FHLM NEWS LETTER SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Directors Update:

I was in the U.S. on Furlough from 19 September until 28 October. This year’s trip was full of God’s goodness and blessings! I am very thankful to ALL my family and friends for their generosity, care, love, hospitality and giving hearts. This just added to how wonderful the Lord moved during my time away.

While I was in the U.S. on Furlough Jane Franc, our Social Worker and my Right Hand, kept things moving at FHLM!

SOAR Youth Update:

From 19 to 23 September Jane was very busy banking the SOAR Youths school fees in the various required banks around Masaka Town and helping the youth shop for their personal and school requirements. School and personal requirements consist of personal hygiene needs to notebooks to brooms to William’s wiring and conduit for vocational school. It is a big job and I’m sure Jane breathed a sigh of relief when all of the youth reported back to school on the 26^th.

Here is Jane’s Account of the FHLM Programs from 24 Sept to 29 Oct:

J.A.M Sessions Sept & Oct:

We had a joyous J.A.M Session on the 24 Sept, though power was off the whole day. The youths enjoyed it for everyone sung and enjoyed plenty of popcorns and juice that day. The turn up was average.

Wow! Wow! Wow!!! What a wonderful J.A.M the 22^nd October was! It all started with a word from Alpha who preached about Faith. I guess you have now sensed how different it was this time around. We started at 2:34pm when we were only three of us, Alpha, Oliver and me. We prayed after the word from Alpha and believed that God was adding more people to us. Indeed, our God is faithful. As we started singing, people joined us and we enjoyed ourselves in JESUS. It was a whole round of songs. Everyone was singing after the other. We learnt new songs and we all enjoyed singing them together as we danced and praised our Lord Jesus.  One street kid Derrick, taught us a song entitled ‘I WILL NEVER LEAVE GOD MY REDEEMER’, and another little boy Simon taught us a song entitled ‘I AM WHAT GOD SAYS I AM’. I tell you, it was so awesome. Peninah, a little girl led, ‘BECAUSE HE LIVES’. I taught them ‘AWESOME’ and Angela sang the Hill Top Song. Eh what can I tell you now! We enjoyed every ‘beat’ of it.

 BIBLE STUDIES:

We had a 1^st After School Bible Study of the new term on 26^th Sept. Over a five week period every Tuesday we read from the book of Numbers from chapter 26 to the end of Numbers 36. During our study of Numbers 28 & 29 the youths learnt that they have to give back to God their Best, because when the children of Israel were to offer, they were commanded to give an offering without blemish, so GOD always requires the best from us.

Each Thursday we had a study in the New Testament and learnt from the book of Luke. On the 6^th, we had our Bible Study from Luke 3:1-28, when John the Baptist preached about preparing the way of the Lord, bearing fruit and then the Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus Christ. The lesson the youths got from this study was that, preparing the way of the Lord does not mean that we need to get hoes, pangas, and slashers and start clearing the roads around us for King Jesus, as the “Baganda” do for their king, but it simply meant that we have to cleanse our hearts through repentance for remission of sins, so as we are always prepared and ready to go in case our Lord Jesus came for us.

LIFE SKILLS:  I carried out life skills with the youths on the 30^th Sept and our topic was Gender Balance. On the 14^th October, our Life Skill Topic was Friendship formation. The youths got to know the clear definition of a friend and Friendship. They learnt the characteristics of good and bad friends; like loving, caring, honest, God fearing, tolerant, selfless etc. and the opposite is true for bad friends. They also learnt how to maintain friendship. They enjoyed the topic and participated in it. On the 7^th, we missed life skills with the youths under the topic “Friendship Formation” because the youths came late apart from Cephas with whom I waited for others.

HOSPITAL OUTREACH: On the 8^th October, Oliver, Cephas, and I went to Mulago Hospital to pray for the sick. We chose to go to the Female Ward, and this time around every patient allowed us to pray for them. Among the many we prayed for, Alpha’s mum was also inclusive. She told us that she had disturbances with her stomach and that she received eight drips by then. We believe that God healed them in Jesus’ name.

MOVIE WITH A MESSAGE DAY: On the 15^th October, we watched a movie entitled WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. The youths had very many lessons from this movie, and some of them are given below; Winnie learnt that, even the thing we love most here on earth can perish its God alone who can never perish. In the movie, however much the boy loved his dogs, he lost them, and reminded focused on God. She encouraged everyone to always trust in the LORD. They also learnt that they should always save for what they want instead of begging. This boy in this movie loved dogs so much, and so he went ahead saving money to buy them himself. They learnt that they should always stick on the things they want not until they have achieved them. In the words they should not give up.

Visitation Day: On 29^th October Alpha, Oliver and I went to visit Babirye at Masaka SS boarding school for 3^rd Term Visitation Day.  We met Babz at the school gate, as she was escorting parents with the other Scouts. We all had a picnic lunch on the grass with all the other students and parents with the foods we brought. I than went to collect the student reports from their class teachers. While I was away Babirye’s guardian, Mr. Ddungu, came also to visit her. It was a nice day and visit with her.

All in all the time when Aunt Rita was gone went well, but we all missed her greatly! We are all very happy she has returned.

Have a blessed day and may our Lord give you His peace and joy!

Rita and Jane

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