Back in Uganda 2012

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted.

Josh and Josh at the football pitch talking with the youth

I had a surprise for my return trip. Two young men from the Proctorville, OH area decided to come back with me. They are both affiliated with Sanctuary of Grace church. They were both named Josh so that helped us here with their names.

They did ministry here in Jinja with a baby orphanage and a youth house. Both ministries are with young men, one who had been a part of our orphanage (Good Shepherd's Fold) and the other one working with former GOI missionary Pat Mendoza. After we all got our internal clocks changed we head to Northern Uganda to Moyo District.

The team eating dinner in Gulu

We spent 5 days in Moyo. Josh and Josh helped me to fulfill a promise to the youth of Moyo that I would help them with some training and other skills as soon as the CWWC was up and running. Josh and Josh along with myself and Gabriel Luzira were able to reach the Baptist youth, the Catholic youth and the youth of Moyo District in general. I am very excited to see what the Lord is going to do now that we have plowed this ground.

On the road to Moyo

The weather in Uganda is not like in the US. I have been climatised to live in the US for the last 7 months and 22 days and now it is hot and dry in Uganda. The travel to Moyo is 4 hours on a marmum road which has large tractor trailers traveling over it creating huge clouds of dust. I had forgotten about the dust. My AC was not working and I didn't bring my dust mask. Hence I got a sinus infection. I was down for a week. Re-entry has been really slow for me this time. I am much better and trying to get the house and office in order.

The end of January 29 - 3 February we had our 8th week of class for CWWC Moyo. The women did a great job with the Chronical Bible Storying. I had them divided into 3 groups of 10+ women (43 are graduating). They choose one story from 3 different Bible stories. They were to preform a drama from the Bible story. It went really well. Since it is still dry season we had a real water problem at DFI were we teach. The Local Government helped up with a tank and a tractor to transport it from the river to DFI. We still used my car to haul drinking water.

Some of you may have seen my Face Book post about my adventure this past Sunday Feb 19 2012. I was walking to church. I decided to put closed toed shoes on. I hadn't warned them in a while. They were a little tight but I thought oh well it will be ok. As I turned the corner on the way to the hospital my shoes felt loose but I still thought that was ok. The as I got to the half way point I looked down and I saw my toes! What to do half way to church half way from home. I got on a motorcycle boda and went on to church with my shoes in my hand. A little girl at church came up to me during our time of greeting and asked "Auntie, why are you bear footed?" I told my shoes had broken on the walk to church. After the service I rang my friend who lives up the road from the church. She sent me a pair of shoes. Only in Africa!

Just a prayer point, my finances are really down. Would you please pray that the Lord will prick the hearts of people to give. I need $4000 for the Moyo school graduation March 16 and I am below budget for the Clinic by $750. I know that things are tight in the US but I know that I am doing what the Lord wants me to do here in Uganda.

God Bless!

It is hard to believe that the year 2011 has passed so quickly. I have enjoyed my time in the US from May to December. I return to Uganda on December 29. I will be in Uganda to start the New Year.

2012 holds many new and exciting ministry opportunities for me. The CWWC in Moyo will graduate a class of 56 women making our total there 120. I am expecting to see great changes as these women go back to their villages and begin sharing what they have learned.

2011 New picture

CWWC will start a new class in Moyo beginning in August 2012. Another CWWC school will be started as well in Bushenyi district. Bushenyi district is about 10 hours from Jinja to the West. CWWC had a school there in 2006-07. Pastors Blazio and Stempson from this area have been calling for us to come again.  A new work with a Health Center III in Bushenyi District will begin at this same time. This Health Center is near Pastor Blazio’s church. We will have a partnership in helping with the drugs here. More details as I make a survey trip there in February 2012.

Several volunteers and teams are coming to help me in ministry in 2012. I would love for you to come and help too! Please contact me for more information.

Two things to remember 1) In 2012 I will only have 2 accounts at Global #1969 General for all projects and the Children’s Clinic account #1866. Please be sure to use the account numbers. And 2) your donations for year-end need to be posted marked by December 31, 2011. Thank you so much for your gifts in 2011 they have enabled me to continue the Lord’s work to the women and children of Uganda.

I hope you will you remember to pray for me and the ministry daily in 2012. It might help for you to know as you go to bed I am getting up to start my day.

May the Lord bless and keep you may His face shine upon you this New Year!

Field and Stream
My brother n law, Dan Witt, had an article about the death of his father. The article is wonderful! It really shares his brother and his feelings about losing a father. But what has come out of that is amazing.
Take some time get a cup of coffee and enjoy this article. You will be blessed!
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/deer-hunting/deer-hunting-season/2011/12/following-our-father

It has been more than a month since I have posted. Things have been going great.

My Mom had a fall in July; she didn't break anything but at her age she had a long recovery. I stayed with her for 6 weeks. Then I felt like I was able to start traveling again.

On September 17, the women on mission at Unity Baptist had a mission pray breakfast. I was the speaker. It was a great time. A lot of friends came and we had a great devotion from Beth Maynard. I spoke about how to pray for missionaries from Colossians 1:9-14. You find a lot of prayers written in the Bible. I believe we should use them to help us in our prayer lives.

I would love these verse to be prayed for me every day. On November 6 the US will fall back one hour that will mean in Uganda I will be 8 hours ahead of you. You will go to bed as I am getting up. Please pray for me as you go to sleep that my day in Uganda will be a successful one.

I am enjoying the fall leaves. Today I am in Atlanta, GA down 85 South staying with my good friends the Deans. I have been visiting all my friends in the Atlanta area. I spoke at the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Jackson, GA on Wednesday night for their missions conference. What a blessing the family at Lighthouse has been in the past 10 years with their faithful support for me in Uganda.

On Sunday I will be in Stockbridge, GA at NewPoint Church speaking in the morning service. I am excited to see some old friends there as well.

I will travel back to Lynchburg on Monday and wash clothes and head back to Ashland on Thursday. Need to finish the DVD that my publicist, Leah Lockhart, has helped me to do. Leah is also designing my own web site to be ready in a few weeks see me at www.dianaferrell.com.

I hope you have a blessed day. I am enjoying the sunshine and cool weather here in Georgia.

What Student's are Saying

     

         Just to let you know a little of what is happening in Moyo, during our June class several of the ladies reported that the women in their village were jealous of their having a Bible, knowing how to read it and understand it. Many of our women this time are from the Catholic Church and they are so excited to be able to understand what the Bible has to say on so many subjects. Also the catechists of these Catholic ladies want to come for our discipleship classes. The students are telling them how much they are learning in God’s Word.

CWWC in Moyo

Students in Class

While I have been home CWWC has continued to meet in Moyo. The students came in June. They will meet again in August and October.

Even though I am home, I need to send the money for this training to continue. It takes $3000 for each week of training. That provides for the transport, food and study materials for these 56 women.  It also provides for lodging, food and fuel for Elizabeth and the team.

             

I have learned that some of you didn’t know that the CWWC training school is a boarding school. The women are brought for one week out of their villages to a central location. In Moyo, it is the District Farm Institute. Just like us if they tried to come every day from home there would always be something that came up to make them miss a day or two. To solve this problem the women come to school for the whole week without distractions.

Please continue to pray for Elizabeth, her team and the students as the come for this year’s remaining classes. When I return there will be two more classes January and graduation in March.

Today I really miss Uganda. I miss my friends, family and most especially the women I teach. Elizabeth and the ladies are in school this week in Moyo. I can't wait to hear the stories of what has happened in their lives while we were a part. Also the report on what went on this week.

Inflation is hitting Uganda hard. The price of sugar when I left in May was 2200 ush now the price is anywhere from 6,000 to 15,000 ush reported in Moyo District. The dollar to shilling exchange rate is $1 = 2670 ush. Wow! I don't know how families are going to be able to eat.

As you can see I need to really raise more support on a monthly basis for the ministries I am involved with. The CWWC takes about $3500 to feed and transport 56 women in the Moyo training school for just one week. The cost of medicines has risen as well. My help in the 2 children's wards is about $2500 now for medicines and staff costs. Even for me to live will go up at least to $2000 a month.

Please pray with me that God will supply these financial needs as I return to Uganda in December 2011