5/29/2010

Uganda or Bust!

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Matthew 25: 35-36


Dear Friends & Family,

If you’ve talked with me at any length over the past two years, chances are good that the subject of Africa came up. You may not have been able to shut me up about it. In 2008, I had the opportunity to visit Kenya and Uganda. A seed was planted then that has grown ever since. Not long ago I began praying for “paths back into Africa.” I wasn’t sure what this would look like or when it would be, but I knew it was a dangerous prayer to pray. God answered quickly.

This August 1-17, I will be returning to Africa to serve with Empower a Child in Uganda (Empower-a-Child.org). EAC is an organization working with AIDS orphans and other poor children in Kampala and the surrounding communities. I’ll be working with EAC’s outreach program which ministers to the needs of children in a holistic manner—feeding them, playing with them, teaching them and loving them. We’ll be in orphanages, schools, a juvenile center and a children’s hospital. The last few days of my time there, I will help with a construction project in the village of Kumi. I also look forward to catching up with my old friend, Rev. Milton Tweheyo (that’s us at the Nile), the dean of students at Uganda Christian University. I had the privilege of staying with his family the last time I was in Uganda. Hopefully I will also get to see Heidi Walberg, a woman from my home church serving there full-time.

In order for me to go, I need both prayers and financial support. Please pray that I would learn what God has for me to learn, to prepare well and to serve selflessly. Pray also for the children I am going to serve, that they would feel loved and encouraged. And I know Jen would appreciate your prayers, as well. Our kids, though wonderful, are going to demand a lot of her during my time away. As for financial support, please see below for ways you can help. I am hesitant to ask during these difficult times, but I trust you will consider it and only give what you are able. Thank you for your support, in whatever form it may come!

Blessings & thanks,

Nate