Hi, everybody!  Christina reporting to you today. 

Peggy, Miriam (the Bishop’s wife), Angel (our translator), and I drove about 1.5 hours to the village of Gahembe in the southeast district of Bugasera. (Look it up on Google Maps!)  For about six hours we visited, discussed, shared, worshipped, and ate together in a rented building where the new church plant meets. These precious women shared details about their lives and many hardships but declared their trust in the God who sees them and loves them.  Many women told of raising children without husbands, and others are raising children whom they adopted or that came with their husband into the marriage. 

Peggy spoke about the ministry partnership of Aquila & Priscilla and how God used them to impact the early church as they offered their home as a meeting place.  Madame Bishop (aka, Miriam, Mama Angelique; Mama Pastor) spoke about the powerful impact a woman can have on her home for good.   Christina spoke about the woman in Luke 7 who wiped Jesus’ feet with her tears, previously known by many as a “sinner”, but after she encountered Jesus, she was known as “one who loved much”.  We acted out this amazing narrative, complete with reclining on a pretty flimsy bench, letting pretend hair down to use as a towel, and pouring fragrant oil on Christina’s feet.  (Well, it was really hand sanitizer gel.)

The pastors’ teaching reached new heights today.  One of the most challenging passages in Hebrews is found in chapter 6 which talks about people who have “tasted the goodness of God” but have turned away.  The pastors met in small groups and used various Scripture to argue for/against whether one can lose their  salvation, their eternal relationship with God.  They concluded that grace is an irrevocable work of God.  Thank you, Lord!  Neal commended the pastors on the maturity of their questions.  When the teaching began 10 years ago, they were debating things like whether it was immoral to eat a goat that was roadkill, or whether baptism should be only in the name of Jesus.   Now they have learned to think more scholarly and have become pastors who “accurately handle and skillfully teach the Word of Truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 AMP).

We thank God for all He is doing in this amazing country!  Thank you also for your prayers.