of their studies, and with the exception of our friend Kayita who passed away a decade ago, we have been partnering in the Gospel together ever since. And that brings me to yesterday. Our vision in Uganda is to see disciple-making movements that lead many people to Jesus, using ordinary believers who are filled with the Spirit of God and willing to experience hardship and discomfort out of love for Him. Our first step was to gather a small group of pastors for a church planting training cohort that will emphasize church planting movements and making disciples. Yesterday was our first session, and I had been slightly anxious and not very excited about it. Honestly, I was feeling unsure of myself, questioning our strategy, and a little skeptical about what the results would be. Yesterday morning as I prayed before heading out, the Lord unexpectedly filled me with joy and assurance. By the time we reached the Mt of the Lord Church, where the training would take place, I was genuinely excited. Before I began to teach, our host and long-time friend and partner, Pastor Kintu, asked to lead in a time of worship. The very first song he sang was that simple chorus that God had spoken to me through so wonderfully twenty-one years ago: Tumutende! Tumutende! It all rushed back to me in a moment. We were standing in the same place as the four of us had been on that day, and I remembered it again so clearly. I sensed the Lord speak to me again the same assurance and encouragement, and I could hardly sing as the tears threatened to flow. Jesus is so kind and loving to us, and it is a wonder and a gift to be part of His great work in the nations. Settling In We have been in Uganda for a little more than five weeks now. We are slowly adjusting and re-acclimating to life here. It’s been quite a ride so far. Philip and Hannah are absolute heroes. I am so thankful for them. They have great attitudes and are entering into the missionary life with grace and determination. They are a joy to be around, and we are having wonderfully fun and meaningful times together. They spend the majority of their time during the days doing online school, and the evenings we generally play games or have worship and Bible discussion times. Jill is amazing as well. She has made this temporary accommodation into a home for us, and brings such encouragement and life and peace. She is helping the kids with school, joining me in the church-planting training, overseeing the household, making friends, and generally enjoying life and being a blessing to all around. We have been staying in the team housing of our friends at Love and Care Uganda, and it has been a wonderful blessing. This is a ministry that takes in children who have been living on the streets and welcomes them into family. It is amazing. However, we are also excited to have made an agreement on a house of our own to rent. The owner is making some improvements on the house that we requested, and we hope to move in a couple weeks or so. We are also grateful to have bought a car - a Toyota “Super Custom” four-wheel drive van. It is making life easier and helping us to accomplish more. Life has been full these five weeks. I am grateful for a peaceful village environment, and a beautiful small mountain on which to take walks and spend quiet time in prayer. I am also grateful for old friends and some new ones as well. Of course, it has not all been easy and fun. Each of us have days when we just want to go back to the States. We profoundly miss our incredible Tulsa family and all the good work the Lord had for us in Tulsa. We have moments and days of discouragement and “what-in-the-world-have-we-dones!?!” But He is so good to us! We expected those challenges, and they don’t last. We are playing lots of games, going on walks, laughing, and enjoying one another. The Father has overwhelmed us with good gifts. One of our favorite things is hearing from you. We’d genuinely love to know what is happening with you, how you are doing, and how we can pray for you. Thanks so much for reading this (rather long) letter. We love you and are grateful for you!
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Update June 2021 We are overwhelmed with the love and support and prayers and encouragement we have received from you, and want to say thank you so so much! As we move into high gear in preparing to move to Uganda, we are amazed at how we have been lifted and strengthened by the generosity and love of our friends and family. Wow. Thank you! You are making the move more difficult because of the waves of affection we feel for you, but easier because we feel the strength and support and prayers that you provide for us. Whew! It has been quite a spring, and summer is promising to be pretty crazy as well. PHILIP and HANNAHfinished school a few weeks ago, and are enjoying the summer break. They did really well, enjoyed good friendships, and made an impact on those around them. We’re really thankful for Legacy Alliance / CEA and all this community has meant to our family over the years. JILL, of course, also finished her school year. She taught 5th and 6th grade for the past two years, and I am so incredibly proud of her. She poured her heart and soul into teaching, and loved each of her students deeply. She went above and beyond to do the very best job she could and to lift and support her students. I am so amazed at her, and often wondered how she managed to do it all. Jill has loved teaching in the classroom these two years, and is now tearfully putting away her teaching materials as she looks to the next season. I am confident that the Lord will continue to use her to demonstrate his love to children and to help disciple them into strong followers of Jesus. One of the attributes that sets her apart is how deeply she cares - about the kids in her class, about the work of teaching in general, and about the families that she serves. She is a wonder. I am writing this from beautiful Charlottesville, Virginia, where I am on a quick visit to see my Mom and the rest of the family. I’ll be back home in Tulsa this weekend, and then, by God’s grace, Jill, Philip, Hannah, and I will set out on a great adventure next week. Over the coming month and a half or so, we intend to make stops in Colorado Springs, Denver, Helena, Detroit, and Charlottesville. We plan to be back in Tulsa in mid-July and for the month of August, with a brief trip to Austin thrown in, before heading to Uganda. WE’D LOVE TO CONNECT WITH YOU IN PERSON IF YOU ARE IN ANY OF THOSE AREAS. In addition to graduations, end of school stuff, and family visits, the month of May has been full. We finalized many of our responsibilities in Tulsa, participated in a Solemn Assembly with our friends from Tulsa House of Prayer, visited old friends in Daingerfield Texas and preached at Church on the Rock Daingerfield, were prayed for and sent out by our Believers Church friends and oversight, taught “Hands on the Nations” with BC kids, helped to equip ORU students preparing to go on domestic mission trips, celebrated and dedicated a new crew of boiler room babies / toddlers, Hannah had her first piano recital (and also attended her first high school youth group), we lead our final elder meeting, helped to encourage and equip a group of Burmese young leaders in sharing the gospel, continued facilitating an Antioch course (Biblical Theology - the Writings), hosted Saturday “spud” (house church), enjoyed lots of good time (but never quite enough) with really special people, tried to get work done on preparing for the big move, etc. We love you and appreciate you so much. It would be great to hear from you, and we hope to see many of you in the coming weeks. Dear Friends,
The COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns and restrictions have impacted us all in one way or another. Life is certainly different. For many, it has been incredibly difficult. I’d like to share with you a couple of opportunities to help some folks who are really struggling this month. Uganda Care. Several of our friends and co-workers in Uganda have been struggling - both personally and in trying to serve and care for the poor in their communities. The price of food is rising, and yet money is more scarce than ever. People are feeling desperate. We are partnering with several trusted leaders who serve the poor day in and day out. Last week, through the generosity of our friends at Global Advance, we sent much needed funds to a couple of church network leaders who daily work with the poor. Through this aid, hundreds of people are receiving food which will last them 1-2 weeks. Because of stringent lockdown measures, these faithful friends had to get special permission from the government to deliver the food. Fortunately, they were able to do so, and many people were greatly encouraged with this outpouring of Jesus’ love. A few days ago we were also able to send a gift to our beloved friends, Fatuma and Darren O’Quinn. Fatuma and Darren take children in off the streets in Masaka, providing a home and family for many. During this crisis, the local government has requested them to expand and care for even more children. They happily (and in faith) agreed, and have set about the task of winning the hearts of these desperate youth and providing them with family, clothes, food, and the love of Jesus. I know many of you are also feeling anxiety over finance and an unknown future. That is understandable. At the same time, as followers of Jesus, we can always afford to be generous. If the Lord touches your heart with this particular need (and there are certainly many out there), would you consider giving to help us continue to support our African brothers and sisters? For more information, click here: https://www.tulsaboilerroom.com/uganda-care.html Another group in my world that has been hard hit is the homeless population. A number of outreaches that provide food and other basic necessities have closed temporarily. Others are limiting how many they can serve. We are doing our best to fill in some gaps by providing meals and staying connected. The ministry of Thursday Night Light, though not meeting in the usual way, is still providing to-go dinners each Thursday. Also, our friends Paul Schmidt and Mark Hodge are providing almost daily sack lunches with the Share A Meal truck. The Tulsa Boiler Room is providing meals for this once per week. Yesterday as we went into camps and under bridges to deliver food, I encountered a number of people I have known for some time, and also met a lot of new ones. We received many warm smiles and God bless you’s, as hearts that are often hard and suspicious were softened by the warmth of the Father’s love and care. If you would like to contribute or serve this population in any way, you can donate in one of the following ways, or contact Mark Hodge ([email protected]). 1. paypal.me/TheMerchantTulsa 2. text ‘GIVE’ to 918-992-3366, Thank you so much for allowing me to share all this with you. I so appreciate you, and am praying for you. Please let me know if there’s anything I can pray with you about. Love, Tim Good Friday, 2020
“Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.” John 19:17-18 We are all excited for Sunday. We’ve been hungering for something significant to celebrate. For some really Good News. Thoughts of the resurrection and Christ’s victory over death bring us renewed hope. Maybe we’ll eat special food with our family - or enjoy something we’ve been denying ourselves for Lent. Sunday is coming, and I’m so so glad. But let’s not hasten there too quickly. Let’s do our best to sit for a time in the horror of Friday and the awful silence of Saturday. Before Sunday’s resounding Alleluia, we are called to contemplate Friday’s agony. And Friday’s gift. Today we remember the sufferings of Jesus. He was crucified for me. For you. Apparently a quick and relatively painless death would not have sufficed. He was tortured and humiliated. He suffered horribly. We know this. Why did it have to be so? In Jesus’ suffering on the cross, the terrible weight of our sin is revealed to us. The ugliness and the awfulness of it. This is what sin does. Not just the spectacular kind, but your kind and my kind. When was the last time you were aware of your sin? The weight and the darkness and the wickedness of it? The cross forces us - if we will pay attention - to face the fact that our sin is so deep and so dark that it required the blood of God Himself to get rid of it. The consequence of our sin is Jesus hanging on a tree, in blood and gore and unspeakable agony. Yes, this is on us. On me. My petty jealousies and unrelenting selfishness. My pitiful greed and lack of love and my laziness and my unbelievable inability to think of someone besides myself for more than 5 minutes at a time. My unholy thoughts and cutting words and mystifying lack of faith and my brazen arrogance. And yours, too. Look what we have done to this world that He entrusted to us. Why must we face this? Why ‘celebrate’ such a thing every Good Friday? Because without an honest appraisal of our own lostness and hopelessness, we can never taste the absolute wonder of His grace and His love. If all was fair and just in the world, the cross would have been for me. But in this case God’s mercy trumped fairness, and I go free. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21 The scandal of Christianity is not that God demands holiness and purity from us. It is not that He must be Lord of our money and our sexuality and our time. It’s not that He calls us to sacrifice and lay down our lives. It’s not even that He will one day judge the world, no matter how harsh that idea seems from our vantage point. The true scandal of Christ is the cross. The true scandal has always been grace. It is that God made Him to be sin for you and me. That wasn’t fair. The biggest injustice ever carried out. It is that we become, shockingly, the righteousness of God. The unfairness of Christianity is that I have been declared not guilty and have been welcomed into the very family of God, set free to enjoy all the benefits of such ridiculously unwarranted favor. The scandal is that it was Jesus hanging on that cross and not me and you. On Good Friday we remember the beautiful unfairness of God. We mourn deeply the fact that our sin did this to Jesus. We receive the offered exchange, because what else can we do? And so we repent. Genuinely, thoughtfully, and sacrificially. And we humbly take our place among the holy and the eternal. Clean. Free. Without guilt. No shame. And we celebrate - yes, on this day shrouded in darkness, we celebrate - that we are loved this much. Remember. Repent. Rejoice.  “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”
— Colossians 2:8-10 From Hollywood to news outlets to podcasts and books and blogs and social media, the so-called wisdom of the world is available at every turn. We find helpful advice from the “experts” on every imaginable topic or issue. Finance, self-care, meaning, work, politics, health, time management, food, culture, and on and on. Relationships, marriage, parenting. Mental health and emotional strength and what to think about so-and-so’s speech and what to eat (or not eat) for breakfast and how to keep yourself regular. Has there ever been a time when pop psychology and pop philosophy so dominate our conversation and convictions? What’s even better (?) is that we can get all the above in whatever flavor we prefer — liberal or conservative; Christian or materialist; baby-boomer or gen-z. This ensures that we can easily find ammunition to prove that which we already know (want? feel?) to be true. As devoted followers of Jesus, I’d like to make a radical counter-proposal. Read the Bible. In the above passage, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, warns the church of Colossae to not be captured by what the world teaches. Oh how we need to take this to heart in our time! We are in grave danger of basing our lives on ‘empty philosophy’ and ‘high-sounding nonsense’ that originate in ‘human thinking’ and ‘the spiritual powers of the world.’ Friends, we have available to us the very wisdom of God. Why would we settle for human thinking? Perhaps because it is easier to access a blog than to dig into God’s Word. Maybe because we so much prefer to find ‘high sounding nonsense’ that strengthens our own opinions than to allow ourselves to be challenged by God Himself. Or maybe we are taken in because the blogger or author or expert we count on carries the label Christian and attaches Bible verses to their opinions. Perhaps we simply don’t believe that the wisdom we need is accessible in the Bible - at least not to ordinary folk like you and me. Or maybe we’re duped by the often self-proclaimed title of ‘expert.’ They’ve studied this stuff. They know things that I don’t. Perhaps you have fallen prey to the assault on the validity of the Bible for us today. After all, it is so... old. We’ve made lots of advances since that time. Things are just different now. The Bible is good for things like affirming that Jesus loves us and died for us and rose again, but in the nitty gritty of life we need experts. Brothers and sisters, do not be taken in by that lie. The Creator of heaven and earth and of you and me knows best, and He has revealed Himself. “In him [Jesus] lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” — Colossians 2:3 We need to learn to think biblically. We need to get beyond ‘that sounds good’ and ‘I’ve never seen this verse like that before’ and ‘I need to post that quote’, and instead move on to ‘is that what the Bible actually intends to teach?’ and ‘What does the Bible have to say about...?’ The Bible does reveal God’s wisdom regarding money and relationships and parenting and life-controlling habits. It may not answer every question we have in all the details and specifics, but it does provide a framework of how God intends us to think about and live in these various arenas. What does the Bible teach about raising kids and spending money and overcoming anxiety? Before turning to the experts of human thinking, shouldn’t we at least put some work into discovering what God has always said about these things? And then we can begin to filter all the other information and opinions and ‘wisdom’ through Him. There is good advice out there - and lots of the other kind. The problem is that we are so immersed in our culture that we don’t naturally have what it takes to determine the difference. But, as we intentionally immerse ourselves in the Word of God, we develop the ability to see what is gold and what is garbage. “You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” — Hebrews 5:12-14  I am sitting in the airport in Brussels, processing my time in Africa. I went to Cameroon with a Global Advance team whose primary purpose was to preach in young adult conferences and to speak to pastors about raising up young leaders. We also had the opportunity to preach in churches, Bible training centers, and schools.We worked with a truly fantastic ministry called Discipling Nations Ministries. This wonderful team is committed to making disciples in Cameroon and beyond. They are innovative, strategic, and passionate. I learned a lot in the short time I was with them and have been challenged and inspired.
Around noon on Wednesday I was in a sweltering high school classroom with about 85 students crammed into a space clearly designed for something more like half that number. They were a bit rowdy and distracted as I was introduced. This was my third such meeting of the day - and the largest. I breathed a quick prayer and took the next ten minutes to simply tell them the Gospel - who Jesus is and what He has done. In moments like these I am thankful for scriptures like Colossians 1:6: “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.” The Good News - the Gospel - has a way of bearing fruit and changing lives. It is the “power of God that brings salvation...” (Rom 1:16). I asked if anyone had questions... How can you trust someone you don’t know (referring to Jesus)? If Jesus died for our sins, why is there still so much bad in the world? If God is good, why is there a lot of evil in the world? How do you not give in to temptation? How do you follow Jesus? After some more discussion, several students stood to say they want to follow Jesus. JOY! Jesus loves people! — And welcoming them into His Father’s family brings Him such happiness. I am so grateful that the Lord gave me this assignment and opportunity in Cameroon to pour into young leaders, encourage pastors, and share the gospel. Jesus is so amazing, and He is working in the nations, bringing salvation and transforming lives. I’m so glad He’s doing it in Tulsa, too.  Dear friends,
I’ve been back from Uganda now for over three weeks, and I wanted to share a little about this trip. First, it was amazingly special for me personally to travel with some great friends. Roger Nix has been my pastor for close to 20 years, and traveling with him to the place where our family served as Believers Church missionaries was incredibly meaningful to me. Scott and Tyler Hoxworth from Texas are newer friends, but I’ve come to appreciate and respect them both so much through our mutual involvement in training student missionaries from ORU over the past several years. For the second half of the trip, I was able to meet and really enjoy getting to know another Texas pastor - Mike Johnson, who has much rich experience in training leaders around the world. The first week our team spent with my old friend Pastor Robert and his family in the mountainous town of Kabujogera, Western Uganda. It was a joyful gathering of old friends as we came together to build up and encourage the church in that region. I spoke to many leaders who are in a difficult season, and who came to the gathering feeling overwhelmed and burdened. It was significant, I believe, for us to be there at such a time - reminding them of who they are in the Father and bringing them encouragement in the midst of the struggle. I enjoyed staying in Robert’s home and sitting up late talking with him and our old team - Tushabe, Israel, and Gerald (only missing Benjamin, who was at another event that week). We ate the good and simple food of Uganda and basked in the ridiculous hospitality of God’s African family. For the second week, we traveled to eastern Uganda for a Frontline Pastors’ Conference with Global Advance - a wonderful ministry based in the US with a worldwide work of equipping leaders. I have the honor to partner with these wonderful friends in equipping leaders in Uganda and elsewhere. Our small crew from the US was hosted in the border city of Busia with amazing care and love by Pastor John Wandera and his team. It was a significant time of equipping, impartation, unity, and growing in friendship. Many pastors and other leaders gathered from across the region for three full days of teaching and fellowship. We met in a huge tent, which filled up each day with eager participants who came ready to engage with God’s Word. Each teacher brought something that he carries in his heart with passion and depth. Among other things, we talked about spiritual formation, raising up spiritual sons and daughters, giving God what we have, and counting the cost to follow Jesus with everything. Each day Pastor John asked us to pray for the participants, and we took significant time to do that. Sometimes people came forward responding to a particular challenge, and other times just wanted to receive a touch from the Father. It was a beautiful and meaningful time for all of us. We touched and encouraged some as they came forward in repentance and renewed commitment, some in exhaustion and brokenness, and others in joy and gratitude. Although often tired ourselves, we felt God’s presence during these times and experienced His strength and refreshment. After the event, I had the privilege of staying on in eastern Uganda for a couple more days. Pastor John and I visited three different towns in which we met with regional pastoral leaders. In each meeting, I asked the pastors what they hear God saying about their region and nation; what dreams He is growing in their hearts. It was beautifully inspiring and challenging to listen to the responses, as these leaders poured out their souls with the longings and hopes of the Father. I came away with renewed hope and with excitement about how Global Advance can be a significant partner in helping these men and women of God fulfill the things He has put in their hearts. Thank you for the prayer and support. We felt it and needed it. I believe Jesus was honored during this time, and that the work of His Kingdom was strengthened. Please continue to pray for Uganda and the church in that land. News Flash! I have a quick update, which I hope to write more about later. By God’s grace, I will be leading a team in just three weeks from now to the nation of Cameroon. We will be ministering in NextGen conferences - equipping pastors to empower and train up young leaders, and preaching to young people about their identity and purpose in Jesus. This will be with Global Advance again, and I am excited for my first experience in West Africa. Please pray for me!  Dear Friends,
I hope you’re doing really well, and have some good plans for this holiday weekend. The Ways are all fine, and adjusting to Fall schedules and new routines. Jill has started teaching at a new Homeschool Co-op called Legacy Alliance. She teaches 5th and 6th graders three days each week. She’s loving it but is also tired as she tries to adjust to all the responsibilities and newness. She’s really doing great, and I’m so proud of her. Philip and Hannah are both part of Legacy Alliance as students - Philip in 10th grade and Hannah in 7th. Geesh. By God’s grace, I am headed back to Uganda on Monday. I’d truly appreciate your prayers. I will be partnering with the ministry of Global Advance, who are involved in equipping and raising up godly leaders all over the world, primarily through training events, mentoring, and developing resource materials. I love this partnership, and am so grateful and honored to represent them in Uganda. I also have the amazing blessing of traveling with some great friends. Roger Nix has been my pastor since 2001, and has had a significant impact on my life. Scott Hoxworth is a pastor from Texas who has been part of equipping ORU student missionaries for many years, and we’ve been able to develop a friendship over the years as we’ve joined together in that work. Scott’s son, Tyler, is the worship pastor at his church, and I’ve also gotten to know him through his participation in ORU missions training. He is a fun and authentic lover of Jesus. I’m really excited to travel together with this crew to a nation that I love so much, and to introduce them to my family there. We’ll also be meeting another pastor from Texas once we’re in Uganda, and getting the opportunity to work alongside him as well. I believe that pastors’ equipping events like the ones we’ll be participating in can be really significant. Many of the people we’ll be helping to equip have had little or no opportunity to receive biblical or ministerial training, and yet they serve Jesus with great zeal and sacrifice. My prayer is that the Father would use us to encourage and challenge them as well as provide some practical tools to enhance their fruitfulness. Mostly I pray for the glory of Jesus in Uganda! The church networks that we’ll be working with are dynamic and are positioned to have great impact in the nation and beyond. It is an honor and joy to work with them. If you think of us, I’d be grateful if you pray for us and for the folks we’ll be working with in Uganda - as well as for my family who will be pushing along back in Tulsa while I’m gone. Thanks so much!  My son Philip and I had an amazing time in Uganda last month. Man, Jesus is at work in that nation, and it’s so great to be able to join in and participate in small ways. We spent the first week in Kampala, working with our friend Wilson. Wilson leads a movement that has planted more than 1,200 ‘simple churches’ in Uganda and surrounding nations. These are small, family-style congregations of 10-25 people. They don’t have buildings, but meet in homes, under trees, in bars or other public places, by the side of the road, etc. Wherever people gather, they are sharing about Jesus and making disciples. Many have come to Christ from the most neglected and marginalized parts of Ugandan society - gang members, prostitutes, refugees, Rastafarians, drug dealers, and others. We spent a few days with a group of young leaders in this movement, each of whom have amazing God-stories of how their lives have been transformed and how they are now sacrificially engaged in extending this beautiful Kingdom. This is truly a movement of disciples making disciples who make disciples. Our team was able to help them with some simple evangelism and discipleship tools, to pray with and encourage them, and to participate with them in the harvest - but we mostly learned from them and were inspired by them.
The next week, our team spent time in Masaka, offering the same training to a couple of church networks that are lead by old friends and co-workers in the Gospel - Benjamin Kintu and Gerald Kasozi. We were able to challenge and encourage this group of faithful pastors with many of the same concepts and lessons that have proven so effective for Wilson and his motley group. It’s always such joy for me to labor alongside these men and women who have been such a huge part of my life over the past 20 years. Of course, a tremendous highlight for me was doing all of this with Philip. I cannot tell you how significant that was, and how wonderfully he did. He lead segments of the training in both places, went out with us sharing the gospel, and was an easy and fun travel companion. One very special moment came during the training in Masaka: For the past couple of years, Nathan (Philip’s older brother) has spent intentional time with Philip every now and then, studying the scriptures together. He taught Philip a simple method of Bible study called the sword method. It’s a great and reproducible way to disciple people in the Scriptures. Philip was able to pass this teaching along to pastors and young leaders in Uganda, and they loved it! He did so well. Although I come into contact with many needs as I travel, I don’t typically seek to raise fund for the projects I am able to see at work. However, our team encountered one in Kampala that I truly feel I need to pass on. Wilson and his team receive little to no financial help from the many believers in the network. One reason is because many of the people, when they come to Jesus, have to stop making money the way they were before, and they end up very poor indeed. In fact, it is often Wilson seeking to find ways to support them rather than the other way around. The leaders have a vision of beginning a maize mill business to help alleviate some of the pressure this situation is causing, and I am really excited about it. They are seeking to be very wise, and desire to use this business as a way of making disciples, training leaders, and providing for the movement to continue. They are partnering with a ministry in the States that is helping to coach them in business skills, creating plans, etc. They need to raise $10,000 in start-up funds for this business, and they so far have been able to raise a little more than half of that amount - so now the remaining need is $4,200. If you’d be interested in helping out or learning more, go here:  Philip and I are going to Uganda this summer! Philip was born in Uganda, but has not been there since he was a year old. I am ridiculously excited about the chance to be there with him. I am also expectant about the ministry that is unfolding there. The Lord is providing many open doors in helping to equip leaders for the work of the Kingdom, and we have felt Him leading us to walk through these. One of these doors that is opening wide is with a ministry called Global Advance (GA), with my friend Ken Janke. GA helps to equip ministers all over the world for the work of the great commission. I’ll be telling you more about this as it develops.
In June, I will be leading a team providing training in evangelism and discipleship. We will be working with several church networks that are doing great work in sharing Jesus’ love throughout Uganda. One of these is a network of more than 700 ‘simple churches’ that reach from the slums of Kampala to the refugee camps that populate northern Uganda, and even into surrounding nations. In addition to the training, we will be joining our friends in sharing the gospel with people in different parts of the city. After this, we will go to Masaka, where we will introduce this training to my old friends and ministry partners and the churches they lead. My hope and belief is that many will be welcomed into the Father’s family through these outreaches, and through the ongoing work that will happen as a result. If you are in the Tulsa area, we are having a dessert event at our home this Thursday evening (February 28) at 7:30. We’ll be sharing about the ministry opportunities in Uganda and how you can help. We’ll also have a time of prayer together. We’d would really love to see you! You are more than welcome to come hang out even if you’re not gonna give. It would be wonderful to have you there. In addition to Uganda, by God’s grace I will be traveling to Asia in a couple of weeks to help develop Christian leaders. This is an amazing opportunity, and I’m so excited about it! Local Stuff Over the past months Jill has developed a significant friendship with one of the homeless ladies that frequents the Merchant and Thursday Night Light. Recently Jill and Nadia were able to take her to a Christian concert, and she was sooooo happy! It was amazing to just help provide an evening of joy for someone who is having such a tough time in life right now. We are praying for more and more power and wisdom to bring the gospel to the poor and see lives transformed. Thanks so much for your interest in our lives. We so appreciate it. Please do pray for us as we keep pressing forward in reaching the marginalized here in Tulsa and helping to equip folks for ministry and leadership in various parts of the world. Thanks so much! Love, Tim and Jill If you want to help support our Uganda ministry for this summer, you can give through cash app ($TimothyWay) or paypal (https://www.paypal.me/wayfam). For tax-deductible giving, give through the Tulsa Boiler Room (with a note saying for Uganda): https://www.paypal.me/tulsaboiler OR send a check to: Tulsa Boiler Room; 5710 E 24th Place; Tulsa, OK 74114. |
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