He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Revelation 22:20-21 When we read these words from our Lord Jesus Christ and His beloved Apostle, forty church leaders and I gave a long moment of cheering. As the last verses of the Bible, those words represented the end of another three-year journey through Scripture with the shepherds of God’s people in Northern Uganda. The students will return in January to present their final projects, Gospel Sermons that utilize biblical themes, and to recap what they have learned. After that, they will return one final time to celebrate their graduation on April 5th! ...

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 1 Peter 2:13-14 Major milestone: Inspection by National Counsel of Higher Education We have been planning, raising funds and working to gain official accreditation for Terebinth Bible College for the last 4 years. Our aim was shifted toward this when, in 2018, Rwanda passed Law 72, requiring faith-based institutions to meet 10 key standards, one major standard being that the leader must hold a degree in religious studies from a higher learning institution. Uganda has always tended to adopt the major policies of other nations, and this case is no different, with promises to implement similar laws. Many church leaders are rising to fight against the passing of a law restricting the practice of religious institutions. However, it would be a disservice to the church body, if we, though morally able to meet government standards, fail to provide them with the certification required if such a law were passed. ...

“Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Psalm 37:3 It has been a whole year since moving from our home in Adak Village to our “new” home in Gulu City. Believe it or not, it is a little painful to think of our time in Adak, because all the hard things that made us leave are intermingled with precious things. There were many relationships forged in the fire of trials, many friendships made with little neighbors after years of struggling to establish boundaries, many tasks accomplished on the “work” side of ministry, and countless testimonies of God’s mercy, grace, healing, provision, and overall goodness to those who called on His name. It has been hard to remember that God created us as emotional beings, and that mourning a loss is normal. Taking time to thank God for the good things He did and is still doing in Adak has kept me from swinging to the other end of the pendulum, feeling overly justified in leaving because of all the hard things that happened there. However, it seems an appropriate time to share how we have been doing, especially in the areas that lead us into moving. ...

For safety concerns, the following information should be treated with confidentiality and responsibility. The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7 The shock and beauty of a priest coming to Christ in the early church is comparable to the astonishment of a Muslim leader deciding to convert from Islam to faith in Jesus today, and this month we have been privileged to welcome Jacob (name changed for safety reasons), a former Muslim imam and sheik, into the Christian family. At an early age, Jacob was chosen by his father, a Muslim extremist, to develop into the pride of the family and become their leader. Jacob was thoroughly equipped to represent Islam, he studied in the best Muslim’s schools in Uganda, studied Arabic in Medina, and by the age of 19 Jacob had memorized the entire Koran. Eventually, Jacob became the teacher of five mosques and two schools. ...

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24 Gang Ghetto Kwo “The House That Builds Life” You may remember our friend Luke, and his wife Hannah, whose wedding we were blessed to be a part of last December. We have mentioned Luke often in our updates over the years since we work closely with him in ministry, and because we share a lot of life together as he is Matt’s best friend. We wanted to share some of the things he has been working toward, and now does together with Hannah. ...

For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming. ...

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 Last fall, a prominent member of our community was brought to our church, Calvary Chapel Gulu, by his son, who is a faithful member of the congregation. The man, Walter, had recently had a land dispute with his neighbor and suspected that his neighbor had put some sort of curse on him because of mysterious noises which he claimed were following him and which he had not been able to identify or expel. He came to the church as a last resort to rid himself of whatever spirit may be disturbing him. Matt was able to preach the gospel to him and prayed that if the noises were a result of something spiritual, he would look to Jesus, but if not, they would go away, and the glory would belong to Jesus. That day, a monitor lizard fell from his roof into his living quarters and was chased out. The sounds stopped. The man returned to the church looking for Matt a few weeks later, only to find he was not around. Instead, our senior pastor, Fred, met with him. Walter claimed that birds were beginning to follow him. He thought that Matt had some secret spiritual power to chase away these spirits. Pastor Fred explained that it was not Matt’s own power but that real power is found in Jesus Christ. He prayed with him, and the birds left. Walter came to church for Sunday service that week and got saved. He invited the pastors to go and preach to his household. They also turned to the Lord. Glory to God! ...

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:13 I (Matt) was surprised to find out that a cult had moved into my neighborhood while our family was away. Last year, several outrageous and vulgar things occurred in one of the “churches” here in Gulu. Among other things, the self-proclaimed prophetess leading the church publicly pronounced curses on anyone who opposed her, including barrenness and poverty and blessings of prosperity on those who supported her. Fortunately, the community shut the church down and expelled the leader from their area. However, instead of reflecting and repenting, the “prophetess” subtly relocated her house and church a short walk from my house. She has a large following and has been manipulating them into building the largest home in our community for herself. Now, my whole neighborhood hears damaging things from the loudspeakers of that “church” every week. ...

“… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b During our trip we experienced more than 22,000 miles of travel and temperatures ranging over 130 degrees (95 degrees in UG and -42 degrees wind chill in NE). We had meetings nearly every day; seeing, greeting, and sharing with hundreds of individuals. We gave many hugs that were too brief with friends and relatives and had so many late nights catching up with loved ones. There were tears of sorrow as we shared grief over loved ones that we never got to say goodbye to and happy tears, as we saw long-awaited hopes fulfilled, especially watching our dear friends join in marriage. So many smiles. So many hugs. So many prayers answered. So many testimonies to God’s goodness. Putting it all into a paragraph doesn’t quite do justice to the last 7 weeks of travel. But after such a FULL two months, we are glad to be back in the hot, red dust of Uganda. I think it was happy to see us too, it practically jumped on us as soon as we arrived home. ...

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ, having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11 2023 closed with one of our family’s greatest privileges. By God’s providence, our family was able to fly to the US and support the wedding of our friends and missionary partners, Luke and Hannah Buescher. I (Matt) was the best man, Noelle was a bridesmaid, Emma, Madeline, and Charlotte were flower girls, and Noah was a ring bearer. Unfortunately, because her adoption wasn’t finalized, Apio remained behind. During our trip, she has been in the loving care of our wonderful friends, Alan and Shillah Ocen. ...