It has been a bit of a long week here, but God has shown Himself faithful. Many have been asking about Richard of whom we wrote about last update. I talked to him last week and he said that he has quit smoking and drinking completely and that he is happy. He came to church the first Sunday and has come to Bible study twice. He just found a temporary job in a different location making cement blocks which means that we don't see him around here every day as before. The job also has him working long hours seven days a week, so he has not been attending Bible study and church services. My main concern is that he have the spiritual encouragement that he needs for his young Christian life. His two teenage sons are Christians and have been a great encouragement to him. Please don't stop praying for him.
The Lord has been doing some purifying around here. He has been purifying us through different hardships that we have faced recently which have caused us to draw near to Him and to each other. I was particularly discouraged on Friday, and that evening I received three phone calls, two from the US and one from my brother Ben in Tanzania, all aimed at encouraging me. None of the three callers had any idea of the rough week we had had.
The Lord has been purifying in our church as well. Without a lot of details, I had to ask one of the pastors to stop attending our Saturday pastors' meetings because of his divisive spirit and lack of godly character. Another one of the pastors is being held at the police station on charges of forgery. I went to try to release him on Friday, believing him innocent, only to find out that he is guilty. His friends were asking me to pay a hefty bribe to release him which I could not do. The outcome of the situation is still uncertain at this time of writing, but I believe I did the right thing before God. The remaining pastors really encouraged me at our meeting today that I had done the right thing. Forgery is a felony in Uganda with a maximum sentence of 14 years. He could get anything from 0-14 years at this point, but we shall see. (The legal system in Uganda seems to have a lot of loop holes for those who have money to bribe).
So, how was your week? I must say that it is amazing how much peace there was in the midst of the stretching experiences this week. God is always faithful and your prayer cover for our family is a HUGE blessing to us. As you pray for us, please remember to cover us with a spiritual shield from the attacks of the Evil One. It is not uncommon here for an individual to go to the witch doctor to put a curse on the one they are angry with. We do not need to fear such a thing as we are covered by the blood of Christ, but we do need to be alert to the devil's schemes. This kind of opposition is expected when God is at work. Despite the heaviness of this week, we feel an undercurrent of excitement to see what God will do. We are in a crucial stage of planning for the training program that we hope to begin, Lord willing, this year.
Rhoda and the boys are doing well. Our little one is due to come in just 2 months now, for which we are all eager.
Thank you, friends, for standing with us in prayer. You are a tremendous support and encouragement to us.
Many blessings,
Nate and family
