Dear Partners
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; I pray all is fine. I am delighted and honored to yet again write this ministry report concerning our ministry programs for the month of May. It is therefore with a great sense of excitement and an overwhelming feeling of responsibility that I write these opening remarks. This report will hopefully define, if not fully, the goals, direction, and atmosphere of our ministry partnership.
Our ultimate goal is really quite simple; to bring glory to God. This is our challenge. This is our quest. This is our mission. It is therefore our mandate to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. With this guiding principle, we have never stopped seeking partnership, assistance and support, your input and ideas, and most importantly, your trust. Together, step by step, we can accomplish great things and I believe we are already achieving this dream. I pray you will be blessed as you read through this report.
EVANGELISTIC ACTIVITIES
We bless the Lord for the immense evangelistic activities we have been engaged in this month. These ministry activities range from school outreaches, community health programs, trainings, Film outreaches, and prison outreaches just to mention a few.
The community Film Ministry
Through the community film ministry this month, we engaged the two communities of Busiwu in Mbale and Namatongo in Jinja district. These two communities although apart from each other share similar community challenges ranging from poverty, poor infrastructure, health challenges, idleness, drug abuse, joblessness, gambling among the youth, increased crime just to mention a few. Unlike Busiwu, Namatongo is a Muslim dominated community with 70% of this community subscribing to the Islam faith. This therefore accounts for the not so good turn up for the Film in this community with 533 people coming for the Film.
On the other hand Busiwu had a large turn up with 1,056 people gathering to watch the Jesus film. With this large turn-up with the help of believers in the nearby church that also greatly contributed in mobilizing the masses, we graciously contained the large number ensuring that Gospel tracts and booklets were distributed to the Adults and children as they streamed to the venue. Through these two outreaches, 1,236 people gave their lives to Christ and 1,700 booklets and tracts distributed through this program.
The School and Community Bible Club Outreaches
Being that schools have been closed off for the term, our ministry activities to schools have been minimal with only two schools of Makindye Junior and Daystar Primary schools being the schools reached out to this month. With this outreach we had the opportunity to share the gospel with the children and build on the discipleship program already running at the school.
Makindye Junior Academy Outreach
The Samaritans purse through its operation Christmas Child program undertakes a community survey on the spiritual stand of the children in a given community setting. This year we were privileged to be chosen to partner in this undertaking. As a ministry we were required to select a suitable school for the survey and one of them being Makindye Junior academy where the survey was undertaken. Through this undertaking we had the opportunity to minister to 250 children especially from the upper primary section sharing with them the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ with 187 children surrendering their lives to Jesus. With this done, we are set for a ministry to the school where we look forward to start a discipleship program at the school.
Meanwhile in our community bible club outreaches, we engaged the Kirinya Bible club reaching out to 82 children and sharing on the subject of prayer. Being that the children were setting up for the being of term, this was ideal for them a moment they used to pray for their school needs and wisdom for the next term. At the end of this ministry, we distributed the Kids Health Supplements to the children to help boost their immune system as they get back to school.
300 booklets were distributed during these outreaches at Makindye Junior School.
Trainings
In our training programs this month, we have had the opportunity to train 103 community leaders and pastors in four separate Vision casting trainings in Kampala, Jinja and Mbale. Three of these trainings were aimed at empowering and enriching the leaders on their understanding of the dynamics of community evangelism through children and youth ministries using community based programs. These three trainings were conducted at Victory City Church Rubaga Kampala, God’s Gift Primary school Jinja and Busiwu Mbale respectively.
Through these trainings, we introduced the participants on the idea of starting up community bible clubs using the 17 stories course as a tool to effectively reach and disciple the children. It’s after this that we engaged the teams in a 17 stories training and commissioned them to start the community clubs.
The Christianity Focus Centre Children and youth Leaders Seminar
We were privileged to be part of this seminar. This annual seminar organized by the church was aimed at equipping the leaders with ideas and resources on effective ministry and facilitate growth in the area of children and youth. The organization was therefore invited to take over a session of the training sharing on how this can be done and avail materials for the accomplishment of the stated purpose. It’s at this point that we introduced the 17 stories course and shared on the impact and testimonies of how the course has brought change to communities and churches. at this point we challenged the attendants to organize trainings for the course something that is already taking effect. 
A total of 31 churches were involved in these trainings with a total of 3,400 booklets for children and youth, tracts, and visuals distributed after the trainings.
The Community Empowerment Programs
In our community empowerment program this month, we engaged the two communities of Masese 2 and Namatogonya Village in Kitigoma. In conjunction with 4LIFE an organization that sells and distributes Health Supplements all over the world, we engaged these two communities to which we engaged 183 mothers/women in the Masese community in a health talk aimed at helping them analyze and work towards supporting the health of their families. This two hour training helped build capacity in the women on how to help their families and themselves eat and live healthy.
To strength this cause, over 300 different health supplements for children, women with Kidney problems and multi-vitamins were distributed to the women both in Masese and Namatogonya Village to help build on their immune systems. Together with these products we distributed the Legacy Booklets for the spiritual enhancement of the children after sharing the gospel with 74 women surrendering their lives to God. 210 were distributed at the end of this program.
The Prison Outreaches
In a drive to reach out to inmates this month, we engaged the four prisons of Kasangati, Murchison Bay, Bugungu and Kirinya. Bugungu located in the outskirts of Jinja town supplements the prison services offered at Kirinya prison. However due to the remoteness of its location and poor infrastructure, it is the least reached of the two.
Besides our regular ministry activities at Kirinya, we have added Bugungu on the program making it second of the biggest prisons in the eastern region we have fully incorporated into our discipleship programs. Through the help of the leadership of the Kirinya prison, we look forward to setting these programs in this community. Through this outreach, 6,262 inmates were reached with 1,708 inmates surrendering their lives to Christ at both prisons. A consignment of 7,000 Christian literature and 22 Bibles were also given to the inmates to help them grow in their new found faith.
PRAISE REPORTS
This month has been unique in the Kirinya Prison quarters. With the children’s community Bible club in place and a prisons discipleship program running the prisons, this community has not lacked in hearing the gospel in comparison to many other communities. However God has not ceased to reach out to man as he has clearly shown this through this community.
Through Mr. Constance Opolot our prisons and children’s coordinator in this community the Lord displayed his power to the people of this community. As a pledge to the Lord for his goodness to his life, Mr. Constant pledged to support the ministry to the inmates and staff chaplain by inviting ministers and financially supporting the evangelistic outreaches at the prison quarters. Having invited four guest preachers to share the Gospel in this rather small community Chapel for the prison wardens, the community gathered to receive the world of the Lord but most of all show courtesy to the visiting preaches. However in the midst of the meeting, the Lord began manifesting his power through signs, wonders and miracles. Coupled to this there was manifestation of word of knowledge and word of wisdom that brought about a number of charms and items of witchcraft being unearthed among the people and different spots of the community.
After this occurrence, there has been an increased yawning for the word of God and its upon this basis that we look forward to set up community Cell groups to help meet the hunger in the hearts of the people in this community. We thank God for the work in progress in this community and believe this work he has begun will be brought to completion.
PRAYER REQUESTS
As we continue to reach the communities and expand to even new communities, with the ever increasing invitations from rather newer communities, we have met a number of challenges hindering us from responding to these calls. We have therefore taken these to God in prayer requesting you pray believing God with us in these Areas.
– Budget: Pray that God will avail us with more funding to help us meet our targets and reach thee new communities.
– Mission Car (4 Wheel Drive): We have been in constant need of a mission car that would enable us reach these communities at a cheaper cost being that renting these cars is so costly with our budget unable to meet the costs.
– A mission House: We are believing God for a mission house that will house our training center for the leaders in and around Kampala.
TARGETS
– As we await answers to the prayers stated above, we look forward to attaining the following targets for the next quarters.
– Establish our programs in Kamuli and Mbalae Districts
– Re-engage Adjumani district and evaluate the programs established through the Raeachout South Sudan Program.
– Begin The Chommunity Health Evangelistic programs in Kakalamoja and Makenke.
– Replicate the discipleship programs in Bugungu Prison and other prisons in the Eastern Region.
– Introduce a discipleship program for the women in the adult literacy program at Day Star Primary School.
We bless the Lord for your faithfulness and continued support and belief in this ministry and its efforts to reach and impact prisons and communities. Whatever God’s dream about man may be, it seems certain it cannot come true unless man cooperates. – Stella Terrill Mann
You can continue to support these programs by financially or giving in kind by clicking the DONATE button and using any of the options provided.
May Christ be glorified in your ministry and may He continue to unite His body through this fellowship and may the Lord abundantly bless and increase your store houses.
God Bless You
Robert Sebunya
Director Mercy Link Foundation Africa