December 2023 Newsletter
Uganda Mission Update
First, I want to wish every one of you a very ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ and ‘THANK YOU’ so much for your ongoing support to ‘Unreached4K.’ We have now begun construction of the Bembe Baptist Church just outside of Bombo, Uganda. For the last 5 months, 3 of which were during the rainy season, the faithful members of Bembe Baptist Church have been meeting under a large white tent in a field, often times with rain and mud flowing down the center aisle, to worship our Lord and Savior, study the word of God, and make disciples who will soon go out into the neighboring villages to share the Good News of Jesus. The church has been growing each week and now has about 35 members, most of whom are from Muslim, Anglican, or Catholic backgrounds; all of these religions are mixed with their ethnic/tribal beliefs to some extent.
Our previous newsletter mentioned a new MBB, Muslim Background Believer, named Fatuma who became a follower of Jesus, along with her family, at Bembe Baptist Church in September but more recently, she brought all of her witchcraft items to church to destroy them. Yes, witchcraft is a big part of traditional African religion, so the leaders of the church burned them and dug a hole to bury the ashes. She has totally left her old religion of Islam mixed with witchcraft and is now set free from her past. Now that she is a dedicated member of the church, she is growing in her faith and now teaching the children about the God who loves them and who came to us (Immanuel) to save us from our sins. Since that time, many more people have chosen to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior at Bembe Baptist Church and fully understand that we are not called to ‘live our best life now’ but to ‘deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.’ (Matthew 16:24) These may sound like hard words but complete devotion to Jesus is a call to surrender all that we have and all that we are to Him who alone is worthy.
When our team arrives in late January, we will be helping carry out a 3-day ‘Youth Conference’ at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Kibajjwe with several breakout sessions such as ‘How to Study God’s Word,’ ‘Prayer,’ ‘Evangelism,’ ‘Serving,’ and ‘Giving.’ We realize that the best way to change the culture and the next generation is to reach the children and youth, so we are focusing on discipling the young people to be the next pastors and missionaries of their country. We will also be assisting in a 2-day Baptismal Seminar, teaching what the word of God says about Baptism and then spending the second day baptizing all of the new believers. To assist the community with their health needs, we will be helping carry out a 1-day medical camp for Kibajjwe and the neighboring villages. Finally, we will be helping to evangelize the village of Naamwatilira where we will be planting our next church in the Spring of 2024, Lord willing. Our goal is not to go in and ‘DO,’ but to go in and ‘HELP’ as well as supply the resources they need to plant churches and make disciples in Bombo, Uganda.
The Children’s Ministry/Health Clinic building is finally complete and approved by the government as a licensed medical clinic. We have hired a nurse who will be available every weekday to treat those with illnesses and injuries in the village. In July, we took a lot of medical equipment; stethoscopes, blood pressure devices, thermometers, oximeters, and more but they will need medicines to treat various sicknesses and diseases such as malaria and typhoid as well as other medical supplies. We are so proud of Brother Stanley, his wife Agnes, and Cornerstone Baptist Church’s desire to minister to the village, showing the love of Jesus in practical ways.
Last month, November, Brother Gary Burkett and his team of missionaries traveled to minister with his ministry partner, Joseph Odulla, in Tororo, Uganda visiting prisons, hospitals, and schools… sharing the love of Jesus. While there, Brother Gary delivered supplies to our ministry partner and church planter, Brother Stanley, which included a laptop for Stanley’s son, Victor who is now attending a local college, (donated on behalf of Brother Wayne Binge who passed away in September) as well as a laptop for Stanley’s other son David who is attending bible college (which was also donated). We are investing in these 2 young men because they will be our next church planters upon graduation. Other items included reading glasses, wireless microphones, and several books. Please continue to pray for Brother Stanley and his church planting efforts in Bombo.
Ukraine Mission Update
In the midst of war, Pastor Paul Dudka is still leading his church, Revival Baptist Church, in taking the gospel to surrounding villages, meeting the needs of refugees from the east, and planting churches in remote areas of the country. Recently, he stated that “Russia carried out the largest hacker attack on Ukraine's mobile communication. For the second day in a row, we have no connection with Kyivstar at all. The only option is Wi-Fi, where someone can be reached.” Last year Russia destroyed the power plants leaving the country without power during the winter months, this year they are attacking the communication systems. Even in the midst of these events, Pastor Paul continues to carry out ministry to his village as well as taking the gospel of Jesus to the Eastern Orthodox of his country, who basically have little understanding of the word of God and the way of salvation through Christ alone. Please continue to pray for an end to this Russian invasion and the continued bloodshed in the eastern part of the country.
Pastor Paul is also renovating an old mission station in the Carpathian Mountains that will be used as a church, a place for missionaries and mission groups to stay while visiting, and housing for the young people who lead the children’s camps during the summer months. He is definitely reaching out to the children of his nation because they will be the pastors, church planters, and leaders of tomorrow.
Facebook Ad Mission Update
Twice each month, we send the ‘Jesus Film’ or ‘Gospel Recordings,’ which have stories from the bible in native languages, to an unreached people group around the world through Facebook Ads. It is estimated that out of the 8.1 billion people worldwide, 7.1 billion have access to cell phones and 4.48 billion people currently use social media. This is by far the best means of getting the gospel of Jesus Christ to those in restricted, persecuted, or war-torn nations. At ‘Unreaced4K,’ we are taking advantage of SOCIAL MEDIA and using it as a tool to reach the unreached with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING ‘UNREACHED4K’ AS WE SEEK TO REACH THE LOST IN UGANDA, UKRAINE, AND AROUND THE WORLD.
To make a tax-deductible donation by credit card, please visit the donation page of our website. You can also send a check payable to ‘unreached4k’ to PO BOX 581758, LOUISVILLE, KY 40268
Unreached 4K, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit our website to learn more: Unreached4k.com
