News > Africa

Uganda Makerere Annual Report

"Come over to Macedonia and help us."

Part 1: Review of 2010

Joshua 17:15
"If you are so numerous," Joshua answered, "and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites."

Last year, we held onto Joshua 17:15 as our New Year’s verse and prayed that God would double our ministry. We prayed that, instead of observant complacency, every leader would participate in God’s ministry. We have many campuses to minister to in Uganda and also its neighboring countries. Last year God enabled us to reach out to MUBS (Makerere University Business School) and opened the way for a new ministry in Rwanda. We prayed for 50 at our Sunday worship services and 60 weekly Bible studies. Our one-on-one Bible studies with students are the foundation of our ministry. Without the Word of God, we cannot young disciples to grow. At every meeting I emphasized the importance of Bible study so that all our leaders might participate in this way. As a result, God tremendously blessed us. We’ve had 60 Bible studies a week and 50 at our Sunday worship services. So we changed our prayer topic from 50 to 60. At the beginning of our academic year we had a Bible Academy to invite freshmen to. Through our outreach and Bible study ministry, there were more than 100 Bible studies and 70 at our Sunday services. Even though we have a new church building, it began to seem too small. Some weekday evenings, so many Bible studies were done at that same time so that the building was too crowded. Some leaders studied the Bible with students in the basement, parking lot, or even the ground floor which is still under construction. We sent Pastor Kim and some Chinese brothers with MUBS brothers to pioneer a new ministry.

We prayed for each house church to raise 1 leader. God answered our prayer and he raised 5 new disciples last year. They were all raised by native leaders. So far, missionaries raised all our disciples and Bible teachers. But this past year, native leaders raised disciples. It was a historical year for our Uganda UBF ministry. God raised also second gen. leaders: Moses, Ambrose, Timothy, John Bosco, and Rachel. They all completed their Bachelor’s degrees last June. Moses decided to commit his life as a full-time intern for a year. Moses, Ambrose and Timothy began common life in a tent close to church building. They went to the campus and invited students to our Bible studies and led campus group studies.

Every morning at 6am we had morning devotion at the church. We prayed for our ministry and for world mission earnestly. Through this daily prayer, our ministry could form a vessel for the Holy Spirit. Through spiritual training and active Bible study participation, these young disciples grew spiritually day-by-day that they served principal roles in our ministry. I thank God that native leaders learned to have sense of responsibility for our campus ministry.

Part 2: World Mission Ministry

We prayed for Rwanda through Albert. He is working at Earnest & Young, a global auditing company. He will be appointed as the Rwanda director of the company. So we prayed for him to go to Rwanda as a missionary for more than a year. However, God did not open the way for him. His company did not release him from his position at the Kampala headquarters. Two Rwandan Brothers, James and Herbert, studied the Bible faithfully while they attended Makerere University. After their study, they went back to Rwanda and got jobs there.

From November 5-6, Patrick, Moses Joseph C. and I visited Rwanda to encourage our Rwandan brothers and prayed for Rwandan campus ministry. We visited two campuses in Kigali. Patrick shared the word of God based on Acts 16:9, "Come over to Rwanda and help us.” Brother Eric who had studied Bible with James L. in Pretoria joined us and we prayed together. Moses was offered a job by a Korean missionary for a project planting trees in Rwanda. He visited Rwanda last week. He is now preparing to go to Rwanda as a missionary early next year. May God give him vision and a personal calling so that he may be used by him in Rwanda next year.

We also continued to pray for Betty in Namibia and James in Stellenbosch, South Africa. God opened the way for Abraham and Allan to live as short-term missionaries to the US and Sweden, respectively. Abraham got a sponsorship from University of Washington for his oncology fellowship and MPH course for a year and a half. He went to Seattle on August 29. He has been working with Philip W. to pioneer Washington State University. Allan got a scholarship from Upsala University in Sweden for his Ph.D. He was sent to Swenden as a short-term missionary on October 3. He is attending the Sweden UBF Sunday services and studies the Bible with John J. May God use them preciously as witnesses of Jesus Christ in Seattle and Sweden.

Part 3: Coworking Ministry

God sent us new mission coworkers from America and China at the end of 2009. Joseph and Esther C. have been serving our ministry with humility and faithfulness. Their faithfulness and punctuality helped our leaders to keep time and to learn faithfulness. They had many students to serve with the word of God. Sometimes they served more than 10 Bible studies a week. The Royal Priesthood fellowship became the biggest fellowship due to their faithful serving. They not only taught the word of God to campus students but also helped their practical problems financially. Due to their great influence, many leaders learned what it means to be a shepherd. David and Abigail’s family worked for the Bethesda Mission Hospital project. David helped with construction and the clinic’s administrative work. After construction work stopped, he got job a job with LG. Abigail works at the Bethesda clinic as an accountant. She works as receptionist also manages the finances. We could avoid any cheating at the clinic due to her presence and work. Because she is Chinese, many Chinese patients came to the clinic for treatment.

We’ve had missionary Bible studies every other Sunday with Samuel and Mary Y.; Joseph and Esther C.; Luke and Rebekah L.; David and Abigail. We studied 1 Corinthians. Each house church took a turn leading Bible study. At this Bible study, we shared our prayer topics and prayed together.

Part 4: Personal Bible study

Last year, I held Ezra 7:10 as my key verse, which says, "For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the LORD, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel.” I prayed to live a fruitful life in the Word. I struggled to devote myself to the word of God. From the beginning of 2010, I was very busy doing so many things. I’ve had to prepare the Tuesday leaders’ group Bible studies, Sunday worship service messages. I’ve had to work and manage the Bethesda mission clinic. I’ve had to participate in the Bethesda Health Diagnostic construction work. Although, I wanted to mediate on the word of God and to focus on discipleship ministry, I didn’t have much time for it. But God had mercy on me. The construction work stopped in February. Joseph C. helped me in many ways. Since then, I could have more time to concentrate on God’s word and Bible study. I could serve brothers Caleb, Paul, Charles, James, Rajab with Bible study and serve two leaders’ group studies. We have completed the gospel of Mark and begun the book of Acts. We are now learning about the early church and the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts. I pray that I may give my full attention to prayer and the ministry of the word in this coming year.

Part 5: Bethesda Mission Hospital Healing Ministry

We began the construction of the Bethesda Health Diagnostic Center in July, 2009. It continued until February, 2010. Due to miscommunication, misunderstandings arose between missionaries in Uganda and the supporters in Korea and the US. Finances for construction ran out as well so that we could not but stop construction. After many meetings, we could agree that BIH would be responsible for the completion of the construction work. The BIH will manage the project after the completion of construction. Now, our contractors are shipping building materials and will send workers to complete the remaining work. May God complete this construction work by next year July so that this building may be used for his precious healing ministry.

We’ve been helping HIV/AIDS orphans in the Lyantonde district in Uganda. This project was funded by UBF’s Christmas offering in 2008. For this project we established committee, which was composed of our native leaders. Committee members met regularly and discussed the most effective method of the implementation and supervision of our budget. They decided to build shelters for HIV/AIDS orphans. Six houses were given to selected families. As a result, a great miracle occurred in the lives of the HIV/AIDS orphans, from living in shelters worse than that of animals, the once condemned HIV/AIDS orphans now live in descent houses and a place to call home. When the committee members visited the villages and talked with families who were helped our UBF contribution, they learned about the love of God which had indeed been manifested in the hearts and lives of these HIV/AIDS families.

This contribution to HIV/AIDS orphans has indeed revealed to us in UBF Uganda that not only should we teach the Bible but we should also make a difference in the lives of those around us by sharing with them the material blessings God has given us. As a result, UBF Uganda has planned to continue the good work UBF co-workers have began in the lives of HIV/AIDS orphans in Uganda by contributing towards construction of more shelters for other HIV/AIDS orphans in addition to the six. May God help us to look after and love our neighbours, especially those who need our help, so that through this project we may share Jesus’ love to them.

Part 6: 2011 Vision + Prayer Requests

Acts 16:9
“During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."

In 2011, we pray to begin new ministries. We pray to have God’s hope for the world in beginning new ministries campuses in Uganda and its neighboring countries, especially Rwanda. We pray that each fellowship may go out to different campuses. All our leaders are now graduates and we need to raise student leaders. We want to establish a students’ Apostles group so that they may participate in campus ministry actively. May God bless our Acts Bible study richly so that we may experience the power of the Holy Spirit and establish a spiritual community like that of the early church.

Thanksgiving

1. Thank God for answering our prayers for our ministry, 60 SWS, 60 1:1
2. Thank God for raising second gens. and leaders as Bible teachers
3. Thank God for opening the way to Rwanda
4. Thank God for his work at MUBS (Makerere University Business School)
5. Thank God for sending Abraham to Sweden and Allan to USA.
6. Thank God for building 6 shelters for HIV/AIDS orphans in the Lyantonde district.

Prayer Topics

1. Reach out to campuses in Kampala, each fellowship a different campus
2. Rwanda, send Moses as a missionary
3. Acts Bible study, the word of the Lord grows in power
4. Students’ Apostles group
5. Establishing a house church
6. The completion of Bethesda Health Diagnostic Center construction