February Update

ISRAEL TRIP

Our family (with a sleepy Silas) on the shore of the Sea of Galilee

For two weeks in February we were blessed to be touring Israel.  This was the first time in Israel for Janessa and Silas (of course) and the second time for me.  It's amazing to be able to walk where Jesus walked and see different cities and archeological sites from Bible times.  Our guide, Yossi, was a Messianic Jew and he shared with us that only around 2% in Israel (Jews and Arabs) are Christians.  It's crazy to think that the place where Jesus physically was for his entire life now has such a small amount of his followers.  Israel is in need of our prayers for many reasons. Yossi shared this phrase "the challenges with Israel and its neighbors seems like an equation with too many variables to solve".  As Psalms 122:6 instructs us "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."

LANGUAGE LEARNING

Our fridge/ Acholi language bulletin board

Our Acholi language learning is coming along.  With the help of our Acholi-English dictionary our apartment is now covered with post it notes in Acholi.  (unfortunately the dictionary is Acholi-English so I couldn't simply look up the english word, we had to go through the entire dictionary searching for words we could use).  After a little break on our Israel trip we're back at it and starting to learn some verbs and phrases.  This past Sunday we had Watoto Children's Choir at our church and since a few of them were from Gulu we had a chance to practice some of the things we learned.  Still a long ways to go but spending time on it now will give us a huge head start when we arrive in Uganda.

VISION FOR SERVING

A snapshot of the beauty in Northern Uganda

We want to share a little with you each month about why we feel called to serve in Uganda.  It begins, as all missions does, with the great commission, Matthew 28:19 "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.  Uganda is a country alive with passion for Christ but lacking in discipleship.  I once heard a pastor in Uganda quote the great commission "go and make converts" instead of disciples.  This to me showed one of the major struggles in Uganda.  Most sermons I've heard in Uganda focus on evangelism and don't take the next step of how we should live for Christ. This struggle is by no means unique to Christianity in Uganda but there is a lack of depth in following Christ.  This is why our desire is to help disciple pastors and church leaders towards a deeper relationship with God so that they can lead their flock to do the same.  The desire for a deeper walk with God is absolutely there, it only needs a few people to be leaders in showing what it looks like.  Thank you for your prayers and financial support as we follow God's calling on our lives to help see this movement started.

PRAYER POINTS

For partners to connect with us through prayer and finances

For the final stage of the immigration process to be completed

For understanding and persevering through learning Acholi

We would love to hear from you!

E-mail us at:
cyphersinuganda@gmail.com

January Update

We're Officially Missionaries!

We've been planning, hoping and praying about God's timing for us to go back to Uganda and we're excited to announce that the time is here!  Well almost here.  While we're not in Uganda yet we're on our way there.  That means lots of planning paperwork, language learning and fundraising.  Lord willing we'll be moving to Uganda in June after Silas has turned a year old and received his 12 month immunizations.  The past two weeks we were able to take a roadtrip through western Canada to visit family and friends and share our heart for Uganda.  Each time we share it makes us even more excited to go and serve.

                                Road Map to Uganda

Over the next few months our full time commitment will be preparing to serve in Uganda.  So in order to keep us on track and provide directions for our time, we've made a roadmap from now to June of what tasks we're focused on and what our priorities are for each day.  We have some exciting things planned, like a trip to Israel the last two weeks of February, and some timing that is still uncertain, like completing the process for Janessa's residency in the States. We'd ask for you to be praying for us for all the work that needs to be done and focus required to accomplish what God has laid out before us.  Keep up to date with us by checking out our blog: http://cyphersinuganda.blogspot.ca 

Language Learning

Kopango! Hello! Uganda has two official languages, English and Swahili. However, we will be serving up in the northern region with the Acholi people, who mainly speak in Luo.  One of our main focuses for the next few months is to begin learning Acholi (a dialect of Luo).  We picked up a few phrases and words the last time we were in Uganda, and one that will have not forgotten is the word for water…pii (pronounced pee). We believe it will be such an incredible asset to communicate without the need of a translator.  We have found some Acholi language resources that will give us a head start on our learning and plan to continue once we arrive in Uganda.