Uganda 2013

In May 2013, Toronto Life-Spring will be sending another team back to Uganda. Like previous trips, we will be partnering with multiple ministries. The team will consist of sixteen members from Life-Spring, Donna Parachin from Unstoppable Blessings, Don Boyd, and six others from 'ONE' ministries in Los Angeles, CA. This will be TLCF’s sixth time sending a team and we are more than excited to see the fruits of past trips as well as see what God will be doing this time. The team will be split into four ground teams visiting various regions including Rubongi, Mbarara, Soroti, and Kampala. 

This year we will continue our partnership with Uganda Deliverance Church in Rubongi and Soroti where we will be conducting village conferences, evangelism crusades, house to house visits, and doing life with the locals. We will continue to build on projects that are already in progress such as the rainwater harvesting project. We hope to dream of even more projects.

Mbarara and Kampala are brand new doors that have opened for Life-Spring to walk into. The focus will be on training the pastors and leaders to be better equipped with their ministries.

If you would like to partner with the teams through prayer support, there will be a 40-day fasting schedule that will be posted in April. We will also be hosting fundraising events that will be announced in the beginning of 2013. For more information about this mission trip you can contact Pastor Gabriel Wee. The Uganda team thanks you for all your support and prayer as we partake this amazing opportunity together as a family.

Greetings from Burkina Faso

Mike and Kathy Steinborn, our missionaries to Burkina Faso, report that "Burkinabe nationals are taking over the actual work of bible translation and [they] are transforming into a training centre for translators not only for those from Burkina but also from numerous countries from Francophone West Africa." Praise God!

Greetings from Mike and Kathy in Burkina Faso

Update from Israel

Through Breaking Christian News, I read that Hamas attacks are aiming farther north closer to Tel Aviv this week.  I am anticipating God's move.  The world shall be stunned by His Power and Might.

As we worshipped at King of Kings Sunday evening and praised our Lord God together as one, the reality of  "leaning on God's protection" took on a profound meaning to me.  Not just for my own personal safety but the safety and preservation of Israel and Her people as a Nation. Tears flowed as we raised our hands to worship God.  

Last Friday was Purim - a day to remember how God rescued the Jews from total destruction.  Israeli Prime Minister, Netanyahu, had in recent weeks given President Obama a decorated scroll telling the Biblical story of the Book of Esther.  He said, "Then, too, they wanted to wipe us out".

Schools were closed for three days to celebrate Purim.  Many dressed up and many got drunk.  

None of us understand the reason why (for the next few weeks) no food or clothing will be sent out;  but instead, families will use the vouchers to shop at participating stores.

We will use this time to do a major job of storing away all winter clothes and bringing out the summer ones.  This involves hours of sorting and organizing plus maneuvering heavy containers up and down the tall shelves using ladders.  Please pray for safety for all the volunteers.  Thank you.

Shalom,
Lilian 

Update from Lilian Ma in Israel

It's freezing cold here in Israel.  I am actually writing this email in bed because there is no central heating and the apartment is quite cold. 

We work Sundays to Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with half an hour lunch in between.  The warehouse is bone-chilling cold and I have been wearing six layers of clothing every day since I arrived.

At the warehouse, we fill orders for needy families. We send out food packages and clothing and household items depending on their needs.

The Lord has opened up the windows of Heaven after years of drought and years of on-going prayers; and now since December, Israel is experiencing record breaking rain falls since 1937. 

Jerusalem has also received a new blanket of snow last week.  There is no bus services on Shabbat.  I share the apartment with a lady who is from California and we usually stay in, do laundry, cook, and take naps to recuperate from the week-long manual labour.  

Sundays after work, all the volunteers will drive together into Jerusalem to attend church at King of Kings.  We are about 10-15 minutes outside of Jerusalem.  Once a week on Mondays, we go grocery shopping in the area.  

Before entering any buildings or parking lots, cars and people are searched by security.  It's not unusal to see soldiers buying grocery with their machine guns hanging on their shoulders.

Please pray for God's protection over Israel and her people as rumours of war circulate. 

My return date has been moved from May 3 to April 24 after I found out that I shouldn't over stay the 3-month tourist visa or else the Israeli Government has the right to deny future entries. 

Will see you in two months.  Thank you for the prayers!

Blessings,
Lilian

Uganda 2012 Team Video

Update from Noah Okiror

Florence and I spend January and a bit of February in Uganda ministering. That was in answer to invitations from a womens' group, rural pastors' seminar and youth rally organisers. The schedule was tight but we managed to pack all the meetings plus a little time with relatives, in that five weeks.
 
Its always a privilage indeed to be God's vessel and we saw what God can do when we step out in faith. The youth, pastors, childeren and womens' groups were ministered to; to the extent that an open invitation has been given to us and all those we can mobilize, to go again. We too were ministered and we will never be ther same. Thanks so musch for your support and prayers.
 
We are right now in Singapore catching up with family over here and may be visit our spiritual families/partners in Cambodia and Thailand; before heading back to Toronto.

Uganda mission update. View photos    Download all You are invited to view noah's album. This album has 12 files.

Mbarara update from Adrian (2)

Today we went to a rural church that had no walls except for the one that is backing to the pulpit.  It was made of dried grass.  The roof was made of cloth like materials held together by ropes.  It isn't a big church -- only 2 years old, about 50 people in size.  It is located in the outskirts of Mbarara.  I was speaking on the power of the Father's Love.


Story One:  You won't believe what Mike from Soroti did


You won't believe what Mike did at a church today.  His greeting became a message.  Then after I was done, he ministered to several people and one of them was a lady from Congo.  She was in an attempt to murder someone as she has been badly scarred.  She was desperate as her daughter was tormented by demons at night.  So she came to church with literally heat in her chest area, ulcer pain in her stomach and back pains.  Then as Mike led her through ministry, she forgave.  As she did, she literally felt like cold water was poured over her.  Mike didn't even have to pray for her physical health.  Immediately, her ulcer pain in the stomach was no more and so did the back pain.  All this came through our Mike, yes our Mike (for those who know him)!!  Freely he received, freely he gave.  She testified later to the church.  That is how I came to learn of this story.


Story Two:  The girl who smiled


A lady in her 20s shared about what happened to her during ministry.  Her parents were murdered along with the rest of her family.  She is the only one left.  No one laid hands on her.  She just stood up to wait for us to touch her but before we could she wept.  For the first time in her life, she chose to forgive the ones who killed her family.  I was moved to  tears by this.  Anyways, in her sharing, she said for the first time ever, she felt a release from the heaviness and grief of her heart and then she smiled because it was like life entered into her.


Blessings
Adrian

Mbarara update from Adrian

We've just finished the Father Heart Conference with 1000 people and we're in the midst of a pastors conference with 250 attendees.  Among the pastors and youths, we've met old friends from the Mbarara Deliverance Church.

There are many testimonies which I will report later, but there are two of which I want to tell right now.

Story 1: Mike of Soroti

In the 2011 Uganda trip, there was a gentleman (Mike) that traveled with us wherever we went.  In the process of that, he experienced the tangible love of the Father that transformed his life completely. Upon returning home he did a few things that blew my mind away.

1)  He reconciled with his 4 daughters who brought shame to the family by getting pregnant outside of marriage.  Prior to his transformation, he was an aggressive father who pushed his daughters out of the house when they told him what had happened.  But upon returning home last year, he went to find them, reconciled with them, brought them into his house along with the grandchildren.  Today, because they are fatherless, he is now a father to the grandkids.  An affectionate loving father to his daughters to a point that they love to hug and

embrace him.  For the first time, they celebrated Christmas of 2011 together.

2)  A band of robbers came into his house with guns to rob him.  They were arrested and the police wanted him to press charges.  But instead he told the robbers that he forgave them as he has been forgiven and got the police to release them from their jail cell.

3)  There was a pastor in Soroti that went deranged.  He would walk around naked and physically beat up anyone around him.  Mike fathered him through the process and in the midst of it was beaten up by the pastor several times.  Yet even in spite of that he walked with him, cared for him, provided for him when everyone else wanted to put him in the mental institution.

This is the story of a man that came from an orphan heart, that captured love and now walks in it in his community.

Story 2:  Moses of Masaka

When Moses got married 8 years ago to a lady from a different tribe, his mother objected to the marriage that she enlisted the help of witch doctors and several other ways to stop the marriage. Consequently, he cut off all ties from his mother and father to a point that she hasn't seen her grandkids until this past Christmas. As he processed the love of the Father, he was convinced last year that this love has to be translated and process into relationship starting with his mother.  He is so transparent with his church family that they have been journeying with him on this issue.  

Anyways, last Christmas he brought his family to visit him mother.  She was surprised as it was unannounced.  When he saw her, he reconciled with her saying that he values the relationship over who is right or who is wrong.  He asked her to forgive him and I saw the pictures myself, she had the biggest smile on her face embracing his family.   Now he is convinced that this revelation of the Father Heart needs to affect all the relationships surrounding him and his community.

There are many other stories which I will tell of other men and women who have been impacted by the revelation and transform their family and communities.  I believe that God is raising up fathers in the land of Uganda which has been known as a "Orphaned Nation" to her destiny of "the pearl of Africa".

In the meantime, lots of love and sunshine from Uganda

Blessings

Adrian

Here we go!

The Uganda team leaves today. They should arrive in Uganda on Sunday January 8th. They return on January 26th.

We have started a 40-day fast and prayer for the Uganda team.  At least one person each day will be covering the Uganda Team in prayer before and during their trip, The purpose of the fast is to also intercede for the kingdom of God to be manifested there. This is a 24 hour "no food" fast starting from 7pm of the assigned date to 7pm of the next date.

Ezra 8:21-23

And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. ... So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.

The Uganda team is comprised of:

Adrian Wi
Don Boyd
Donna Parachin
Gabriel Wee
Herman Lam
Jonathan Chung
Karen Chan
Karyne Wee
Steven Chow

The 40-day fast has already started, however there are still dates left unaccounted for. These are:

Jan 2
Jan 6
Jan 8
Jan 13
Jan 15
Jan 20
Jan 22
Jan 25
Jan 26

If you are interested in fasting and praying for the Uganda team (hopefully by filling in one of these open spots), please email bryankltai@gmail.com