Spring 2019 East Africa Trip
This was my 6th trip to East Africa. Before each trip, I have a sense of what area to which I will travel, and that is usually soon followed by invitations from ministries in that area. This was no exception. I prayed and sensed that I was to be gone for 5 ½ weeks, so I began to look at the places where I had invitations and plan to work my way through East Africa geographically. A pastor in Kitui had been after me for four years to visit. My close trusted partner, Manna Missions, had recently been sending training teams to that ministry. I had learned to trust Maurice and his people with my life, so I took that partnership in Kitui as a confirmation.
I was also requested by Manna to visit Tanzania, a country where I had never been, but a place to where we had previously sent Bibles. I also had recent invitations to three new places in Uganda, so I worked on a plan of flying into Nairobi and visiting a church in Kibera slum where I had visited almost four years earlier during my first trip but unfortunately missed on my last trip there. From there I would travel to Kitui in Eastern Kenya, return to Nairobi and take a bus to Arusha, return to Nairobi, and leave for Western Kenya before traveling from the eastern part of Uganda to Kisoro, a town in Western Uganda located very close to the borders of Congo and Rwanda, working my way up to Mubende, and then Hoima and Massindi before traveling back to Entebbe to fly home. I applied for an East African tourist visa, which allowed for multiple entries between Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda. Tanzania required a separate visa (which I obtained). With the East African Visa you have to apply through the country where you first enter. Kenya was the only country that had no online provision for applying for the East African visa. I printed the application and sent it, along with my passport and photographs to the Kenyan Embassy in Washington, D.C. I paid for FedEx to ship and have a return envelope inside for the return of my passport. This was an act of faith because I would not be able to travel anywhere without my passport. Thankfully, my passport with the East African Visa arrived before my scheduled flights. I also was able to pick up my prescribed malaria prevention medicine.
One of the challenges in traveling is making plans and trying to determine the right modes of transportation and allow for how much transportation will cost. I also have to consider how long I will be able to minister in each place (In new places I like to allow a minimum of two or three days.) Three places in Uganda were totally new for me, and I wanted to allow time for them. I almost considered not going to one of the places but after prayer, determined I was supposed to go there (in retrospect that was clearly the right choice. As it turned out, I had a little more room at the end because of a change in plans. I did have to miss places I had planned to visit in Kissii, Mombasa, Webuye, and Eldoret. I needed to make certain I had returned to Entebbe to take my flight home.
As I prepare for each trip I try to listen to what God is saying about the trip. It seemed like the Lord wanted to stress unity, so I prepared to emphasize that in my travel. Later I read in John 17:21 that Jesus prayed to the Father that the church would be one so that the world would believe that the Father sent Jesus. That tells me that our being in unity and being in the Son and the Father is one of the greatest evangelism tools we have available. If we want to see the world come to know Christ we need to be what Jesus described in the first part of that verse. This helped lead to the second major theme: The church needs to look like Jesus in character and power. The third thing that I desired to do and that had a great effect was to allow more time for Holy Spirit to come and make His presence known.
On March 20, I said goodbye to Cathy, withdrew cash from the bank for the trip. A friend took me to the airport. The airline’s ticket lady was a wonderful believer. She helped me check in and asked why I was going to Nairobi. When I told her, she thanked me for what I was doing. I ate a sandwich before going through security. While I was sitting at the gate two Indian pastors contacted me to pray end to encourage me.
My flight from CMH to Newark, NJ in terms of the amount of time we spent in turbulence. The lady in the seat next to me worked for a fast food chain and was going to Newark to film a commercial. I shared a little bit of what God as doing in my life; however, I was not able to go much further in sharing. I did write out 6 prophetic words for ministries I would be visiting.
While I was waiting for my next flight I had a word for the man sitting next to me. The word was that his son was just looking for his father’s love. I was able to share I with him. The man was a believer and had a son with whom he had no contact, and the man seemed thankful for the word. I tried unsuccessfully to sleep on the plane and was tired by the time we arrived in Zurich.
We left Zurich for Nairobi on the 21st. At the gate, I struck up a conversation with an American tourist who was traveling to Kenya and Uganda to meet friends. He was more interested in drinking alcohol and partying and when he asked about my trip I shared that I was interested in a different type of drinking.
On the flight to Nairobi I struck up a conversation with Kenyan woman. She was involved in missions in Kibera and Kitui so we exchanged business cards. When we reached Nairobi and I was in line for immigration, I was greeted by an Indian evangelist and we also exchanged business cards.
Outside the airport, I was greeted by Benter (Maurice’s wife) and other members of the manna Missions team. They picked me and my bags in the ministry van and took me to Maurice’s home. I was not expecting that they had moved from Baba Dogo to a nice community in Donholm. Benter explained that because of all the pre-election violence in Baba Dogo, they had prayed and made the decision to move because of the Western people they often hosted. We had dinner and talked for a while and I went to bed. I had trouble sleeping, partly from sinus drainage, and partly because of an overzealous rooster very early in the morning.
On the 22nd I showered and had tea and went via Uber to the Manna ministry office. Later we traveled to Baba Dogo and visited several schools, feeding students and taking pictures. We returned for an hour nap and later went o a department store to buy groceries. I spoke briefly with the security office at the gated community. He was a believer and invited me to come to his church.
For dinner we had fish and Benter helped me plan for Arusha (bus) and Kisumu (flight. I purchased flights for myself and Benter to Kisumu and a return flight for her only. We also planned a 10:00 AM meeting with Tammy Marie at the ministry house in Kibera.
I slept better that night. After a shower and tea on the morning of the 23rd, we traveled by Uber to Prestige mall close to Kibera, where I met with Tammy Marie. She took me in her Land Rover to the center where she an Eva worked with street youths. We had a marvelous time sharing, and a young man, Issac, performed his Christian raps for us. After praying together, Tammy returned me to the mall, and I rode Uber back to Maurice’s home.
Benter, Eunice, and I walked to a dress store. Benter and I walked to a mall to check on the girls. One of the girls was having her hair done. We purchased more groceries and headed back home, where I prepared a message for Kibera.
March 24th We traveled by Uber to Kibera and walked to Joseph Otieno’s church. I preached from John 14 about doing the works Jesus did. I shared testimonies and had people pray for those with health needs, pain, jobs, pregnancies. We prayed for a woman who wanted o get pregnant. I asked if her husband (who was not there) knew because I did not want him mad at me for praying for her to get pregnant. Two people who had been in pain were healed. None of the people in that service had seen me before. There were now three churches in Kibera from the one church where I had preached almost four years earlier.
We traveled back to the house and I packed lightly. Gilbert Mayaka picked me up (I paid for fuel) and we drove to Kitui. Right before we entered town we had a flat tire, which we interpreted as a sign of opposition that we must be on the right track. We arrived late for the evening service and Gilbert interpreted for me since he was fluent in Kamba. (That worked out very well since he had interpreted for me in the past when I was at his church. The person who had been scheduled to interpret was not comfortable with my English or my accent.) I had a word about jaw pain. We had children minister to the person and the jaw pain left. I shared stories of how God has used others to heal and I shared my heart to equip the saints. When Gilbert introduced me he said God was going to use me to impart the prophetic, and that Good was going to have me use children to demonstrate healing, and there were 10 to 15 children who helped me.
On the way back to our room we had to pass through a restaurant/bar, some people at a table greeted me. Two of them were clearly intoxicated. I began to share how they could drink something different and they could have as much as they wanted and it is free, and there will be no regrets. Holy Spirit comes with Jesus. They listened and even talked about coming to the service the next evening.
March 25 After breakfast we went out into the streets of the town. I have learned the best way to reach people is to have a conversation and have a genuine interest in them. I felt drawn to a salon where I greeted the owner. I greeted her and discovered she had stomach pain so we ministered to her and the pain left her. Gilbert had a word for the daughter about a broken marriage (true) and we prayed for God to heal her heart.
I tried unsuccessfully to take a nap. After lunch, we went on the streets of the town to minister. We prayed for many people. One lady in her shop complained of hip pain. I had her sit all the way back in her chair and discovered one leg was slightly shorter than the other. I had the hosting bishop watch as I put my thumbs on her ankles for comparison and commanded the shorter leg to grow to the length of the other, at which point I told it to stop. The woman stood up rejoicing that she was pain-free. I prayed for several drunken males, sharing with them that I had something much better they could drink (Holy Spirit). Another lady was partially paralyzed on one side of her body, so we began to speak to her arm and leg and she began to have movement. She walked with some help, but the bishop later told me that the woman walked to church without the aid of a walking stick. We prayed for marriages, businesses, and other health issues such as malaria. We saw at least four confirmed healings and we prayed for a woman who was a month past her due date (We discovered lady she delivered a healthy child).
In the evening I prayed for a man to be set free from witchcraft, and another young man who wanted to dedicate himself to God. I preached from John 12 about Mary pouring out the precious perfume. Even though she was unable to repay what God had done for her, she showed her gratitude. Likewise, we need to be willing to pour out our lives (John 12:24ff), being willing to give our lives like a grain of wheat that goes into the ground.
Later I was able to talk with my wife, my daughter, and my grandson over the phone until my data ran out.
March 26 The next day we entered Kitui and discovered the banks would not accept my crisp, $20 bills because of the range of serial numbers or because of the dates. My two ministry companions wanted me to try another bank by opening an account there but I did not think God was in that plan. The banks would have taken my $50 bills but I did not have them on me at the time and I did not have my spare phone so I could get a Safaricom sim card. We continued to meet people on the streets, mostly church members. I had a word of knowledge for a woman and we watched stomach and feet pain disappear from people after ministering to them. One man who witnessed he healing was still very belligerent when I told him Jesus loved him. One man appeared to be mentally ill or possessed and walked up to my face and said his name was “killa”. We continued to pray and ask God to bless businesses.
After lunch we went back to the church to pray for a Muslim mother and daughter who had walked to the church, asking for prayer. The mother’s husband had run away, and the husband and one of the two children of the daughter had died. The mother’s husband had been into witchcraft and the ladies sincerely apologized, saying they had not known that. I had an accurate word about pain in the daughter’s ankles and God took away the pain. I had a word of knowledge about the mother having been a good student and also having a good mind for business. Both women had been through a series of bad events. The mother had an employee do bad things to her car including steal parts from it. The daughter’s in-laws of her late husband were taking the daughter to court to take her property away, and they had bribed the judge. The mother had pain in a leg which the doctors had wanted to amputate. We ministered to he and the pain left her leg. We agreed to break the power of witchcraft and any curses. The ladies often spoke Swahili with the pastor, and they seemed to have accepted Christ.
That evening I taught on prophecy. I gave an example from II Chronicles concerning Jehosophat, Ahab, and the 400 false prophets. I taught about hearing God’s voice, giving testimonies. I shared the 4 keys to hearing God’s voice from Habbakuk 2. I shared how I Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 were like an Oreo cookie, with the gifts of the Spirit on the outside and love in the middle. From that I shared how prophesy should edify and bring people closer to Jesus. I gave examples of words of wisdom, words of knowledge, and prophecy. Pastor Gilbert and I had previously written words of knowledge and demonstrated how to share them (We each had one word of knowledge the same as the other.). I demonstrate the difference between nabi (bubbling up) and seer (pictures), using two volunteers on the spot.
March 27 We arose early and had tea with Bishop Elijah and his family. We drove to see one of the church members. Pastor Gilbert and I said goodbye to Bishop Elijah and drove back to Nairobi. There I was able to exchange my $20 bills to Kenya shillings at an exchange bureau in the mall. We went to Gilbert’s apartment and had a very nice lunch prepared by his wife. I also was able to see his youngest daughter. I then returned to Maurice and Benter’s home to prepare to leave for Arusha (Tanzania).
March 28 I arose at 5:10 to prepare to be picked up at 6:00 AM. Benter and I arrived at the bus park around 7 AM and filled out immigration paperwork for the border. We had to exit the bus at Kenyatta Airport for security purposes (standard protocol) because the bus stopped at the airport to pick up a passenger. We also had to exit the bus at the Tanzania border to have the bags screened and also o go through immigration. I took this opportunity to exchange currency for some Tanzania shillings.
We passed through Massai land on the way to Arusha, seeing several Massai in traditional Massai clothing. Mt Kilimanjaro appeared closer and closer until we drove by it. When we arrived in Arusha we were picked up by Joel Yolanda. We drove through the market to pick up rice. As I sat in the van I had the desire to minister to a Muslim woman who may have had pain in her feet. I mentioned my desire to stop but they decided we would return instead.
We checked into a beautiful hotel where Benter had negotiated a rate for $20 per night, including breakfast and wifi. We returned to the market but the Muslim woman was gone. I entered the store which sold rice and ministered to the woman running the store. We prayed for her business and her health. I also had a word about her relationship with her husband. She shared about her previous marriage and how her current husband is in the hospital, so we prayed for him and the husband. We prayed for Joel’s wife and her pregnancy (they have since delivered). We prayed for the health of his mother and witnessed pain leave her body.
We walked to the church where Joel attends. Along the way, I stopped by a bar and engaged in a conversation with the people who were drinking. They invited me to join them but I assured them I had something much better for them. I shared that Holy Spirit came with Jesus and that they would have no regrets.
We reached the church and sat in the back. 200 -300 people were listening to the pastor and watching her do deliverance. I get rather bored with the one person show and I could not follow along because I am not fluent in Swahili. Benter and I were introduced and we walked back to the hotel and ate dinner. For $10 I had a large bowl of rice as well as a large serving of sweet and sour chicken. Coca Cola was $1, and the server made me special ice from boiled water. At the hotel, I had a word for one of the female workers. She was going back to school but was lacking confidence. God wanted to assure her He was there for her and to trust and depend on Him.
March 29 I awoke around 2:30 AM and finished the previous day’s journal. I went back to sleep and was waked with the loud thumping of music before 6:00 AM, followed by shouting “preaching” over a loudspeaker. I showered and came down for breakfast, feeling very tired and a little irritable.
We traveled by motorcycle through a beautiful area with banana trees and dirt roads to a church where there were about 20 widows. The pastor was attempting to read his Bible and held it away from his face, so I lent him my reading glasses. I spoke briefly to the widows while Benter translated into Swahili for me. I shared with the widows how they were valuable as prayer warriors. I offered to pray for each widow, and God healed everyone that asked for healing. We also prayed for salvation for their children. Backs were healed, legs were lengthened, spines were corrected with shoulders again being made even. Pain disappeared, and a lady that had hand tremors who had difficulty feeding herself saw her hand become still as we prayed for her brain to function properly. I even prayed for the leg of a boda boda driver who came with us. God touched him, but he still overcharged me later.
We arranged with Timothy Wambura to meet at his church. This seemed to be a divine connection because Timothy had planted a church in a Luo area in Kenya, and Maurice and Benter are Luo. Also, both Joel and Timothy had a similar vision to reach the largest tribe in Tanzania. Timothy wanted to find Bibles for them, and Joel was working with the Tanzania Bible Society to find the Bibles. Timothy loved my idea of networking with other ministries. Timothy and Manna Missions both thanked me for what they considered to be a divine connection.
We walked into the church and heard the praise team singing so gloriously and the presence of God seemed so powerful that it brought tears. Timothy drove us back to the hotel and I gave him money for fuel. Benter and I had local chicken (very tough but very tasty) and vegetables.
March 30 We were taken by Bishop Maasha to his church where we saw the worship of young children and widows and girls from the home. One of the young ladies was a Massai who had been given in marriage after she had graduated from school. She became pregnant and ran away. The home took her in along with the child, who looked to be about the age of two. Whenever the dancers danced in worship (including the mother), the little girl would go out and join them to the best of her ability.
I had the children pray for the widows in the service who had pain and all the widows had pain eliminated after the children ministered. This took a while to demonstrate but the widows greatly appreciated the ministry, plus I demonstrated how children can minister through the power of Holy Spirit.
After the service, we went to the wedding of Timothy Wambura’s son. Massai were there, dressed in traditional clothing. The wedding was beautiful but there was a full rain, which I asked the Lord to taper down into a gentle, non-destructive rain, which happened later. We had been praying for drought relief and Kitui and Turkana, areas that needed rain.
Timothy arranged for Benter and I to arrive in one of the vehicles to the reception, which was held in a very modern, beautiful hotel. The different families entered, one at a time with traditional tribal dance and music. Timothy’s family entered with a man scooting along the floor, playing a long, curled, tribal instrument that looked like it may have been made out of a huge gourd or animal horn. Another man had some huge, pointy, shakers attached to his legs. The event took several hours and included goat meat (The cooked goat with the head was ceremoniously brought in on a cart.). There was a master of ceremonies, a DJ, a drone doing the filming, comedians, the traditional cutting of the cake and preaching. We started the meal with a delicious vegetable soup, followed by entertainment and a buffet. After the event was finished several hours later, Timothy took us back to the hotel.
March 31 I had breakfast in the hotel and packed. When I went to pay the bill ($172 for 3 days of two rooms, 2 dinners, and drinks), my credit cards would not go through because of network difficulties. I did not have enough Tanzania shillings but the allowed me to pay with a combination of Tanzania and Kenya shillings. I decided to keep the rest of my US currency for Uganda (and possibly Rwanda). We had already paid for the bus tickets so I only had 1500 Kenya shillings left in my wallet.
That morning I prayed and felt I was supposed to emphasize Christ, love, and unity. Beginning with Colossians 1:15-20, I spoke of the need to represent Christ, both in nature and in power. I had three words of knowledge and I shared a word I had for Tanzania. I shared scriptures on being led by the Spirit, and for hearing God’s voice, giving examples in my life. I prayed an impartation prayer and invited anyone to accept Christ (a lady came forward to receive Christ). We ate a brief lunch and headed for the bus station.
I prayed for several vendors who came to the bus window. One vendor held about three or four Tanzania soccer shirts. The asking price was $35 each but I was able to purchase one in my size for $10. Soon afterward we were on our way back to Nairobi. We exited the bus and had the luggage screen again at the border. Several Massai were at this bus stop selling bracelets and other items.
In Nairobi, we were picked up by an Uber driver who was originally from Mombasa. I had a word for him about children and about His wife being worried about money. I prayed with when we arrived at Maurice and Benter’s home. When we stepped into the home I noticed the refrigerator was fairly empty (Maurice was in the USA while I was in Africa and Benter had gone with me to Tanzania), so I offered to go shopping. The children greeted me with a hug.
April 1 We went to the Manna office and joined in morning prayers. I was able to talk with some staff about missions. Later, Joseph walked with me to a bank so I could withdraw cash(We had to walk across 8 lanes of highway at a crosswalk!)Later we went with Maurices’ son to a mall where Benter shopped for groceries and I went to the Safaricom store to purchase a sim card for my backup phone. After paying for the groceries we went home.
Pastor Gilbert came over for a little while and we talked and prayed together. I watched Emanuella on TV with the girls and went to bed around 8 PM after packing.
April 2 I awoke very early and talked with Cathy about bills. Afterward, I showered and took my bags downstairs where we loaded them into the Uber car again and headed for the airport. We missed a fork in the road and waited for traffic to pass so we could back down the road and cross over to the correct side. We had to exit the car at the airport for screening and climb back in after screening. We arrived at terminal 2 (domestic flights) and took our bags through security. We received our boarding passes and checked our bags. Our plane was closer to terminal one, so we had to take a shuttle bus to the plane, a turboprop. Benter and I had the first two seats, which were facing the rest of the seats in the plane. The flight only lasted about 45 minutes, but they served us coffee, tea, and water, along with a small package of cookies. We landed in Kisumu, walked to the terminal from the plane and collected our bags. Benter had called for a car rental $40/day). We gave the man 6000 Ksh ($60) and agreed to pay the rest when we returned the car.
We fueled the car and drove to Maurice’s parents’ home and greeted them and prayed for them. We unpacked bags and I stayed in the main house in the same room where I had stayed two times previously. We drove to Manna Academy where we served porridge (and later lunch) to students. One class of students performed songs and dances for me, and I was requested ro speak to the students. I shared how the body of Christ has many members. Our physical bodies have many members, some small and others large, and some a long distance from the others (demonstrate by extending my armas out to each side). Small children, though separated by a long distance are still an important part of the body of Christ.
We went to the chapel and I was able to see the well in person for he first time. (There was no well on the previous two trips.) Global Harvest Missions had contributed money this past year to convert the well from only solar power to electricity. We also visited the sewing school and the new computer classroom and prayed with one of the students who had malaria. Sone of the students wanted special food so we bought beef and tomatoes at the market. Two of my Facebook friends traveled an hour to meet me here. I promised to reimburse one of the men 1000ksh ($10) if he could make it (which I did). We invited the two friends to join us in eating with the other staff as we got o know each other better. We gave them a tour of the sewing and computer classrooms and then took them to the road to catch a matatu.
We returned to the home and I unpacked some of my things. We had tea, I talked with Wyclyffe and Joseph (He was the one who told me Maurice wanted me to preach my first day in Baba Dogo in 2015.) We talked about miracles and whether or not someone could be raised from the dead.
Earlier I had the opportunity to pray with Patrick and his wife. Patrick had stomach pains and his wife had problems with hypertension and diabetes. Patrick stated the pain had left, and his wife seemed to move around better.
April 3 I arose and showered. It had rained very heavily during the night and I asked God to turn the rain into a more gentle rain, which God graciously did until the rain eventually stopped. I had discovered while unpacking that I had forgotten to give Benter the pens I received from the bank to give to the school, so we drove to the school and gave the pens (around 50) to the 7th and 8th graders.
We went to the computer school but there was no power, so we drove to the market to buy food and soap for the widows. The lady at the store remembered me from a previous trip because we went into her home and prayed for her when she was ill and God took the fever away. We also prayed for the lady in the shop next door. She was a believer, but her husband was not, and there was quarreling in the home. I also prayed with three other men who were believers.
The first widow we visited was a woman named Grace who was the first widow I visited back in 2015. She had had a stroke and could not move the left side of her body back then, but the Kenyan pastor felt that we were supposed to get her up. We ministered to her and stood her up and helped her walk slowly with us on either side. On this trip she was sitting on the floor she recognized me immediately and her face lit up. She spoke in Luo that she was so thankful and that she would have died back then if it were not for me. I sat on the floor next to her and she grabbed me around the neck with her strong arm and kissed me on my neck and on the side of my face. I prayed and spoke life to her body. Wyclyffe was with me as well and I sensed he was supposed to minister to her. He prayed and Grace was able to lift the weak leg. Grace was so thankful and expressed that she wanted to see me again before she passes away. We left her food and soap, as we did with the other widows. I also encountered her son, with whom we had prayed in 2015. He and his wife gave their lives back to Christ and currently he said he still attends church.
We visited around 7 more widows, giving food to each, and praying with them. Many also had physical needs for which we prayed, seeing mostly good results. One woman was in much pain when we arrived, but the pain had subsided before we left her home. On one occasion children followed us and I had them pray as with good success. I encouraged Wyclyffe to pray as well. One woman was so joyful that she stood up and danced with me. Around 6 PM, George (one of Maurice’s younger brothers) took me by motorcycle to the village where I prayed for people with pain back in 2015. (In 2017, I had returned to find that most of them had received Christ.) It was now almost dark when we arrived. Everyone I spoke with told me they were followers of Christ, and hardly anyone was ill. I prayed blessings over a few, and I began to wonder if I was wasting my time there. George encouraged us to keep talking with people. Many requested prayers for their businesses. One lady requested prayer for her back, so I enlisted the help of a young boy. He willingly ministered healing to her, her pain left her body, and she stood more upright than she had before.
More people around the marketplace began to request prayers, and the number of requests increased at a rapid pace. We stopped by one woman’s hotel to bless it, and then we were taken to the homes of two sick people, one of whom had just returned home from the hospital. The first person was a woman who appeared to be at least in her 60’s. She was lying on her side and in great pain when we walked into the room. Several children followed us so I had them watch and encouraged them to do the same as we did. The woman sat up and felt much better. We went next to the home of a young boy who had just returned home from the hospital. He had a fever and his leg bothered him so that he could not walk. We rebuked pain, infections, malaria, and anything we thought possible, and we spoke life into his body. The pain left him and he was able to stand again. His parents said he had not been able to eat.
We rode home in the dark and prepared for bed.
April 4th After showering I packed and loaded the car. Benter drove me into Kisumu with one of the teachers. I purchased a bus ticket for a direct line to Bungoma. When I reached Bungoma, I called my next host, Paul, and arranged for him to pick me up at the shuttle office. We rode in a tuk-tuk (3-wheeled vehicle) with my bags in the back. We stopped at a police check and apparently the policeman hit the driver up for 100 ksh (around $1).
When we arrived at Paul’s place, my bags were placed in my old “Elijah” room. One Facebook friend, Lulu Bella, came to Paul’s place to visit, as did another pastor friend of Paul’s a Bishop Clapperton. We walked to the house of yet another friend of Paul’s and met with his family. After tea, Paul joined us at the house and helped us walk back to his place. I discovered that Lulu has a sister, Lili, who is in ministry and knows Godfrey, another host I would later visit on the trip.
April 5th I rose very early and went to church to pray with Paul. Later I had tea and showered, followed by a motorcycle ride to the village. We visited a church member, Joel, who is a teacher. His wife had a profitable business that had been broken into and had the contents stolen. Joel and his wife took out a loan for new items, but those items were stolen by the people transporting them. Paul and I prayed with the family.
We next visited at the home of a Five-Fold pastor. The group of pastors meeting there met weekly in unity and even preached in each other’s churches. We had a great time with them and left to visit a family. There were about five people with malaria, and we prayed for them and saw fevers break with almost all of them. The man was partly deaf in one ear, so we prayed and saw hearing restored. The wife had an issue with her spinal cord, resulting in limited movement. We prayed for her whole spine. I compared her legs and ankles and discovered one leg was about an inch shorter, so I commanded the shorter leg to grow. Suddenly the woman could move and do work she could not do before. We discovered the family had no food, and I felt led to give them 1000 ksh (about $10). Paul later told me the woman’s son called Paul to tell him the mother had been crying. She felt that she had just seen God. This woman prayed an amazing prayer over me while I was there. We continued on to the building Carol was using as a school. I prayed over it and we took pictures.
That evening we had a marvelous service. I preached from Ephesians 1:18 a) the eyes of our heart to be enlightened b) the hope of His calling, and c) the riches of the glory of the inheritance of the saints.
April 6th I went with Paul to a very small mud house in a village area where there were around 20 or more pastors from various churches from the fellowship mentioned on a previous day. They met every Saturday morning. They asked me to speak, and I felt led to share from Colossians 1:15-20, talking about the pre-eminence of Christ, that we needed to put Christ first in everything. We had tea and then went to a house for dedication, then went to another house to pray for a woman. I felt a sense of time pressure as I had promised to be in Mois’ Bridge for lunch. When we reached the house of the lady for whom we were to pray, pastors were all around the room, facing the wall and praying very loudly. I had to ask the pastors to stop praying so loudly because I could not hear what the woman was saying. The woman was seated by herself on the sofa. Someone said she had malaria but I did not feel any fever. I cursed malaria and every other disease I thought it could be, but then I did something practical: I asked the woman what was wrong. She told me her ankles hurt and someone mentioned arthritis, so I commanded arthritis to leave and spoke life to the body, telling the pain to leave. When it was quiet enough for me to hear the woman, I asked her to do something she could not do before. She stood up and began to dance around the room joyfully.
After taking a photo with the group, Paul and I headed back to the house. I had not even taken time to bathe. I changed shirts and packed, but unfortunately, I left my towel and washcloth at the house. We climbed into a tuk-tuk and eventually made it to the bus park. The driver demanded 500ksh and I paid 300ksh for the shuttle ride to Kitale. When I arrived at Kitale I was picked up by Pastor Elijah.
We stopped in a slum area. Elijah wanted to stop in a store and I told him I wanted to talk to people. I walked to the boda boda stand and introduced myself to two men there and began to talk about Jesus. More young men began to join us, some high on marijuana. I eventually led one young man named Peter in a prayer of salvation. I had words of knowledge for two of them, and I urged them to give their lives to Christ. The young men lacked a father figure and were appreciative that I spent time talking with them.
In Mois’ Bridge we went to Dorcas and Jackson’s home for lunch. A prayer partner, a pastor named Margaret, rode all the way from Eldoret to Mois Bridge to meet us but had to leave after lunch. We were able to visit some widows I met on the previous trip. We prayed for 10 of them, seeing pain leave their bodies. They introduce themselves, telling their names and ages. They gave me a love offering, including two eggs which I gave to Jackson. On the way back to the house, one mother brought her child to me and I prayed for both of them as well as for another woman.
We had tea and I share again from Colossians 1:15-20 (pre-eminence of Christ). Jackson showed me the equipment he purchased with the money we had sent him to be able to earn money as an electrician and also for A/C work. I was taken to a hotel where I rested and wrote in my journal.
April 7th I prepared a message for two services. The first service was not as heavily attended as the 2nd but I spoke on Ephesians 1:18-23, revelation through the Spirit, our calling and inheritance, and God’s power to the body with the fulness of Christ. During the 2nd service, Holy Spirit prompted me to talk about love (Roman 5:18, John 15). God demonstrated His love by sending Christ, the Father loved us with the same love He had for His Son (Jesus). There was a baby dedication for which I helped and was privileged to pray for about nine people. After church, Elijah and I went to a restaurant with two of his sons. The older of the two sons was sick with malaria, so I prayed with him several times.
I had been awaked at 4 AM when Cathy told me that our daughter Sarah had been taken to the hospital with what appeared to be a seizure. Sarah was later released and the doctors had not found anything wrong.
After lunch, Jackson, myself, and a doctor were taken to a small group. We sang songs in Swahili, listened to someone teach from the Bible, and then I was asked to share a brief word of encouragement, followed by another song, and then tea. The small group gave a pile of groceries to the widow who lived in the house. Later I returned to the hotel for a rest and to prepare for my trip the next day. My next host, Isaac, wanted me to be dropped off at the hotel I Kitale the next day.
April 8th I showered and packed and checked out of the hotel at 8 AM, but was not picked up until about 8:45. Elijah was having a physical problem with his left leg. We prayed and there was some improvement. We drove to the post office in Kitale, where Isaac, his wife Mary, and another pastor picked me up.
I was sitting in the car and I saw a woman walking with a limp. She had polio earlier in life and an operation had left a huge mass on her ankle. I prayed for her 3 times. I saw some improvement but she still had a limp. We prayed together and asked God to continue the work He started.
We eventually left that area and arrived at a nice high school. Isaac was meeting with the school board and he introduced me to them. We left the school and traveled to the Shalom Recovery Center, a school with pre-K through grade 6. Most of the 150 students cannot afford school fees. There are 10 teaches there.
We entered into a classroom. Two young ladies were there from an International youth organization. One of the young ladies was from India. I was asked to greet the students and pray for them. We had tea, and then Isaac took me to a home nearby with 17 children, none of whom were attending school. I took pictures and a video.
We went into town for supplies and returned to the house, stopping by a shop where I had taken photos with children a couple of years ago. Children along the road would greet me, but occasionally a small child around the age of one would be terrified. One such small child was brought to the car. Someone held the child’s hand out to me, and I gently took the hand, but the child quickly pulled the hand back, looking at me with wide eyes as if there was something wrong with me.
At one place where we stopped, two young boys came to the car to beg. Isaac promised to give them an apple to share if they could tell him a story.
We reached the house and relaxed as they prepared for dinner. Isaac informed me that he had to leave for Nairobi that night to see his daughter. John Victor, one of the India pastors with whom Isaac and I had stayed, called us while Isaac and I were together. After dinner we took photos and Isaac departed for Nairobi.
April 9 I awoke early so I prepared a teaching mostly from Colossians and Ephesians and John 17. The teaching emphasized a focus on Jesus, the fullness of God, and how the body of Christ somehow represents a part of that fullness with Jesus as the head. I emphasized unity with God and others to show the world the Father loves us.
After my shower, I had tea and rode in the car for Pastor Anne’s church. I shared with the church some of the things I had experience since I had last seen them. I shared the teaching I had prepared in the morning. One young man stood up and said he was at the boda boda stand when I had a word that one of the young men had been in prison. He accepted Christ on that, day and now attended that church along with his wife and young daughter. I was happy to hear a testimony from one of my previous encounters. I prayed for God to pour out an anointing to reach other young men. Pastor Anne’s mother was also there, and Anne reminded me that I prayed for her toothache and God healed her. We took a break for a soda drink and then we took pictures.
Anne and her driver drove me toward Malaba and I gave Anne the rest of my ksh (2500) as well as my Safaricom SIM card. We picked up Paul in Kanduyi but he forgot to bring my towel and washcloth. We arrived at the border. Some people tried to get me to pay to take me through immigration but I told them I had no money. We took my bags and walked into immigration. They said we needed to go to the last office. I walked to Uganda immigration and we were told that we needed to go to the office across the border. Paul and Anne wanted to get the car and obtain a gate pass to drive across, so I had to wait with my bags. The road on the side where I was standing was torn up, so all the cars and truck were forced to travel on the other side of the road. We put everything back into the car and tried to start toward the road but the traffic was so jammed that we abandoned the idea. I was ok with just carrying my bags across the border but Paul insisted we take three boda bodas, so we loaded the bags and rode in narrow spaces between huge trucks. I was stopped by a Uganda policeman who wanted money, but I told him I had no ksh or small US dollars. We went through the immigration process. A Somalian who worked for Kenya somehow mentioned Jesus and said he was a Muslim, so I mentioned that Isa (Jesus) was in the Quran. He smiled and said, “So you know?” I stepped over to the Ugandan office and talked with a man who liked playing basketball and said his nickname was Lebron James.
Outside I went to exchange my $200 (50 dollar bills) into ugsh but figured out they were charging a 6 % commission, which I refused. (I discovered this by pulling up the exchange rate on my phone.) I negotiate the rate down to 4%. After them exchange I struck up a conversation with a different police officer until my next host, Sasaaji arrived. We loaded the bags and headed to a hotel where I previously stayed in Mbale. After obtaining a room we headed upstairs with my bags. I had been carrying one suitcase with over 30 pounds of books to give Sasaaji for his Bible college, so I let them keep that suitcase in the car. They bought me dinner, which I ate in the hotel dining room.
The hotel clerk was a young lady named Claire, and I remembered having a word of knowledge about school for her the last time I was there. She has since graduated from a university with a degree in finance.
I took a shower because of a large amount of dust that had been blowing around as we crossed the border. (I remember the wind picking up and my telling Pastor Anne that it was going to rain, which it had done as we traveled toward Mbale. Paul later called to tell me that it also rained as far south as Bungoma.)
April 10 I had received a marketing call from the US and I told them I was in Uganda, and ye in the morning. Yet the company called me again 12 hours later. I had not slept well and I felt rather inadequate. Sasaaji came to pick me up and bought me breakfast. Then we headed for a beautiful, green, hilly area called Bududa.
We traveled into the villages which were filled with banana trees and coffee plants. One local resident had a very small enclosure that held a few cattle. As we walked along a pathway we met a couple sitting on a hillside. They were not believers but listened to me present the gospel. The man admitted there was something holding him back, which I discovered was alcohol. He decided he was not ready to accept Christ.
We went a little farther up the hill to a home where there was a man with his daughter. I presented the gospel to him. He said he would be saved but not this day. We left and headed down the hill, encountering a woman who was a believer but who did not want her picture taken. At church, I spoke on the need for the church to look like Jesus and be in unity. In the end, I had a word that someone has a headache. Most of them indicated they had a headache so I prayed for them with good results. One man had an issue with his arm and did not walk right. I prayed but there were no visible results. One woman said she had a back issue. She had one leg about a ¾ inch shorter than the other. I had her sit back in a chair and put my thumbs on her ankles, commanding the shorter leg to grow to match the other leg. She stood up and the hip pain was gone, but we still had to minister to the back pain.
After lunch, we traveled back to Mbale to Bishop Sasaaji’s church where we ate again. After lunch, I taught on seeing into the spiritual realm. For example, Jesus did what He saw the Father do. I gave some personal examples, followed by three live words of knowledge (I tried to have two people practice but it did not go very well.) I gave guidelines for edification, having people not prophesy against what the Bible says, and to look for confirmation.
When we were coming back to the hotel the vehicle in which we were riding was overheating, so I gave my bottle of water to be used in the radiator so we could reach the hotel. Wabomba Simon traveled from Bugiri to join us and he stayed with me in the hotel. There we were joined by friends of Wabomba Simon, Christine, and Tom Juma, a bishop over 10 churches. They have the same heart for a unified, Christlike church.
April 11 We were a little late for being picked up at the hotel, Simon and I ate breakfast. Our driver came and drove us to the church. I prayed and talked with Simon. I decided we really needed to equip the people. We worked with a gospel script and role-played how to lead people to Christ. Then we had a couple of volunteers practice. I sent a PDF version of the script to Simon and Sasaaji via WhatsApp. I then talked about praying in tongues and asked how many practiced it. Only three people raised their hands. I was careful to explain how you did not have to speak in tongues to be saved. I explained how you cannot think the language but how you have to give God what you have and trust Him. We had the ones who spoke in tongues do so while we had others try, apparently with success. I had them continue for a few minutes and then we stopped because it was around noon and I assumed we would stop for lunch. Sasaaji preached for 45 minutes and I regretted not allowing Holy Spirit more time. There was worship that seemed to bring the presence of God. Sasaaji allowed me to pray, and I had a word about hip pain for a certain widow. We checked her legs and discovered one leg was shorter than the other. I had her sit with her back against a chair and placed my thumbs on her ankles. I asked people to gather around and watch as I commanded the shorter leg to grow. She stood p with no hip pain.
About that time a young lady began to yell “Jesus” and fell to the floor. In the meantime I ministered to another pain the first lady (with the hip pain) had then I focused on the young lady, asking if she had ever been involved in witchcraft in the past. She indicated that she had been, so I assured her that her agreement with God to renounce it, and the power of the Holy Spirit would break its power. I broke the power in the name of Jesus and pled the blood of Jesus over her. I also spoke God’s favor as a daughter, saying how much God loved her.
I was about to pray a general prayer when I noticed an old woman sitting on the floor behind me, holding a crutch. She had injured at least one leg, and the bone protruded in a way that looked like the leg had not been set properly. I had the congregation stretch out their hands to the woman and pray. Many prayed in tongues. I eventually stood the woman up, held both hands and walked backward (me) while she walked forward. I spoke strength and healing to her body. She raised her knees higher and higher as we walked, she began to stamp her feet, and eventually, she took off on her own, moving faster around the building.
People continued to pray in the Spirit. Two women started to cry out, a couple of ladies started shaking, and one older woman started to laugh. We continued to minister and finally paused for lunch. After lunch, they opened the suitcase with the reference books and displayed them on the table. They gathered Bible college students around the table while I took pictures. The head of the students, a wonderful 70-year-old man, read a statement from the college and gave me a copy. They worshipped and had me pray for all those will illnesses, with God touching most if not all of them.
We dismissed and opted to have evangelism in the AM. I sat with Grace and another woman who prophesied over me that God would use me in a powerful way, but that I needed to be wise about whom to trust. There was a Facebook connection named Paul who wanted me to come to his church, but Sasaaji told me Paul misused money and had a baby with another woman while he was still married.
Our driver came and took us to the hotel with Simon, Grace, and another woman. The ladies had tea, Simon had a meal and I had a “cool” Coke. The ladies insisted on paying and handed me money that another friend of theirs had left for me. We prayed and Simon and I left the dining area to head upstairs to the room. We discovered there was no water pressure. I had to dump water from the yellow jugs to be able to flush the toilet. Thankfully I still kept some bottled water to brush my teeth.
I discovered that the hotel receptionist, Claire, is a friend of Linda, one of my friends from back home. Linda comes every year to a village near Mbale.
April 12 We still had no water pressure in the morning so I poured some water from a yellow jug and washed the upper half of my body. I changed clothes and started to pack. Simon and I went downstairs for breakfast. He mentioned he would like to go evangelize with me next time.
We checked out of the hotel and I paid the balance of the bill (45000= $12.50 nightly). We were picked up by the driver and taken to the church and we left our bags in the vehicle. Sasaaji shared how he tries to have the church in each community use as much local resources as possible, including making bricks and taking stones from the river as aggregate. He also showed us a savings program he started for the people. Each person is paid a portion of the interest based on their proportion of deposit.
We traveld to another part of Mbale where there was a church under Tom Juma. He had been to the conference in Mbale where Holy Spirit performed miracles and displayed power. He had told few pastors who were a distance away, that they needed to be there. I spoke to the people about being in unity and listening to Holy Spirit. I had children minister heling to women in pain. They asked me to pray for a woman who had a stroke. I did not see immediate results so I asked the people to continue to pray for her and speak life into her body. I told them I did not like to leave people with less than what Jesus would do. Tom spoke and said I had a way of stirring up giftings.
We left by motorcycle to the taxi station. Simon Picked a taxi and we traveled to Tororo. When we went to get my bags the person handling the fares wanted 2000 ugsh extra for the bags. We paid it but told him those were mzungo prices. We carried the bags back to where the taxis to Bugiri would be waiting. Someone wanted 20000 ugsh and we told them to remove the bags from the van. We negotiated to 12000 ugsh, which we accepted.
We arrived in Bugiri and stopped at a restaurant to eat, taking our bags into the restaurant to eat. The beef was the most tender I have had in Africa. We carried a bag quite a ways to he hotel. The hotel was a clean and had a shower and squat toilet, but no wifi.
April 13 The power was off, so I unplugged my phone and kept it turned off. I took a shower in the morning light coming through the bathroom window. I packed and took boda to the village for a conference. I helped pay for food to feed the children. We had a service and a facebook friend, Ouma came from Busia to see me. I demonstrated a couple of words of knowledge and prayed for healing. Afterward we had lunch and ate in a small building. The old building where I had twice before stayed had ben taken down.
John Sunday, my next host, drove to Bugiri with his wife and stayed in the same hotel. He came in a minivan and we drove to Mayuge District after stopping at his home. He share how his area had been granted township status, meaning there would be road improvements and a medical clinic. He took me to the plot of land Global Harvest Missions purchased for a school and we walked around on it. We then went to the existing primary school and then to the hotel where I was staying. The bathing area and the toilets were in a separate area down the hallway. I kept my bathing very brief in the AM. Early in the morning, I paid for hotel room and checked out. John picked me up in the van and we headed for church van and we headed for church.
The dancing and music at the church were very lively. When I preached I made room for Holy Spirit. We waited and began to see some signs of manifestation. I went to those who seemed to be shaking more than others and asked for more of the Holy Spirit. A couple of people began to shake so violently I was concerned they would hit there head on something. One woman started to fall down and grabbed her arm to let her down gently. I prayed for a woman who appeared to have a growth over her eye. We saw no visible change. I was disappointed because I do not like leaving people with less than what Jesus would do. After service we ate lunch at John’s house home and stopped at a service station for an oil change. Eventually we headed to Kampala.
April 14 I kept in communication with a friend in Kampala as we approached. John drove me to a place where he put me on a taxi for Kamapala. My friend in Kampala agreed to meet me at the bus park. When I arrived there I found the bus I would take to Kisoro. I agreed to meet my friend in the bus office, and was able to recognize her with the help of her photo. We arranged to visit her church and meet with her pastor, and then I would do some shopping. Someone from the church drove us downtown, where I stopped at a bank for cash and purchased a cell phone and SIM card at a nearby store. My friend allowed me to drop off my large suitcase so she could do my laundry. We then headed to the bus station to meet another pastor, Godfrey, by 8 PM. We stopped by a restaurant to eat chicken and chips and for me to have a bathroom break. When we started to walk to the bus station, we got separated by traffic and I was a little concerned because she had my smaller suitcase with the clothing I needed for Kisoro, and she was concerned about me. I found the bus station with the help of a boda boda and met Godfrey and my friend there. Godfrey and I boarded he bus for an 8-hour ride to Kisoro, and I did not sleep well. There were occasional stops. Someone put a very large bag of rice in the aisle next to me that people had to climb over to exit the bus. I could hear little children crying while a man climbed over the bag of rice holding two live chickens that squawked. There was also a delayed broadcast of an Arsenal FC game as well.
April 15 In the morning the beautiful hills around Kisoro began to be sunlit. It was chilly and I regretted leaving my jacket in the suitcase in Kampala. When the bus arrived at the station we were welcomed by my next host, Habimana Nelson, and taken by a motorcycle to a fairly nice hotel. Supposedly there was hot water in the shower but I never felt it. After taking a nap we were taken to a school for orphans and needy children, then to Nelson’s parents, followed by a trip to a restaurant for dinner.
April 16 Kisoro is very close to both Rwanda and the DRC (Congo), and there were gorillas in the hills nearby (although I did not see any). We went to a church in the morning (after breakfast at the hotel). We went to the service and preached. Worship was very lively with much dancing. The locals loved it when I tried dancing with them. We ate again at the same restaurant as the previous night and later walked around the market area. I found a shop that sold used clothing and ZI bought a nice, used Docker’s jacket for around the equivalent of $6.
April 17 We purchased return bus tickets to Kampala and traveled overnight by bus. I had a taxi take us to meet with my friend and collect my clothing in the early AM. She had washed the clothing but they were still damp, so she ironed them all to dry them more quickly. Godfrey picked me up and took me to Mubende to meet my next host SSikuwabo Israel. I stayed in a village in the nice home of Pastor Wilson. He had been put in prison for four years for preaching the gospel when Idi Amin was in power. Pastor Wilson raised several spiritual sons and daughters, including S. Israel and a young, vibrant pastor’s wife named Rosette. We had a Friday evening service at a nearby church where we were served a delicious dinner along with fresh passion fruit juice.
I had been preaching about how the church needs to look like Jesus. A man entered the church with a cast on his foot. I had two young ladies pray for him and his pain substantially reduced.
April 18 The next day S. Israel took me into the village and looked at the school area. There was a big water tank and a large crop of pineapple plants. There was a soccer field where we watched two local village football clubs compete. We visited a medical clinic and stopped to lead a young man to Christ at his home. We then prayed for a woman who recently had an operation to deliver a stillborn child. The woman had been in pain, but the pain left after we prayed.
I enjoyed getting to know Pastor Wilson. He was a very pleasant and delightful man who had been a great influence to his spiritual sons and daughters. I was taken to a school where I spoke to the teachers about the influence they have on their students. In the evening we were taken to a church in a remote village. We were greeted with songs and dance by children as well as by an adult choir.
During my sermon I had to shoo out a goat in the middle of the service. The goat had wandered into the middle of the church making loud noises. We had different afterward and I became ill that evening and vomited.
April 19 We visited a local prison where I was able to briefly speak and pray with a group of male and female prisoners. It was a very emotional moment and they were greatly encouraged. We stopped at a market on the way home to buy some produce. I also got chips and a soda. I was supposed to preach in church but stayed in bed because I was tired from vomiting. A doctor came by to see me and prescribed some antibiotics, feeling the issue was probably food-related. I gradually began to eat more.
April 20 (dates are uncertain) Godfrey arrived with a vehicle and took me north to Hoima. I preached that night in a church in Hoima. We waited on Holy Spirit and there were some manifestations. We stayed in a hotel and I tried to withdraw cash to pay for the hotel but the screen in the ATM at the bank took too long and the machine captured both of my debit cards
April 21 ? We went back to the bank the next morning and I wa able to retrieve both debit cards and also get more cash I. I was then able to pay the hotel bill as well as an oil change (which was deducted from the final car rental bill). On the way to Buliisa, we stopped at the home of Godfrey’s brother and saw the pigs he was raising.We stayed at a hotle in Buliisa, owned by a very friendly woman named Hariet, who was a believer. We drove into a village that was close to aforest housing chimpanzees and gorillas. There was a pastor’s conference at the village for which we had stopped in Hoima to buy beans for food to help with the feeding .The worship and dancing were very lively. I continued with my messages on unity and for the church to look like Jesus. There was a crusade that night at an intersection in the village. Again, the music and dancing were lively. We went back to the hotel and discovered the power was out, making itdifficult to charge my phone.tayed again at the home of Robert Kaawha. We traveled to a large outdoor crusade in Massindi where people testified of healings (deafness, among many other things).
April 22? We were able to visit a school and other facilities. Robert was having a campus built with cottages, a place to grow pigs, fruit trees, and a home for abused women. Robert questioned me about my experience in Uganda, and we talked about sending people to Africa after screening and preparing them. I was able to finally able to have a hot shower before going to bed that evening.
April 23? We taught at the conference I was invited to pray for those with needs. I was able to pray with all of them as it started to get dark. Afterward we had a pastors meeting where the pastors were able to discuss the struggles they faced. Many of them dealt with issues of poverty as well as the to build a church building. In fact the church building where we met only had a roof over about half the building. Rainy season was coming and Godfrey was concerned that if the rest of roof was not covered with iron sheets the mud walls would be in danger of collapsing. There was a crusade again that evening and we returned to the hotel for the final night.
April 24? We headed back to Kampala. Godfrey wanted me to meet his family, but he first wanted me to stop by a farm he owned to bring back some fruit. This took a few hours. We had to stop a couple of times for fuel. I was supposed to meet again with my friend Kampala, but Godfrey was concerned we would be stuck in a traffic jam in the city (a very likely possibility), so he took me directly to the airport at Entebbe (I later was able to patch things up with my friend). I took three flights (Brussells, New York, Columbus) back home to Ohio.
Final thoughts
This was the most extensive mission trip on which I had embarked, including three nations and nearly 20 ministry stops. I covered many areas partly to follow up with places where we had previously ministered, and there were several new places where we had never been. We stressed unity and having the church look like Jesus. In three places, I made a conscious effort to take time to make room for Holy Spirit. I was amazed at the Facebook friends who made the effort to travel to meet me, and how gracious God was to allow me to meet new friends as well. We made a conscious effort to assess the needs of the ministries where we were. I was thankful to hear and see testimonies of what God has been doing through our visits. Testimonies from this trip are still coming in almost every day. We also have begun helping with the needs at each place. Many Bibles are still needed, but we have begun to send Bibles, we have helped build a school, put a roof on a church, help a church get current with their rent, help needy children and orphans with their school supplies, and more.