Button, Dan & Rosie, Uganda
Prayer Letter May 2005 (click here for Acrobat pdf version)
Since our last "quarterly" prayer letter we have celebrated Christmas, New Year and Easter - so Happy All of Those to you all!
Also we have gone through a whole term here at UCU. As I write, students are taking their exams, and then we have a short break before the next term begins in mid May. Thank you for your prayers which have taken us through the term. We are very sure of God's love and protection over us, and grateful for your love and prayers.
Deep Questions...
"How come God can hear us, but we can't hear him?" "If God doesn't have a body, is he just a head walking around? Or, just a finger?" "If God doesn't have a body or a head, how can he see us and hear us?" "How could God make bad people?" Hmmm. These are the recent questions asked not by our Theology students, but by our 4 ½ year old daughter Abigail!!! Meanwhile Alex has worked out that since we go to heaven after we die, then skeletons that are found must be the bones of people that didn't go up to heaven! Little Theologians...!
The children are very well. Abigail has overcome her fear of swimming lessons and now enjoys them thoroughly. She is loving school and is doing well with her reading and writing - in the afternoons all she wants to do is play games with Alex and her friends. Alex has settled into his pre-school and is beginning to know the other children there. He just goes two mornings a week. It is such a caring little school and his teacher Janet (whom he calls "Planet") is very kind and good with the children.
UCU News...
The university is growing fast and we have two huge buildings going up – a new classroom block, and a hostel to sleep 400 students. Since we have grown from 200 to 3,500 students in the last eight years, these developments have been badly needed! Please pray for the VC, Stephen Noll, to have the wisdom and energy he needs for heading it all up.
Please also continue to pray for the Dean of the Theology Dept, Alfred Olwa. He is so stretched. He has made several trips to the north of Uganda recently, as he has many relatives including his parents living in Displaced Persons Camps due to the troubles there. Please pray for two other members of the Department: Joel Obetia, our Worship lecturer, is
travelling to England for two months to finish his PhD and - he hopes - to have his viva and graduation. Please pray for him to get the necessary work done in time, as this is his final deadline. Please also pray for Olivia Banja (Rev) who teaches African Christian Theology among other things. She is a good friend of ours and a lovely lady - she has had several bouts of malaria recently - please pray for her to return to her normal good health.
Time for Goodbyes...
 |
 |
Our twenty five 3rd year Theology students are leaving UCU after these exams, although we will see them when they come back in August for their graduation. They are nearly all ordained already, and many are going back to their dioceses to take up parishes. Some are going to be ordained in the next few months. We thought we would give you a brief profile of a few who would especially value prayer as they leave here (although they all would!):
Elinor Baasinga.
Her husband is vicar of a parish in Kampala. Elinor is also ordained, and hopes the Bishop will give her a role in children's work/schools in Kampala, rather than another parish to run separately from her husband's.
Chris Obua.
Chris came as a refugee from Sudan, where he had been held captive for some time by the LRA but managed to escape, - also very sadly one of his daughters had been abducted from their home. His wife is unwell. She and the children are still in Sudan and he hasn't seen them for a long time. He is ordained, and will be working in Uganda among Sudanese refugees. (There are many Sudanese churches in northern Uganda in the camps.) His great desire is to be able to bring his family here from Sudan, but there are many obstacles to this at present.
Peace Kwikiriza.
Peace is the sweetest lady you could imagine. She loves children, and is hoping to do a Masters in child development before going into children's work in the Church of Uganda (an area which is badly lacking...) She thinks her Bishop will ordain her later this year but it is not definite yet. She has a 2 yr old daughter called Divine, who was born with spina bifida and is not developing mentally or physically as she should - it is a huge worry for Peace. She is a lady with many gifts (and one of the best academically) but also with a great deal on her plate. Do pray for her especially for the times when she feels overwhelmed.
Peace and Elinor have been part of my Women in Ministry fellowship. We had a "leaving party" and special prayer for them and other finalists just before exams. The group gave Rosie two beautiful baskets as a thank you which was a lovely surprise!
Dan and Rosie's Doings...
Dan has had a very busy patch, with marking, setting the exam timetable, setting the timetable for next term, - and in the middle of exams being called to a Diocesan Clergy Retreat led by the new Bishop of Kampala (ie Dan's new Bishop) Zac Niringiye. Both of us have had many individual meetings with our students writing dissertations, as they had to finish by end of term, and also one-to-one tutorials with the students in our discipleship groups, a great chance to pray with them and get to know them better.
Earlier in the term Dan went as our family representative to the wedding of Nicky (nee Derby), Crosslinks mission partner, who married Desmond in north-western Uganda in April. It was a fantastic joyful wedding - Dan went up with a car-full of guests from Kampala and 15 wedding cakes (it had to feed a LOT of people)! He visited some students' homes while there, and walked across the border into Congo (and back again!)
Please keep praying for our safety on the roads, and for good health and protection. Also for a good rest for us in the short break. Thank you again very much indeed for your prayers and support.
With our love and prayers,
Rosie Dan Abigail and Alex.
Button main page