Great apologies as I have not updated this site this year! I spend so much time writing as it is with all the books I have written and messages to teach each Sunday. So, the thought of sitting down and writing some more is a little hard but this site is different in that it speaks of God’s work here in Uganda. 

The past year has been filled with so many good things and some serious challenges. We are getting older so health is something we have to keep on top of so we are fully useable for God’s work. We are blessed in that we are pretty healthy for being “older” people. I (Bill) have been dealing with a worsening sciatic nerve issue and have gotten the right diagnosis and now am getting treated for it. It has been…… well, a real pain!

This Christmas we are both limping a bit from pain but we know our God is great and is not done with us. My dad once said, getting old is “the pits” and I can embrace that more today but there are benefits to aging as well in that we hopefully are maturing as that happens.

This time of year we are often reminded of the major contrast of Christmas here and our old Christmases in America. After 9 Christmases in Uganda where we now have the driest and hottest dry season of the year, we still struggle with missing snow and that festive feeling but Christmas is not about snow or the tree; it is about the “Gift” we received through Christ. Strangely enough, we have had a lot of rain the past week so maybe we will have a cooler Christmas. This time of year here is not unlike in America but it is crazier in ways.

You are a fool to go into town driving this week before Christmas.

It is far more dangerous with so many people and boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis) clogging up the town as people rush to get money and try to afford Christmas. People think Debra and I are weird as we do not buy presents for each other. When we came here we decided to end that as God gives us what we need.

In this poverty stricken place, people push too hard to get money to get gifts and expectations are high. People steal much more during this time so safety being out is more of a concern. People will steal things and gift them to their loved ones!

I had been teaching at the Baptist church the past 3 weeks to not be like others who struggle and sweat the season but to show other who Jesus is. Matthew 6:33 reminds us – “Seek first the things of God, and your needs will be provided for you.” My main message was to BE a gift rather than to seek gifts. Show the love of Christ to the broken world around us.

Those moments are ones that you cannot put a price on and those are gifts that will always be remembered.

I can easily say that 9 years into this Journey in Uganda, there is a clear path on my end as to what the mission is. It takes quite a few years to find the “groove” you were called into. After having written the books on leadership and church transformation and doing conferences for pastors, I was not seeing much change and then the Spirit inspired a new book.

This one I can do a one day seminar on with pastors and weed out the ones who do not want to do what Christ commands the church to do. It covers 8 areas that define a true Christ-centered church. There are 10’s of thousands of “churches” here in Uganda and yet so few actually are doing what the Church was commanded to do. We see that the only way to convert a society from poverty and corruption to a healthy nation is to raise up children with the Word and disciple them so they will not choose what the “culture” does.

We are now seeing pastors really walk away with a new mission. Church transformation is hard work and it is difficult as you watch people walk out the door who just come to sing and dance and do what they call “worship” as they do not want to give their lives to Jesus or serve or hear more of the Word. There is the term “dead” church (Revelation 3:1-6).

This applies to most every church here in Uganda as they were reached with the wrong gospel and people know nothing about surrendering their lives to Jesus. They just think saying “I believe” will get them to heaven even though they were never taught what that belief is. 2025 will be a good year of really pushing this process and training leaders what a real church is and what it is not.

Debra’s mission is always shifting and God knows she is the kind of person who just flows with what the needs are from moment to moment. Between her time at FML working with Claire and the volunteers from Spain headed up by a young man who has invested a lot in the school, she is actively involved in a smaller school with her dear friend Rinnah (American) and at Calvary Chapel which has been her home church now the past few years. She is becoming more active there and will be helping to “move bodies” into service.

Her “canvas of service” is always full but is more dynamic than mine and it fits her spiritual giftings. It is always amazing to see how God uses her.

While I still teach at the Baptist church where my ministry partner serves as pastor (George), I also get to mentor the pastor at Calvary and teach which I love to do as it is a very different audience with a deeper understanding of the Bible. That church is well positioned to grow more spiritually and outwardly into the community.

This next year we are prayerfully hopeful we will see great progress within the people as they get active more. Their pastor, Nicholas, was trained very well and is so solid in the Word and he is a great testimony in his humility and passion. In so many ways we have seen spiritual growth in us the past 9 years and this year has had many challenges that have really pushed us into growth. God uses our trials and challenges to grow us closer to Him and mature so we can better do His work and grow in our character (Romans 5:1-5).

As always, we are so grateful to God who called us here. He called not only us but people who have supported us through prayer and financial support which makes our work here possible. Knowing that all of you have your struggles in life, we are so grateful to all who have joined us on the Journey from afar. We want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great New Year!! 

If you would like to partner with us here in Uganda, click here. Thanks so much for your support!