Button, Dan & Rosie, Uganda
Prayer Update August 2006
Dear Everyone,
Greetings from a sunny, mild Uganda! We gather that England has been in a heatwave, and a number of missionaries returning from homeleave in the US have said how lovely and cool it is here in Uganda at the moment!! It is raining a bit, sunny in between, and a beautiful temperature. One thing about living on the equator is that it gets dark here at the same time (more or less) all year round – ie at about 6.30. So when we read of people doing gardening after supper, or going for an evening walk, it sounds strange. We have to close up all the doors and windows at dark because otherwise
mosquitoes would come in.
Students:
Our students are about to start their exams (7th-18th August). Please pray for them. Our third years will have their graduation on 29th August, and then will leave for their various ministries. Some will be returning to parishes or dioceses where they worked before they came. Others will get ordained later this year and begin parish ministry. We have had a lovely third year group and will miss them.
Dan’s former co-worker and pastor in Kenya, Daniel Lemadada, who has been studying here, will be leaving to return to Kenya. He has been given a parish in a very remote area of northern Kenya, and his plan is to be involved in training local church leaders there by travelling around the district as well as running his own church.
One student from Rosie’s discipleship group, called Erinayo, is returning to his home area in northern Uganda, where he is the only member of his family and clan apart from his grandparents who is a believer. His father and sisters have been involved in local traditional religion. His desire is to do evangelism amongst his own people, many of whom now live in camps for displaced people, as his home is in the area suffering because of the LRA. He is ordained and will be given a parish but, all the parishes are in the camps. Do pray for him to be a light for the gospel in that difficult place.
Peace Kwikiriza (whose husband died recently) is finishing her course now, and is very keen to stay in the vicinity of the community here at UCU, where she has many friends and support. She is praying for a job in or around Mukono, since she says in her home area she wouldn’t receive much Christian support. Thank you for her prayers for her and please do keep praying, as she comes to terms with being the breadwinner, especially that the right job will be there for her.
The continuing students will be doing placements in their home dioceses during the September to December semester. Please pray that it will be a useful and fruitful time for them.
Children’s Ministry course
The course Dan has been “masterminding” in children’s work and children’s ministry, will be starting in September. To his surprise the registrar recently informed him that 97 people have been admitted to the course!! He had hoped for about 30 students in the first year. Evidently usually there is a big drop off so he should expect about 45 of the 97 to actually come and be able to pay fees. The crucial element though is that the person who is hoping to be the programme director, a Ugandan who has been very involved with children’s work, will be released by his present employers to do this job, and that the funding for the position will also be available (both things are on the point of happening, so please pray for good decisions to be made in the very near future!). The course can begin without this, but it would not be ideal at all.
Christian women must be vigorous and hard-working!! Proverbs 31!
I (Rosie) was invited to be the guest speaker at a rural church by one of our students, for their Women’s Day. I was told the theme was from Proverbs 31, as above! In general Ugandan women do the bulk of the work in the home, the garden (ie digging), and the church, and definitely do not need to be told that they should be hard-working! I tried to give them a very encouraging message! It was good fun to be out in the village, speaking in a very different context from the university. A four hour service, all in Luganda (the message being interpreted) and then lunch of pork, rice and beans.
Family
Abigail and Alex are very well. They are on school holiday and are enjoying lots of time playing in the garden with the neighbours’ children. We are planning our home leave and again ask for your prayers that all the visits and plans would fall into place. We fly on the 4th September. Please pray that we will be able to complete all the work that needs to be done before we leave here. A couple from Minnesota will be staying in our house while we are away – Karen Drake is coming to help the university with the new nursing course.
So our two cats are catered for!
We thank you as always for your support in giving, writing and prayer. It is all greatly valued.
With our love and prayers,
Rosie Dan Abigail and Alex.
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