And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:28 I can’t think of anything that arouses more questions than human suffering. Everyone has asked God why they are experiencing pain in their life, but who has ever cried out to God in complaint of why God would allow them to have their needs met? It’s not surprising that the book of Job has more questions than any other book of the Bible, with a grand total of 330 (compared to the 160 questions in the entire book of Psalms). ...

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 A big highlight of last month was the team that came out from Maryland. The brother of our director’s wife and several members of his church came and taught Resolving Everyday Conflict to our staff and students. Everyone I talked to said it was one of the most practical and helpful seminars they had ever attended. It was a treat, too, to watch the team interact with the 180 widows in our widows program during the conference they hosted at Calvary Chapel Gulu. Some of these women have been my personal friends for years, and it was precious to see them blessed by another member of the body of Christ. It is proof of Christ’s love when people come from thousands of miles away to simply wash the feet of someone they have never met, give them gifts, or encourage them with a good meal and a special message. It always fills my heart! I pray that God allows more and more people to come and see what He is doing here and what their partnership with us is doing in His name. ...

Dear friends and family, God has blessed us with an opportunity for a short visit to America, and we are pleased to announce that we will be home for Christmas! Our beloved friend and missionary partner, Luke Buescher, is marrying Hannah Struttman in December. Noelle and I both have the honor of being on the bridal team. If the LORD wills, we will be in Colorado for the whole month of December and in Nebraska for the first half of January. We would love to meet with as many of you as possible. Please email me at mattharris9000@gmail.com or send me a WhatsApp at +256786200602 to schedule our time with you. ...

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil – this is God’s gift to man. Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 Life has not slowed down much since moving into the city two months ago. The Terebinth School of Discipleship is still proceeding with its study week, class week, and off weeks each month. Church and extra ministry opportunities continue to find their way onto the calendar with seldom any pictures to remember them by, but loads of praise because of what God is doing. Homeschooling has taken a slightly different look now that we have a schoolhouse to separate the noise of housework, meetings, and phone calls. On a typical day, I (Noelle) can lead each of the four schooling children through the state-required subjects and probably give them an extra-curricular lesson by lunch at 1 p.m. Of course, life itself is the classroom of our family. ...

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people Proverbs 14:34 It has been two years since we started Yalwak Manyen (New Generation) Sports Academy, an after-school soccer outreach for kids in Adak village, where we used to live. What sprang up as a way to give kids the gospel, structure, and an outlet for energy continues to influence and impact families in the community. We began this soccer ministry during the lockdowns when children of all ages were kept from school, the primary source of structure and discipline in their lives. The youth were becoming more restless and unruly, even to the point where young boys in our village were setting up roadblocks to stop motorcyclists and beat and rob them. God gave us the vision to start this soccer outreach, which almost immediately affected our community. Kids used to rush away from home to get into mischief with their friends; instead, they would stick around to fetch water, sweep the compound, or help dig in the garden. They used to come home whenever they pleased; now, they go home when their mothers asked. They had no outlet for energy and were becoming a nuisance to the whole community, but now they were becoming an honor to their families. But what was more instrumental in this change was hearing the gospel preached to them. They brought it home to their families, and people began to have hope again. ...

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” John 16:13-14 The night before Jesus died on the cross He discussed the future with His disciples and one of the main topics in their conversation was the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained to them that the role of the Holy Spirit was to illuminate and glorify Himself. This is a very important message for Ugandan Christians to understand as many “funny” things are done through “the filling of the Spirit”. Recently I witnessed the Holy Spirit in action when four people stood up during the announcements at church and declared that they had come that day in order to accept Jesus and be born again! ...

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21 The month of June was like a roller coaster with sickening stomach drops and fast paced excitement. On Monday June 12th our community was rocked by the death of Esther Latim, the 15 year old daughter of Fred Latim, our Sr. Pastor at Calvary Chapel Gulu. Esther was a very kind and intelligent girl who was friends with everyone, including my daughters, and she was even the champion debater (for her division) in all of Northern Uganda. Her life came to an end due to a battle with a bacterial infection and malaria, with the lifelong condition of sickle cell. Pastor Fred, along his wife Evelyn and their many children, are a blessing to everyone. They are an example to us for humility, grace, mercy and thoughtfulness. I can honestly say I have never met a more humble and meek man than Pastor Fred. Please pray for their family as they go through this season. ...

“But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”” Exodus 14:13-14 Please consider partnering with us in the purchase of a home. https://youtu.be/T1ZXRJeUNe0 Since we moved to Gulu in 2018 we have lived in a house located in the little village of Adak, which we have rented from our organization, Terebinth Ministries. This has been a blessing. Our children have space to play and grow, and they love the other children in our neighborhood. We love things here, we love our home and neighbors, we love the view, and most importantly we have been blessed to live so close to the LORD’s work. However, these benefits have come at a cost. Malaria, typhoid, bacterial infections, pneumonia, dangerous animals, village threats and attempts at cursing us, and even sepsis have been constant realities. We have been honored to be counted worthy of these things and we have done our best to endure with patience, but our strength is waning. We see that in order to have longevity and sustainability while serving the Lord here, it is time for us to move to the nearby city of Gulu. Living there, we would continue to serve in the same capacities, all with more physical strength and health. ...

“God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” Psalm 68:6 This month we were blessed with a visit from my (Matt’s) parents, Brian and Tammy Harris. After having their first tickets canceled when the world shut down in 2020, and their second tickets canceled when my father had a severe case of COVID in 2021, their trip felt long overdue. Although we had little chance to break from the routine of work and school that our life revolves around, our time together was precious. It was wonderful to show them our Ugandan church family, the pastoral school, the farming enterprise, and all of the great people we have been sharing our life with. But really my Mom and Dad spent most of their time simply being with their grandkids! ...

“You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:9b-10 Pray for us as we begin the adoption process for our daughter Apio Cynthia! In April of 2021, soon after our return to Uganda from our furlough in the States, we began fostering a girl from our village. We had known Apiyo Cynthia (nicknamed Ah-peach-ay) since we officially moved to Uganda in 2018, when she was 8 years old. At the start we had thought she was an orphan because she appeared malnourished and severely neglected, not even knowing her real name. We found over time that she was simply rejected from the community. Once we found out she had a family, we tried many times to help reconcile her to them through various means to no avail. We even left provision so that if schools opened up again when we were visiting the States, she could be enrolled as soon as possible (schools were closed for 2 years due to the very lengthy lockdown here). When we returned from our furlough, we began finding her on our porch after dark, sometimes as late as 11PM. We continued trying to reconcile her to her family while looking for options of where she could go that would take better care of her. When we heard rumors that she could be in mortal danger from a relative, we got permission from the officials concerned to keep her in our home until a better living situation was decided. ...