the Greatest Commandment

"Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.

The story of the Greatest Commandment from Mark 12 is our "story" as we begin the third term in Nebbi on Saturday. Will you pray with us that Jesus comes and makes Himself known as Andrew Piboth leads the time...teaching everyone the story and guiding us through observations and applications?! We are excited as this third term in the year the "Servant Team" Andrew, Benson and Cosmas will be the ones overseeing the trainings and we will serve more as support staff in preparation for our time in the states next year.

Aaron and Corrie Heinrich were planning to go and help out with this first training, as Billy is in Sudan through next Wednesday. But...Aaron has malaria. Will you pray with us for his full and complete healing? Hailey and Eden have even been sick this week, so thank you for lifting that family to Jesus in prayer. Corrie is going to try and go with me on Saturday. Thanks for praying for us as we learn to lead together and learn to sit in the backseat and let Andrew really take the lead...a lot of new dynamics this week.

I haven't talked to Billy at all...he left on Monday. Satellite phone is the only communication and that is quite expensive, so I don't expect to hear from him until the girls and I travel up to join him on Monday. We go in an AIM AIR plane from Arua, so that is a nice and easy two hour trip, we trust. We will all travel back together on Wednesday.

We have heard from others that people have arrived at the Bible Storying conference...only they didn't bring food. Everyone pitching in food was part of the agreement. So...we are just praying that either the rumors aren't true and there is food, or Jesus is sustaining everyone with the one meal a day provided! He is able to do that.

Please pray too that Jesus helps us all four to live in the reality of obedience to these His Great Commandments!

Arua Orality Conference

Jesus has helped us! Last week I tried and tried to post a blog or get an email out so that you all might join us in prayer, but it never would work, even though we did have internet access. Those moments are frustrating...when you know that God is working and the enemy doesn't want to see success...what a great trick...to put us in a place where the body of Christ couldn't support us in prayer, but the great thing is you all prayed anyway!!! We sensed your prayers and Jesus' responses carrying us every day!

Here are just a few highlights of our week...

To start things off on Saturday we had a day of prayer with our pastors in Nebbi who were in many ways hosting this conference!
Pictured in front are Joyce, Jagen Charles and Benson
Standing are Opio David, Ohamringa David, Andrew, Billy, Kisa Patrick and Cosmas



Billy and our dear friend Bramwel

There were 77 delegates at this conference, Ugandans from all over the country, Kenyans, and even some Americans. Our friend Bramwel who facilitated the time together had another friend of his join us from Hong Kong as well! So we were a world-wide body even as we began to learn together how to share the stories of God's word so that others might come to know Him and His heart for a lost and dying world!

Much of the conference is taught through practice in small groups.

This week Billy led a small group...this coming week he will be the facilitator and a small group leader as he facilitates the same conference but for 32 Dinka pastors in Southern Sudan near Akot, where he was back in August.


Elsie Jayne missed her parents and Lucy as we were at the confernece sight on the other side of town from 8a.m. until the late afternoon for me and well after she was asleep for her daddy...often almost 10p.m. So, it was a LONG week for all of us.
Elsie Jayne was THRILLED on Thursday though when she got to come and see all of the pastors as well as visit with her friend Angela whose parents had come up from Kampala to attend the meetings!

The Calm Before...

We looked at each other this week after praying through this fall together and felt so excited and a bit overwhelmed...here we go! As Elsie Jayne says multiple times every day, "un, two, free, ump!" So, we are one, two, three, jumping into Jesus and His goodness for the fall. We trust this isn't the calm before the storm really, but that Jesus has good good things in store.

We covet your prayers.


October 13-16 Facilitating a Bible Storying Conference here in Arua
October 19-23 Facilitating and Leading a Bible Storying Conference in Southern Sudan (Billy)
October 26-28 Team Meetings in Sudan (the whole family!)
October 31-November1 Facilitating a Women's Retreat in Arua for the Missionary Ladies
November 2-10 Meetings in Kampala (the whole family)
November 10-24 Hosting a Team from Tennessee (that includes Billy's sister, Cricket!) --This team will mostly be focused on ministry in Nebbi, doing bible storying with our pastors there.
December 10 Travel to Kampala for meetings before heading out for Homeland Ministry Assignment!!!

The time is going to fly. We are already dreading some goodbyes and anticipating many reunions. We hope to see you while we are in the states. Almost every Sunday we are in America is now scheduled, but if there is a mid-week meeting you would want us to attend with you we would love that...just email and we'll try and organize it!

Much love from Africa and THANK YOU for your prayers!