Thank you for Uganda!

What a joy it has been to share with friends and family all the fantastic adventures and all the Kingdom accomplishments we saw the Lord do while we were in Uganda.

Yes, we saw Him use us to proclaim freedom for the captives and to begin the binding up the brokenhearted process, but most of all we proclaimed "The Year of the Lord's Favor" in Uganda!

As always, He does as much in us as He does through us. We learned a lot about culture and differentiating between what is cultural and what is just plain sinful human heart issues. Thank goodness His Word and His Character don't change so whatever culture or country we are in, the truth of His Word transforms and teaches!

I can't even begin to tell all of you that supported this trip financially and through prayer, how BIG a part of this mission you were!


Here are just a few ways you joined us:
1. Leaders were given incredible discipleship materials such as "The Cross-Centered Life", "Spiritual Discipleship", "Against the Wind", "The Peacemaker", "Singled Out for Him", "Passion for Purity", "Domestic Violence" by Trip and Welch and many, many other discipleship and evangelism resources. Many have already been used and read through!
2. You fed hungry women, men and children a fantastic meal (on multiple occasions), whom normally may only have one meal a day, if that. In total, you all fed over 400 people, so their bellies could be full and they could hear the Word of God without a grumbling tummy.

3. Most importantly, the Gospel was preached and several began their new lives with Christ, with equipped leaders to continue the discipleship process.

4. Clothing and comfort was brought to a widow and orphans ministry.

5. 4 U.S. leaders were kept safe and not feeling too badly through your prayers.

Blessings to all of you and overwhelming gratitude for making this trip possible!


In Jesus Christ,
Camille Cates for Team Uganda

In the Trenches and Mission Accomplished

Today found us ministering in the Namuwongo slum areas with mostly HIV+ and alcoholism being prevalent.

Most of the women seemed to be very responsive to these three women with light skin coming into their area (after much heavy rain, turning their pathways into a muddy pit and slip-n-slide). We were slipping, sliding and jumping over trenches to get to those whom the Lord led us to invite to come for further sharing/teaching tomorrow.

We even had some witnessing opportunities with some people. One lady who heard Sue Sanford speaking said that she wanted "that" now, now. So she received salvation.

There was a very sweet moment when all of us had gone back into a corner and sat on a porch where several women were gathered around and we just shared the Gospel. It was well received and all said they would join us tomorrow to hear our stories.

Pray for the women who come to know Christ or if they already do, to be strengthened and encouraged.

Mission Accomplished! Today, we also had time to go and pick some MaMa kits to take to the Comforter's Center, where we visited with the dear ladies. Mama kits are crucial to giving birth and you literally have to wait and have your baby in the lobby of the hospital if you don't have one! 4 cases (about 100) were given to the ministry to support women who are wanting to continue their pregnancy and bring life into this world.

One more day of ministry and then we return home. We haven't even begun to share all that God has done here! Thank you for your prayers and support in making this trip possible for the Lord's renown.

Love in Christ,
Team Uganda

Fine Linen to Wear

Saturday (today)

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." - Revelation 19:7

Today was our Women's Conference of approximately 100 people. A few of the men gathered as well, as is customary, but our leaders stepped up and had them separate, so that the women and the men could have complete freedom to share.

Mukama Bulungi (God is good!) The Spirit moved mightily as Sue, Suzanne and Camille, as well as two of the Ugandan HH leaders, Pastor Joseph Tigawalana and Madinah Nakitende. ALL (ALL) of our leaders pitched in and pulled the conference together well!

The worship was beautiful as you will hear in the video and the testimonies and teaching were powerful. Camille was VERY surprised at tea time to be given a gift from some of the ladies and scurried into the bathroom where about 5 ladies changed her clothes (for her) into a BEAUTIFUL traditional dress that one of the ladies had made for her! By the way, it fit exactly! AND it was her favorite color, green (see pic). God used it in a mighty way to encourage the ladies with the passage above in Revelation that as the Lord changes their hearts, they have received Salvation, and they have received the wedding clothes. But...the closing message was how the Groom is coming, we were all spiritual prostitutes and adulterers, but Christ has made us His virgin bride. For now we are to be getting ready and we need our other sisters in Christ to help us "arrange" our clothes. And believe Camille when she says, "There was MUCH arranging of the clothes, before she could be presented!"

There was much celebration and anticipation in getting ready for the Groom by letting Him "heal our hearts" and have others to help prepare us. And best of all, three ladies made a decision for Christ and received Salvation.

We closed our time together with a separate leaders meeting with 6 Wounded Warrior leaders and 4 ladies to lead the women's studies.

We can't even blog how much God has done here, but it has been FANTASTIC!

Tomorrow is filled with more sharing, ministry to women and our leaders a couple of the leaders' churches, Pastor Tigawalana's church, Divine Gospel and also Pastor Dembe's church, God's Covenant Church.

Blessings and enjoy the pics!

Love,
Team Uganda

Unity

How good and pleasant it is when the brethren dwell together in unity.

We ask that you would continue prayers for unity as we have seen God do mighty things as like-minded hearts and kindred spirits, who are all one in the Lord, come together with a great desire to Bind Up the Brokenhearted and see hearts healed in Jesus name!

We had a wonderful visit to Kamonkoli, Uganda in the Eastern region. The people in Kampala said we were "up country", basically we were out in the boondocks. :)

Once again, the Lord was faithful to put us firmly in the camp of godly people who desire true ministry unto the Lord. One of our leaders grew up in this little township outside of Mbale, Uganda and she had a desire to bring this teaching there. It was warmly received by all who were of the same heart to first be healed themselves and then also bring the healing of God's Word to others.

We continue to hear this ministry is a "fresh" work and very much needed to reach down deep to secret sins that have been greatly hidden. Many prayers have been prayed for it to greatly impact their country as it transforms lives.

All of us ladies got a chance to get a small bit of R&R in Jinja, Uganda (the source of the Nile River), do some great craft shopping and also Camille shared the ministry and her testimony with about 15 leaders at the Baptist Seminary that her friends Misti and Anthony serve in. What a blessing to share this heart with pastors and church leaders! She also got to spend some time encouraging one of our leaders, Grace, one on one.

We are now back in Kampala where we have just come from a wonderfully unified meeting of the core Healing Hearts leaders in Kampala.

How good and pleasant it is when we dwell together in unity!

Tomorrow is the Women's Conference and we need much prayer. Please continue to pray, an update and more pics tomorrow, hopefully.

In Christ,
Camille for Team Uganda

African rain on a tin roof

Today was another incredible day!
After a long bumpy ride in the taxi (van) we arrived at a beautiful village. This is the village that Buyondo grew up in and he invited our team to speak to the women of his church.
The terrain was tropical and green with avacodo trees, coffee, tobacco and mango trees. The church was rustic and was made of bricks and mortor with a tin roof.
It looked like a picture with the sky as a bright blue backdrop. As we got closer we could hear singing and drumming inside. We entered and joined right in with the singing and Sue Sanford even sat behind a drum and started pounding away.
We all shared our testimonies and the women greatly confirmed that they could also relate and were so engaged listening to our testimonies that they didn't want to break for lunch!

Camille taught about forgiveness and several women cried as they listened to her heart-wrenching testimony.

Then the rain started and sounded SO cool on the tin roof. It kept getting louder and louder drowning out the lady who was sharing. The rain quickly ended.

At the end of the service the pastor and ministry leaders blessed us with a special prayer as we held hands and kneeled to the ground. It was an emotional, very touching moment. Suddenly, they placed an envelope in Suzanne's open hand, and one by one had all of the U.S. AND Ugandan women leaders each put a hand on it symbolizing their giving it to all of us from all of them. We sobbed, as in our hearts, we immediatedly knew it was a love offering from them to Healing Hearts Ministries! In Africa, it is very rare for a church to give when they themselves have such great financial need. This truly was biblical giving cheerfully from their heart as gratitude to God for what they had just received from His Word. As we left for the van, the ladies hugged and kissed us and waved goodbye, calling us their very own sisters!

Tomorrow, we wake up early and go to do ministry with widows for 2 days with one of our Healing Hearts leaders, Harriet Walude. One day of rest in Jinja and then we'll be back to our "home" in Kampala.

Pics, lots of pics, soon!
Healing Hearts Team Uganda

Sunday Blessings!

(See Pictures in Sidebar for Sunday Blessings)

Today was an amazing day of worship and teaching from God's Word. The three Healing Hearts U.S. leaders (Sue, Suzanne and Camille) spent time in Madinah's, one of our Ugandan leader's, church praising God for all of the beautiful women we shared the ministry and our testimonies with. The women were so moved and testified of how moved they were that even Mzungus (Americans) can go through the same kinds of problems that they do.

Around 12-15 women and almost as many children were circled around as we met together. We met a woman who was a former Muslim who had only become Born Again (a.k.a. Evangelical Christian) very recently and she was very moved by our testimonies and sharing. Many women struggle in their marriages and with wayward, drunken or abusive husbands and the pain is very great. But Jesus is Mighty to Save and Heal. We really spoke on the nearness of God and all the ways that Jesus understands the sin we suffer, by His example of the great burden of pain and suffering He bore both leading up to and finishing the work on the Cross.

Brad Furges went to the church of our head leader of Healing Hearts in Uganda both to worship and fellowship, but after the service he brought teaching to around 30 men. Since we were not there, I can only share about seeing a definite expression of amazement at the Spirit's moving in that place of bringing men to repentence by the look on his face! It's funny, but the men actually outlasted the women in running over on time in their meeting. Praise God!

It truly was a Sunday Blessing for us all!

Camille for Team Uganda

Training the Trainers

Today was a very full day of sharing testimonies about how God used Healing Hearts to heal each one of us by His Spirit and His Word.

We also had teaching, but also we had to answer many questions.

As I'm nearly falling asleep, because it's 1 am Uganda time, I'll make this short.

Our God is Amazing!

The fellowship is good. The unity amongst the leaders seems very solid and also they seem very determined to keep it that way and together to seek out the brokenhearted who need healing and to proclaim the Year of the Lord's Favor in Uganda.

Tomorrow, the U.S. ladies will go to Madinah's church to meet with the group of women she has been taking through the bible study. And Brad Furges from Pure Life Ministries will be teaching 40-50 men in a local church about walking in sexual purity and having a clean heart before the Lord. The men are especially excited from this teaching and have even told me of their visions to help the men in Uganda become true spiritual leaders in their homes and also to have spiritually healthy families.

Yesu Yebazibwe! Praise Jesus!

With Love and more to come soon, Camille for Team Uganda