Pastor Gary sharing the Gospel message in front of a puppet crowd in 2002!

The team is packing for a 5 AM flight to Nairobi, Kenya tomorrow morning. That means when we go to bed tonight they will be getting up and boarding their flight. Let's pray for safe travels.

As I spoke with him, he shared he, Gary and Theo were enjoying the beautiful sunset. Ugandan sunsets are gorgeous. Because it's an equitoral country, the sun rises around 6 AM and sets around 6 PM all year long. They have 2 seasons in Uganda, the wet season and the dry season.

Don said they were also getting ready to go to the farewell dinner with all of the SOI staff. Typically the dinner goes until midnight or so! It's always hard to say good-bye. Interestingly, Lee Martin, one of Don's closest buddies from college, was with Don on his first short term missions trip to Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya in 1995. That trip changed Don's life forever. He was never content with his old job once he came home. That trip was the catalyst for Don entering fulltime ministry with SOI almost 10 years ago. Lee commented to Don about the increase in staff and the amount of ministry SOI is actually doing. When they were there in '95 there were about 3 Ugandan staff, now there are approximately 30 SOI staff, all of them nationals who know their culture, their people and love the Lord! It's exciting.

Jim Band gave an awesome testimony yesterday at the Naguru Remand Home. This is a place for troubled boys. Boys who have comitted crimes. When Jim told them he was a police officer in America, the boys listened!!! Hopefully, seeds have been planted in the hearts of those boys.

They conducted a puppet show last night in the Katwe Slum, setting up stage on a small soccer field in the middle of the slum. Theo had been cleaned up a garbage filled ditch when they had been there before. He noted that when he tried to kick the soccer ball around on that small field it usually ended up in the ditch, but was happy to see the ditch was still clean! They had about 15-20 children raise their hands to receive Christ and about 5-10 adults! The SOI team will follow up with these precious people.

The people were so amazed that these "Moozungus" (white people or foreigners) were working in their slum. They also knew JNB had promised to handout the Salvation Message bracelets to them. These are the colored beaded bracelets that tell the redemtive story of Christ. As it got later and later and started to get dark, Don almost canceled handing out the bracelets because he knew he could have an uncontrolable mob on his hands. Often they are so excited to receive something...anything...that the crowd will rush forward surrounding our team. It can be a little scary! But Lee said, "This is the slum of broken promises. We have to fulfill our promise." And they did with no problems.

Many of the people in the slums are Muslim. Their leaders have given the ok for SOI to come in and set up soccer teams with their children to help keep them off of the streets and out of trouble. SOI also feeds the children and helps teach the children to clean up their home areas. At the end of each performance, the JNB team will stand out front and sing the "Blessing Song." Asking God to bless them. Crystal watched as one little child standing among 3 Muslim woman began to sing the song also. The Muslim women slapped the child telling her NOT to sing the song, but she kept right on singing! Jubilee watched a little boy climb up in a tree so he could watch the puppets too.

Kristin commented on how amazed she was to see these children living in the slums with nothing still be joyful, playful and happy!

Jim Boryska said, "I didn't realize how emotionally stressed I had been in Gulu, until we got back to Kampala." It's tough to see people living such difficult lives.

As they enter Nairobi we may not be hearing from them. Don will try to set up roaming on his phone if he can. He's not sure it will work in Kenya. He has said he would call me in a couple of nights or so. If there is an emergency we can call the number for Franklin Shelimba. They will be working with him in the Nairobi Mukuru slum...the biggest slum in the world. If any of you know Cyndi Peterson from RHCC, she and her children have worked in this slum also!

The team has had a little time today to do some shopping in Kampala helping to support the local peoples. He also mentioned that Janae is not feeling well and will not be attending the farewell dinner with the SOI staff. She is not throwing up, she just needs rest. Please pray for her.

I know all of their reservations for the mini safari on the Masai Mara Game Park are set. That will be a wonderful down time for the team and a real treat!

Continue with all of your powerful prayers on behalf of SOI and JNB. As the Ugandan's say, "God is good all the time! All the time God is good!"