"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.  Nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17


So humbled by His mercy.  Today, the one who is sick, is Casey's sponsor child. And we are here. She is burning.  She is weak.  She is His.  We take her into the clinic.  Check her out.  Ear infection.  High fever.  Oxygen level-low. Pulse-high.  Lungs--crackles, wheezes.  Breathing--labored.   We take her to our home so we can give her a breathing treatment. ( Our nebulizer machine burnt up weeks ago.)  We must get medicine into her lungs.    She threw her medicine up.  She is getting worse.  We sit her down and pray the name of Jesus over this sweet one. Whisper in her ears.  Hold her hands.  At one time, all that comes out is "Jesus".  The tears fall.

We move her to the stove, to inhale medicine into her lungs.  Not the most effective way, but our machine is broken and this is all we have.  She is too weak to finish.  We sit her down and check her lungs.  They are almost clear.  Almost clear!!  That is Jesus.  His mercy.  His grace.  More tears fall.  To see His face in the midst of suffering.  Nothing is too hard for Him.

While her lungs are almost clear, she is still sick.  We call her mom.  She comes.  We tell her the story of her daughter.  We tell her we called on Jesus and her lungs are clear.  She beams.  She gets excited. She tells us, through a translator, that her daughter, this one, 5 years old, was on her knees the night before.  Three hours on her knees before the LORD.  Crying out to Jesus.  For. Three. Hours.  A child.  We asked the mom, "do you know Jesus?"  She replied, "not yet".  

But this child is saved by the blood of Jesus.  Crying out to the One who hears.  Her mom is watching, noticing.  Jesus is there.  And we pray.  And the tears  fall.

Please join us in prayer for this child's health.  She has been very sick since birth.  She is beautiful.  She is His.  She matters to Jesus.  She matters to us.  Pray for her mother, who has no hope.  "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31 There is hope.

This child heard about Jesus at school.  Please consider sponsoring a child.  It really does make a difference.  To this one---it is life!!!

Humbled by His mercy,
Debbie

Rejoicing Over One

"I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." Luke 15:7

The past 7 weeks has been a journey with Jesus.  He calls us to follow Him and he doesn't always tell us the details.  It's called "faith".  We go.  We trust.

We struggle.  We have moved our family to a foreign land.  We take our"selves".  Same people.  Different culture.  We struggle with "self".  We have not arrived.  We just need Jesus more.

The Lord is moving in our midst.  He is faithful when we are not.  We have been through sickness.  Malaria. Fevers. Stomach. Strep. Unexplainable rashes. High blood pressure.  We have been discouraged, confused, angry, laughed at and lonely.  We have been in awe, praising, crying, and speechless.  We have been hungry, fought rats, been eaten by mosquitos, hot and dirty.  But we have never questioned His goodness.  His will is perfect.  He knows.  We are called to follow.

Last week we were challenged like never before.  So much sickness.  Chelsey had malaria.  The boar hole was broken and being fixed. No water.  No electricity.  The van was gone and in need of repair.  No vehicle.  Chelsey took a turn for the worse.  We ran. We scrambled.  We prayed.  We begged. Brittany put an emergency IV in her.  We waited. With tears.  And God breathed His life into her. "The Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them--the LORD, who remains faithful forever." Psalm 147:6  Everything stripped away except Him and His faithfulness.

Today, we witness the "one".  The one who turned from witchcraft to the One who saved her from her sins.  Today is a new day.  She is saved today.  She is made new today.  A woman of influence in this village.  Today she is HIS.  She was once dead in her sins and is now alive in Christ.  Because of Jesus and His work on the cross.  Because of Him.

We praise His holy name.  So much rejoicing in heaven over this repentant sinner. We are rejoicing in this village over this one.  God has always been faithful.  He will always be faithful.

So ask us if it is worth it?  We will tell you, without a doubt, Jesus is worth everything.  He gave it all for us.  It is not a burden, it is a joy to walk in His will.  An unexplainable joy to watch "one" turn away and walk with Him.  And He knew.  None of it is a surprise to Him. 

So thankful for His sufficient grace,

Debbie

God Reveal Your Will

Brothers:

                Since the last time that I messaged all of you, life here is ever crazier.  We’ve come alongside a mother of triplets and triplets are considered a curse here.  We are paying for a single mom who is suffering from cancer to receive treatment.  Her pastor brought her here to be seen.  We have a 3 year old living with us.  She had been abandoned and was starving.  Your prayers and support are making this happen.  We ask God where we are to help and as He provides we move.  Trying desperately not to let our hearts lead.  Hard.

                The physical needs here are great but the spiritual needs are overwhelming.  We are asking the Lord to give us His words in every situation.  He has been faithful.  Pray that they see and hear only Jesus.

                George has started a youth fellowship time every Saturday at about 4:00pm Africa time (could be 4, most likely 5:00-5:30) which means that we never know when to be ready. 

                I’ve been asked to share from the Word and God has been stretching me in this.  On the IPod, Paul Washer made it very clear that listening to someone else teach is good but giving a message from that is not what I should be striving for.  Connecting with Jesus myself through the Word and giving what I’ve been given myself is where power lies.  The Holy Spirit, confirmed by the Word, coming in power and deep conviction is what changes lives and as God has challenged, changed, moved me my life has matured.  We see a hope in this here.  The basic teaching, like who God is and how He wants to relate to us, is a hard subject.  They have no Idea what a Father’s love is supposed to look like so to tell them of a perfect Father in Heaven is very strange to them.  I can relate to this because of my background.  I pray that God uses my testimony to speak to them, especially the young men.  Starting to make connections. Pray the Lord leads that this would disciple others and not enable them in any way.  It is a culture thing.  They have nothing, so they are always looking to get something. 

                I gave a teaching on the Fruit of the Spirit – challenged the youth in this, to see if they are truly walking with the Lord.  It was well received and George thought this was a message the church should hear.  On Sunday I gave the same message – calling into account church leaders, husbands, wives, and children.  Saw a lot of heads lowering as I looked at them as I spoke.  Conviction is good but doubting salvation is not.  The summary of the message they gave back to me was if you don’t see all of the Fruits of the Spirit you don’t have the Spirit at all.  There was hope though.  A good friend of George’s, the leader of his carpenter crew whose name is Kennedy, stood up and said he knows he has the Spirit in him because the Bible tells him so.  I asked if I could take a little time to clear this up.  I talked about not being perfect until we get to heaven or until Jesus comes back, and that we are in a process of maturity in the Lord as we walk in Him.  After the service the leaders of the church asked if we could talk more about this next week.  There is much teaching about the Holy Spirit here saying if you don’t speak in tongues you aren’t filled with the Spirit.  This is not George’s belief but I’ve yet to talk with the church leaders about all of this. 

                The next Sunday, July 15^th, I shared the service teaching time with a friend of George and his family, an African teacher who speaks on being delivered from sin and strongholds in a believer’s life.  From his message and talking with him I believe his biblical perspective is correct but only time and more sharing will truly confirm this.
                My message was on justification, sanctification, and glorification.  Justification – being saved from the guilt of sin.  Sanctification – being saved from the power of sin.  Glorification – will be saved from the presence of sin.  2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourself to make sure you are in the faith.”  If you find you are in the faith rejoice and see the beauty of Christ in you.  If you find that you are not, pray so that you can know Jesus for real.  Pray for your soul and others.  Ask “Lord set me on this journey”. 

                All of this is God’s business opening our hearts to Him, growing in our relationship with Him, but we do need to do our part.  Cry out to our Father in Heaven that He would do a mighty work here in Bugabo, Uganda and in my heart.  Draw us all closer to serve Him. 

                Ephesians 1:13-14, “Receiving the promised Holy Spirit when you believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

                Only time spent here will confirm their understanding of the truth of the Word.  What a joy to see their smiles and then praising Jesus for His Word.

                Tuesdays are Men’s Ministry here in the village also.  We had 7 of us the first time and we hope more will come as they hear about it.  It was tough to hear the struggles they are having – trusting the Lord to provide when the crops are not coming in because of a lack of rain and they have nothing else.  What do you say?  Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life?  I just said that this is hard very hard but encouraged them to trust Him.  They gave testimonies of God showing Himself in the midst of all of this.  They also have problems with their wives and getting no respect. 

                We have a great opportunity to see God move in and among these men.  To bring them the Word of God and to see lives change as they grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. 

                As I think back over the last couple years and remember the men who have challenged and encouraged me in the Word of God and provided leadership and direction by their obedience, I desire to see that here in the village.  Why not?  It’s God’s heart that His people walk closely with Him!  Micah 6:8, “He showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Please pray that we all walk closer to our Lord Jesus by His spirit that His will in all would be done.

Steve

Jude 2:20-23, “But you beloved, building yourself up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on those who doubt, save others by snatching them out of the fire, to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garments stained by the flesh.”  (ESV)

Living With A Broken Heart

Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Every day, the dawn breaks and a new day begins. And every day brings a new face – a real person with a beating heart, with eyes that stare into mine, with a hand to hold and a story that shatters my soul. How can we turn away our hands? How can we simply say “We will pray for you,” and not do something?

I have struggled working in the clinic, seeing school children during the week and the rest of the community on the weekend. Each child I ask “Did you eat today?” and the answer is always no if it is before their 10:00am meal of porridge that they get at school. I then ask who they live with at home and very rarely have an answer of mom and/or dad. I love to hug them and get a smile out of them. And then I pray with them. Because what good is physical healing if their soul is in danger? If they don’t know Jesus as Savior?

My heart is constantly broken and being broken again and again. God’s grace alone lets me get up and do another day.

I think of Michael, eight years old and burned badly in a fire. People scoff because he was jumping over the fire, but what they don’t know is that his grandpa died almost one year ago exactly and ever since then he has been acting out. His grandmother let her husband die so she could sell his land. And now here is Michael, in the hospital for weeks, a brave little boy wanting to be loved, with 25% of his skin burned off.

I think of a woman I saw in the clinic, Prossy, mother of a two year old. She has cancer and no way to pay the $500.00 needed for radiation. No way to pay the money so that she won’t have to leave another orphan behind.  She came in, bent over in pain, begging for help.

I think of Collin, a boy in the “foster care” system because his father, a witch doctor, raped a woman and is in prison. His mother abandoned him when he was six months old. He has the sweetest smile you ever saw, with huge dimples and eyes that speak volumes. The first night here, we fed him a bowl of rice and beans. Once it was gone, he looked into his lap and started to cry. This boy had countless sores on his legs, oozing and broken open. He uses his shirt or his hands to wipe after using the bathroom. And yet, he sits on your lap, snuggling and singing “Hallelujah.”

I think of baby Isaac, two months old. He was abandoned by his father, so his mother left him at a bar to get back at him. He has the sweetest brown eyes, and when I hold him, I cannot fathom leaving him.

And then I think of Grace. Sweet Grace.  No one knows her age; by her teeth, they say she is three or four. She wears 9-12 month size clothes. She was abandoned in a bush with a dress and shoes on. She was found covered in scabs and was severely malnourished. On Saturday, we went to the place she was found to try and find any information we could about where she came from. And as I looked at the very bush she was found, I felt sick.  How can you leave your child? How can you not care? Grace is coming alive again. She laughs and plays and cries and wants to be held. Her face is filling out and her belly is not as swollen. But the road to recovery is long.

Finally, I think of a mom, left all alone with triplets, hated by her family and community. In this culture, triplets are considered a curse. They are at risk – the witch doctor wants them so he can do spells and eventually kill them, and the family blames them for all the problems they have. These three boys are nine months old. Nine months. Their mother wants to give them up. She feels defeated, depressed and cannot care for them.

These are real children, real people…. just like you and me. As I hold these children in my arms, I am angry. Angry at mothers who abandon their children. Angry at fathers who are never to be found. Angry at cultures who consider innocent babies as curses. And angry at people who look right past and do nothing, who hear but don’t feel.

But then I am reminded of my sin – my hard heart, my selfishness, my fears and uncertainties. I am reminded that no matter how many good things I do, I am just as sinful. God doesn’t want me to be angry – He wants me to be broken. Broken for my sin. Broken for the sin in the world causing children to be unloved and thrown away, causing mothers to be beaten, causing cultures to be twisted and deceived. And I am thankful that I am living with a broken heart.

How can I make you feel it with me? I cannot. I have no words for my feelings, no words for the horror and the sadness, for the hidden and visible wounds, for the pain. I cannot make you understand. I cannot make you care. But I can pray. And I can be broken. May the Lord transform hearts, as He is in the process of transforming mine. In my brokenness, I am changed. And while sometimes I am falling apart, barely breathing…when I am weak, then He is strong. And Jesus is enough.

Our time in Uganda so far.

Full, Abundant Life

"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:9

God's truth.  For every person.  Every color.  Every nation.  Every tribe.  He has come to save.  He has come to give life to the full.  How do you tell this to a 3 or 4 year old who was found under a bush, malnourished and left to die. Only 11 pounds.  So malnourished, no one in her culture wants to look at her because she is so sick. Haven't found the parents yet.   How do you tell a twin girl, 10 years old, malnourished and starving, with no parents to care for her and her siblings.  No food at home, only at school where they are sponsored.  How do you tell a boy, burned in a fire.  His arm, stomach, ear and back. Went a whole night without telling anyone.  Just a little boy.  How do you tell this to a little girl.  Abused in every way.  Night after night.  No one to protect her when she calls.  How do you tell a young boy who gets beat every time he is late getting home.  How do you tell someone who has never been loved that they have a perfect Father in heaven who gave His life.  Perfect love. 

These are some of the real people we have met so far.  Too many to tell.  There are so many hungry, so many alone,so many sick, too many.  We are struggling with what this looks like.  We continue to tell them. We continue to hold them,  we continue to cry with them, cry out for them, feed them, play with them,  hear them.  But in the end, it is only Jesus who can do anything.  Only Jesus who can save them.  Only Jesus who can turn their mourning into dancing. 

He left the 99 and chased after the one.  One is worth it.  Even one.  The one in front of us.  That is the one we will tell.  That is the one we will love.  We will give them all to Him.  Lay them down at the foot of the cross.  They are His.  Not ours. We must not turn the other way.  We must reach out.  We follow Jesus.  He knows the way.  He is THE WAY.

Full, abundant life is knowing Jesus!! He is Lord!!

Home Away from Home

We have arrived in the village!  Bugabo Village, with George and Christie Magera. A story written by the Lord.  The. Words. Do. Not. Come. Easy.

We left home almost a week ago.  The 8 of us  have traveled across land and sea.  We have had a lot of sickness.  We are tired.  But we are full.

I will share some of the last week's details to keep you informed here.

Our plane from Detroit to Amsterdam had "issues".  We had to leave the runway and go back to the hanger.  It sure sounded like the wheels were not working to us.  Eventually we take off for a very long flight.  A medical emergency half way over the ocean.  Time to land and again it sounds like the wheels are not working again.  A stressful flight  indeed.  Zoe starts yelling, at the top of her lungs, "Jesus is the Christ, He's the King, He is the Savior, saved us from our sins, died on the cross!!!"  We wanted to stop her from yelling until we realized what she was saying. And it is true.  And we laughed. And we praised.

Arrived in Entebbe tuesday night. Zoe gets off the plane and immediately asks, "where are all the children?"   Detained at the airport.  Interrogated by Customs.  We had so many bags, (32 plus 16 carry ons)  4 containers are currently held at the airport.  And it turns out to be a blessing.  This process is a long one, but when it is finished, this will pave the way for all future containers to be brought in.  So thankful.

Stayed in a friend's beautiful house.  The vacation we didn't even know we needed.  Chelsey was able to heal here.  And. God. Already. Knew.

We were planning on taking a trip to Jinja to deliver bibles to our pastor friend, and meet with our other friend.  We had to change plans.  Seemed it was not the right timing.  We scrambled to find somewhere else to stay.  Adonai House.  They made room for us.  8 more. We met a man we needed to meet.  A God appointment.  He was filled with such wisdom.  We. Needed. To. Hear. More connections, more people praying.  We needed him in this journey.  God. Already. Knew.

We came to the village early.  And. Fell. In. Love.  They have been working so hard to get a house ready for us.  And it is more than we could ever ask or imagine.  We are in the bush.  In a village.  And we see God's face everywhere. So many children, beautiful children.  So many beautiful people.

Zoe is already learning Ugandan tribal dance.  Debbie Snyder's sponsor child,  Alice, is teaching her.  Micah is sick now.  So we could use prayer.

We will rest tonight, and begin serving tomorrow. We will also post pictures.

We are full.  Jesus is enough.  He knows what is next, and we will follow.

"For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men, you will only find yourself fighting against God."  Acts 5:38b-39

Because His grace is sufficient,
Debbie, Steve, Brittany, Casey, Chelsey, Stephanie, Micah and Zoe