Para-church Youth Ministry...Uganda style.

Today we had many many many many many visits (yes 5) with various groups and saw some wonderful people and tremendous W.V. work! The one I will share is our visit to a Primary School (grades 1-7).  It is near the Koro ADP.  We arrived during a break in classes so many students were on the grounds. Then we gathered outside at the back edge of the school grounds under some shade... It was 99 ish AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL degrees today!  Once we gathered we were joined by about 40  students ages 10-15.  They were a part of the Scripture Union Club at this particular school.  Imagine a mix of Bible Drill teams and Teen CBS right on the campus of a middle school.  And, Scripture Union Clubs are international.

We were introduced to their leader, Kenneth, who shared about how the group works within the school. The school is a government funded school. So it is totally voluntary to join S. U. Club.
Then we were treated to a few students sharing a memory verse: John 14:6.  They also shared the difference God had made in their lives as they were faithfully in Scripture, singing praise songs, praying for miracles, and testifying that Jesus is Lord!

The highlight of this visit was a skit about 15 of them had developed and performed for us.  It was based on Matthew 25.  It was awesome!  These students really seemed to understand the gospel.

They were being salt and light for Jesus on their campus.  They impressed and encouraged our whole team and as a youth pastor, I was so blessed to see them living their faith in such open and creative ways.

We encouraged them to keep running after Jesus and to always make disciples even when things are difficult.

Vision Fund

What a joyful day of learning it was for Team Gulu!  Today we spent the day hearing about microfinance through Vision Fund.  Vision Fund is the integrated partner organization of World Vision that provides economic support to communities in order to help them achieve a reliable source of income and livelihood.  

What makes Vision Fund (VF) different from other microfinance organizations?  First off, VF is RELATIONAL banking at its best!  All VF customers have already experienced World Vision working in their communities before VF begins to engage them.  Richard, one of our VF field officers, stated it best.  He said, “World Vision is like John the Baptist, they prepare the way for Vision Fund!”  J 

Another aspect of Vision Fund that makes it unique is that all VF approved clients must demonstrate that the result of their loan will strengthen their immediate families and the larger community of children in which they live and work.  This means the loans will enable families to build business so that they can feed, clothe, and send their children to school.

All VF clients undergo an extensive training process with a field officer.  Field officers spend time getting to know their clients, families, and communities.  They will ask questions about the welfare of their children and the client’s business plans.  All clients will undergo training to understand the loan procedure, payback schedule, and how to responsibly steward their loan.  I think their model could go a long way back home!

I was especially struck by one of the clients we met today, Peter.  Peter farms sweet potatoes.  He had one amazing looking garden!  Peter has acquired a VF loan and has devised an irrigation system with the funds to expand his crop growing ability. Peter’s loan has now made a complete and beautiful circle.  While we visited his farm, his customers arrived to negotiate a purchase.  Peter is selling sweet potatoes to 3 major organizations:  Harvest Plus, Save the Children, and WORLD VISION!  The dignity that was clearly visible in Peter was beautiful to witness.  Peter talked about how Richard, his field officer, had afforded him the same dignity when they first met.  Peter is now employing others in his community and encouraging them in their business efforts.  His gratitude and selflessness were clearly evident.  Peter’s departing words to us were, “You have encouraged me with your visit to work even harder.”

I am reminded of Luke 12:42:

“ The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.”

I leave you with one final thought.  “Life in all its fullness” includes building dignity in others through work.  Vision Fund is an important partner in reaching this goal.  My prayer for every struggling community and individual in Gulu is this:

“No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.”  Isaiah 65:22

Love, Renee

Gulu ADP Celebration

Greetings from Team Gulu!  I have the privilege of sharing today about our morning experience at the Gulu ADP office. As we did yesterday, we began our morning there after bittersweet goodbyes to Sarah and Anthony Sytsma who left to return home to Soroti. Our time with them was precious, learning more about their ministry and life here in Uganda. I personally loved hearing about Sarah's cooking adventures and Anthony's efforts to create a learning library for pastors in his area, using the books we were able to bring him in our luggage.


           At the ADP regional office, we began with praise and worship and dance, joining with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ in a beautiful picture of God's saints worshiping together around the throne.  Revelation 7:9-12

The joy evident in the praise of these faithful servants was humbling and so encouraging as they continue in their selfless work in Gulu serving the community families and our sponsored children.


Jeff Andridge shared a message with the group on John 15:1-5, our team passage for this trip. He blessed the group with a visual reminder of how God prunes us all to bear more fruit and when we abide in Him, we bear MUCH fruit.


A special treat occurred for us as Harriet, the cluster office manager shared an annual report update.  They had received a letter from management offices stating that all their monitoring indices were "in the green."  We learned that the bar is very high--100% in fact, as they measure completeness of the childcare workers' tasks.  Specifically measured are the needed home/child visits, including added monitoring when necessary in a 30-day periods.  They met green in ALL areas, the highest ranking possible. The beautiful part about this was the celebration that ensued. Arms were raised in a circle of Praise to God and we gladly shared in giving hugs to everyone in the staff as we celebrated with them. The translation here is that the sponsored children from MEFC in the Gulu area are receiving WONDERFUL care from godly men and women who love Jesus and love these children, and continue in selfless acts daily to complete their work. Words cannot express fully the privilege it was to be a part of that celebration!


           My heart has been full every day in all that I am learning about World Vision!

Love, Leslie

Ben Meeting Salba 3/17/15

Dear Midland Free Church Family:

I have been asked today to write out team blog post on the day we met our sponsored children.  The day began at the World Vision ADP office in Gulu where we had the privilege to worship with the World Vision staff and share our support, encouragement and gratitude for all they do for World Vision and the sponsored children.  We then went to the open market and purchased supplies for our sponsored children and their families. 

We then returned to our hotel where our children were waiting for us.  I was the first to be greeted by my sponsored child Salba, his father and mother and his older sister.  The family greeted me with so much love and kindness and offered some gifts, two chickens and two pigeons.  The pigeons were to be a reminder to me of the peace and love that the family shares with me.  I was also given family pictures of Salba, all his brothers and sisters and even grandparents.  I didn’t fully realize the impact of this gift until later in the day.  These may have been the only pictures they had of these family members and they gave them to me, expressing to me that they viewed me as part of their family.  Salba’s father and mother repeatedly expressed to me their heartfelt gratitude for all I have done for them and told me that even though I was half a world away, I was apart of their family and they wanted me to come home, which left me speechless.  Although Salba was shy, the World Vision staff assured me how happy he was that I came to visit him and loved playing football (soccer) with him in his sister.

As a child sponsor, you don’t fully understand the impact you have on your child’s life through letters.  Being there in person you not only see, you feel everything that your sponsorship does in your child’s life, the family’s and the community’s.  And when they finally warm up to you after a few hours spending time with you, it becomes one of the most priceless moments that you take with you the rest of your life.   I would highly recommend to anyone with a sponsored child to consider being a member of a future trip because the experience is overwhelming and truly puts the relationship on a very personal level.

Thank you all for your prayers and support during our time in Uganda.   This has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to be a part of this team and experience what God is doing through World Vision in Uganda.

Peace and blessings to all,

Ben Doornbos

God is With Us in The Preparation

Hey family and friends,

Many of you may have known that this past weekend the Gulu Team headed to SpringHill to spend time with each other having fun, getting to know each other and to grow closer in preparation for our trip that is closely approaching.
(hope you enjoy the pictures)

We want to praise God for allowing a close connection to form between us as team members and the brothers and sisters in Christ. We can for sure feel the presence and unity of the Holy Spirit amongst us.
We ask that you would continue to pray alongside us as more trip details get figured out. Pray that God would remind us that anything and everything we prepare for this trip, God has already got under control. May God lead our team to places that would challenge us and make our faith and lives depend on Him.

We also want to thank you for those of you who have responded to the letters that we have sent out regarding prayer and finical support. Please continue to pray with us that funds would continue to come in that God's hand would be covering, blessing and providing the funds that are needed for our team.

Thanks for sharing our experience with us!

Team building activity 

The beautiful team

The teens

We had lots of fun tubing!!!

May God bless you,
The Gulu Team

Bringing it Before Our God

With new experiences comes excitement, with excitement can come apprehensions, with apprehensions  should come prayer.

As the Gulu Team of 2015 prepares for (in the best way possible) the trip that God has already prepared; we are aware of the many things that could happen, but are trusting that God will be in us as we actually encounter what He wants us to. 

At our last meeting we each shared as a team the very things on our heart that we were most excited about, most worried or apprehensive about and the prayer that has been on our hearts as we are preparing for what God has in store!

We would like to share these things with you, our supporters, so that as a body of Christ we would come together in worship and prayer to Our God who is able to hear our excitement, fears and prayers. 

Leslie Bortel's heart: 

"I’m most excited to meet the staff of World Vision, who are the hands and feet of Jesus on the ground in Gulu and to worship with them and encourage them.  I’m also super excited to meet Peter and Collins, our sponsored children!!  No apprehensions!  God’s got this!

Prayer requests: Health and energy for the team leading up to and during the trip, so that we can accomplish all God wants us to do!"

Ethan Knake's heart: 

"I am most excited for the oppurtunity to be able to meet Christians who see the world in a totally different way, and experience life in a way I have never experienced. Being able to talk with them and having fellowship is something I greatly look forward to as well.
But on the other hand I am also slightly nervous about how well I will be able to communicate with the people there, since I don't speak their language and I am not the best public speaker. But I know the Lord will help me through any difficulty, which is also something else I am looking forward to, how He will challenge me. I just have been praying a lot about the people there, preparing their hearts and definitely preparing our teams hearts and minds as we meet and get ready to go."

Jeff Andridge's heart:

"Most excited:  to see God's work of community gospel transformation. And to meet our World Vision child, Agnes and her family.

Challenge: getting a stomach bug.  

Prayer: finances, raising up leaders in our ministry while I am out of country, relentless love for our team and the people we meet."

Mary Andridge's heart:

"I am most excited for the opportunity to partner with World Vision in a tangible way. I can not even wait to meet everyone, to see their beautiful faces and hearts!

The only thing I am nervous about is leaving Gulu and coming back home. I know that I won't want to do this. So my prayer request is that as our team comes back home, that God would lead us take action here and remind us that He is still working in Gulu (without us there); that He is a big and mighty God!"

Ben Doornbos' heart:

"I am most excited for meeting my sponsored child Salba.  I am also just excited in general for what God is going to have in store for our team and the experience we are going to have.

I am most nervous about the response to the support letters I sent out.  I have to trust in God that His will be done.  

Prayer Requests: That God's spirit will fill the hearts of those I sent support letters to and they strongly consider to support our trip.   That the team will come together, support one another, work off each others strengths and weaknesses to form a solid group cohesiveness.  Overall, that we will prepare ourselves spiritually for what we are going to encounter in Gulu."

Renee Ingold's heart:

"I'm most excited to see how God ignites passion and love for the people of Gulu, Uganda in each of your (the teams) hearts!  I love our multi-generational team and can't wait to see what God orchestrates for us!

I'm most apprehensive about doing a good job as a leader.  

Please pray that I will serve each of you (the team) well in preparation, throughout the week in Gulu and upon our return.  We will experience ups and downs, laughter and tears, stress and joy.  Pray that God will give me wisdom and discernment throughout."

Michaela Carpenter's heart:

"Super excited to meet so many new brothers and sisters in Christ and see how God is working in Uganda...also really excited to meet my family's sponsor girls and their families!

I guess I'm nervous/thinking a lot about leaving and the transition back home, that we would all handle that well and would see clearly and be obedient to what God would have us each do after this experience.

Prayer requests would be protection against spiritual attacks as we all prepare for and go on this trip, and that we would be filled with joy and humility and would be obedient to whatever the Holy Spirit prompts us to do."

Pat Faellaci's heart:

"Most excited for: To possibly see the 9 yr old girl we have been sending support for.  For what God might want to show us.

What you are most apprehensive about/nervous about: To be able to physically keep up with the pace.

Specific prayer requests that God has placed on your heart in these last few weeks: That there would be spirit-led unity among the team members.  That the team member's health would be sufficient for all the activities planned."

John Faellaci's heart:
"What you are most excited for: Seeing the World Vision partners in action serving the needy in the Gulu district.  Finding out what God has in store for us.
What you are most apprehensive about/nervous about: The long flight and eating something that doesn't agree with me.
Specific prayer requests that God has placed on your heart in these last few weeks: That our team would be a big encouragement to the World Vision in-country staff. That it would be clear what kind of 2016 support from MEFC will best propel World Vision to their goals for the Gulu district."

So, now that you have a glimpse of each of our hearts, we ask that you would join us in bringing these things to God. Be in prayer for our team and the things we will encounter as God unfolds his plan to us!

Thank you, 

God bless