A Pastor's Time

Our pastor conference started at 1:00 pm today. I hadn't heard from very many of the brothers that they were coming and I heard directly from four that they weren't coming, so needless to say my expectations were low.

Around 11:00 am Pastor Stephen arrived from Ogongora. He would have been two hours early but he was supposed to arrive last night. So he was actually 15 hours late. Right on time.

At 12:40 Isaac, Godwin and Joiakim arrived from Fort Portal. With no one else here they went around the corner to get some food. Then two men from CC Kampala arrived as well as Richard from Lumuli. Then...nothing.

At 1:00 we had six guys. But it is funny how God works. At 1:52, Pastor Doug with his wife Destiny and their two kids arrived from Fort Portal. Strange , I thought to myself, that these guys drive all the way across Uganda and the only people here in Jinja are from Fort Portal. People they work with every day! Isaac came and told me that four of his students from Kenya had been delayed and would arrive tomorrow. Richard also let me know he had to leave by 6:00pm. Oh no, this conference was having disaster written all over it.

But then all the rest came through the gate within five minutes. Go figure. If they didn't all take different roads to get here I would have thought they planned it. I like to think God was laughing at me rather than shaking His head and saying "Oh, you of little faith."

Anyway the conference has started and the teaching has gone well. We will get more practical tomorrow.

Two highlights for me today were Aaron Mawanda's teaching on "Enduring Hardship" and our after dinner prayer time.

I had not heard Aaron teach in about a year and the Lord had already given him a great gift to teach. But that gift is now overflowing in his life. He has a new maturity about himself and like Moro Steven he has great insight into God' word. The word refreshed me greatly.

Then tonight at prayer the brothers really shared what is on their hearts. It is such a privilege, thrill and honor to pray for their deepest concerns and needs. As I lifted my head to view these men in devout prayer I was rejoicing in the fact that we are and will be victorious in Jesus. That the name of Jesus can change any situation, any struggle, any hardship for our good and God's glory. It is such a blessing to have people pray for you. And we did too!

May God bless each of you with grace and peace.