Winter 2025 Newsletter
I am always amazed at God’s faithfulness toward His people, those who place their faith and trust in Him. I’m reminded of the account of Abraham and his son Isaac, found in Genesis 22. In this narrative, God tests Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Despite the pain and confusion this request brings, Abraham obeys without hesitation, demonstrating his unwavering faith in God. As he prepares to sacrifice Isaac, an angel of the Lord intervenes at the last moment and tells Abraham not to harm the boy. Instead, God provides a ram caught in a thicket as a substitute sacrifice (a substitute sacrifice, sound familiar). This account serves as a testament to God's faithfulness and provision in the lives of those who trust in Him. It reassures believers that even in times of trial, God remains present and faithful…He is always faithful even when we don’t understand or can’t see the results here and now.
I am also amazed that God always works things out for His glory and our good. I had hoped to be a part of our Skills Trade Center graduation in Bombo, Uganda and our new Church Dedication service in Pachwa, near the Congo, this fall but being very short of personal funds and not teaching at the Glendale EV Battery plant (BlueOval SK) for months, I had given up hope, that is until I received a phone call from brother Gary Burkett head of ‘Kanisa’s Call Ministry.’ He told me that they had planned a trip in late November to do prison ministry at 15 prisons, visit hospitals, churches, and a school in Tororo, Uganda near the Kenyan boarder. He invited me to go with him and said there was a brother in Christ at his church who would pay my expenses if I wanted to go and I quickly said yes! I would be spending several days assisting with Brother Gary’s ministry then traveling across the country to participate in ‘Unreached4K’s ministry, and then traveling back to minister the last few days with Gary and his team: Gary Burkett, Connie Burkett, Mickey Jones, Harold Sizemore, and Audrey Wentzell.
After arriving in Entebbe, Uganda, on November 24th, we were met the next day by Brother Gary’s van and driver as well as our ‘Unreached4K Uganda’ Director Geoffrey Mbabazi and his son Johnathan. We split the luggage up into the two vehicles wasted no time in ministering to Kitalya prison northwest of the capital city of Kampala. After preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ to the prisoners and baptizing dozens of them who confessed Jesus as their Lord and Savior, it was getting very late so we spent the night in a hotel in the capital city. The next morning, we headed for Tororo, again stopping at another prison, Masafu Prison, to share the gospel and baptize those who have already been discipled by the prison pastor. (Unfortunately, we do not have photos of the preaching and baptizing inside the prison because photography is prohibited). On Thursday, we visited a church started by a former prisoner, visited Mulanda Health Center, and then traveled back to Tororo where Geoffrey, Jonathan, and I left to drive 6 hours to Bombo where we would spend the night and then participate in our Skills Trade Center Graduation ceremony on Friday. It was a wonderful day with 19 graduates from the tailoring (sewing) school, each receiving their very own sewing machine, 4 graduates from the hair salon school who received their own hair dryer, and 3 men who graduated from the barbering school, who received a cordless Wahl clipper, shaver set. They are ready to become self-supportive, which a major goal of our ministry, and do what they have been trained to do all THANKS to your faithful donations to ‘Unreached4K.’
Immediately after the graduation ceremony, Geoffrey, Jonathan, and I headed out again to Pachwa, another 6- hour drive west near the Congo border where our newest church was planted just 9 months ago, spending the night in Hoima. On Saturday, we were greeted by a parade of church members waving branches, singing, and dancing…escorting us to the church. We then had a special service for those who were going to be baptized so I taught them from the scriptures about Philip and the Ethiopian, Paul and Ananias, and the Philippian jailer who were all baptized, immersed, after choosing to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior. I then taught them from Matthew 28:19-20: Jesus commissioning His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This highlights baptism as a vital part of making disciples, that baptism is a symbol of New Life: Romans 6:3-4 explains that baptism symbolizes the believer's identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection. It signifies that a person is to live a new life, fully committed to following Christ. I also taught about the Baptism of Jesus: In the Gospels, Jesus Himself is baptized (Matthew 3:13-17), which sets an example for believers. His baptism marks the beginning of His ministry and emphasizes the importance of this act. We then prayed for all of the baptismal candidates before heading to the creek. We baptized 30 people on Saturday, headed back to the church for lunch, inspected the new water well (that was dug THANKS to your donations), and then drove through 5 villages where we will be planting 2 churches in 2026, Lord willing, in the villages of Kyabasara and Kirongo, where the Gospel is spreading rapidly through door-to-door evangelism and small crusades on the street corners and empty lots. The Lord is moving mightily in the villages of Pachwa!
On Sunday, we had our new church dedication service for the Pachwa church where we preached the word, sang and danced, shared testimonies, and of course, ate a great meal. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with the entire village invited. Since the village chief gave his life to Christ and joined the church, he was in attendance as well as the mayor, and one of the Muslim leaders of the village.
As soon as the Dedication Service was over and we finished our meal, we had to get on the road again to drive 12 hours back to Tororo to finish ministering with brother Gary and his team. Monday, we visited Tororo General Hospital to take supplies (stethoscopes, thermometers, oximeters, and even some medications) which we received from SOS International in Louisville. We then ministered to a couple more prisons where we preached the word of God and took some gifts of rice, sugar, and soap and even had time to visit Uganda Baptist Seminary in Jinja before we headed back to Entebbe.
Please partner with us in taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the villages of Uganda and around the world.
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Unreached 4K, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit our website to learn more: Unreached4k.com
