Giving with an IMPACT!

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But is shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11)

During my time in the States this past spring, many of you gave generously toward the purchase of Audio Bibles. With the money given I was able to purchase and bring with me twenty seven dramatized New Testament Audio Bibles in two different native languages, Acholi and Kiswahili, spoken by the women living on Canaan Farm, part of Family Empowerment Uganda (FEM) project. You can learn more about FEM Uganda at http://www.familyempowermentuganga.com/. The audio bibles will remove literacy barriers that hinder the women from having access to the Word of God. The Bible sticks are portable and operate with a simple AAA battery. They are provided by an organization called Faith Comes By Hearing. You can find out more information about them at http://www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/. I was able to receive a 33% reduction in the cost as indicated on the internet by using them for ministry purposes. Richard, the leader of the FEM project was so excited and thankful to receive the Audio Bibles. I have been in frequent contact with Richard and want to share with you a portion of an e-mail that I recently received from him about the impact that the Audio Bibles are having on the farm, in the surrounding community and among the men, women and children of all ages. I pray that you will be blessed by the praise report and consider supporting the purchase of more Audio Bibles.

“The Bible Sticks have been received with much excitement, joy and thanks. The ladies asked me to convey their sincere thanks and appreciation for the Bible sticks. They say listening to the New Testament in their own language is the best gift they have ever received or will ever receive. I can boldly testify that the Bible stick is one of the most effective tools of spreading the Gospel in rural communities where illiteracy rates are still high a major stumbling block to reading the Bible. I have seen a renewed hunger for the Word as a result of the Bible stick and the Proclaimer. The old and young are interested in listening to the scriptures. Many people who can’t read are now asking questions and discussing what they have heard. Some young people come during the week days and listen to the Proclaimer at night at the bonfire. There are a lot more people interested in the Bible sticks and we may need to look at getting some more in the near future. I have attached some pictures of the ladies using the Bible sticks. Thanks once again…God is surly moving in an amazing way!

Blessings,
Richard

MAF Aircraft Hanger Update

There is good and not so good news regarding the hanger project. The good news is that the pre-fabricated hanger has been manufactured and shipped as scheduled. The four containers are currently in Dubai. They are expected to arrive in Kampala mid-August. I have been busy doing leg work with a local engineering consultant to receive approval from the district government for the erection of the new building on the existing property. An environmental impact assessment has also been submitted for review and approval. The airstrip is located next to wetlands. We are not expecting any real issues but we are at the mercy of the local governmental authorities which requires patience and tenacity.

I had hoped to be sharing pictures with you showing physical construction progress of the hanger by now. We had planned to have all of the building ground works, foundations and the anchors set before the arrival of the hanger building. Unfortunately this is not the case. During this time of worldwide economic slowdown and market uncertainty, Uganda is blessed to be in an economic and construction boom that is showing no signs of a slowdown. Unfortunately for us, this time of growth and prosperity has increased supply and demand for materials and labor. Both have negatively impacted the overall project budget, schedule and resource needs. Tenders sent for the civil works portion of the project have come in well over budget. We are experiencing unpredictable price fluctuations on essential raw materials like cement which is one of the largest civil works project costs. More construction projects and employment opportunities have made it that much more costly and difficult to find and secure skilled workers and qualified contractors. Pray for wisdom and unity of the project team as we continue to discuss alternatives to achieve the desired project objectives while remaining within the project budget agreed to the end of last year. This is proving to be very challenging. The need for the new hanger continues to grow as the MAF Uganda program continues to grow.

Blessings,
George

We are moving again!

We are starting to feel like Bedouins! We are packing up and moving again, this time just a little ways down the road. George has been looking for a small house that we could rent cheaper than our existing apartment and that also might offer us a little more privacy. We got a tip from one of our missionary friends about a small two bedroom house for rent in our neighborhood. We checked it out and have since signed an agreement with the landlord to move in the first of August. Pray that the landlord will get all of the needed repairs completed as he agreed. Unfortunately, we will have to pay double rent for the month of August because we had to give two months notice to our existing landlord. We are very excited to have our own little place on a compound. The cool thing is that the rent is now $100 less per month than our current apartment rent! The Lord’s timing couldn’t have been better. Our current landlord just raised our rent by $50 per month to cover additional security costs. Please pray for wisdom and discernment as we also have to consider our security needs at our new location. Hiring security will be an added cost, risk and burden. We would prefer not to have anyone in our compound but we also want to be wise in the matter.

In Christ,
Luan