SOS Ministries Uganda
Strengthening Churches
&
Loving People
June 3, 2016
|
|
Keeping up with SOS Ministries
|
Dear Friends - in addition to the newsletters, we've included a few new informational items below as well as encouraging you to directly connect with our Missionaries. And always, should you have any questions, please feel free to call or email Kevin Thomas or Shannon Hurley (Kevin is at kevin@sosministries.com or 714.269.7427, and Shannon is at shannon@sosministries.com or 256.793.702.502). - Kevin Thomas, Executive Director
NEW SOS Ministries Video including an aerial view of the entire campus.
NEW Legacy Academy Uganda video below. Support Legacy Academy HERE! |
| | Be a Hero - Support Legacy Academy, SOS Ministries |
Support SOS when you shop -
please visit smile.amazon.com whenever you purchase on Amazon and select SOS Ministries for your charitable organization. Thank you!
Keep up with our Missionaries - see Facebook links below and additional information at the bottom of the Newsletter.
|
|
|
|
Interview with Jacob Mayamba
SOS Biblical Training Department Manager |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The gift of Jacob
"How does SOS Ministries strengthen over 1,000 churches nationwide AND love its local community?" The answer to this frequently asked question is, "With a team of dedicated Ugandans!" We currently have 64 Ugandan staff, including 6 department managers, who carry out the day-to-day ministry. One of these managers, Jacob Mayamba oversees our Church Strengthening Department. Jacob effectively coordinates church strengthening activities-including conferences, trainings, meetings, and events. He is dedicated to creating a strong relationship with the Baptist Union of Uganda and faithfully visits Baptist churches. Jacob is a gift to SOS!
Where did Jacob come from?
Growing up in church-going family in northeastern Uganda, Jacob learned the gospel from a young age, but didn't give his life to the Lord until high school when he understood the difference between religion and a relationship with God. He then became involved in campus youth ministry, where he first met his wife to be, Betty. After university and marriage, Jacob began serving the Baptist Union of Uganda as the National Youth Chairman, where he met Shannon in 2011. SOS hired Jacob in 2014 after his church elders and family sent them off with reservations. But now two years later, they fully support his ministry at SOS, thankful that his family is thriving.
Held by love
Jacob thoroughly enjoys serving the churches nationwide. He shares, "The most encouraging thing is having a loving boss. He (Shannon) says, 'I'm behind you. Even though you are going through these challenges, I am behind you.' I can call Shannon and he encourages me. When you know there is someone you are relying on, even when you are hit, there is someone who will have your back. And your family is in good hands. So you say, 'Ok, I'll give it my all, since they are giving me their all.' If you are not loved, how can you go through the challenges? But since you are loved, even if the others abuse you, you can continue to work."
Betty concurs with her husband, "I feel loved. I don't regret coming this way. I feel honored. One place has mentored my life-SOS. I am inspired in my Bible studies. Now I can teach it to the other ladies in villages. It has benefited me so much."
The feeling is mutual. Shannon affirms, "There is no one more gifted in networking and relationship building than Jacob. He has done an outstanding job of being loyal to SOS, despite the politics. He is a major reason why SOS is continuing to grow in our Baptist impact."
Prayer
Please pray for the Mayambas:
-For Betty-That she will be able to resume her village Bible study soon (involving traveling by motorcycle taxi with her 2 year-old and 2 month old).
-For Jacob-That he will gain favor among the people he is leading. He desires to leave an impact, not just to work-but to change peoples' hearts.
-For Ministry-That God will help them to develop important relationships within the BUU.
|
Grace Church of the Valley
|
On January 30th, the pastor of our local church, Edward Kintu, covenanted before God and our villagers to love Hope Kezaala until death. Edward is very special to Shannon, as in many ways, he would be considered his "Timothy". We have watched Edward grow from a young village man who could barely speak English to a powerful preacher, discipler, and translator! And Hope, who has been a daughter in our home for the past 7 years, has blossomed from an unbelieving Muslim to a beautiful young woman, devoted to her Lord!When it rains in Uganda, it really rains. I arrived towards the tail end of one of the rainy seasons, but frequent afternoons and regularly at night the skies would open and buckets of water would fall. Then, after a few brief moments of furious rain, it would be over and the day would continue with only mud and wet grass to remind you of what had just happened. Before the rain there would always be a growing wind, pushing the storm clouds in and warning you what was about to happen.
Jesus used the wind to illustrate the new birth to Nicodemus (John 3:8). Nobody can tell the wind where to blow. Even though you can hear it, you can't tell where it came from or went. Wind is powerful and confirmable, but it's also uncontrollable and mysterious. God's Spirit is obviously moving through Luweero, Uganda, causing people to be born again and gather as a church for the glory of God's name.
I had been in Luweero for all of eight hours before heading out to the final day of a members' retreat. My introduction to the church family came as a day of solid, in-depth teaching on what the church is and why it exists. My first Ugandan meal was a lunch of corn meal and beans, shared with friendly and gracious people who were quick to greet me and become friends. As the week progressed, I was able to meet multiple leaders of the church and see the facilities of SOS. I was excited to see Ugandan leadership in every facet of the church and ministry, and it said all the right things to me about the humility of the American missionaries and the unity we have in the Gospel. The grounds were exciting, both for how they are already being used and for the potential that is envisioned for them. It was also a sweet treat to gather every morning at 7:00 am in Shannon's living room as the Hurley family and church family walked through the Bible together in an expositional and devotional study.
Sunday, the highlight of my time with the church in Luweero and the best day of the week for every Christian, thrilled my heart. I got to start the morning as a taxi driver, picking up some people from the village and managing not to destroy any property, people, or animals despite driving a stick shift on the opposite side for the first time. Sunday school for me was spent with 40-50 kids as I taught through a translator for the first time. I taught Daniel 3-there is only one true God and you should worship only Him. The great thing about kids is that they're the same in every culture. They love to laugh, interact during teaching, and learn way more than adults often give them credit for.
After Sunday school we gathered in a simple rectangular church building with gorgeous stained-glass windows and pews so tall my feet dangled like a little kid's when I sat down. I later learned the trick was to not sit on the front row, because in the rest of the room you could put your Bible and notebook on the ledge built into the back of the pews and use a footrest too. What followed was a joyful, energetic, unhurried, beautiful worship service. The singing was joyful and upbeat, with an occasional English word or stanza I could follow. We were accompanied by a piano, three hand drums, and strong vocal leadership from up front that mingled with the strong harmonies and rhythm of clapping hands. The preaching, done by guest missionary Tim Cantrell who was also in to preach at the conference that week, was translated and I noticed Bibles open everywhere and being followed. I thought the service was coming to an end, but no one else seemed to notice or mind an entire additional component of greetings, introductions, and one powerful testimony. After the message, an older man got up to announce he wanted to follow Jesus. Judging from the enthusiastic response to his extended testimony, as well as hearing from others that they never thought they'd see this day, I gathered that what I was seeing was a microcosm of the Spirit's power and converting work.
Even with the distance of thousands of miles and language barriers and cultural differences, God's work is unmistakable. His Spirit is active, His church is being built, and His gospel is spreading all across His world. I ended my time in Luweero really excited and genuinely thankful for the chance to see this work of God. As the gospel continues to change an entire village, I'm excited to pray for and continue to support the work there. In all new ways, my heart is unified with this group of believers. I hope to see them all again soon, but at the very least know we'll one day be part of the every tribe, language, people, and nation who will declare "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain."
_____________________
David Morris
Pastor | Grace Church of the Valley
www.graceofthevalley.org | 559.897.8788
|
|
Perspectives from a Missionary's Mom
|
"How do you feel about your family living so far away? Isn't it hard not to be able to see your children and grandchildren often?" These are only a couple of the questions asked when people hear that Shannon, Danielle and 6 of our grandchildren live and minister in Uganda.
In reality it is a bittersweet experience to have your family live in a continent that is reached by 18 hours of air travel...not counting lay-overs. It would be misleading to say that the Hurley family is not sorely missed and there is a huge desire to watch firsthand as our grandchildren grow both physically and spiritually. But God in His sweet providence has ordained that the Hurleys serve as missionaries in Uganda...about as far away from Texas as one can get!  This trip in April was my third visit to Uganda--the first one being in 2006 and the second one being in 2008. Life was very different for the Hurleys then as they were ministering in Mukono. During the 2008 trip, Shannon showed us the land that SOS had purchased near the small village of Kubamitwe, but it was wild jungle, having no evidence of the ministry of SOS on the property or in the village. In the providence of God, 8 years after my last visit to Uganda, my desire to return to Uganda became a reality. Although I had seen many pictures and videos, nevertheless it was overwhelmingly impressive to see what God has allowed to be accomplished through faithful prayer warriors, generous donors, wise board members, committed staff members, dedicated missionaries (both long-term and short-term) and the founder's vision of this blessed ministry.
From the church (nearly overflowing on Sunday mornings) to the school (grades Pre-K to 3), to the staff homes, teacher homes, missionary homes, soccer field, administration center, education classrooms, team house, to the training center under construction...the beautiful well-kept grounds are a testimony of God's grace to the community and many pastors and others mentored there. This is not to mention much ministry carried on apart from the SOS campus in surrounding villages and in all of Uganda and South Sudan.
In addition to thankfulness to the Lord for the ministry carried on by adults at SOS Ministries, my heart was filled with gratitude as I witnessed our grandchildren catching their parents' vision for serving the Lord. They carry out their own ministries in the community and in their home overflowing with Ugandan students in the care of the Hurley family. Seeing outdoor kitchens having been built by "Compassion in Action" (supported by children in America) to visiting the Bible study for children (having been given Bibles donated by my home church) confirmed that my grandchildren are right where the Lord wants them and I will rejoice!
So to answer the question of how it feels to have our loved ones so far away...we would not have it any other way. We do not feel detached from our children because we are heavily involved in their lives and in SOS Ministries as well. We prayed that our children would love the Lord and serve Him wherever He desired, and that prayer has been answered!!!
- Vicki Seehusen
|
|
Womens' Conference Report
|
|
On March 28, 2016 Cheryl Guillory, Dee Ann Reed and Linda Clark from Denton Bible Church, Denton, Texas boarded a plane for Uganda. As we deplaned in the middle of the night we were meet by Shannon Hurley. He informed us we had about a 2-hour trip by car before reaching Kubamitwe.
We marveled at what had been accomplished at the SOS compound in the building of a church, school, housing for missionaries and teachers, other needful facilities in the middle of the "bush", but even more so the beauty of so many lives that have been impacted there with the reality of God's love.
After teaching the first three chapters in Titus 2 Woman, time was spent in small groups where the ladies (at first reluctantly) gave voice to their heartfelt struggles, asked some hard questions, listened and encouraged one other, and then prayed for each other that God would meet their needs. There was a real sense of genuine love as the ladies shared stories of family loss, difficult marriages, broken relationships. The ladies were seeking in their own way to connect the hard reality of their lives with the truths of the Gospel. Each was honestly struggling to replace false teaching--lies from the enemy that they had believed--with the truth of God's grace in their present circumstances.
As we laid our heads down in the Papyrus Guest House at the end of our journey in Uganda we reflected back on the many blessings we encountered in five short days. The memories of the many women who touched our lives will be forever ingrained in our minds--a young woman who was so hungry to hear and understand God's word, a mother who was grieving over the death of her young childfinding peace, Jackie and her servant's heart demonstrated towards the ladies, Jen and Danielle's love for the women and children of Uganda, and Rose, the president's wife of Baptist Convention of South Sudan, who wants to translate Titus 2 Woman in her language in South Sudan so that she can teach it to her women, the many young mothers who came with their young babies, who we thought would be so distracted, were able to recall the truths of what had been taught, a young lady who was living a submissive life but under duress from family members, our young guides who lead us through the "jungle" or "short cut" meaning walking through gardens and tall foliage to get to a village where some of the women lived who treated us to our first taste of "Jack fruit". These are just some of the memories we will hold dear to our hearts.
What an honor to come alongside SOS Ministries. Many prayers continue to go out to you and your work!! We can't thank you enough for the opportunity of being able to serve alongside with you.
God bless you all,
Cheryl, Dee Ann and Linda
|
As you make plans for giving this year, please consider partnering with SOS with the Pastoral Training Center, Legacy Christian Academy and community outreach efforts to transform the village of Kubamitwe and nation of Uganda. Contact Us for more information, or
|
|
|
|
SOS Prayer Requests
Please join us in prayer for Legacy Christian Academy as it has just begun its new school year with 250 students (K-3). Pray that the families of our students will grow to love the Lord through the examples of our teachers and their children's growing faith!
Please join us in prayer for our local church (Community Bible Church) as we continue to disciple men and women within our community to follow and serve Christ in all areas of life.
Please lift up our (Hurley) family as we seek to exalt Christ in our home and community. Pray that we would grow in humility as we serve one another.
Please continue to pray for our SOS family to love Christ more so that His love would impact the lives around us!
Got Skills ?
SOS is looking for volunteers that would like to explore "Digital Missionary" service to the Lord through SOS. Please prayerfully consider an eternal investment of your time, and contact us if you are interested....
|
Anthony & Mary Basaba - in Uganda!
The Basaba family has arrived in Uganda!! Anthony will focus on Community Outreach as well as support the biblical training conferences and other key areas. Mary will use her giftedness for medical aid and women's ministries.
See additional updates and Follow them on Facebook.
Check out their monthly newsletter and considering supporting them by visiting the SOS website.
NEW - Support SOS through Amazon Smiles
When you shop on-line, please consider shopping on Amazon and select SOS Ministries for you charitable organization. Amazon contributes 1% of all purchases to SOS when donors use Amazon Smiles and select SOS ! Just click this link and set your preferences..
|
Francis & Caroline Bisagni
Please pray for the Bisagni family as they raise support to serve SOS in Uganda, planning for a Fall 2016 start. The Bisagni family is very dear to SOS, and will be joining the SOS Senior Management Team to facilitate the Pastoral Training Center and other critical support areas.
Please consider supporting them by visiting the SOS website, under "Donate Now".
Bosco Andama is finishing his biblical training at Boyce College. Please pray for Bosco as he readies to return to SOS Uganda next Summer.
|
|
ABOUT SOS - Sufficiency of Scripture (SOS) Ministries is a unique 501(c)(3) faith-based organization, dramatically impacting the precious people of Uganda through sound Biblical teaching and training in God's Word, and through sacrificially demonstrating Christ's love.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SOS Ministries
P.O. Box 481,Wheaton, IL 60187-0481
877.4-Uganda
|
|
|
|
