A Couple Days ...

     Plenty of Blessings. 

     Thursday 24th Jun 2011,we had an invitation from papa Paul &Pam Hunter for two nights in their home at Jinja. They took us from Nakumatt at 2:00Pm, where our brother Jeff Kasigwa also joined us.
We departed from there and reached Jinja in the evening when we met our sisters Blair , Robyn and Sera Kasonga cooking food for us and making ready our rooms. We came: Boris, Jackson, Yves, Jimmy, Robert, Espoir, Serge and Sami. We enjoyed a good night.

Prayer for our sisters

     Friday morning, we were ready at 8:00am for breakfast because Mom woke up early to make everything ready. After breakfast, Blair shared with us about “Proverbs 24”, expressing herself how she understands what God is doing in their lives about forgiveness and having a heart of loving people like her (parents, extended family and other relationships). We discovered that these girls are very different now, they were able to share and open their hearts and after that they felt free. God is really doing His work in them, they are changed people. Their today is not like yesterday, and we praise God. We were very blessed by these girls when they were sharing with us. Papa Paul & Pam, Jeff, Mark and us enjoyed so much that time with Blair and Robyn, after this we prayed for them.

     10:00am, Papa brought us at a restaurant named “THE KEEP” for an audition. We went there with Blair and Robyn, then mom met us after. That morning was very wonderfully blessed with singing and dancing. The owner of “THE KEEP” was there, the waiters and customers watching and enjoying us.

Dove audition 

We praise God for Papa Paul that he is loving us more than we can imagine. We are not setting back but God is using him to push us in opportunities. He doesn’t insulate us in this ministry but he likes when we minister in freedom. After auditioning this morning, the owner of The Keep, approved and now we come back and sing on Jul 8th. We will have 90 minutes to sing praise and worship and whatever else we want. We look forward to this wonderful night. You are, everybody, welcome to experience God together with us this night of July 8th. When  the afternoon came, we went back home for practice and we enjoyed Jeff ’s advise for revising our songs.

      Our closing night has been powerful. We felt heaven coming down when we were worshipping with our brother Jeff in the sitting room. It has been a good time for God to manifest His power among us.

Prayer for God's Son, Our Brother Mark

Mark, a 54years old man of God from U.S, shared with us and taught us about ‘DISCIPLESHIP‘. It was a good time to be mentored again, to know which kind of disciple we have to be. Each time we come to Jinja we experience mentorship, no matter how short our time is here.

A Day Well Spent

                           Sunday June 12, 2011, we were invited by Papa Paul to minister in a church named "Christ Worship Church"at Mukono.We left Kampala at 8:15 and reached Mukono at 9:30
14 of us were ready and able to go: Robert, Innocent, Jimmy, Yves, Mukuki, Joseph, Convoi, Serge Cikoma, Espoir, Serge Kazi, Aksante, Boris, Jackson and Sami. Every time, we are motivated and ready to do what God wants us to do, if He calls us to any corner.  We are His soldiers.
We sang well,  and  praise God, He enables us whenever we call on Him and we always see Him working in us.
It really has been a great time to spend in the presence of the Lord and a touching time to worship. Papa Paul has the vision to push us on and always likes our ministry to be known.  He really has the heart of a father.
After the service Mom spoke to the women and at the same time Papa talked to the youth.
The church blessed us with a love offering before closing.

Baby dedication by papa Paul

We were hosted by Pastor Enoch and his wife, Annette, in their home for dinner after the service.  We enjoyed fellowship with each other and our new friends before saying good-bye and heading to our homes.  We left Mama with a big heart from a close time together in the Spirit, even though it was hard for her to say good-bye to the band.

Mama taking care of her children and sharing love after dinner

                               

Living like Kings ... Working like Priests (part II)

Enjoying Unity in pst Salomon's home

We left Mbarara in the late afternoon.  It was a long and very dusty ride to Kamwenge and we arrived after dark.  Club Africa was our home for the next 5 nights and it was a very nice hotel where we shared 2 or 3 to a room and had our breakfasts and some of our other meals.  Papa Paul and Mom had a bigger room where we all met together each day.  Thursday and Friday we had a seminar at Pastor Stephen's church where Jeff and Boris each preached.  Friday morning we all went door to door for evangelism and after a time we met in the center of town and sang on the street.

 Praying over Edgar's farm for prosperity

Edgar was our host in Kamwenge and he took us to his farm on Saturday.  We spent the whole of the day walking his land, praying over it and for God to prosper his land and his animals.  We spent some good time singing and dancing with Edgar's family and neighbors. They made a party for us with plenty of food and sodas and even sorgum.  Edgar had promised us fresh milk from his cows, but we failed to be able to drink after eating so much.  Can you imagine?

We couldn't drink milk...

We were blessed to have with us Blair and Robyn, granddaughters of Papa and Mom.  They did everything with us and we learned to love them as our sisters.  We think they, also, love us as their brothers.

Sunday found us ministering in another Pastor Steven's church that we had not been to yet.  God met us there as we were able to press through some spiritual resistance and lead the body of Christ in worship that was very sweet.  Papa Paul was the preacher for the day, and we were excited to also have two young men in the service who had just given their lives to Christ in the Friday door to door evangelism.  We were able to pray for them and have some time after the service to encourage them.
 
The mayor of Kamwenge attended one of our services that morning and joined us back at the hotel for lunch and a time to visit. He was joined by a few others who also work in the local government.  We were requested to sing by the mayor, and there was freedom to sing in the hotel dining area as we sat.  He was happy to invite us back anytime we want to return to Kamwenge for a concert.

Sunday evening found us all gathered in Papa's room where each of us shared what we had seen God doing in our adventure together.

By this time Papa had treated several sicknesses among the team, and taken them to the clinic and bought medicines and even had one on serum, but all were doing better.

One of the unique experiences we had was when Papa gave each of us 10,000sh for the day so that we could be responsible for our own meals.  It was each one's choice to find where we wanted to eat, or save the money by not eating.  Many of us have never had the opportunity, even from our own parents, to be given our own money to care for our own needs in our own way.  It turned into adventure and we each enjoyed it and learned something.  We found this experience connected to the teaching Papa was giving us throughout the trip about becoming men.  Papa was very good about using this time together to encourage us to keep growing towards manhood.  And he showed and taught us many things.

Papa and Mom gave each of us 20,000sh before we left each other.  It was meant to encourage us and make us to reach home with smiles.


We did arrive safely home and thank God for the safe journey and His presence with us all along the way.  We know that Papa Paul and Mom love us very much and have often made opportunities for us to minister.  We thank them for making this trip possible for us.  We will not remain as we were.  God loves us very much.

Living Like Kings! ... Working Like Priests!

June 7, 2011

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.  (Revelation 1:5-6)

None of the members of the Band had an accurate imagination of what our 12 days together in Western Uganda would be like.  We knew we had been invited on a short term mission with Next Generation Ministries.  We knew that we would be singing our music.  But, we had little idea of what living together with a team of 15 would be like.


Friday, May 27th, nine members of the band had the amazing privilege of traveling from Kampala, Uganda to Mbarara, Uganda in the vehicle owned by Next Generation Ministries.  We loaded the drum set of NGM on top of the vehicle along with a 12 string guitar, bass and our luggage.  Some of our members had to remain at home for school or work, but because Paul and Pam Hunter, our team leaders for this mission, were also taking their two oldest granddaughters, Pastor Jeff Kasigwa of Kampala, and our driver, Peter Bukenya on the trip, we were limited to nine members:  Yves, Mukuki, Joseph, Hope, Robert, Serge Kazi, Jackson, Boris, and Sami.

Solomon, wife Lily, baby with Pam, Paul & granddaughters

After a full day of driving, we arrived in a small village outside of Mbarara called Ruti.  Ruti is the home of Pastor Solomon and his wife Lillian.  They volunteered to host our entire time in their house.  We had no idea how motivating our time with them would be.  We gathered for prayer at 6 AM each morning and had another hour of prayer and the Word just before bed each evening.  Sometimes the mission pushed our prayer late into the night, even going past midnight one evening!  But, we were so blessed by the love, leadership, and teaching of Solomon.  He is a young, but mature pastor who has the heart of a spiritual father.  He was a man who could make us laugh so much, but also have very serious times as well.  Can you imagine?!?

Solomon ... a spiritual father to Robyn & Blair

We spent five nights in this home of peace, joy, prayer and community.  Our first day we traveled to Isaka to minister to one of the fellowships of Kampala International University.  The Medical School is on this campus and we ministered to about 200 students in a jam packed classroom, with several dozens seated outside and looking through the windows.  Papa Paul preached from the first three chapters of Ephesians about the eternal purpose of God ... how God desired a family for Himself and a Bride for His Son ... even before the world was created.


Sunday morning, Papa Paul preached in two services to over 1500 people at the Evangelical Christian Church of Uganda.  Jeff sang a couple of songs and we sang in the second service.  Soon after lunch together we moved to a Praise and Worship session in Pastor Solomon's church until the sun disappeared behind the Rwenzori Mountains.

Papa Paul with interpreter

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, we sang in the Lunch Hour at the Evangelical Christian Church which runs from midday until 2 PM and again Papa Paul taught.  His subject was Relational Mentoring/Discipleship.  Monday evening we shared at a Workers Fellowship and Tuesday afternoon we ministered in a vocational/secondary school for disabled students.  It was a very moving experience.  Boris shared his life testimony and Papa Paul gave a short message followed by an invitation for students to give their life to Christ with about five students responding.


After a stimulating and fulfilling 5 days in Mbarara, the mission team traveled on Wednesday evening to Kamwenge.  Tomorrow we will write about our five days there and how we lived as kings.  For now, we were discovering how to be a part of a team of ministering priests during the first half of our mission.