Village Bible Church || Aurora | Indian Creek | Sugar Grove | IL

Click here for a full-screen version of this slideshow.

July 7: Tim, Ralph & Lisa: Mbarars;   Rest of team in Kishanje

Scott Capp, here in Sugar Grove, was able to use Skype to get through to Matt Kehn in Mbarara today, and to speak also with Tim Calhoun and Ralph Cervantes. Here is a little bit of the action that has been happening there:

Tim Calhoun recounts that three days ago they hosted a “crusade” meeting in the market in the mountain village of Kishanji.  Hundreds of people came to the meeting and several of the team members, including Tim gave a testimony, Ralph & Keith both gave a messages. And one woman accepted Christ!

The service was about two hours, but after a while Keith decided that we had to get going because it was getting dark. Also, the Sunday morning church service was three hours long! Whoever had a song and whoever had a scripture, they just shared it. It made our 90 minute service, and 60 minutes sermons seem short in comparison to African culture!!

Three days ago, Tim and Ralph left the other team members up in the mountains to come to help with the ABIDE program. The other team members are traveling down out of the mountains tomorrow (Friday – July 9th) to meet them at ABIDE (about a 3.5 hour drive). Matt Kehn reports that the eight students from ABIDE program finished their exams today, and they are spending the rest of the day, and overnighter just outside of Mbarara. They spent today relaxing by a small lake, and then will enjoy one night in a hotel. Ralph and Tim are with them. Lisa is with Crystal at the Kehn house about a 10 minute drive away.

Ralph and Tim have been at ABIDE for these past 3 days, working with students, getting to know them, hanging out, building relationships… Tim has been also able to help with some of the teaching. Keith prepared the team to all be ready to teach through the Fruit of the Spirit, which is the topic of our church’s summer sermon series back home in Sugar Grove!

Ralph says they are doing fantastic and has been enjoying getting to know Ugandan Pastor Bernard, and also Pastor Ben Tumuheirwe who began the Juna Amagara ministry that Matt and Crystal Kehn serve with. Ralph has led 4 – 5 devotionals… working through the book of 1st John.

Since coming down out of the mountain villages three days ago, he’s been enjoying the city of Mbarara, where the Kehn’s live, and seeing the different cultures… even the differences between the mountain people, and the city dwellers. He recalls seeing the young children who living on the side of the mountain carrying very heavy water jugs on their heads up and down the mountain. He says “They are a very gentle and polite people… God’s spirit is moving in Uganda and Africa…"