He has done GREAT things!

Praise Jesus forever for He has done GREAT things!! Thank you so much for all of your prayers over the last two weeks! I have really sensed you all carrying me to Jesus and WOW He has done amazing things! Thank you so much for praying for the abstinence talks in some of the secondary schools (high schools) here in Arua. Jesus has really helped me to communicate His message of purity and holiness to these students! I am humbled and in awe of how He has worked and how He has used me in these days! The first school I talked with over 250 girls and it was a Muslim school! So praise Jesus for open doors!! In the second school I met with about 50 boys and girls who were leaders of some of the clubs in the school that address the topic of sex education. It was great and we had about 45 minutes of questions and answers (talk about having to think on your toes, but Jesus helped me!), but their questions were great and you could really sense that they wanted to learn and grow. I attended my last school today and Jesus’ presence showed up in a mighty way as I sat under a tree with 8 girls and shared Jesus’ plan for our life in purity and holiness. Words cannot describe all that happened under the tree, but I can tell you that it was so sweet and real! Please pray for the girls and boys of Arua and Uganda that they would truly be a pure generation and seek to live a life of holiness!

Also thank you so much for praying for my time in Nebbi! It was great to be back with the Pastors in Nebbi and to fellowship with them! They truly are men and women who love Jesus and seek to spread the Good News to the people of Uganda! Jesus really helped all of us in our training and we could sense His presence guiding us! So thank you for covering us in prayer!

This has been a great week, but it has also been sad as it is my last week in Arua. It is hard to believe that my time here in Arua is already gone! On Monday we (the Arua Team) will travel down to Kampala for a conference on Community Health. I am very much looking forward to the conference, especially after these abstinence talks! Then after the conference I will stay in Kampala a few more days before flying back to Georgia on the 2nd of July (I will actually not arrive until the 3rd though). Please pray for me as I say my final good-byes (for now) and process all that He has done in these last weeks! Once again thank you SO much for all your prayers! I am forever grateful for them!!

Back in Arua

Thank you so much for all of you who have been praying for me and for my time here in Uganda! I cannot even begin to tell you what a blessing it has been to return back to the people and place I love so much! In a lot of ways it does not even seem like I have left as I have been able to pick up friendships right where I left them! A huge blessing in coming back this time is to have Billy, Joanna, and Elsie Jayne back in Arua! They returned to Arua in January after a few months home for a family emergency and to deliver beautiful Elsie Jayne! It has been a huge privilege to work and serve alongside two amazing couples (The Rinehimer’s and Coppedge’s) and to have all the A-team back in place!!

The weeks back have been full as since a few days after my return we have hosted a team of nine and then this last week we had some more visitors from America. An additional blessing is that my brother, John, was the leader of the first team so it was a blessing once again to serve with him here in Arua. John and his team have spent the last week in Kampala serving and are flying back to America tonight. Please be in prayer for their safety as they travel. Also on the team with my brother were Erica Rinehimer’s brother and sister. It really was like have a family reunion here in Arua! We are so thankful for the time that we had with our families and with the visitors from America! Jesus used them in so many ways to impact His kingdom so thank you for praying for them!

A main part of my ministry here in Arua is children’s ministry. Four days a week I am involved with kid’s clubs in three different areas. Two days a week I work with the children from Uganda Christian University (UCU), singing songs, telling bible stories, dramas, memory verse, and games. A lot of the children at UCU are the same children I worked with last year when I was here so it is fun to watch them grow both physically and spiritually. The other two days of kid’s club I work with children in our neighborhood. Saturday morning is especially one of my favorite days as we have kid’s club in our front yard. We have a great time and it really is amazing how it has opened doors with our neighbors. Please continue to pray for all the children’s little hearts that they would come to know the love of Christ in a personal way!

Another ministry I have been involved with is a weekly bible study with Ugandan girls. I have loved being able to live life with these girls and enjoy our time together each week. The first week I attended I shared with them my testimony and how Jesus had changed my life. Pamela, the young lady on the right, in the picture after some conversation prayed to accept Christ as her personal Lord and Savior! PRAISE JESUS!!! She came back the next week so excited to tell me how Jesus had helped her forgive someone who had hurt her and that the bitterness was gone! Please pray for Pamela and for the other girls as they continue to grow in their relationships with Jesus Christ!!

Many of you have also asked about Dr. Stella who is one of the Minister’s of Agriculture here in Arua. I worked very closely with Dr. Stella when I was here last year and she has become one of my closest Ugandan friends. She is doing very well and just six weeks ago delivered beautiful baby Grace. I have been able to meet with her once a week for bible study. Please continue to pray for Dr. Stella and baby Grace!

Some other exciting news that you can be praying for in the upcoming weeks is that I met with Raymond, who is the school inspector for the Arua district, and he is hoping to get me into three or four high schools. The purpose of the visits into the schools is to meet with the teachers who attended the sex education training and evaluate the curriculum and then to hold an assembly for the entire student body and talk about Abstinence. I am so excited about this opportunity and at the same time humble at the thought of being able to speak into these young people’s lives. I am not sure of the exact dates yet, but I would covet your prayers for these times and God’s spirit to move among the young people of Arua!

Another upcoming event is this weekend we will be traveling down to Nebbi for another Pastor’s Training session. I am so excited to be with the pastor’s once again!! They are wonderful men who are full of the fruits of the spirit! John, Billy, and I will be teaching this weekend and we are always so grateful for your prayers! This last weekend Billy, Joanna, and I had the priviledge of training with John Oneck one head pastor from Sudan. It went amazing and we could feel the Holy Spirit presence with us the whole weekend! Jesus really is moving here in Northern Uganda and in Sudan and we are so thankful for all of you who are carrying us and these places in your hearts and prayers!

Handing Over

It is hard to believe that it is already time to head back to America! Today is my last day in Arua as I fly down to Kampala early tomorrow morning. But Praise God forever for the way He has worked during my time here! There is SO much to praise Him for that words cannot even begin to describe the praise that is in my heart! As I look back over my time here I can see how God's hand was guiding me every day - with every conversation, every meeting, in absolutely everything!

Thank you all so much for praying for my last week here! I have felt your prayers and seen them answered!! One of the most precious moments of my life happened yesterday at Kid's Club. Every week we go to Uganda Christian University to play with the kids, teach them Bible stories, and just love on them. Yesterday I was sharing the story of Jesus birth and how He is the best gift of all. At the end I asked if anyone wanted to receive the gift of Jesus. A few of them raised their hands! Along with the translator we pulled them aside and talked with them further about what it means to give their life to Jesus. Then about six or seven of them prayed to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior!!! Praise Him forever!! It was a beautiful moment to hear the prayers of these little ones as they received Jesus!! (Some of them had already prayed to receive Christ before, but some it seemed like it was for the first time. The great thing is that they want to know Jesus more and have a heart for Him!!) Thank you, thank you for all the prayers you have been praying for these precious little ones! Also one of the little girls Alice, who Erica Rinehimer has been helping and loving on, who has been saddest child at Kid's Club smiled a few times during Kid's Club! It might not seem significant, but it was a HUGE blessing to see her smile!!! She also waved good-bye to us for the first time!! It was such a precious moment to see her smile and wave. Truly Love does make a difference!

The sex education curriculum has fully been handed into the hands of the Public Health Director and the Inspector of School of Arua. I have met with them three times since the training session and we have come up with a program for accountability with the teachers and future workshops that they will be leading. These two men are Christians and have a burden for making sure that the students of Arua are learning God's plan for sex and marriage! It has been a huge blessing to be able to have worked along side these men these last weeks and completely trust them to continue on the program! They are even starting to talk about working on a curriculum that they can teach to the younger children - please continue to pray for Robert and Raymond as they take over the training and curriculum.

Also you will be pleased to know that semen for the cows in Uleppi has successfully arrived!! With the semen here I have turned the breeding program over to the Director of Veterinary Offices of Arua and the Chief of Uleppi. I met with the Chief of Uleppi this week and he was proud to tell me that they have been keeping records since my visit and that they feel so much more knowledgeable about their herd. He kept thanking me over and over for helping his people and how they were so blessed to not only here the Word of God when we come, but also to have improvements to their herd that will improve their quality of living. Thank you so much for praying for the people of Uleppi and for your sacrificial giving to make this possible!!

Thank you for all of your prayers, support, and encouragement for my time here. I truly felt you carrying me in your prayers everyday!! I know that what happened here on the ground was in large part only possible because of all of your prayers for the ministry here! Please continue to pray for John and Erica Rinehimer as they will be here carrying the load of ministry alone until the Coppedge's are able to return. Also please continue to lift the Coppedge's up in prayer - for Billy's daddy and for continued health for Joanna and Elsie Jayne. As for me I will be arriving back in Georgia on Tuesday, December 18th and am looking forward to sharing in person what God has been doing in my life. Please be in prayer these next days for traveling mercy and for continued processing of my time here! Once again thank you for all of your prayers!!! Much love from Uganda!!

(Even though I will not be writing from Africa do expect a few more blogs on updates

as I continue to process my time here!)

Gulu Report Part 3

During our time in Gulu we had the great privilege of touring two organizations that are making a powerful difference in the lives of the children in northern Uganda – “Invisible Children” and “HEALS.” We were all very interested in visiting the Invisible Children office because it was how each of us had first learned in depth about the war in northern Uganda. It was amazing to see first hand the programs they are involved with that are making a difference in the lives of the children. We visited Invisible Children first thing in the morning. The beginning of a long day of Jesus breaking my heart! It was amazing to hear all that they are doing to not only raise awareness in America, but also on the ground working among the people of Uganda. Many of you are familiar with the movie Invisible Children and even probably the bracelet campaign. The bracelet campaign is where they provide about 140 Acholi with jobs making bracelets, so that they can have income for their families. The bracelets are then sold in the US with short films telling different stories of children affected by the war. (In the picture the boy with the Invisible Children t-shirt on is Emmy. You can learn more about his story from the bracelet video intitled Emmy.) Also in just 2 years, “Invisible Children” have started an education program, where they are sponsoring about 550 children to go to school. They also give each child a mentor, all of which have experienced the war themselves and all of which are Christian, so the children have someone to open up to, to be held accountable to, to be challenged by, to be influenced by, and to be loved by. I cannot say enough great things about what they are doing for the children of northern Uganda! (For more information visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com/) Many of you probably are wondering why they are called Invisible. Here is a quote from the movie;

“Invisible because they roam distant battlefields, away from public scrutiny. Invisible because no records are kept of their numbers or age. Invisible because their own armies deny they exist.” ~ “Invisible Children Rough Cut Video”

Then at the end of an already emotional day we found ourselves sitting in on a play therapy session lead by the organization “HEALS” (Health, Education, Art, Literacy, and Sports). “HEALS” is an organization started by a Ugandan woman named Jolly (who is also the Country Coordinator for “Invisible Children”) who is passionate about helping her people prosper despite the war around them. HEALS is devoted to helping children heal the scars and emotional wounds caused by the war in Northern Uganda. This healing takes place by teaching them life skills as well as giving them opportunities to have fun together, also called play therapy. Some of the classes that are offered are photography, sports, dancing (both hip hop and traditional), literacy, music, etc. We happened to attend on Wednesday which is the day they practice traditional dances. It was amazing to see the demeanor of the children change when they started dancing. Their faces were full of joy and laughter! It was as if for a few moments they were just children -not former child soldiers, not orphans, not the rape victim, but just children. Please continue to pray for Jolly and the volunteers at both “HEALS” and “Invisible Children” as they counsel and work with these children everyday. Also, please continue to pray for us as WGM Uganda to b sensitive to God’s leading and the prospects of in the future maybe having training centers in Gulu.

The following excerpt is from a journal I wrote about my time watching a play therapy session at HEALS.

I sit and look around and my heart cannot take it all in. All these kids – looking much like the kids back home – yet they come from two different worlds. I try to imagine what all these precious boys and girls have been through, what all they have done, what’s been done to them – but I cannot. I think of James (my little brother) who is about the same age as these boys – it hits a little to close to home. My whole body quivers as I try to think about their lives. The images of their life that flash through my mind are too much. I know everyone in this room has been affected by the war – some were child soldiers forced to kill, others still are orphans left all alone by the LRA, some of whom had witnessed the death of close friends and families, seen their villages burned to the ground, and then I come to the girls…abducted, forced to be wives at young ages and raped countless times. I want to cry, I want to leave, but I want stay.

As I look around the room at their faces and think of their stories I feel so helpless! In fact ever since arriving in Gulu I have felt helpless. What could I possibly give to make things better? Everything in me wants to “fix” the situation – it’s just not that easy. To be honest in my heart it seems so trite just to say we “just need to give them Jesus.” (I am sorry that was just a real honest moment of how I felt) These people are dying from lack of food, dying from lack of medical care, and living with hurts so deep I do not even begin to know where to start to help, but then if we just tell them about Jesus it will all be okay. My heart was wrestling with this issue as I sat in the midst of all these children listening to the teacher talk with them in a counseling session about how they need to take pride in who they are as Acholi people and as Ugandans. As a prayed in that room I felt as if Jesus was saying, “Jeannie just rest and take pride in who you are in me – you are My Child.” It was at that moment I got it – truly the only thing to offer is Christ! It was not about who I am as Jeannie being able to help these people because alone as Jeannie I have nothing to give. The only thing (and the best thing) I have to offer is Christ living and working through me. He reminded me how He is a Father to the fatherless, Help for the helpless, and Hope for the hopeless.

Truly these people do need so much physically and even as I type this people are dying today from lack of physical needs, but without Christ they are lost forever! That fact stirs up everything in me! To have seen how much these people are suffering here on earth and then to think that their eternity would be suffering too – a life and death without Christ is more horrible to think about then all that they have been through here on earth. What He is asking me, what He is asking you, a generation of believers, is will we be willing to live out our lives in such a way that we are completely surrendered to His will and His purposes. So that through our surrendered lives His Love can be seen in our actions and heard in our words to touch the lost and hurting people of the world. So that it will be His Love seen through our giving them food, His Love felt as we hug them, His Love seen through our smiles, His Love heard through our prayers… Although my heart continues to break everyday for the Acholi people and the people of northern Uganda I can trust in the fact that He will bring about His purposes, deliverance, and salvation for the Acholi people and for the people groups around the world who have never heard of Him.

Gulu Report Part 2

In my last blog entry I mention a boy named Yonah who is by far the saddest kid I have ever met. I refer to his demeanor as “dead man walking.” Yes physically he is alive, but his spirit and soul are dead. The sad thing is that you can describe countless numbers of people in northern Uganda the same way – “dead men/women walking." The war, hardships, and suffering have killed their spirits. All they once knew has been stripped away from them and what is left is only the outer body of an entire people group in desperate need of the Savior to restore their souls!

All day long the people literally sit in these IDP camps unable to go to work, farm, or even go to school. So they sit and wait and wait and wait. They are not just sitting because they want to, but since moving to the IDP camps they have been unable to leave so they have lost their jobs, lost the land to farm, and with no job for income they are unable to send their children to school. The idleness of the people has caused major problems within the camps. Many have turned to alcohol to escape the reality in which they live. There is also a large amount of sexual activity among the youth and adults within the camps. Suicide is unfortunately also on the rise within. Some would say that for them it is better to die then to continue to live like they are living with the effects of the war all around them. I cannot imagine!

The attitudes and behavior of the children in these camps are also unlike anything I have ever seen. Not only are they some of the saddest kids I have seen (although a large number of them were all smiles when we arrived), but they are some of the most violent kids I have ever been around. Then again, violence is what they know. Their whole life they have been living in the middle of a war zone with children being abducted and taught to kill, soldiers surrounding their camps at night with guns to protect them, and some nights the only lullaby they heard was the firing of guns in the distance – this is their world. At one point I had to stop a four year old from through big rocks at his friend who had made him made. This was only one of several violent outbursts in the kids that we witnessed just in the short time we were in the camps.

More and more as I process our time in Gulu I keep going back to the reality that the only hope, love, and peace we have in this world is in Christ. He and He alone is the difference between being “alive” and being a “dead man walking” in the midst of the wars that surrounds us either literally like in northern Uganda or figuratively in our hearts in our “safe” little America. As we are in the middle of the holiday season I am reminded of what the angel said to the shepherds that first Christmas night, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10 What the world needs now more than anything is an army of people who are “alive” who are willing to “walk among the dead” and bring the message of hope, love and peace to people both next door and across the world who are in desperate need of the Good News of Christ.