Missionary Loren

Beautiful Things

2012-02-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

My first child was born a little over 23 years ago. Every parent knows how special, and overwhelming, it is the first time you see with your own eyes the little person that God has placed in your care. Sharon and I had already decided that if this child were a boy that we would name him after my father and me and so, on January 6, 1989, Loren Harold Hildebrant, III, our "Trey," was born. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Ten tiny fingers and ten button toes. Trey weighed just over 6 lbs therefore everything on him was small but he was so beautiful. It didn't matter that he had a very pronounced cone head from an extended transition through the birth canal. He was beautiful. It also didn't matter that he had the worst case of newborn acne I had ever seen. His face was red and blotchy and even a little swollen. He was beautiful. He was my son and he was beautiful. Everything about him was so, so beautiful. There's a saying that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." All I could behold was this tiny, special gift from God. As his father I beheld the beauty bestowed upon by son by his Maker. Loren Harold Hildebrant, III was so, so beautiful.

Beautiful then...beautiful now. Trey, the one in the hat, with Arafat, an orphan living at the Helping Hands compound in Busia, Uganda.

I just returned from my fourth trip to Africa in less than 12 months. Although the landscape is breathtaking it's hard to see the beauty of Africa through the dust and filth. No organized garbage collection results in ever-growing piles of perpetually burning refuse in the cities and household trash lining the roads in the bush. It's so hard to look past the garbage to see the beauty. The same could be said of the people. The ever-present red dirt soils every stitch of clothing and every inch of exposed skin. With clean water hard to find, the people just make do with what they have and almost never bathe. On the surface it appears that there is no beauty to be found in Africa. But then I think back to Trey's birth. To anyone not related to him they would have had a difficult time finding him beautiful when he was born. Trey's cone head and acne affected how he was physically seen but not how we emotionally and spiritually connected to this creation of God we held in our hands. He was beautiful. Africa, and the people in Africa, are beautiful, too.

Earlier I stated this famous saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." The gist of this statement is that each individual person decides in their own mind who or what can be deemed beautiful. That beauty is relative to the perspective of the viewer. After seeing beyond the cone head and newborn acne of Trey and the garbage and dirt of Africa I want to offer an alternative saying, "Beauty is in the Heart, the Mind, and the Hand of the Creator." God makes beautiful things out of the dust and filth of the earth. God makes beautiful things out of the sin and filth in our lives. God makes beautiful things out of us- Americans, Africans, newborns, senior adults, and all in between. I pray that as you watch this video you will be renewed in your understanding that God is the One who makes, and decides what are, Beautiful Things.

Numbers

2012-01-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Some of you may want to ask me, "Why do you work in Africa? Why do you train pastors and other leaders there? Don't you know that there is work to be done right here at home?" You may be too embarrassed to ask me those questions but, if you're honest with yourself, you've probably at least thought them at some time. The complicated, and often difficult to understand, answer is that God has specifically and undeniably called me to the work which I am doing in Africa and elsewhere. On the surface, however, I can answer those questions with one word- "numbers."

I'm not a big numbers person like my math teacher wife, Sharon. She loves to do those Japanese weapons of torture called Sudoku puzzles. Sudoku puzzles should be outlawed by the Geneva Convention as being cruel and unusual punishment. Yet, there are times when nothing can quite tell a story the way numbers can. When I look closely at the numbers coming out of Africa I can't help but become involved so that I can be used by God as an agent of change- one number at a time. I teach and train the men who will lead their churches to impact the lives of all East Central Africans, old and young alike.

In an effort to keep you from being overwhelmed by the shear enormity of the numbers of helpless and hurting people in Africa I am going to compare and contrast certain statistics from the country in which I most often work, Uganda, and my home- the United States of America. Most of the figures I am quoting come from the World Factbook on the government website www.cia.gov. You can research and compare all of the countries of the world at that one site.

	United States	Uganda, Africa
Land Size (Square KM)	9,826,675	241,038 Uganda is 41 times smaller in land area than the US.
Population	313, 232,004	34,612,250 The population is only 9 times smaller than the US but the land area is 41 times smaller.
Population Density	32 people/sq.km	144 people/sq.km There are 4.5 times more people per square km than the US- more than China (139/sq.km).
Physician Access	267 Physicians/100,000	12 Physicians/100,000 There are 23 times fewer physicians per person in Uganda than in the US.
Per Capita Income The average dollar amount each person makes per year.	$47,200 $3933.33/month	$1300 $108.33/month Ugandans make 36 times less money than Americans.
Median Age There are an equal number of people above and below this age.	37 Years Old	15 Years Old Half of the population of Uganda is under the age of 15.
Life Expectancy	78 Years Old	53 Years Old

As revealing as the above numbers are, the ones that really grip my heart are the numbers that involve children. There are so many more homeless, helpless, and hurting children in Uganda than in the US.

	United States	Uganda, Africa
Infant Mortality Rate	6 Deaths/1000 Births	62 Deaths/1000 Births
Orphans	100,000	2,500,000 1,000,000 of these were orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
Orphans as a Percentage Of the Total Population	.00032% If this percentage were true in Uganda there would only be 11,050 total orphans.	7.2% If this percentage were true in the US there would be over 22,500,000 orphans. That’s more than the number of residents living within the city limits of America’s 8 most populated cities- New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, and San Diego- COMBINED!

I hope now you have a glimpse of why I do what I do. If I can help just one who helps just one who helps just one then...well, you never know what God can do. And by the way, if you truly have a concern for the homeless, hopeless, and hurting children of America you might want to consider that God may be requiring you to care for them.

...And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

2012-01-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

My son, Trey, with both hands full of Busia, Uganda children in October 2011.

It is Standard Operating Procedure to reflect on the past year as we press forward into a new year. This blog will not diverge from that SOP. It's been an amazing year highlighted by my call to foreign missions with Helping Hands Foreign Missions. The low point of this past year was the transition from this life into eternity for Sharon's father, Gil Wildes. It was a low point for us but we know that he wouldn't come back for anything in the world. All-in-all it has been a very good year- a very good year, indeed. If you want to know more about what transpired in my life in 2011 please feel free to peruse my previous posts as well as my bio on this blog.

This is one of my all-time favorite photos from Uganda.
Brandon Bridgefarmer took this picture when we were in Africa in October 2011

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about Africa because there is so much that could be done, should be done, or would be done that the thoughts about the pastors and children with which we work are always on my mind. My work is primarily training and encouraging pastors but a person cannot go to Africa and not be moved by the plight of so many children there, especially those orphans who have no one to care for them. I know that there are hurting and needy children in America and I have had many opportunities to help them and their families here, but I am called to work in Africa so I believe that God has given me a special passion and concern for those African children he puts in my path. Those of us who serve through Helping Hands Foreign Missions have a commitment to caring for as many children as possible. That's why we are answering the call of God to build the Village of Eden. The Village of Eden will be a home for children who have never had one.

My favorite African picture. My co-worker, Kim Smith, took at Syonga near Busia in March 2011.

As I write this blog on January 2, 2012, HHFM is progressing toward the purchase of land not far from Busia, Uganda for the purpose of building the Village of Eden. The VOE will be more than an orphanage. It will be a school, farm, home, church, and anything else God leads it to be as a respite for hurting and lonely children in East Central Africa. As the Director of Pastor Training for HHFM I am excited that we will also have a Bible College on the VOE property. God is doing such wonderful and amazing works through HHFM for His Glory.

Praying over the VOE property in
October 2011.

Pastor Moses (L, pointing) showing the potential VOE property to Darin Vogt (C)
and Brandon Bridgefarmer in October 2011.

If you would like to be a part of the work that God is doing at the Village of Eden in Uganda please go to our website at www.helpinghandsmissions.org for information about how you can help physically by going to Africa, spiritually by praying for the Village of Eden, or financially by sending support specifically to the VOE.

The video below tells a story about what happened in my heart after going to Africa in March on a mission trip. I hope and pray that this message will touch you as it has touched me. This song is entitled, "One Day" and it is performed by the Parachute Band.

Bring the Homeless Poor Into the House

2011-12-15T12:00:00.000-08:00

“Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Isaiah 58:6-7

One year ago today I met a person who had a profound Spiritual impact on my life. I met Jesus 22 years ago so it wasn’t him. It wasn’t a famous preacher, one of my favorite Christian musicians, or a noted Christian author. I didn’t meet a television or movie celebrity nor did I meet a sports star. On December 15, 2010 I met a filthy, drunken, sad expression of a human being. One year ago today I met Denese Humphries and because I met her, and talked with her, and listened to her, and knew her, and ministered to her, and, yes, loved her I will never be the same. I’m eternally grateful to our Mighty God that He gave me the privilege of being called Denese Humphries’ friend.

Through the movement of God in my life I had begun to lead members of the church I was pastoring, Flat Creek Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia, to minister to homeless people living under a local bridge overpass. It was an unusually cold day last December 15, and it was the night of the annual Flat Creek Christmas dinner. Several days earlier I had told the under-the-bridge-dwellers that I would come pick them up and take them for a Christmas dinner in our warm church. That Wednesday afternoon my friend, Bob McWhorter, and I took the church van and picked up those who would come with us. We were about to leave when one of the homeless men asked if his “Old Lady could come with us." Denese Humphries was Robert’s “Old Lady.” Denese was quite disheveled and obviously drunk. She was loud and, at times, obnoxious, but behind that outer persona there was an internal brokenness. That evening Bob and I took the homeless people back under the bridge not knowing if we had any real impact on their lives, other than food and warmth.

The next week my secretary, Linda, thought it would be a great idea to give the four women living under the bridge a night of pampering, which included Denese. We provided a motel room and new clothes for the women so that they could bathe and relax then we took them to the church to cut and style their hair and to give them manicures. Although Denese seemed to be less drunk than the week before, the odor of alcohol signaled that she was not abstaining. After the women were cleaned up and pampered our church staff and spouses took them out to eat as our staff Christmas party. As God would have it, my wife, Sharon, and I were the ones who hosted Denese that night. We had a wonderful time getting to know her. She was funny, intelligent, observant, ashamed, remorseful, and she expressed her desire to get clean and sober and out from under the bridge but her addiction was so controlling that she could not break free from its bonds. The next day we took the four ladies back to their hapless and hopeless home.

On a day between Christmas and New Year’s Sharon, my twins, and I went under the bridge to see everyone there, but especially Denese. When we walked up and Denese recognized us she began to cry and expressed once again how desperately she wanted to get out and get sober. We had no idea how God would use us to accomplish that goal. It would be almost a month later but on the morning of January 26, with snow flurries falling, several of her friends met her and took Denese out from under the bridge to provide her with the help she needed. We took her to a local outpatient rehab facility. We just knew that the rehab facility would send her to the hospital because she was so ill but God had other plans. Four days before we picked her up I was at home by myself reading the Bible. I was reading the passage in Isaiah 58 that is included at the top of this page. The part of verse 7 that is highlighted jumped off the page when I read it. God was speaking to me and He was speaking specifically about Denese. He was calling my family and me to be prepared to “bring the homeless poor into the house.” And so, on that cold January Wednesday night, through the help of our friend Kim Smith, we brought the homeless into the house- we brought homeless Denese Humphries into our house. To say that Sharon was a little concerned would be a vast understatement. She was just this side of terrified but God began to unite her heart with Denese’s heart. Denese stayed in our home for three days before the rehab facility determined that she needed to have more significant medical attention. Those three days taught my family and me so much about the love of Jesus. Jesus loved Denese and He chose to love her through us.

Denese spent the next 10 days or so in the hospital and while she was there I had arranged for her to receive more rehab for alcohol addiction at a facility in my hometown in South Georgia. The weekend before Sharon and I took her to Moultrie our church held its annual Sweetheart Banquet. Denese was our guest of honor and she had an amazing time of loving and being loved. The difference in her was quite remarkable compared to the first time she had come to Flat Creek just two months before. While we were driving her to South Georgia she was laying down in the back seat of our car when she made the statement that she loved feeling good. We talked about Jesus and she assured us that He was her Lord. Denese was not our project- she was our friend.

Mike and Kim Smith, Denese, my wife, Sharon, and me at the Sweetheart Banquet February 12, 2011.
She may not be smiling on the outside but she loved being with us that night.

After Denese returned from rehab she lived with a friend in Habersham County, Georgia. Denese would periodically come back to stay with us. She was trying so hard to make her recovery work this time. Her health would not allow her to have any more setbacks. Kim Smith hired Denese to work with her but as the days and weeks went by we had less and less contact with her. As far as we know Denese stayed sober for almost five months. This past June she went under the bridge to see her old boyfriend. She took a drink of alcohol and her addiction returned with a vengeance. Kim Smith and other friends like Brad and Meredith Pierce went to see Denese and plead with her to leave the bridge once again. She stayed. Denese had reconnected with Robert and on the morning of July 17, 2011 he awakened in their tent to find that Denese’s battle with addiction and alcohol and life had come to an end. Denese had died sometime during the night. Denese Humphries was 49 years old.

Some people would say that our time spent with Denese was a waste; that the quality of a restored life is only measured by someone successfully overcoming addiction for the rest of his or her life. All I know is that for five of the last six months that she lived Denese Humphries had a quality of life that she had not known for many years. I also know that I am not ultimately responsible for results but I am responsible to be faithful to what God is telling me to do and to be. We may never have the true outcome of a situation revealed to us until we enter our eternity. Of this I am certain and convinced, the ministry that took place in Denese’s life was not for her benefit or ours but it was done to bring glory to the God who loved Denese and loves you and loves me. If I had known the outcome in advance I would do it all over again- and again, and again, and again, and....

Preach The Word!

2011-12-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

I promise I'm not preaching to this little boy, although he does seem to be enthralled with me.
In fact, he is looking at his reflection of himself in my sunglasses.

I love to preach. I love how God takes a small seed of an idea and grows that seed into something that can be convicting, challenging, motivating, and encouraging all at the same time. When I left the pastorate in June of 2011 I had hoped that I would have many opportunities to continue to preach the Word of God, both in the US and around the world. I had envisioned preaching almost every Sunday even though I don’t have a church in which to preach regularly. The reality has been that I have only preached twice in the US in the last six months. I feel like I’m about to explode with the desire to stand before a community of believers, and unbelievers, and proclaim God’s Word. Jeremiah knew how I’m feeling, “But if I say, ‘I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,’ Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it” (Jeremiah 20:9). The fire is burning and I cannot hold it in any longer. In my mind I thought I needed a pulpit, a church, in which to preach and proclaim. And then it dawned on me, “I do have a way to let the fire out. I do have a pulpit- not a physical one, but a virtual pulpit.” Welcome to my virtual pulpit.

I know that this blog is intended to keep my friends, family, and other interested parties updated on all that is going on through the ministry of Helping Hands Foreign Missions and, specifically, my ministry as a trainer and encourager of pastors in Africa. But I also realize that this is a great opportunity for me to declare the realities of what and how God is working in me. So, I announce, using the immortal words of that great American singing cowboy Gene Autry, “I’m back in the saddle again.”

Knowing that your time is valuable and often over-taxed, I’ll make some promises to you. I promise to keep my sermon blogs as short as possible. I promise not to write something just because I feel like I need to post a blog. I promise to pray about what God puts on my heart, as well as spend time studying, before I preach on my blog. I can’t make anyone read this anymore than I can make someone listen to me. In 15 years of preaching I’ve had several regulars at church not just daydream during my sermons but actively, defiantly, and obviously choose not to listen. If you don’t want to listen to me don’t read my blog. I’ll never know. But if God speaks to you through the words of this blog feel free to forward this to whomever you like. OK, let the journey begin. Well, it’ll begin on my next blog.

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

2 Timothy 4:1-4

Here is the link to the last sermon I preached. It was at Chestnut Mountain Church on

October 16, 2011- http://vimeo.com/30735505

I Just Don't DESERVE This!

2011-12-09T12:26:00.000-08:00

This one is a little longer than usual but please stay with me. God has an important word to share with you through me. Besides, it’s been a while since I posted a blog so if you even out the time, it’s all good.

You may have read the title to this update and wondered what horrible thing is transpiring in my life- that I would be ranting and venting over some perceived injustice or wallowing in self-pity over personal or career issues. I'm sure your eye fixated on the word "deserve" when you read the title, especially since I highlighted it by putting it in all caps. That word "deserve," however, can sometimes be misleading. Several times this year I've had conversations with Christian friends who told me that they "deserved" better from God than He was giving them. In their rationale they had done something incredible for Him, i.e. trusting Jesus as their Savior, and because they so generously decided to follow God they believed that they "deserved" His blessing and His obedience to their requests of Him. You may have picked up on the sarcasm in that previous sentence. If not, that’s understandable because sarcasm is not as easily communicated through the written word as it is through that which is spoken. I know that sarcasm isn’t everyone’s favorite teaching tool but if you read the Bible closely you will find quite a few instances of sarcasm being used to make a point (Elijah, the Prophets and Paul just to name a few). If you didn't pick up on the sarcasm, read that sentence again with a sarcastic context in mind. Here, I'll reprint it for you (the sarcasm is italicized)- In their rationale, they had done something incredible for Him, i.e. trusting Jesus as their Savior, and because they so generously decided to follow God they believed that they "deserved" His blessing and His obedience to their requests of Him. Please know that I am not trying to insult your intelligence but I am trying to send a very significant message. The message is that we have no right to expect anything other than a life filled with pain and misery. Do you want to know what we really deserve? All of us, not just those we deem bad, we all deserve to be separated from God forever. WE “DESERVE” DEATH. Anything we receive short of death and an eternity of separation and torment is God’s abundant grace and His unceasing mercy. I Just Don’t DESERVE This!

Hopefully you understand by now that when I say, “I just don’t deserve this” it is not a statement of consternation or frustration but it is one of amazement and awe that God would do so much to save a wretch like me. Despite my sinful, and many times blasphemous, ways, God loves me and always wants the very best for me. However, at the same time God wants the very best for me I believe He also wants the very best from me. Whining and complaining from a human perspective about perceived injustice by God is not pleasing to Him nor does it glorify and honor Him. Before you go all biblical and spiritual on me I recognize that various people in the Bible questioned God and His decisions but my retort to you would be “did that please and glorify God?” God granted Hezekiah’s whining wish and allowed him to live an extra 15 years. Read how Hezekiah repaid God for showing him mercy that day, “But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received (from God), because his heart was proud” (2 Chronicles 32:25). Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” As a reflection of God’s grace and mercy shown to me on the cross my heart’s desire is to honor, praise, worship, glorify, magnify, exalt, uplift, rejoice, etc, in the One who does not give me that which I deserve. Please don’t confuse what I am calling “whining and complaining” with sorrow and repentance. Whining and complaining come from an inwardly-focused heart. Sorrow and repentance come from a God-focused heart. David’s plea before God in Psalm 51:17 should be our cry from the depths of our soul, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”

You’re probably saying to yourself “get to the point, man, get to the point!” Ok, here’s the whole purpose of this blog post- I Just Don’t DESERVE This incredible life God has given me. I have shared half of my life with a woman who has no business loving me as much as she does. My intent is to spend the rest of our lives together worshipping our God and working in His kingdom. God sent me the four most amazing children a man could ever dream of calling his own. I have never truly wanted for anything. Oh don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted a lot. I still want a lot (right now it’s a Mini Cooper convertible for some reason. Next week it’ll be something totally different). But I’ve never wanted for anything that I’ve needed. My pantry has never been completely empty. I’ve never been without a job. I’ve received a special calling from God to proclaim the Word of God. And now...now...wow- I’ve been specifically set apart by God for the purpose of training the men of God who preach the Word of God to the People of God for the purpose of reaching the lost before God in Africa through Helping Hands Foreign Missions. If you’d be honest, most of you thought I was crazy when you heard that I was leaving the pastorate, and a steady paycheck, to become a faith-based missionary. Some of you who feel this way are my family members. But now, six months into this wild ride I am more convinced more than ever that this is the work to which God has been preparing me for my entire life. I’m still in the big bend of the learning curve but that’s OK. Every time I travel to Africa it hits me- this is my job, this is what I do for a living. I am privileged and honored to be a called a missionary with Helping Hands Foreign Missions.

I Just Don’t DESERVE This!

I'm pictured with Pastor Douglas from Mawero Calvary Baptist Church in Mawero, Uganda in March 2011.
By the way, he loves to speak the language of sarcasm, just like me.

Great Work in Africa

2011-11-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

District Leader pastors from Africa with Phil Carpenter (right) and me (middle back)

I've processed our District Leader Conference that took place in Busia, Uganda October 24-27 and I need to share with you that it exceeded my expectations. Not that I didn't expect great things but the time that we spent with the pastors was so incredible. The highlight of the week for me was on Wednesday night when our team washed the feet of the pastors. They were openly sobbing as we washed their feet then we took the Lord's Supper together. It was an amazing night of worship and love for each other. These men are devoted to serving God in the local church as well as leading districts with many churches and they work very hard to spread the Gospel to unreached and unchurched people in Africa. The twelve pastors came from Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. We taught about the church as Jesus desired the church should be. We also took a quick, two-day trip through the book of Acts. I am excited that we were able to pour our lives into these men and by the same token they were able to pour their lives into us.

The above video is a compilation of some of the worship time with our pastors as well as the church some of us attended on Sunday October 22. You'll see that worship does not have to take place in a building.

My son, Trey, with Helping Hands' miracle child, Arafat.

It was such a blessing to be on a mission trip with my oldest child, Trey. He is such a strong believer and devourer of God's word. He taught right alongside us older, more seasoned guys. To say that I am proud to call him my son would be an understatement. His heart was melted by the smiles of the children as well as the pastors. I have no doubt that he'll be going back with me sometime in the future.

If you are interested in going on mission with me or Helping Hands Foreign Missions please send me an email and I'll get back with you. loren.hildebrant@helpinghandsmission.org

2011-10-24T10:28:00.000-07:00

David Ray (L) and the Pied Piper of Busia aka Phil Carpenter

I promised and here it is- my first blog from Africa. I don’t really know where to start. This trip has been incredible. Our team from America, David Ray (Helping Hands board member), Phil Carpenter and Darin Vogt (Pastors at Chicopee Baptist Church, Gainesville, GA), Brandon Bridgefarmer (Youth intern at Chestnut Mountain Church in Flowery Branch, GA) and my oldest son Trey (Student Minister at Chestnut Mountain Church in Flowery Branch, GA), and me. Our team in Uganda is Joy Breedlove and Mike and Sarah McCord. When we arrived on Friday we walked from the missionary house to the orphan school- about a twenty minute walk. Phil Carpenter immediately began talking and singing with the children as we walked to the school. It was so funny and moving and exciting to watch him enjoy his first glimpse of needy children in Africa. All of these guys have fallen in love with Africa and when we leave I am certain that they will leave a piece of their heart here.

Moses Barasa showing the potential Village of Eden property to Darin Vogt and Brandon Bridgefarmer

On Saturday we visited a church and school in the bush at Syonga. The children sang and greeted us and then we prayed for all of their church leaders and they prayed for us. We had an amazing time of worship together. We came back to the mission house and participated in the graduation ceremony for 12 pastors who completed their first year of Bible school. It was so inspiring to hear their stories of how hard they worked to accomplish their goal. After lunch we isited the property that we hope will become the Village of Eden orphan home and school. The land is so beautiful. David Ray reminded us of Richard’s vision and with tears in our eyes we circled up and prayed. It is beyond words how awesome it is to be a part of this ministry.

On Sunday our team divided and Phil, Darin, and Trey went to Busia Calvary Baptist Church where Phil preached. Mike, David, Brandon, and I went to a church in the bush that meets under a tree. The children always capture my heart. They love seeing and touching “mzungu”- Swahili for “white person.” The way that church is done here makes it difficult to be certain but I believe that 10 teenagers and adults accepted Christ at the bush church. Sunday night the pastors who are a part of our conference began arriving. HHFM works closely with Grace Calvary Christian Ministries. The GCCM has over 260 churches with 12 district leaders overseeing their work. These 12 district leaders are staying at the missionary house in Busia with us and we are teaching a conference with them. After it got dark we were sitting around getting to know each other and an impromptu concert broke out. The Americans sang for the Africans and the Africans sang for the Americans and we all sang together. It was such a worshipful experience.

The offering plate, literally a plate, at the bush church on Sunday and yes, someone gave an egg for their offering.

Monday’s meeting with the pastors has been so moving. They have such a hunger for the word of God. This is such an overwhelming experience. The 12 pastors here are from Uganda, Kenya, Congo, Tanzania, and another country that needs to remain unnamed at this time. Our team is so humbled to be a part of this powerful kingdom work.

Martin from Kenya and Trey Hildebrant listen intently to Phil Carpenter

As I write this blog it is 7:30 pm and we have been without electricity for over 48 hours. On Sunday we also lost the city water. Although we have reserve tanks for water the number of people here has already drained one of the tanks. We are praying that the water and power will return very soon.

HALLELUJAH!!!! While I was writing this blog the power returned!!!!!! Still no water but we're making progress.

Uganda Bound

2011-10-19T04:35:00.000-07:00

Today, October 19, 2011, I am leading a small team to Uganda to lead a Pastor's Conference. Pastor Phil Carpenter and his associate, Darin Vogt, from Chicopee Baptist Church in Gainesville, Georgia will be making their first trip to Africa along with my oldest son, Trey, and Brandon Bridgefarmer. Brandon and Trey serve at Chestnut Mountain Church in Flowery Branch, Georgia where Trey is the Student Ministries pastor and Brandon is his associate. Also traveling with us is David Ray, one of our board members at HHFM.

Pray for our travel there and back. We will leave Gainesville at 11:00am today and will finally arrive at our destination, Busia, Uganda, on Friday around 8:00 am. Pray for the conference next week. It is a small group of leaders within the association with which Helping Hands Foreign Missions works. We will be able to spend a great deal of time with each pastor pouring our lives into them while they pour their lives into us.

Of course we can't go to Africa without being impacted by the many children we will see. Pray that the love of Jesus will be shown to everyone we meet but especially to the children of Uganda. Even though my work with HHFM focuses on training pastors, the photo below is my favorite from all of my travels on the mission field. It was taken on our first mission day on our trip in March when we first got out of the van near a bush church in Syonga, Uganda. This little boy was so cute and funny. It appears that he is listening intently to what I am telling him but in actuality he is looking at his own reflection in my sunglasses.

Where I've Been- Uganda July 6-18, 2011

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School children from the HHFM school located in Syonga, Uganda.

In my last blog I shared that I would tell you more about the children in Uganda. Uganda is a country the size of Oregon. Oregon has 3.5 million residents. Uganda has 35 million. There are 2.5 million orphan children in Uganda. Almost half of the population is under the age of 15. If a child's family does not have enough money the children do not attend school. If the child is an orphan he or she will not be able to attend school unless someone intervenes. The children of Uganda are precious in God's sight but are precious in my sight as well.

When I went to preach at the church in Syonga, before the service the school children danced and sang with a special sense of joy. It didn't matter that the clothes they were wearing were tattered and worn. It didn't matter to them that they didn't have new shoes. I am certain that not a one of them was thinking about their next video game or what they would watch on TV that night. The children were not texting or posting on Facebook. Most of those children sang and danced and when the service was over they walked home and went to sleep without eating anything. I was especially moved by the little girl in the picture below. Her uniform dress was the most threadbare I have seen. But she seemed not to care. She was wearing the best she had so it didn't matter that it was falling apart. To me, this little girl represents all the children in Africa who would steal your heart in a moment. They are almost all well behaved and seem to love the simple life they lead. I've learned much from these children. The children in Africa have an exceptional beauty.

This little girl taught me about humility by wearing the best she had.

I was told before the first time I went that I would leave a piece of my heart in Africa. I have left pieces of my heart in several places. I have left my heart with all of the pastors who love Jesus and love to learn and share God's word. I have left a piece of my heart with every child I touched or touched me. I have left a piece of my heart with our HHFM missionaries like Joy Breedlove. Never has a person been more appropriately named- JOY BreedLOVE. I have left a huge chunk of my heart with my African son, James. James was my interpreter when I was there in March and God knit our hearts together. He is an orphan attending the school in Busia. James is an incredible young man who loves Jesus. You'll get to know James over the coming days and weeks of my blog.

Ariya (L), James' roommate and best friend, and James (R).
Joy Breedlove bought them their stylish cowboy hats in Kampala.

One of the things that you notice when you are in Uganda is how perfectly straight and white the teeth are of most of the Africans. The stark contrast between the gleaming teeth and the dark skin makes their smiles shine. The children below are Moses Barasa's children. Moses is my brother and the leader of the Grace Calvary Christian Ministries in Busia. The little boy on the left is Moses adopted son, Moses Jr. Moses Jr was left on the side of the road by his mother or someone else when he was just a few months old. Moses Sr. heard of the need for someone to take the baby into his home so he and his wife, Rose, became Moses Jr.'s parents. The little girl on the right is Moses' daughter, Jordan. She has a smile that will light up the brightest African day. These two precious little ones represent the millions of children who are ready and willing to show love.

Moses Jr. and Jordan Barasa near their home in Busia, Uganda.

Where I've Been- Uganda July 6-18, 2011

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Several of the pastors leading worship at Syonga, one of the GCCM bush churches.
I was privileged to preach then Pastor Joseph hosted me for dinner in his home.

When I left Uganda in March I had no idea if I would return, much less that I would return so soon. Yet less than four months later I was on a plane bound for Uganda. Well, it actually went through Chicago, and because my flight out of Atlanta was delayed I missed my connection to Amsterdam. Many of you will remember that I had to stay in a hotel near the airport in Chicago and the next day I went to a walk-in clinic with a prostate infection. So it wound up being a good thing that I missed the flight in Chicago but don't tell Delta Airlines that. The next day I caught my flight to Amsterdam then on to Entebbe, Uganda.

The purpose of this trip was, simply put, relationship building. Although I preached four times that week I was there to spend time with our pastors and missionaries in Uganda. The work that I do in Uganda is for and with the pastors who serve the 215 churches of the Grace Calvary Christian Ministries. The leader of the GCCM, Moses Barasa, and I spent much time together discussing and evaluating the needs for the pastors and churches of the GCCM. Moses was, and is, very excited to have a person devoted to working with him and his ministers but while I was there I realized how excited I was to learn from Moses. Anyone who has planted 215 churches in 13 years has knowledge worth gleaning and I'm blessed to know and work with Moses.

On one of the days I was there a group of pastors came to our mission compound to watch the Secret Church from April of 2011. Secret Church is a 5-6 hour teaching by David Platt, author of the book Radical and pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, AL. The pastors in Uganda have such a hunger for the word of God. They watched intently then asked many questions about what they were hearing and learning. Our missionary on the field in Busia, Uganda is Joy Breedlove. Joy has such a passion and love for these men of God. She was our facilitator for the video and discussion. Joy is a wonderful blessing to me as I plan and implement training for our pastors in the future. I am thrilled that she is my hands and feet in Uganda every day.

In my next blog I'll share with you about the children and young people that impacted my life while I was in Uganda in July.