The
team has safely arrived in Entebbe and has been picked up at the
airport by my friend, Peter. Peter called me when he safely had the
team with him. Godfrey and I will go today (Tuesday) and picked them up
to bring them to Jinja! Just wanted friends and family know they made
it safely and are being well taken care of until I join them!
Sunday
Sunday was a glorious day as we prepared to go to worship at Glory Be to God Church. We actually were early because Godfrey thought they started at 9 am and it was really 10 am. We still didn’t get there until 9:30 am. But instead of being late, we were early! We have to hire a large bus each time they go to church. Even though it is not far, we cannot fit all of the children in our van. It doesn’t cost much, about $9 for a roundtrip. After Godfrey picked me up, we drove by the house to make sure that they were coming. This is the beauty of living in Jinja town. The hotel, church and home are all in the same area. We just passed by the house and saw them all loading into the bus. So we went ahead of them to the church.
When they arrived, they immediately told us that Vivian wasn’t feeling well. We brought her to the van and let her rest a little. She said that she was cold. Godfrey said that all of the times she has fallen ill and not able to eat is when she gets cold. We prayed over her and were able to get a wrap to cover her legs. We escorted her to a seat surrounded by the other girls and thought she was fine.
As the services began, our Raining Hope Choir was towards the beginning of the service. You would have been so proud of them as I surely was! They were wearing their new uniforms and were looking sharp! All I could do was watch in amazement and love. After they finished, I had Godfrey share a word of thanksgiving to the church for their support of the Raining Hope family. I then signed the song, “Exhale” which is quickly become a theme for us this trip.
As I finished and came down, they began doing announcements. Then Godfrey and I were called out as Esther wasn’t feeling well. As we took her to the van, we realized she is dealing with a cut on her foot. Apparently the injury has been causing her some pain. This is where the story of my fall yesterday comes back in. Because of my fall yesterday, we had all this medicine in the van. I am still applying ointment and taking tablets. We had to use the medicines to help dress her wounds. She was not as quiet about the stinging medicine on her wound. We had to hold her down and she screamed in pain. But I had her focus on my wound. I told her yesterday it was swollen and it was not looking good. Yet because I put the medicine on it, it was quickly healing. I assured her the pain was just in the application but it will bring healing. She began to quiet down as the initial sting was done. I finally said, “Esther, I am realizing that because I fell, we had the medicine here immediately for you! So I am happy that I fell down because we were prepared for you!” She smiled in the midst of the pain as we now had a common experience to share.
And yes...I did share that with the kids as a lesson. We talked about our willingness to lay our lives down for one another. We also talked about how Jesus died on the cross a painful death so that we could have life. We left her in the van with one of the other girls to just rest her foot.
We went back into the church and the worship time had begun. I grabbed my camera to take some photos of our kids as they just dance up a storm as they are worshipping! We were all laughing and praising when Godfrey’s wife, Irene suddenly grabbed me and said, “Come.” She pointed to one of our girls who was being carried out...and I realized it was Vivian. They were bringing her into the room where the intercessors pray over people. I don’t even know how many people were in the room. Godfrey, Irene, Jonathan and probably about 5 or 6 other church members came. We began praying over her. One by one some left until it was only two of the intercessors from the church and me. I stayed as her mum as I wasn’t sure if she was aware of what was happening. What I didn’t know was Godfrey had left because Irene began to fall ill and had to go back to the van with her to stay with Esther.
The intercessors were sensing something in Vivian’s life that was a spiritual attack, not a physical one. After about 45 minutes of this time of prayer, we took her back to the van which was now becoming a hospital! Godfrey decided to take them back to the house to rest and then come back to get me after service.
I returned to my seat to listen to the last portion of the message. Our friend, Andrew was preaching. I was sad I had missed most of the message, but it was ok because I heard exactly what I was suppose to hear. At just the right moment, Andrew said that sometimes we want to give up. Somethings things become too hard. But we need to be awakened and be excited about what He has called us to do. You need to go back to the prophetic word that was spoken over your life. Let that encourage you.”
On my first or second journey here, a dear friend who has already passed on, Paster Joshua came to me when I was in the van. I didn’t know him very well. We were at the church that is now known as Glory Be to God Church. He said, “I have a prophetic word for you.” He handed me a piece of paper with the words, “Isaiah 61.” I think it was verse 1 and maybe to verse 4. But when Andrew spoke those words, I was reminded of that prophetic word. After church, on the way back to the home, I read all of that chapter to Godfrey. We were amazed at how much of that chapter is a testimony of our journey the last eight years. Mainly, it was a very personal confirmation to me. Verse 1, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...”
God has called me to this place to proclaim the good news. He is the one that called me to Raining Hope and these children. Through all the problems I have encountered along the way, all the ones who haven’t believed we could do it, or those who have not wanted to fall under authority, He reminded me that HE is the one who has called me. Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
I was able to spend all afternoon with the children at the home. Funny thing is, they were so physically tired after worshipping at church, after lunch many took naps! They put their whole serves into worship that they were drained! We had a delicious lunch of tilapia and rice! I also learned more interesting customs concerning food that were pretty funny!
I spent some time just talking with the kids that were awake. I found myself getting pretty tired too! But Andrew had let his son, Sean come over and play with the kids. So when he came to pick him up, I was able to talk to him about the message and all that I was encouraged with. It gave me a boost of energy & I gained my second wind!
We just had a great afternoon of relaxing and being together as a family. A soccer game also was on TV between Arsenal and Chelsea, both from England. The house is divided over the two teams so they were having fun watching and teasing one another.
I just realized that on Saturday when I came back to house, the kids got into a big volleyball game! Our front area is large enough that they have set up two wooden posts to hold up a net. I watched them play with no real standard rules. It was a blast! Sometimes there were 4 on one side and 7 on the other! At times if the ball landed near their feet, they would kick it over and it was legal! They laughed so much that it was a joy to watch. Because I had injured my arm and hand I couldn’t play. This volleyball game happened on the same day I fell. What was funny was I was holding Hope and handing her back to her mom. All of a sudden the volleyball hit my head! I am just glad it didn’t hit hope! Godfrey began to wonder what in the world was happening to me that day? The volleyball game ended as it was too dark to continue. The team that Henry captained won against Godfrey’s team. Henry is a force to be reckoned with! He is so tall now that when he goes to spike the ball, you should just get out of the way!
The evening devotion time was another night that I will not forget. As Godfrey led in the time of praise and worship, I had my eyes closed. All of a sudden, I heard someone cry out. When I opened my eyes I realized that Vivian had fallen to the ground. Godfrey, Fred and one of the other girls began to carry her to the couch. What happened for the next hour or longer was a time of deliverance for Vivian. It was a process that Godfrey had already been dealing with. He has been ministering to Vivian taking her through Scriptures. Vivian has been physically sick for years. In April when I came was the first time that she felt well. But since then she has been weak and fallen ill. But what happened that night was a deliverance spiritually that has freed her! We are rejoicing over her healing. Again, together as a family we battled together for her. It is now Tuesday morning as I finish writing this. I was with Vivian last night and she is doing amazingly well. God is good.
Godfrey wanted me to still share in the devotion time even though it was getting late. The time had already been so powerful that the only thing I felt led to do was read Isaiah 61. I let His Words close out the night. We stood in awe that night of our victorious God.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17. Amen!
Even with the lateness of the hour, no one wanted to leave. We are becoming so bonded as a mum with her family that we are not wanting to leave each others presence. We ate our meal together which was delicious! They made matoke (bananas) in a new way for me. The sauce was with g-nuts (ground nuts like spanish peanuts) and my first bite just surprised me. It just tasted more delicious after having just experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit in such a powerful way.
When Godfrey took me back to the hotel, I continued to stand in awe and wonder. God is doing what only He can do. Henry Blackaby’s teaching to watch where God is working and join Him has become alive for me. I truly am watching Him work and being obedient to do what He asks of me. At the beginning of each day, I start with great anticipation of this truth. At the end of the day I am so glad that I didn’t try to take control. His ways are so much higher than mine.
It is a privilege to serve. It is humbling to be used. It is a joy to love these precious children.
Lives are being changed.
mum eydie kisakye
Sunday
Sunday was a glorious day as we prepared to go to worship at Glory Be to God Church. We actually were early because Godfrey thought they started at 9 am and it was really 10 am. We still didn’t get there until 9:30 am. But instead of being late, we were early! We have to hire a large bus each time they go to church. Even though it is not far, we cannot fit all of the children in our van. It doesn’t cost much, about $9 for a roundtrip. After Godfrey picked me up, we drove by the house to make sure that they were coming. This is the beauty of living in Jinja town. The hotel, church and home are all in the same area. We just passed by the house and saw them all loading into the bus. So we went ahead of them to the church.
When they arrived, they immediately told us that Vivian wasn’t feeling well. We brought her to the van and let her rest a little. She said that she was cold. Godfrey said that all of the times she has fallen ill and not able to eat is when she gets cold. We prayed over her and were able to get a wrap to cover her legs. We escorted her to a seat surrounded by the other girls and thought she was fine.
As the services began, our Raining Hope Choir was towards the beginning of the service. You would have been so proud of them as I surely was! They were wearing their new uniforms and were looking sharp! All I could do was watch in amazement and love. After they finished, I had Godfrey share a word of thanksgiving to the church for their support of the Raining Hope family. I then signed the song, “Exhale” which is quickly become a theme for us this trip.
As I finished and came down, they began doing announcements. Then Godfrey and I were called out as Esther wasn’t feeling well. As we took her to the van, we realized she is dealing with a cut on her foot. Apparently the injury has been causing her some pain. This is where the story of my fall yesterday comes back in. Because of my fall yesterday, we had all this medicine in the van. I am still applying ointment and taking tablets. We had to use the medicines to help dress her wounds. She was not as quiet about the stinging medicine on her wound. We had to hold her down and she screamed in pain. But I had her focus on my wound. I told her yesterday it was swollen and it was not looking good. Yet because I put the medicine on it, it was quickly healing. I assured her the pain was just in the application but it will bring healing. She began to quiet down as the initial sting was done. I finally said, “Esther, I am realizing that because I fell, we had the medicine here immediately for you! So I am happy that I fell down because we were prepared for you!” She smiled in the midst of the pain as we now had a common experience to share.
And yes...I did share that with the kids as a lesson. We talked about our willingness to lay our lives down for one another. We also talked about how Jesus died on the cross a painful death so that we could have life. We left her in the van with one of the other girls to just rest her foot.
We went back into the church and the worship time had begun. I grabbed my camera to take some photos of our kids as they just dance up a storm as they are worshipping! We were all laughing and praising when Godfrey’s wife, Irene suddenly grabbed me and said, “Come.” She pointed to one of our girls who was being carried out...and I realized it was Vivian. They were bringing her into the room where the intercessors pray over people. I don’t even know how many people were in the room. Godfrey, Irene, Jonathan and probably about 5 or 6 other church members came. We began praying over her. One by one some left until it was only two of the intercessors from the church and me. I stayed as her mum as I wasn’t sure if she was aware of what was happening. What I didn’t know was Godfrey had left because Irene began to fall ill and had to go back to the van with her to stay with Esther.
The intercessors were sensing something in Vivian’s life that was a spiritual attack, not a physical one. After about 45 minutes of this time of prayer, we took her back to the van which was now becoming a hospital! Godfrey decided to take them back to the house to rest and then come back to get me after service.
I returned to my seat to listen to the last portion of the message. Our friend, Andrew was preaching. I was sad I had missed most of the message, but it was ok because I heard exactly what I was suppose to hear. At just the right moment, Andrew said that sometimes we want to give up. Somethings things become too hard. But we need to be awakened and be excited about what He has called us to do. You need to go back to the prophetic word that was spoken over your life. Let that encourage you.”
On my first or second journey here, a dear friend who has already passed on, Paster Joshua came to me when I was in the van. I didn’t know him very well. We were at the church that is now known as Glory Be to God Church. He said, “I have a prophetic word for you.” He handed me a piece of paper with the words, “Isaiah 61.” I think it was verse 1 and maybe to verse 4. But when Andrew spoke those words, I was reminded of that prophetic word. After church, on the way back to the home, I read all of that chapter to Godfrey. We were amazed at how much of that chapter is a testimony of our journey the last eight years. Mainly, it was a very personal confirmation to me. Verse 1, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...”
God has called me to this place to proclaim the good news. He is the one that called me to Raining Hope and these children. Through all the problems I have encountered along the way, all the ones who haven’t believed we could do it, or those who have not wanted to fall under authority, He reminded me that HE is the one who has called me. Philippians 1:3-6 “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
I was able to spend all afternoon with the children at the home. Funny thing is, they were so physically tired after worshipping at church, after lunch many took naps! They put their whole serves into worship that they were drained! We had a delicious lunch of tilapia and rice! I also learned more interesting customs concerning food that were pretty funny!
I spent some time just talking with the kids that were awake. I found myself getting pretty tired too! But Andrew had let his son, Sean come over and play with the kids. So when he came to pick him up, I was able to talk to him about the message and all that I was encouraged with. It gave me a boost of energy & I gained my second wind!
We just had a great afternoon of relaxing and being together as a family. A soccer game also was on TV between Arsenal and Chelsea, both from England. The house is divided over the two teams so they were having fun watching and teasing one another.
I just realized that on Saturday when I came back to house, the kids got into a big volleyball game! Our front area is large enough that they have set up two wooden posts to hold up a net. I watched them play with no real standard rules. It was a blast! Sometimes there were 4 on one side and 7 on the other! At times if the ball landed near their feet, they would kick it over and it was legal! They laughed so much that it was a joy to watch. Because I had injured my arm and hand I couldn’t play. This volleyball game happened on the same day I fell. What was funny was I was holding Hope and handing her back to her mom. All of a sudden the volleyball hit my head! I am just glad it didn’t hit hope! Godfrey began to wonder what in the world was happening to me that day? The volleyball game ended as it was too dark to continue. The team that Henry captained won against Godfrey’s team. Henry is a force to be reckoned with! He is so tall now that when he goes to spike the ball, you should just get out of the way!
The evening devotion time was another night that I will not forget. As Godfrey led in the time of praise and worship, I had my eyes closed. All of a sudden, I heard someone cry out. When I opened my eyes I realized that Vivian had fallen to the ground. Godfrey, Fred and one of the other girls began to carry her to the couch. What happened for the next hour or longer was a time of deliverance for Vivian. It was a process that Godfrey had already been dealing with. He has been ministering to Vivian taking her through Scriptures. Vivian has been physically sick for years. In April when I came was the first time that she felt well. But since then she has been weak and fallen ill. But what happened that night was a deliverance spiritually that has freed her! We are rejoicing over her healing. Again, together as a family we battled together for her. It is now Tuesday morning as I finish writing this. I was with Vivian last night and she is doing amazingly well. God is good.
Godfrey wanted me to still share in the devotion time even though it was getting late. The time had already been so powerful that the only thing I felt led to do was read Isaiah 61. I let His Words close out the night. We stood in awe that night of our victorious God.
“No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17. Amen!
Even with the lateness of the hour, no one wanted to leave. We are becoming so bonded as a mum with her family that we are not wanting to leave each others presence. We ate our meal together which was delicious! They made matoke (bananas) in a new way for me. The sauce was with g-nuts (ground nuts like spanish peanuts) and my first bite just surprised me. It just tasted more delicious after having just experienced the moving of the Holy Spirit in such a powerful way.
When Godfrey took me back to the hotel, I continued to stand in awe and wonder. God is doing what only He can do. Henry Blackaby’s teaching to watch where God is working and join Him has become alive for me. I truly am watching Him work and being obedient to do what He asks of me. At the beginning of each day, I start with great anticipation of this truth. At the end of the day I am so glad that I didn’t try to take control. His ways are so much higher than mine.
It is a privilege to serve. It is humbling to be used. It is a joy to love these precious children.
Lives are being changed.
mum eydie kisakye
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