FHLM DECEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
GREETINGS:
Greetings from Masaka and Happy 2024! I hope you all had a blessed Christmas and new year thus far!
DIRECTORS UPDATE:
Word For 2024: Every year around November/December I start praying to the Lord and asking Him to share with me His Word for me and the ministry for the New Year! While I was in Woodland Park, CO a friend that I haven’t seen in several years prayed for me and she spoke Jeremiah 33:3 over me; ‘Call to Me, and I will answer, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Then when I was in San Diego, CA another friend gave me the same verse and of course the next morning my devotional verse was Jeremiah 33:33. God was certainly speaking to me and I’m listening!
Welcome Back: On 04th Dec I came back to the Youth Centre after my Furlough. After some morning staff and youth meetings my afternoon was very fun! The youth and staff surprised me with a “Welcome Back Party”! There was a lot of scurrying around after lunch and then I was asked to come into the garage. As I opened the door I was met with a rousing song of Welcome Back and Happy Birthday, along with jubilant dancing! I was very joyous and I felt so very loved! They, mostly Eddy, had even made me a welcome back /birthday cake.
Thank You God: I can’t help but reflect on how God has been so, so good to us throughout the last 14 years of ministry in Masaka. 2023 has been a year marked by so many answered prayers. Of course, there are some dreams that God has put on my heart for 2024 and beyond. I hope to start pursuing them in the coming months. Though some of the dreams are exciting, scary, with a whole lot of unknowns, I know God is faithful, as He has proven that again and again in my life. That said, I’m asking if you would consider partnering with FHLM to fund the purchase of the land that the current Youth Centre is on? Your support is invaluable and we would love to have you join us on this adventure! If you’d like to know more or contribute to these dreams to grow and build FHLM please contact me at reetsindiego@yahoo.com
YOUTH UPDATE:
Reports: On 7th Dec the secondary youth collected their reports. Their performances were fair, but we thank God that they all were promoted to their next level of education!
Time Away: William continued in the village, but he was able to travel back to Masaka from the 14-16 Dec and attend the Youth Christmas Party. It was lovely to see him since I hadn’t seen him since I left for furlough in Oct. He told me that his some of the Secondary 4 National Exam papers were difficult, like Physics, but all in all we pray he has done well. Since he is hoping to take Biology, Chemistry and Math in Advanced Levels, toward his dream of becoming a doctor, he has been volunteering with the Village Health Team (VHT) whilst in his home village of Kiserekete. He has been helping to collect data, food status, and immunization status of the families in the sub-region. They have even taught him how to test for malaria and blood pressure. He and Milly’s Secondary 4 results will be back in mid- February, so he will return to Masaka then.
After our Christmas Party three of the girls traveled to their home or family villages for the Holidays. Milly went to Rukungiri District with her Mom to be with her aunt and cousins. Immy spent 2 ½ weeks with her Mom and bother in the village of Musa near Mpigi. Her Mom has been sick with high blood pressure, so please pray for her recovery and provision. Charity went to the village of Kasozi in Ssembabule District to be with her grandma and cousins.
Back in Masaka: On the 20th Justine and Oliver return to Masaka for their university Holiday Break. They stayed at my home through Christmas. It was so great to have them around and spend time catching up with them. Oliver returned to Kampala before New Year to help her sister who was sick in hospital. Justine left on 2nd Jan for Kampala and the start of her 2nd semester.
Prayer Request: Please pray for our upcoming Youth Prayer Retreat Camp-Out that will be from 26-28 Jan. Our theme this year is from John 17:16 “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”. We expect to have about 35 youth in attendance and 5 facilitators. We thank you in advance for standing with us in prayer!
YOUTH PROGRAMS:
Life-Skill: On 8th Dec Aunt Shakirah lead the youth in an afternoon session on Decision Making. She made several points based on the question: How do we know our decision is constructive? She also pointed out the different areas of life where we do make decisions. Many of the youth interacted and asked questions. I’m thankful we could share this topic and help them as they navigate life.
Bible Study: Throughout the month we continued in the book of Revelation. On 13th Dec we read through and discussed Revelation 19:1-21. Here are some of the youth’s comments and lessons learned.
- Ruth leaned that if we cling on Jesus Christ, we can fight the evil through putting on the “white robe”, and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
- Pamela discussed verses 7-9, we have seen the bride given a fine linen, and we are the brides whom Jesus is coming for, are we invited or given the garment? We need to be true, the garment that can allow us go to the wedding party. The righteous acts of God’s holy people.
- Pius spoke about verse 11-21, the heavenly warrior defeating the beast means we have hope for us in Jesus that he will defeat the devil/ beast.
CHRISTMAS PROGRAMS:
Craft Day: On 11th Dec we made Christmas Crafts. We were blessed by my friend Lee, with a donation of wooden Christmas trees, so we decorated them with glitter, sequins and beads. They were all very shiny and beautiful! That same day the youths decorated the Christmas tree and the Centre with garland, and twinkle lights. The Centre was very festive looking!!
Movie Day: The 12th we had our annual Christmas Movie. This year we watched the classic It’s A Wonderful Life. Most Americans have watched this Christmas classic, but it was very new to our youth. Though it was in black and white the youth enjoyed it. Here are some of their comments about the movie:
- Pius leant that we should marry one wife or one man and that love & charity creates unity.
- Pamela talked of creativity, we saw Mary doing some designs at home, we should not rely on men. Doing charitable in the community. Learnt how to sacrifice, the way George sacrificed. To manifest our feelings early the way Mary, George’s wife did.
- Ruth, leant how to be patient, the way we saw Mary after their wedding. She said that Mary and George didn’t rush to their honeymoon but instead sacrificed their money to the people. She said they endured in every situation.
- Charity talked of George Bailey and how making friends and sharing can help you out of situations.
- Immy said that there is no permanent situation, we should learn to endure.
Christmas Party: On the 15th , our last open day before breaking for the Holidays, we had our Annual Youth Christmas Party. The day was filled with the love and joy of Christmas. After an opening prayer and some praise and worship, we went around the room and everyone gave a testimony of how God moved in their lives in 2023. After Uncle William Maygia gave our youth and our guests a word from Luke 2:1-20- the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior. After lunch the youth went into games and sports, singing competition led by Uncle Alpha. The singing completion were all Christmas Carols, so it was quite fun to hear some of the teams renditions. We ended with a gift grab-bag and a song and prayer! I was a lovely day!
Baking: On 22nd and 23rd most of the youth came to my (Aunt Rita’s) house to bake for Christmas. We spent the two days baking Christmas cutout cookies, 7 layer bars, chocolate banana balls, cupcakes, several other cakes and a birthday cake for Jesus.
Christmas Eve & Day- From Christmas Eve till Boxing Day (26th Dec) the remaining FHLM Youth were at my house. We had our usual Christmas luncheon preparation on the 24th. Because of foot and mouth disease in a neighboring district, this year we had a menu change, and cooked chicken and fish. It was a nice change! After church on the 25th everyone, including Alpha, Shakirah, and Juliet, came over to the house. We had a yummy luncheon filled with many foods and many traditional Ugandan dishes; gnuts, matooke, pilau rice, entula & mixed veggies, nakatee, and smashed irish. After eating we played cards and some napped. Eddy and Joshua came over in the evening and then it was time for the second feast of sweets and cakes! We didn’t forget the reason for the season and had a birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus! Since everyone was on a “sugar high” the gift giving and traditional gift grab bag was full of laughter and very joyous!
On the 26th young William came from the village to the house for the day. Those that spent Christmas night with us enjoyed the leftovers and time with William. I thank God for the gift of His Son and for giving us a blessed Christmas Season!!
BELA BULUNGI (GOOD-BYE):
We are excited to see what God has in store for FHLM in 2024! I prayer that He continues to keep you all healthy, happy, and in His grip!
Love and Blessings,
Rita Bulegeya
Director -Faith Hope Love Missions
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