MAY 2018

MAY NEWSLETTER

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THE HAPPENINGS

Two and a half months ago God led us to the right place to establish Cultivate Disicpleship’s center. In the 75 days since we’ve purchase of the land the transformation from 16 acres of bush has been incredible! Our first building which will eventually serve as housing for students is completed, except for some plastering and painting still needing to be finished inside. For now this building will serve as housing, an office and storage while projects continue on the land.

We have ¾ of an acre planted with beans and corn and another small vegetable garden planted, all using Farming God’s Way program. This method requires much more work than local methods but should produce 5-10 times the yield. I have to say, it was much harder to begin than I expected but Lord willing it will be well worth the extra work.

We’ve completed the first of three steps towards obtaining a deed for the land. Most land in Uganda does not come with a deed so it must be approved through a local, district, and national board. We’ve completed the process with the local board which is the most intensive but the district and national process will take longer. Usually the entire process can take around one year, but praise God we’ve had no dispute with our neighbors about the correct boundaries. This is a huge praise when considering that boundaries are often marked by trees, some of which are no longer around.

The process of gathering paperwork to apply for NGO (Non-Government Organization) status is almost completed. This is no small task. We’ve collected eight different recommendation letters from different government offices, written a very detailed constitution, work plan and budget, and gathered a dozen other documents needed. By the end of this month we’ll submit the paperwork and should hear in one to two months if we’ve been approved.

These are some of the major things that have happened in this short time along with what seems like a hundred other small things. We’ve had some tiring days but we're so thankful that each one of these steps puts us one step closer to having a place where believers can come, be discipled and be a blessing to the church in Northern Uganda.

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CARS, PLANES, BOATS, TRAINS OH MY!

We’ve said our “goodbyes” to Uganda, packed up, prepared for our journey and said “hello” once again to North America. We arrived in Pittsburgh, PA on June 4 and have been trying to get a handle on our jet lag ever since. Our purpose for this 7-week trip is to attend a conference put on by our sending organization Harvest Alliance. However, we will also have the opportunity to attend three family weddings, take part in a family vacation and visit with friends and family along the way. Our time in Florida will be spent on the beach enjoying some family time and checking out Christmas tree farms in order to learn about the types of trees we are growing in Uganda. We will fly a total of 25,592 miles (a little more than one full lap around the world). We will drive a total of 2,993+ miles (approximately the miles it would take to drive from Pittsburgh to Anchorage). We will also travel 350 miles by boat and be sleeping in a 20 different places in  7 weeks. Adventure is out there!

Summer Schedule:

June 1-2: Leave Gulu and travel to Kampala

June 3-4: Leave Uganda and travel to Butler, PA

June 4-7: Butler, PA

June 7-11: Travel to Nashville, TN for a family wedding

June 11-15: Travel to Florida to visit Christmas Tree Farms

June 15-16: Travel to Top Sail, NC/ visit a friend on the way

June 17-23: Top Sail, NC for family vacation

June 24-29: Travel to Los Angeles, CA for a Missions Conference

June 30 - July 13: Travel to Edmonton, AB for a family wedding

July 12-15: Travel to Chicago, IL for a family wedding

July 15-19: Travel to Butler, PA

July 19-21: Travel to Uganda, Africa

Follow us as embark on our own version of the Amazing Race: Toddler Edition through pictures we post this summer as we travel. We, however will not get a million dollars if we are the first to finish but we are blessed with the opportunity to do and see so much in a short amount of time!

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SILAS & HIS BIRTHDAY PAW-TY! 

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PRAYER POINTS

• For Pastor Thomas and Pastor Alex as they oversee the project while we are out of country.
• Traveling mercies & good health as we travel across the USA and up to Alberta, Canada.

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TO DONATE

USA:

1. Monthly
Fill out one of the forms linked below and mail to Harvest Alliance (address below).
Bank Automatic Giving Form
Credit Card Automatic Giving Form

2. Mail:
Mail a check (Memo line: The Cyphers) to:

ATTN: Harvest Alliance International
3620 Ocean Ranch Blvd.
Oceanside, CA 92056

3. Online: 
Click the link : Harvest Alliance International 
Donate button is located on the right hand side of the page.
Donation will be through PayPal.

CANADA:

1. Monthly 
Click the link below and fill out the form (beside Other, write The Cyphers) Automatic Withdraw Form

2. Mail/ In Person
Mail a cheque (Memo line: The Cyphers) or give through the offering:

Bethel Community Church
430 Lakewood Blvd.
Winnipeg, MB R2J 4B6