Kim’s Ministry Update June 2017
The rain came on schedule this year in Uganda, and the planting season started. What you don’t hear during planting season is the sound of tractors or any machinery being used to plant the crops. Men, women, and children of all ages dig holes using handmade tools with broken handles and bare hands to carefully plant what they hope will be enough food to last until the next planting season.
What the families did not plan on was the rainy season to stop prematurely resulting in lost crops. When I was there in May, the rains had started back but too late to save the crops. In the USA, we would pull the water hose out and manually water our crops until the rain returned, but in Uganda families often walk for miles to the nearest borehole to pump water into their 10-gallon jerry can which they carry on their heads back home. This water is also needed for cooking and bathing so adequate water supply is a daily challenge. While doing hut-to-hut visitation I noticed a big difference in prayer requests.
In the past, prayer requests were for a mattress, a new mosquito net or school supplies. In May, the only prayer request at every hut visited was for food. In the picture above a father asked for prayer so his children would not go hungry.
After a day of rest, I was off to Bolivia with team awesome from the University of North Georgia!
During the week, we conducted “outreach clinics” throughout Cochabamba. A new ministry opportunity opened at Centro de Salud “Mineros San Juan”. While waiting to see the medical team, many people from this small mountain village heard the gospel presented by Raul, who is a missionary with Word of Life Bolivia. Throughout the week over 450 heard the gospel and 162 people decided to give their life to Christ. Please pray for a new church plant near Mineros San Juan to disciple the new believers in this area.
The team also provided medical care at two prisons. Since cameras are not allowed in the prison, I took a picture of my “prison tattoos”. Please pray especially for the children living with their parents in prison. Pray the government will continue to allow ministries like Word of Life Bolivia and Helping Hands to address medical needs, share the gospel, and pray with those we meet.