February 2022 Newsletter
After eight months and two failed attempts, Joe Nail, Ed Young, and myself were finally able to travel to Uganda on January 27th for a 2-week visit with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Bombo. We set out for our 25-hour journey with masks on and COVID paperwork in hand. The restrictions have created a major disruption to international travel, but the Lord provided negative COVID tests from beginning to end. Traveling through the capital city of Kampala is always an interesting experience with thousands of boda boda’s (small motorcycles) and vehicles traveling in every direction with what seems like no traffic laws whatsoever.
From Kampala, it’s just a 21-mile drive north to the town of Bombo where 38,000 Nubian Muslims live in somewhat isolation from the rest of the world, this would be our home for the next 12 days. Kampala is known for a Pentecostal church on every block while Bombo has a mosque on every corner, one that blasts the 5 daily prayers from their minaret (tall tower) daily.
Our first Sunday worship service at Bunyaga Community Church showed us what real, spirit-filled worship was meant to be like with dancing, singing, praying, and offering praises to the Lord Jesus for well over an hour…because He alone is worthy. Though we could not dance and sing like them, we were expected to speak at every meeting since we were honored guests. We each shared a word of encouragement, a word of testimony, and a word from the Bible focusing on making disciples who deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Jesus. On Monday, we visited Nyimbwa Hospital where we took gifts of soap, lotion, bags of rice and sugar, toilet paper, and laundry detergent to everyone we met and were invited, even encouraged, to share the gospel of Jesus to all the patients. Brother Joe began by sharing the gospel to a Muslim family and prayed for them in Jesus’ name then shared with another group of patients in separate ward where a Muslim woman, Aisha, said she wanted to follow Jesus. We then prayed for her and preached in other wards as the Holy Spirit led us. We also visited another local hospital, Municipal Hospital, near our motel (Fort Gondokoro across from the army barracks) where we again gave out gifts, shared the good news of Jesus, and prayed for the sick and their families.
Brother Joe using his gift of evangelism to share the gospel to a Muslim family. He then prayed for them in Jesus’ name.
Aisha, a Nubian Muslim, said she wanted to follow Jesus after hearing the Good News.
On Tuesday, we journeyed to Kyakonye Christian School to visit with more than 240 students from grades P1 to P7 (our K through 6 grade). We each told stories from the Bible, sang songs, and gave out gifts to every child: notebooks, tablets, pens, pencils, rulers, lotion, and even candy and wristbands. They were such well behaved children and were so excited to meet us…except for one little boy who was screaming because he had never seen a white man (Mazungu) before!
When we returned to Bombo Town, we visited ‘Mile 19 Market’ where ‘God’s Love’ Beauty shop is located. We handed out gospel tracts, in Luganda language, and then visited with Aisha who runs the shop. Aisha is a Nubian and former Muslim who truly loves Jesus and shares the gospel with her co-worker, Mary, every day. After visiting the beauty shop, we stopped by the ‘pro-create’ concrete business where three men were producing concrete blocks, by hand, making 350 per day. These businesses not only create job skills for church members and the community, but they provide extra income to the church to meet physical and spiritual needs of the area villages.
On Wednesday, we headed to Nyimbwa Prison where 100 men are incarcerated for various crimes, though only 49 were present during our visit because the rest were in the fields performing hard labor. Since we were not allowed to bring our phones inside of the prison, the CO, Chief Officer Okello, took a group picture of us and sent to Pastor Karim’s phone. While there, we each shared a story relating to the gospel message and then invited them to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Over 35 of those men came forward and said they wanted to follow Jesus, so we prayed with them and for them and ask one of the prisoners who was already a believer to disciple these new followers of Jesus. We then gave them all gifts of sugar, salt, lotion, toilet paper, toothpaste, and laundry detergent and left 2 large bags of rice for the cooks.
‘I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Mt. 25:36
The next day, we made the journey to the ‘uttermost parts of the earth,’ the village of Sambwe, where the newest church fellowship is meeting at a rented storefront led by Pastor Badiru and his wife Harriett. Thanks to your support, we have already purchased 2 acres of land, installed a bore hole (water well), and completed the church latrine on this land. Within the next 2 or 3 months the new fellowship will have a building to call its own, ‘Sambwe Community Church.’ If all goes according to plan, there will be a Christian School near the church by the end of the summer where the nearly 200 village children, who are primarily from Muslim homes, will be able to learn about Jesus, the Son of the Living God, and receive a quality education, Amen.
As with all mission trips, unexpected problems arise. When we arrived, we gave Pastor Karim $7,000 for the building of the Sambwe church which he deposited into his bank account until it would be needed. Unfortunately, the bank seized the funds because it raised a lot of red flags…a poor Ugandan pastor depositing thousands of dollars into an account that’s typically empty. After spending the best part of 2 days and printing off official documents from ‘Unreached 4K’ as well as our PNC bank statement and passport copy, we finally got the funds free, Praise the Lord. Now the church is ready for construction.
On the final Saturday and Sunday, we all spoke at the discipleship conference where there was plenty of singing, dancing, and praising our great Lord and Savior, teaching on the importance of sharing our testimonies, proclaiming the gospel, and the meaning of holy communion and baptism, as well as great food and fellowship for all. Please continue to pray for the Bunyaga Church, the Sambwe Fellowship, the villages of Kawala and Nalwana which will soon have healthy churches in their midst, as well as our leaders, Pastor Karim, Pastor Badiru, and their families.
In 1792, before William Carey set off for India as the first missionary of the newly founded Baptist Missionary Society, he told Andrew Fuller, “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the ropes.” Fuller held the ropes by serving as president of the mission society and traveling all over the British Isles, raising support for Carey and others. Will you hold the ropes for Pastor Karim and his team as they plant churches among this unreached people group in Bombo, Uganda? Thank you all so much for your support.
Facebook Ministry Outreach
The ‘Jesus Film’ was sent out four (4) times to (UPG’s) since the last newsletter:
Vientiane, Laos, Lao – 44,215 reached, 3,081 engagements, 759 reactions, 2,308 link clicks, 4 comment, 10 shares.
Binghazi, Libya, Muhamasheen– 47,697 reached, 1,372 engagements, 64 reactions, 832 link clicks, 6 comments, 7 shares.
Tokyo, Japan, Japanese– 6,572 reached, 210 engagements, 62 reactions, 122 link clicks, 10 comments, 4 shares.
Odisha, India, Odia– 67,455 reached, 1,340 engagements, 153 reactions, 1,171 link clicks, 10 comments, 5 shares.
Joe Nail and I meet with Pastor Karim every Friday at 12 noon (EST) through Zoom to discuss the ministry’s outreach, various needs, and prayer requests. Please feel free to join us on Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86186953391?pwd=UEFycHF2ZlQxTE93RnpxUUViVlcxQT09
Meeting ID: 861 8695 3391 Passcode: Mile21
PRAYER REQUESTS: Please pray for the village of Sambwe as Pastor Badiru and Harriett minister in this Muslim community. Also, please pray for the ministries in Kawala and Nalwana, that persons of peace would be found and churches wouldl soon be established. Finally, please pray for funds to build the Christian school in Sambwe for the 200 plus children of the village.
Unreached 4K is a ministry that is serving the Lord Jesus by reaching the unreached one tribe at a time. We are presently working with ministry partners in Bombo, Uganda to take the Good News of Jesus to 38,000 Nubians as well as sending the ‘Jesus Film’ around the world to unreached people groups through Facebook Ads.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING THE MINISTRY IN BOMBO 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, 4713 Railroad Ave. Louisville, KY 40258.
Unreached 4K, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please visit our website to learn more: Unreached4k.com
