Arrived

Klint Ostermann • November 4, 2013

We safely arrived in Jinja, Uganda at 3:30am on Sunday morning.  The ride from the Entebbe airport to Jinja was a 2.5 hour ride along some pretty terrible roads; however, the trip was full of some very new and interesting sights, sounds and smells.  These were familiar to me from my time in Brazil, but were unique to Africa.  Vanessa says there is a saying around these parts, “Same, same, but different”.

After a bit of rest and a wonderful breakfast at 11am that the staff at the guest house insisted that we eat, we met up with Vanessa and co-worker, Sara, to begin our day.  We spent Sunday exploring Jinja, getting our SIM card registered, visiting a grocery store, and generally taking in the sights and getting to know where to find things in the city.  We also were treated to a hybrid eclipse that is a very rare occurrence.  In fact, hybrid eclipses have only occurred 7 times since Christ and this was only visible in certain parts of Africa, so it truly was a treat although my retina has not fully recovered.  I thanked Vanessa for being such a good host to arrange for the eclipse while we were visiting.  

After spending only one day in Jinja, I already am starting to feel at home and feel a true peace about our pending move here.  Vicki and I both agreed that we could live here.  In fact as I sit here writing this blog, Vicki was putting on her makeup listening to the birds outside, enjoying the sunrise over Lake Victoria and feeling the cool morning breeze and said, “yes, I could get used to this”.  I truly feel the peace that passes all understanding about this place and feel the Lord’s presence here.  In fact, a verse keeps coming to mind.  Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Today (Monday) we will meet up with Vanessa at her office to meet the Fount of Mercy staff, get our SIM cards cut down to fit our phones, add airtime so we have a Ugandan phone number, and then have dinner at our future home.  We are very excited about getting to visit the house and meeting the Bogans, Prossie, Mbusa, Moses and Francis.  Tomorrow we will go out to the village to assist Vanessa with a health class she will be giving.

The post Arrived appeared first on Heart For Uganda.

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Kingdom Work in West Africa
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Last week, during our West Africa In-Field Mentoring in Senegal, we witnessed God’s transformative power in remarkable ways. I’m excited to share this story with you. In-Field Mentoring involves coaching mentees as they deliver sessions for community training. As mentors, we guide them beforehand, evaluate their presentations, determine if they earn credit for the session, and provide constructive feedback for improvement. Occasionally, a mentee struggles, requiring us to step in to ensure the audience receives accurate information. This happened on the second day during a session titled “Consider Your Ways, for You Are the Temple of God.” This powerful session often leads to repentance and salvation, but the mentee struggled to convey its message. I stepped in to lead the session, and as I spoke, I felt the Holy Spirit moving in the room. In Senegal, where 97% of the population is Muslim, sharing the Gospel openly can be met with resistance, and attendees have left trainings after such presentations. Yet, I felt led to share the Gospel boldly. Praise God, six men raised their hands to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! We guided them through a prayer of repentance and connected them with a local pastor for discipleship. During the break, a Muslim woman from a closed Northwest African country approached me. She had traveled to Senegal specifically for this training and shared that the Gospel message I presented needed to reach her homeland, where such teachings are unheard. She revealed that for years, she had suffered from a debilitating nerve condition in her leg, impairing her ability to walk. She had been praying for healing for years, yet she found no relief—until the first day of our training, when God miraculously healed her! Overwhelmed, she felt something stir in her heart during the Gospel presentation but didn’t fully understand what was happening in her. She even said she wanted to become a Farming God’s Way trainer. Her country is deeply hostile to Christianity. Apostasy can carry a death sentence, though no known cases of this has occurred in recent years. Converts face severe risks, including family rejection, loss of livelihood, or exile. Extremist groups further endanger those who leave Islam. We provided her with a Bible and connected her with missionaries working in her country. Through Farming God’s Way, someone from a closed nation, who might never have heard the Gospel, encountered God’s love. Additionally, two Peace Corps workers from Hawaii and California attended the training. Afterward, they approached our team with questions about Jesus. Missionaries shared the Gospel with them and gave them Bibles.  God is moving mightily through Farming God’s Way, drawing people to Him in unexpected and beautiful ways. Thank you for supporting this work that is transforming lives!
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