Steve and Gwyn Smith - Uganda |
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Prayer Letter June 2008
Dear Friends,
Thanks for your willingness to be praying for us and partnering with us in this way. As ever we desire to be praying for you also, so please do send us pray requests even if they are one line e-mails! Since touching down in Entebbe, Steve has been full time with AMG until the next KEST semester begins (August 08), and Gwyn continues full time in the house and nursery. Here is the major news in brief. If you ever want to know more about a particular area please do e-mail with any questions!
Advancing Ministries of the Gospel
The new AMG Training & Curriculum department took its first few steps in May. This is a real milestone along the road towards growing the AMG staff and teachers in their walk with Christ and equipping them with the necessary skills for teaching God’s word to over 1000 children and families through the Child Development Programmes. The plan at the moment is for Steve to hand the training work over next year to his two newly appointed Ugandan assistants.
Please pray for growth in mature Christian living and in teaching and training others over the next 12 months, so that hand over is made possible according to God’s will.
AMG staff and volunteer teachers receive training
In May, AMG staff and volunteer teachers from each Child Development Centre attended the revised ‘Teach the Bible’ course that was piloted in December last year. It was heart-warming that so many said that their eyes opened for the first time to reading the Scriptures by themselves and constructing a lesson that tries to be faithful to the text, applied relevantly, and communicated effectively to the children. Those from projects in rural Uganda will now be the best equipped out of all people in their village to teach God’s word! Once all the teachers have been trained thoroughly in getting from a Bible text to a Bible lesson, we will then need to turn our eyes to helping their church leaders and elders.
Please pray that we would discern exactly the best way forward in making the most of the opportunity this course provides within AMG, and spread the training more widely in other Christian churches / NGOs.
Two new assistants appointed
In five years time over a third of the AMG children will be in secondary school. This fact alone led to our decision to appoint two staff to help establish a fledgling AMG Training and Curriculum department: Jane Namirimu specifically for children’s ministry and David Otema to develop a national youth discipleship programme for AMG and its partnering churches. Jane brings with her much needed experience with children, as well as a genuine love for the people she teaches (of all ages). David brings with him a working knowledge of AMG. One major encouragement has been David’s ability to take the training he has received and teach it to others in Bugongi (SW Uganda).
Please pray that God will enable Steve to do all that is necessary to hand the training and curriculum department into their hands; pray for unity and like-mindedness as a team to be preserved for the sake of the gospel in people’s lives.
New AMG curriculum launched
The May training week laid firm foundations for the teachers to begin teaching Genesis 1-11 over thirteen weeks using Unit 1 of the new AMG curriculum, called ‘God the Creator and Generous Giver’. There has been genuine excitement amongst the teachers on receiving the curriculum and this seems to be matched so far in their actual teaching of the children. Right now we are only two weeks into the first unit. The teachers still feel very new to these methods of preparing and teaching Bible lessons but also show real ability as they depend on God’s grace in the ministry they have been given. We are looking for ways to involve the parents / guardians more in teaching the gospel to their children. For many this will involve first coming to Christ out of the false teachings they’ve received and other traditional religion.
Please give thanks for the way God has worked in all AMG staff and volunteers to be united in teaching the curriculum across the Child Development Centres. Pray for the Curriculum & Training Team to aid them continually in making disciples of Jesus Christ with ALL ages.
Other main news
Noah’s Ark Nursery
After an unsettled period Joshua has thrown himself into playing and learning with other children. Amongst the inevitable conflicts it has been a delight to see him slowly settle back into life here. The nursery has no doubt helped with this process.
We’re thankful to God that Matthew has been kept entertained by the other children most of the time. Pray for Gwyn as she mothers Matthew and leads the nursery: for strength each day, and for wisdom in handling all kinds of circumstances with children and parents.
The Titus Group
We have our next meeting on 14th June. The focus is on Jesus setting us free from sin to live as his disciples who hold onto his teaching. Thus far God has evidently used the TG initiative to prompt the Baptist men to begin a Kampala Baptist Men’s Network. Our focus is on being gospel-centred and interdenominational, to provide fresh impetus and resources for men to develop their own church programmes for men.
Please pray that the ‘One-to-One’ and ‘Titus Bible Study’ booklets would be greatly used towards this end. Also pray for Chris Yikii and the committee as Steve places the leadership in their hands
Student numbers increase at KEST!
This needs continue through providing quality courses and good publicity. Preparation has begun for next Semester (Aug-Dec 2008). Steve will revise the introductory expository preaching course and teach a second course aimed at developing good instincts in preaching Christ from the different types of Old Testament writing.
Please pray for rich times in God’s word and genuine relevance to the students.
Regional Preacher’s Clubs
Since Langham facilitated a preaching conference in April 08, with an extra stream for potential trainers Preacher’s clubs have gotten under way. It is hard to know what sort of fruit this is having. The club attached to Kampala Baptist Church (where we now fellowship) has been sporadic and this may well be representative of growing pains experienced by preacher clubs elsewhere in the country.
Pray for this movement for the expository preaching of God’s gospel to gain momentum amongst the people of East Africa.
Douda continues in Christ!
Even as a fledging Christian God has used Douda to call others to Christ, and it is a delight to see! Last week Douda came to Steve with a young man called Ishmael who made the decision to break with Islam. Consequently, Ishmael’s father threw him out of his home wanting nothing more to do with him and refusing to pay his education fees, unless he ‘repents’ of being born again. It is a mercy that his father softened after a few days and has accepted Ishmael back into the home as a Christian.
Please pray for Douda to become well-rooted in Christ and continue to impact other Muslims in Kayunga with the gospel.