FHLM April 2020 Newsletter

Greetings from Masaka! We are in the middle of rainy season, so almost every night or day we have rain. But rain brings life to all the seeds we’ve planted and that is a blessing! During this lock-down I read a verse that has stuck with me Habukkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.  I believe God is doing something during this pandemic that we can’t imagine. No matter how bad our circumstances become we need to place our confidence in Him and truly humble ourselves as we wait on His timing. When we do this we will be utterly amazed, just like Habukkuk.   

Director’s Update:

Easter: We had a lovely Resurrection Sunday and we hope that you were able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus too! For us, we were able to listen to Pastor Sam from Hilltop Church on the radio. We had Alpha over, and William, since he lives here, both joined Rogers and I for Easter lunch. It was quite different from years past, as there are usually 15 or more people at our home for luncheon.  All in all, it was a quiet day, with time to reflect on Easters past and all that the Lord has done for us.

Easter Monday was great! Alpha came back over and we all had leftovers for lunch, after I taught William how to play solitaire. He said, “wow this is a game of your mind and strategy”. Glad that my Grandpa Kenny taught me when I was a kid so I can one day pass fun on to others.  Anyway, we spent the rest of the afternoon on a walk. Up the hill from our home in a place called Pine Ridge that has amazing views.  It was so wonderful to get out of the house compound and enjoy the beautiful landscape and God’s creation!

Lock-Down Changes: On 14 April the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that the government was going to continue with the “Lockdown” measures and extent them an additional 21 days, until 05 May. The measures are as follows; all churches, mosques, schools & universities remain closed, all public & air transport remain stopped, boarders remain closed, personal movement in private vehicles, & bodas banned,  only open markets & supermarkets remain open, only essential service providers can work, curfew from 7pm to 6:30am daily, gatherings to have a maximum of 5 people, factories and construction sites remain operational but people must sleep there.     

He also added that the Ministry of Health has even been testing the long-haul truck drivers and cargo handlers that have been allowed to continue to move necessary goods. He was also concerned about the “porous” boarders and the military boarder bribery that has been taking place to allow people through.

To some these measures by the government may seem harsh, but they have kept Uganda and the people within its borders relatively safe with only 83 confirmed cases to date, no deaths and 52 recoveries. Unfortunately, 38 of the latest confirmed cases have been long-haul truck drivers from Kenya and Tanzania. The Ministry of Health & government are working on a way to contain and figure out how to still get goods into the country.  

We are praying for the government to have God’s WISDOM because when we have the ability to see life from His perspective, then we will know the best course of action to take. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(NIV) That is when our FAITH thrives; when we stay focused on God rather than ourselves and loving others. The Bible says; Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Matthew 22:37-39.

That said we realize that many people living in urban areas of Uganda earn a living daily or weekly and since we are on lock-down many don’t have any ability to get any money to buy food, on a regular basis most live hand to mouth. My Pastor Sam from Hilltop Church contacted the Local Council Man of Soweto/Line where the church is to get approval to assist the area. Hilltop got some donations from abroad and we were able to purchase 400 kilos of posho (maze flour), which is a staple food here in Uganda. Pastor Sam and two other church members were able to distribute to 25 families on the 21^st and 20 families on the 22^nd. 

We, as a ministry, were also moved to love our “neighbours” , so from the 24^th to the 27^th we assisted 9  families that live in Ssenyange near Rogers & I. We were also asked by a local council member to purchase 40 kilos of posho to help some other families in need in Ssenyenge. We did this quietly as God says “do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3-4). Uncle William delivered the posho & beans on his bicycle one family at a time. Here’s one of the testimonies that came one of the families that received: The Mom told her kids to collect firewood in the morning but she knew they had no food. She told her kids, “God will provide” and that afternoon Uncle William delivered the food. Praise be to God!    

This is what has been going on with the SOAR Youth over the last few weeks:     

Youthz Update:

Babirye: She and I have been texting almost every day and had a few long phone calls. She said that her and her uncle’s family had a nice Easter. She said that home is fine and they have been walking to the garden, which is 2 miles from the house, to weed what they planted and harvest food. She was able to turn in her class assignments that the professors gave them before they left university.  She’s also been staying in touch with some of the other SOAR youth via texts and sharing encouraging verses.

Joshua: He and I have been having a lot of text message conversations. I’m also one of the recipients of his daily encouragement & verse texts. There have been a few times that his message have helped me out and lifted my spirits during our lock-down. I was so blessed when he told me that he was asked to share and preach to his landlady & her family on Easter Sunday and a few times since.

Oliver: Sheand I have talked a lot during this lock-down, but the night of the 21^st she “beeped me” so I called her back. She was at the hospital as her Grandma had been admitted because she couldn’t walk. She’s had issues with her legs for a while. But after a scan, treatment and a few days rest we praise God that she was released and is improving. We also have great news because her sister in law had a baby girl, named Josaline. We praise God for the gift of life!!

Eddy: I’ve been checking in with him a few times a week. He said Easter was OK but the last few Sundays  either his older brother or father have been teaching from the Word. He said that he and his brother have been doing physicals around the house and he also got his bike fixed with the money we gave him so he’s been riding bike around the neighbourhood.  He’s been doing school revision and watching teaching on TV. He said that Daddy is digging in the garden & then walking to town every day because he’s not working. I was also able to get on the Masaka Secondary School’s Secondary 4 WhatsApp Group and download S4 Mock Papers and work for most of his classed. Since he doesn’t have access to any Smartphone he rode his bike over to my home on the 20^th with the borrowed laptop and we transferred all the papers onto it. We praise God for all of the provisions He’s giving to Eddy!

Justine: It has been hard to reach her in the village in Kalungu District, but we finally got to have a few long talks for the last few weeks. She said that on Easter Sunday they listened to message on radio and it was ok. They have been digging in the garden and planting, but haven’t had rain that side yet. She said she’s still reading the Bible daily and has been re-reading Psalm 40 & Psalm 9:10 for encouragement. She also been revising her books, but was missing out on papers. I was able to get her Aunt connected with the school’s Secondary 5 WhatsApp group, so they could download assignments and papers.

Hanisha: She and her Mom are doing well and very thankful for the food items that we sent at the beginning of April. She said that Easter was good and they took communion too. I was able to get her Mom connected to the Secondary 2 WhatsApp Group. 

Immy: She is in the village outside Mpigi. Grace has been in contact with Immy and she told me that Immy’s family has been struggling with getting food. Her Mom was sick last planting season and didn’t get much planted, so there hasn’t been much from harvest. The Mom has been sick again, but thank God she has had Immy & her half-sisters helping hands to plant for this season. God works in mysterious ways!

Benita: Grace has been in weekly contact with her. She said that Benita is doing well and working on her studies each day. Unfortunately the family has been suffering and was lacking food, so we bought food items, got them to her brother Kato and he delivered them to the family.

William & Milly: Grace has also been in contact with them. Since they are in the villages they are doing well. Both of their extended families have banana plantations & gardens that are providing food for them and their families. We praise God for this, but as the lock-down continued things got hard for them so we’ve sent support to them.

We praise God for those that God prompted to send extra support to the ministry!  With this extra provision we’ve been able to continually bless our youth and their families with food and basic items, so they can survive during this lock down period in Uganda! We also have been able to provide for Uncle William and David, two of our past SOAR Youth, as they are self-employed and have not been able to work during this lock down. I’m also thankful for technology like phones, Smartphones and WhatsApp that are enabling me and Grace to stay in contact with our youth, their families, and the school! We also praise God for you, for without your continued prayers, donations, and love we could not be God’s vessels to bless His people. We are thankful that all of us have been safe and healthy and we continue to pray the same for all of you!! May God bless you and keep you!!

In His Grip,  

Rita Bulegeya

Director-Faith Hope Love missions (UG)