Dearest Brothers and Sisters,
First, thank you for your support to the ministry in Uganda this past summer. Truly, none of the ministry that was done could have been possible without the prayers and support of those back home. I'm writing this follow-up letter to share about the amazing things the Lord did while my team and I were in Uganda and also to share a little about my hopes for future ministry in the country over the next couple of years.
Our mission team consisted of myself and two friends of mine that serve as pioneers within the house church movement in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We left from Chicago on Sunday, June 26th and spent the next day-and-a-half traveling through Amsterdam, Kenya, and then finally reaching Entebbe, Uganda late Monday night. Praise the Lord! Traveling went smoother than we could have imagined with no significant delays or mishaps.
Tuesday, June 27th was spent in Entebbe working with Abba House, the House of Friends Orphanage. My team and I were able to create new profiles for the orphans in order to help them receive American sponsors, analyze the property and find the areas that need further work, and spend lots of time simply loving on the orphans. One of my favorite stories from the orphanage was when I had the opportunity to tell these little African kids about some American orphans I work with back here in the United States. I told them how one of these little American girls took it upon herself to spend time praying for the orphans I'd be with in Uganda. Upon hearing this, the orphans at Abba House immediately decided to go into prayer for the orphans back in America – even going so far as to start writing them encouraging letters. This experience alone was worth the entire time it took traveling to Uganda.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent ministering in a small village in central Uganda called Katogwe. They held a small church conference in the village church where we were able to preach and minister to over 100 people from surrounding villages. Some incredible testimonies erupted from our preaching in Katogwe including: a miracle where two children were healed from a disease and a few messages that brought many people into finding freedom from spiritual bondage that had squandered their Christian life. The ministry impact left on the village significantly effected the people as they continued preaching, praying, and praising for hours more even after we left Thursday afternoon.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all spent in Entebbe resting, preparing to go to Northern Uganda, preaching in local churches, traveling to crusades, and spending more time with the orphans at Abba House. Many of the sermons our team brought to the people of Entebbe involved the idea of setting in motion the principles of evangelism and mission work the people of Uganda so strongly believe in. We encouraged them to travel north – taking the gospel to the unreached people groups of Northern Uganda and Sudan. For the most part, our messages were readily received and the Word of God moved upon hearts bringing about His transformation in their lives.
Early Monday morning, we set out for the two day journey that would be the main goal and highlight of the trip. Our team traveled to Northern Uganda and visited a village called Adilang in the Poder district. Situated about 60 miles south of Sudan, 90 miles east of Kenya, and 10 miles from the warlike Karamojong natives of northern Uganda, Adilang remains an opportune place to start doing ministry. We connected with a Pastor named Peter, who welcomed us into his home, village, and church and allowed us to speak to the people of the area our vision for what God may want to do in Adilang. The Lord opened miraculous doors that allowed us to minister to victims of Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army, to make connections and encourage many local pastors, and even to sit down with the chairman of the province and talk about our desire to work in Northern Uganda longterm.
After everything was said and done, the people were so greatly filled with encouragement that they worshipped for another six hours after we left. The government is also very open to us coming in order to build an orphanage and do other forms of ministry with this people group situated in Northern Uganda. Adilang is a city in great need – with over 50 orphans, 500 fatherless kids, and countless amounts of starving, diseased, and dying people. Because of the recent wars that have transpired, many people are very broken and the church is lacking motivation and influence among the people in the area. Many of the local population is still heavily involved in witchcraft, believing the church has no power to help them after the devastations of Joseph Kony. It appears that the Lord has opened an incredible door of ministry for us to be able to go back to Northern Uganda and start working with these people to reach this dark, unreached area for Christ.
The remaining Wednesday-Friday of our trip was spent preaching in churches in Entebbe and recovering from the labor of working in the North. Again, the Lord opened mighty doors for us to preach about the movement of the gospel and about the importance of true community. One pastor that heard us speak on Wednesday was so moved by the message, he spent the rest of the week following our team around and asking us questions about the Bible and about life.
I have been so blessed to experience the wonderful works of God in Uganda. Two pages cannot even begin to capture the extent of what God accomplished in Uganda – or in the hearts of us who worked with the people there. I would love to answer any questions or speak with you in person about the trip and about what the next steps are to continuing the Lord's work in Northern Uganda. Feel free to email me at joshhulme@sbcglobal.net or to send a letter to:
5800 Northern Avenue
Raytown, MO 64133
May God sincerely bless you in everything you have done to support the ministry that took place in Uganda, for your prayers, and for you financial sacrifices. The investments you have made will have an eternal impact for the Kingdom of the Lord.
With much love,
~Josh Hulme
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