Where do I begin??

I think every Christian should visit Uganda, to be inspired and encouraged to see that for “His Kingdom to come, on earth as it is in heaven” is possible.

For those who don’t want to read this very long update and just read a few testimonies, I will put some stars *** at the beginning of the paragraphs that will probably be the most impacting, and you can enjoy that, else, bear with me and I trust you will get a picture of how amazing things are here. It is a very long update, but I can’t withhold from sharing in detail what God is doing, it’s too good!
(Don’t skim read though, either read it in portions over some time, or just read a few sections properly, I pray God is going to minister deeply to you through this)

There is a strong sense of God’s presence everywhere and His Spirit is working and moving powerfully. Wherever you go, people are walking around with bibles, speaking and sharing the word of God, and having prayer meetings. All the children at school aspire to be pastors more than anything. Most Ugandans are a gentle people of love, and of wisdom. MANY of these poor families have taken in and adopted many children, out of the Father Heart of God. So many of these people live lifestyles aimed at serving the poor, even though they are poor. I have never been served better, or treated better in my entire life and it’s incredibly humbling. They are so friendly and respectful, welcoming you wherever you go, kneeling to serve you, in joy, not in fear or obligation. They have bought most of my drinks, and meals, given me the best room and bed, daily heated up water for me to bath, offered to wash clothes, and shoes, and more. This is God’s desire for this world. People living in love.

Since I have been here, I have never preached, taught, prayed, prophesied and worshipped so much in my whole life, as I have in the last 5 days!!! It’s been one constant church service wherever we go.

For the first 3 days, I was sent by Wilson, to his brother’s church, to minister for 3 days. His brother, Pastor Edward, said they were going to get everything they could out of me in my time there. They did just that. We started off with a 5 hour service on Sunday, Spirit filled, and the anointing of God over the meeting was so tangible. This church was planted 4 months ago, but already has 60 members, a large number who have only been saved in these 4 months! Amazing.
The following2 days, we did house ministry, where God took me to another level in the prophetic. We were all amazed at what God did. I was able to speak accurately into many lives, and many people were completely overwhelmed at God’s goodness, as He spoke directly into their situations. Some were brought to tears as the Holy Spirit did His work, intimately, touching the inner part, and how encouraging for me that God used me to do this. I would like to share a few examples:

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As we were speaking with one lady, God revealed to me very clearly that there was an issue in her life. I knew it was with a man (quite hard to describe how I knew). I told her that she was facing some kind of difficult situation with a man in her life, and there was a real problem there. I told her it was a burden and that God was saying that she needed to make the harder, but the right decision. That this situation was only going to get better if she did what she knew was right. It took all the faith I had to say this. What right did I, this white boy from South Africa, who knows NOTHING about her, sitting in HER lounge, have to say anything to her about her choices in her life. She was a woman in her 50’s, and I wasn’t even sure exactly what the word meant. She also did not respond in ANY way, and I thought the word missed the mark, and that I had not heard clearly from God. About 5 minutes later as we were walking down the road, both the pastors turned to me, as I was sharing (a little despondently) how sometimes we can get it wrong in the prophetic, but then they asked how I knew what had spoken to her about. They told me they got very scared as I shared that word, and were very worried that the woman was going to think that they had told me about her situation. They said that the word had been deadly accurate, and that they both been so worried that I would continue deeper into the problem because there was no way that she would believe that I was not told about this. They both smiled and were so stoked that God was at work there and both were laughing at what they went through. I must say I was very relieved as they confirmed the word to be from God.

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At another house, as we ministered over about 20 people, individually, praying for each one, God gave me a very clear picture for one woman before she even came forward for prayer. I saw her trying on many shoes, and wanting all of them, but not being able to decide which ones she liked. It seemed she want them all, not just one pair. I felt God said she must choose one, and trust that they are the best, and they will be. I had no idea what it meant. As the one pastor spoke with her then prayed with her (all in Luganda), I then shared the picture. They again were surprised, because they explained to me she was not born-again, and was saying she was deciding and considering the Kingdom but did not want to make a decision today but felt that she might soon. As I shared the word, we could all see it impacted her deeply. As we left, we left some money with the woman of the house, a member of Eddie’s church, and asked her to find out the woman’s favourite colour, and buy her a pair of shoes as a gift from God. We all know she will choose to follow Christ and are so encouraged at the Lord’s ways.

In another house, while we ministered over some people, a young married girl came in, and told us she wanted to be born again. We asked if she truly knew what it meant, and after what she shared, we had no doubt. The conviction of the Holy Spirit in her as group of believers ministered over one another in a house, as well as the testimony of the woman of God who owned the house, had brought her to that final point, of deciding she wanted Christ. We prayed with her, spoke life over her, and celebrated as another one entered the kingdom of heaven!!

We also prayed over a young girl who is crippled from a surgical procedure. I encouraged her with the testimony of Joni Ericson Tada, and then also had a prophetic word for her. She came to the conference the next day, beaming from ear to ear, and said that God had encouraged her incredibly through our ministry.

There were so many others like this, but I’m trying not to make this too lengthy!

I was asked to speak with the children of this church, about 40 of them, and I taught them that because of the cross, we can be best friends with God.

I then spoke with the youth, shared my testimony, and shared some ideas about the creativity of God, and how He wanted to use them in exciting and different ways in the community.

I had a chance to speak to the ladies ministry. God had put on my heart very strongly, to speak to them about their identity in Christ, about their beauty, and how God sees them. I shared that a woman who has her identity in Christ, is truly a woman of God’s power. I also knelt down in front of them, and repented and asked for forgiveness on behalf of all the men in their lives that had ever hurt them, or broken them in any way. It is so powerful what God does in moments like this… I got to see God speak right into the lives of some of these women, who clearly had been hurt, and got to see God restoring something in them.

After another powerful celebration on the last night of the conference (this conference was held with me as the guest speaker for 3 days, into all the ministries… no pressure Rich) where I taught on living a Spirit-filled life, I had a time with the leadership of the church. There are 10 elders, men and women, and we sat and I shared what I felt God had for them as a family. This leadership has a spiritual depth and wisdom as solid as any I have ever seen in my life. Such love, humility and godliness. I shared on vision, accountability, relationships within the leadership and other churches, strategy, creativity, and leadership development. It was a great time together, and then they gave me gifts, and prayed a wonderful blessing over me before I left.

Wherever I have been, I have become family with those I have visited. I stayed with another family, whose house was so clean and well kept, and I was so moved, as they even had late night bible readings with the whole family, little children too. It’s hard to explain the feeling of sitting with a child, perhaps around the age of 10, talking about the Love of Jesus, the cross, the Holy Spirit, and the life we are called to live. These children know the Lord. And wherever we are, there is prayer and true fellowship, in every way.

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I am right in the middle of a township, just like you would picture an east African township. It is very dirty; it’s sometimes very noisy, and the streets have a thick cloud of black smoke from MILLIONS of old cars and bikes in sometimes worse than JHB traffic! I have had to trust God with my chest, as it really does affect my asthma badly, but we press on.
I am used to pit toilets, and bucket baths, so that has not been too much of a challenge, but they are all so surprised to see a white man accepting and joining in their living conditions. Sadly, they are only used to the whites who stay in the fancy hotels, then come preach in the poor communities, and disappear back to the hotels. The food has been a challenge at times, and at others it has been some of the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. Some of it is very similar to the Zulu food, which I love, but some is not as easy to enjoy. A lot of it is also fried: breakfast, lunch and dinner. So that is a challenge for me too, as I generally eat fruit and grainy food. Its nothing like our western comforts, I have to admit, but the joy of serving the Lord, makes it very easy to tolerate, and the love and humility of the people, gives such a desire to honour and love them and these times here are some of the deepest times in the presence of God I have ever experienced.

We then visited Kiboga, a very rural area, and also known as a very despised area because of the people that come from there. We were there last year, and were touched so deeply by God that our lives changed, so I asked Wilson to arrange a visit for us there again. The ministry we visited is led by a pastor, Joash, who has a heart for orphans, and they had been in a bus accident last year when we visited. We sat with them as they worshipped God and our hearts broke in their cries of desperation for their Father. When we arrived this time, I discovered that Joash, the pastor, had arranged a church meeting, and little did I know, that I was the guest speaker. I had spent the last 4 days preaching and ministering, and had not prepared a thing! I also couldn’t believe that people had taken off work, and school, to be there. The place was PACKED, with a LOT of people, adults and children. Well, God did something amazing in me, and I shared a word on the pearl, that the Kingdom of God is, and spoke for about 45 minutes, feeling the anointing over me, as I spoke on the joy of the Lord, and how we only truly find it, if its what we want more than anything in the world; to have a deep desire for Him over all things. I don’t know if you can relate, but maybe you will know that there are times when you can sense the presence of God so much, that you almost see in a 4th dimension. There is a quiet ‘holiness’ over the place, and in people’s hearts and eyes, you can see the Father doing His work. I watched as the Spirit of God spoke, challenged, convicted, encouraged, and blessed those whose hearts were seeking Him. Wilson shared a strong message after me, on how Abraham giving Sarah to pharaoh, is like a believer who uses the church for his own good. It was very profound. The place ended off with a joyful worship with everyone in the place jumping and dancing and singing for our King. It was fantastic.

God has really been using us (Wilson, Edward, myself and a few others), in connecting churches, speaking to leaders, and ushering a new move of God in bringing unity within the church here. This is Wilson’s heart, and it’s a privilege to take part in this. It has been challenging for me though because:

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God is definitely showing me that He wants to use me in an apostolic ministry here. I have been brought in to minister and work alongside many church leaders, and for some reason, they have been very challenged but encouraged by what I have brought. Wilson is seen as a spiritual father to many of the pastors here, and he really feels that I have much to share with the pastors that he works with, so he is using me to do just that. Wilson and I see heart to heart in the most incredible way. He reminds me so much of my late Pastor, Ian Gourlay, whom I loved, admired and respected so deeply. Wilson has the Father’s heart, and together, we have been sharing in excitement as God is giving us vision together for the future of the churches of these communities. I know I will be back again. (Probably more soon and more often than I had planned. These amazing men have already asked me if I would come back, if they could raise the funds for my air ticket. It was one of the most honoring, and humbling things I have even been asked)

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Today we experienced the heart of the Father, again!!
Wilson felt led to go and visit one house in particular, and we went to meet the guy along the street, and then took him to his house. As he first arrived at the car window, God spoke to me so clearly. I felt this guy had never felt what it REALLY feels like to be a son of God, that he lacked all confidence, and that he did not know his identity in Christ. I had no idea what God was going to do. We arrived at his house (he is a born again believer), met his beautiful young wife (Wilson had told she was not a born again believer), and went inside. I asked him to share his testimony. Wilson called the man’s wife in to sit and share in the ministry time. Real wisdom as we found later. As he shared, God started speaking to me about the mysteries of His kingdom. I got another picture of the guy, taken from the kingdom of darkness, placed in the kingdom of Light, but still bound and unable to mobilize. Like a car with the keys in the ignition but not turned on. He later went on to say that he was in spiritual bondage, that he had a fear in his heart, and that all his dreams to do great things in the kingdom were completely immobilized because of this fear and bondage. I all of a sudden felt a spiritual attack come over me, and anger, and the desire to lash out. It was bizarre, but thank God, I immediately recognized it was from the enemy, and in intense prayer in my spirit, overcame that, and was then bubbling with excitement as I knew felt the enemy was trying to stop the kingdom of God from advancing… but failed… BADLY!! He was utterly shamed in this situation as you will now read. As soon as the guy finished sharing, (he was in tears now, and very heavily oppressed), I was smiling from ear to ear. I couldn’t believe the joy and love pouring out my heart. You see, the enemy only attacks us when we are on the verge of breakthrough, so I knew that because he did not get the better of me, that we were about to see God move in power! Shame, for a few minutes, the poor guy couldn’t understand why this idiot was smiling at him, when he was so broken, but later he understood. I told him his life was about to change forever. I started to speak to Father’s heart over him. I explained true sonship, and how that revelation will flood in and overcome the spirit of fear. I started to speak to him about receiving God’s love over him, God’s acceptance of him, God’s grace over him, and that he no longer needs to fight to get through this. As I spoke about receiving; receiving sonship, receiving God’s grace and love, and receiving this gift from God, the Spirit of God hit him in power!! He started to weep, as God loved his son. He was crying, as God just ministered deeply into his heart, and we watched true spiritual deliverance as God just loved over him. His entire appearance changed and the joy of the Lord hit him. He looked at us in amazement, and said he knew he needed to be delivered, but thought he would have to fall to the ground, as a pastor ‘did deliverance’, but then he told us, that he had just been delivered and was free from spiritual bondage. God wasn’t finished. (I hear some of you saying C’MON!!)…
I then told his wife, that God was about to touch her life. That she was going to feel God in her heart for the first time. We explained the cross to her, no holds barred, and told her about salvation. She repented there and then, and asked Christ into her life. She was genuine about it, and we watched her husband, who had been praying for 2 and a half years, watch his wife enter the family of Christ then and there. God wasn’t finished. (AMEN!!)
God then wanted to restore this marriage. Wilson and I spoke life over the shame that was in the marriage. I spoke about one of the most impacting things I have ever seen, on the passion of the Christ, when Jesus, bloody, beaten and disfigured, is carrying the cross through the street. His mother, watching from an alley, sees Him fall and the cross crashes down on His head. She screams and runs up to Him, wanting to care for Him. He gets up, a picture of absolute pain and torture, and in a situation that seems to speak only of death says to her,” see mother, I make all things new…” BAAAAM!!! Our King sees the future, and knows that He can breathe life into anything, even His own body that met death. We spoke this heavenly principle over their marriage and took authority in His Name over it. Christ broke the enemy’s power, strongholds, and work over their marriage, and a new wine started to pour into them. We were able to watch, almost seeing the spiritual realm so clearly, as God raised the sun on a fresh spring morning of their marriage. We saw a man life change for eternity, in 3 different ways, and we walked out, feeling like we had touched heaven. In about 2 hours, God delivered a man from spiritual bondage, saved a wife, and restored a marriage. Jesus…

When we got home, one of the pastors was there, with a woman who needed counseling and prayer and they wanted me to do it. As I sat and listened, I think I panicked the most since I have been here in Uganda. Her husband had left her for another woman years ago and was living with her. She wanted him back, but did not know what to do. I stalled, as much as I could, crying out to my Father for wisdom, as this amazing, honorable woman, cried and trusted me with her heart. As I ministered the word, and God’s heart for her, He came through for me. After about an hour of counseling, prayer, advice, and ministry, God delivered this woman from this incredibly heavy burden, and she literally walked out with joy and laughter. She amazed me at her honour, forgiveness, faithfulness and her inner beauty. I desire a woman just like that and if that man does not repent, he will end up losing a true treasure from heaven. I was so grateful that God spoke over her. I had to give her some very tough advice, but in humility she received it, and I was blown away. These people walk with the Father like I have never seen anywhere else in the world.

We then went for fellowship and the breaking of bread with Wilson’s children at a cell group nearby. We ended around 9:30, an early end compared to all the other nights, and another FULL day of intense ministry.

We now have a few days ahead of home ministry, working with some new and developing churches, drawing alongside the leaders, and sharing God’s heart on the church as a family. Then I will be ministering to Wilson’s church, then in some schools as well, and will do another update mid week.

Please pray for my health, for my strength, that I will have wisdom, that I will continue to be so close to my Father, and that I hear His word and feel His heart clearly.

I love you all so much

In Jesus’ Name

Richard