This is my last email from my Uganda trip, as I fly home tomorrow (Saturday) morning…  (in only a few short hours to be exact), so by the time you read this, I will probably already be back in South Africa. 
 
I cannot believe the joy I feel inside as I write this.  The presence of God in my heart, and His joy, breathe such life into me.  I sense Him, and feel Him, in the most amazing way right now, and it has been like this for so much of this trip.   Even through the struggles…
 
God has taken me on an interesting journey this trip.  I have experienced highs and lows in the most intense ways.  Overall, it has been the most incredible blessing, and I have learned valuable lessons for life and ministry that I will keep with me forever.  I can’t wait for the next trip.
 
On wed we had a trip out to a church in a village that Wilson oversees.  We arrived at the pastor’s house and God immediately gave me a word for both the pastor and his wife.  I knew I was going to be preaching that night, but after all the preaching in the last 11 days, felt a little dry.  I had a vague idea of what I might share on, but had no idea what he Lord was going to do through me.  In short, I ended up preaching possibly the most powerful and prophetic message I’ve shared so far, and was amazed at the outcome of it.  It truly felt like a word from heaven from the Father to His beloved children and I was truly blessed to just be the vessel delivering it.  After I shared the message, the pastor stood up and shared, followed by a few others of the congregation, and they were all so amazed that God knew exactly what they had been going through, and how he had sent a South African, to speak a word that was exactly what they needed to hear.  I basically started off on what Christ has done for us through the cross, and explained the law vs grace.  The Lord then laid on my heart to speak about Joseph and that the church was in that season.  I also spoke about how the enemy had come in discouragement, and gave keys to combating his attacks.  The words that touched me so deeply, were shared by the pastor and his wife, who said, ”it felt like water pouring into a very thirsty heart”. 
I was then very challenged as I felt led to speak into their lives individually.  The prophetic is always life giving, and is to build up and encourage, but sometimes it’s very hard.  Without sharing in too much detail, I felt the Lord wanted me to speak into the area of the pastor’s marriage and I asked to speak to him alone.  Yea that’s right,  this foolish South African boy, in the middle of  Uganda, speaking to a man who has been in ministry probably longer than I have been alive, about his marriage, that I had NO idea about.  I knew it was God, so I went for it. Basically the Lord revealed one or 2 areas to me, and showed me that when they were dealt with, there was a new level of ministry up ahead for him.  Afterwards, Wilson was smiling as he spoke of how amazing God’s ways were.  He knew he had to deal with an area in this man’s marriage, and was wondering how he could address it.  He was considering bringing his own wife to come and work with the couple in the near future, but now knew that the ground work had already been done, and the burden was off him.  He will now follow up on what God has already done.  The pastor received the word in such humility, that I was so blessed.  The word I shared with his wife, apparently meant a lot to her, and only the fruit in future will tell whether it was on target.  They were so generous and we left with a boot full of sugar cane, beans and a chicken.  I got my own chicken. I wondered whether I was going to have to slaughter the poor thing…
 
The following day was a graduation ceremony from university for one of the young leaders in Wilson’s church, and through this service, the words of love, encouragement, and the testimony of God in her life, brought me deeply into tears.   Very powerful stuff.  I was then asked to speak, and actually already had a word that I wanted to share with the girl.  I stood up and was surprised but excited about what came out. That she is going to have a significant work in brining justice into the country, and that her studies had only just begun.  This was confirmed by many of the university lecturers, PhD’s and Docs there, as they also felt she was only just beginning her studies.  I then briefly shared a word over the congregation (any chance to preach about the Father’s goodness) and the place was PACKED with hundreds of people.  It was amazing to see God working through the service, as each person who spoke, confirmed the others’ messages, and the affirmation over this young woman, was straight from God’s heart.  The Senior in the department from the university, is an Indian man, who has been a missionary his whole life, has a church in Aus, and one in Kampala University.  They asked us to go and speak at the university but we had run out of time this trip.  They have booked me for next October, and the Senior HOD wants me to stay in his house too.  He was an incredibly humble man, with a very powerful testimony of how he lost his wife but has continued faithfully serving the Lord.  Men of such depth and wisdom, those humble sold out men of old…  What a blessing.
 
Wilson and I finally had some time to share a wonderful heart to heart over a cappuccino, and we started planning the program for next year.  I am going to put it into an email later, and will send it to you so you can see how this partnership is advancing, and at what level God is taking this Uganda/South Africa ministry to. Very, very VERY exciting.  You will not regret being a part of the mission next year, but I am looking to take about 12, so we will be in touch soon, for those who feel they want this.
 
Wilson and I then spent about 4 hours, going through his book that he is writing, which is on the Father’s heart for His church.  Very much a passion of his and mine.  This book has deep truth, and revelation, about the church, and the new move of God today, and I look forward to bringing the book home someday for you to read.
 
I had the most encouraging feedback today.  Sometimes, when you share a prophetic word, you walk away with such doubt that you had heard from God, but when you get feedback and confirmation, it does wonders for your faith.  Firstly, the word I shared about the girl at her graduation, (when I started sharing about her being involved in government, I had such doubt when I sat down).  Well today, one of the leaders in the church told me he was so amazed at that word, because earlier, the worship team leader shared the exact same word over her, in Luganda, but they did not translate it, so I shared it not knowing it had been said already.  Either the people thought that I speak Luganda, and was just copying the woman, or they would have seen God was moving in the prophetic.  Very encouraging. 
 
On a less positive note, before I heard that confirmation, Wilson and I drove past a lady, who he stopped to speak to.  As I saw her, I had a word that she had lost her husband, and that she had such rejection in her heart and needed encouragement.  I doubted the word, and said nothing.  As we drove on, Wilson told me this woman was a widow, and he really was saddened because he could see how much she needed encouragement in her life.  I was hurt, that I had not shared.  I asked the Lord to forgive me, and have prayed that God will restore her, and that He will still minister to her soon.  A missed opportunity.
 
Lastly, the most encouraging feedback I got today went like this!!!!  Remember the guy I spoke to, who the Lord gave me a word that he never understood sonship, was discouraged, had fear etc and the one who we saw God remove shame from his life and marriage?  Well it’s easy for us to walk away thinking nothing lasting happened.  But it did!  He came to the house today, and as I was chatting to him, the Lord ministered so deeply to me, as he testified to what has happened since then.  O my…  He said how he felt delivered, and the very next day, he went to a bible study and was asked to speak.  He said he never had the confidence in his life before to do it, but that day, he ministered in power from Heb 12:1.  He said that everyone in the room, turned their hearts back to God, were so deeply moved and touched and that they were asking, isn’t this just that simple village boy, where did this come from?!  It doesn’t end there.  They asked him to come back next week and continue leading. Doesn’t end there.  He was then asked to come and lead another bible study in this village!  Doesn’t end there.  He had a dream 4 days later, and in the dream, saw God literally breaking chains off of him.  He said he thought that it was just a dream, that anyone has, but now sees how deep it was and what it meant. Still doesn’t end…  I didn’t mention last time, that God had showed me there was a young boy in his life, that God wanted to use him as a spiritual father to, and that he will walk alongside this boy, and as he watches God grow this young boy in His ways, it will be a great blessing to Serowana… Well, he said he started praying and asking God to show him specifically which boy it was, cos he knows and loves many, and God did reveal him to Serowana.  He then spent some time with this boy, and started speaking into his life.  He said he could see the boy was so deeply blessed, and later the boy came to him, and said, ”I can see that you are a great man of God, and I want more of you in my life!”. Jesus!!!  Serowana told me he hadn’t even told the boy that God had showed him he was to be a spiritual father to this boy.  I told him he didn’t need to say that to the boy.  It has already started happening.  How encouraging is that?  This has all happened in one week.  Oh, and God has given Serowana some work, (he was struggling with no work).  I mean, could God encourage me any more than that??  HAHA …  I’m sure He can, but that was so wonderful.  I sat in tears with Serowana, and got to minister over him even more for about an hour.  He has new hope, faith, confidence, and spoke these very words,” I now know that I am a son of God, and it has changed my life forever.”
 
Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhewwwwwwwwwwwww… deep breath out…  It’s been that good.
 
Our last night celebration ended with the fire of heaven.  Wilson and I had felt God was going to do something powerful, and I was ready for anything.  We entered the meeting and I was burning with expectation.  I spoke on the presence of God and started to minister prophetically over some people while I shared the word. I then stopped, and sang ‘in Your presence’ by Jason Upton, over the church.  I have never done this before, am usually not the most comfortable singing a solo in public, but knew God would minister through it.  When I opened up my eyes the entire place had their eyes closed, and there was that silence, when His presence is so tangible, that all you want to do is sit and enjoy Him. After some time, we moved into some more ministry time, where God moved powerfully through the people.  I was so blessed to have been given various words for many people, and won’t share them now, but sense that perhaps, I may share in the future, if Wilson mails me some feedback.  A leader from Wilson’s church, who had never received a prophetic picture, stood up and shared something he saw for me.  It was very powerful, I have taken his drawing, and it spoke of networking churches, people groups and nations.  He also had specific words (love, humility, integrity, unity) that I would be using to do this, and they were very much part of what I have been teaching on lately.  As God continued, more people were given words, and experienced things they never had happen to them before.  I sang the song again, and then God decided it was time for people to really experience Him.  It led us into a deep time in prayer and in adoration.  For the next hour or two, God ministered over His children.  One beautiful young woman, who I had prophesied over, just startled giggling with delight.  It was as if God was tickling her.  She was just smiling, and thanking Jesus over and over.  Later she told me that the prophecy I gave her, was the exact one her boss had given her at the beginning of the week but that she had taken no notice.  Then I shared it and it got her attention, then during that time of prayer, God gave her deep revelation, and just affirmed her, and revealed deep things to her.  It is so beautiful seeing God loving His children.  Many were laughing with God’s joy.  Many face down in His presence, many crying as God ministered to deep parts of the heart.  One woman manifested and started fitting, shrieking and shaking.  She was taken to the side and had many people praying deliverance over her for some time.  All in all, it was something I had never fully seen to this extent before.  I could not contain the joy, and kept jumping up and cheering on God’s beautiful love, and then the next minute was on my knees in admiration of Him, then back to laughing, singing and dancing.  The freedom of God, and the freedom of His Spirit moving through us all, was something I wish the entire world could experience.  All in all, it was the grand finale that we had hoped for and MUCH more.  Many people afterwards, testified at what God did in their life.  Serowana was there, and God had even continued ministering to him through the night, as he stood up and shared the revelation God was continuing to give him.
 
I was then prayed over, and sent off with such a blessing, and many gifts, from people who barely have anything.  It is so incredibly humbling, but one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced.  This is a lifetime partnership and relationship, and we can only expect amazing things from God from here on.  Churches uniting, people released into gifting and calling, and God’s love reaching those who don’t yet know Him.
 
It came up during the meeting that I may preach in the plane tomorrow.  It is 1am now, and I fly in about 6 hours.  If there is a testimony, you will be sure to hear it.
 
Thank you for partnering in this.  I trust you have been somewhat blessed by some of what you have heard through my trip.  I know I am longwinded with my writing, but it’s who I am.  I can’t leave out a single part of what I feel in my heart for the Most High God.  My Father.
 
God loves us.  He loves us so much.  SO incredibly.  We love, because He first loved us.
 
I love you and bless you
 
In Jesus’ Name
 
Amen

Its slightly shorter this time
 
This place is crazy!  Their main mode of transport, is on motorbikes, called boda boda, where the ladies sit ‘side-saddle’ and millions of these guys take people at crazy speeds, zig-zagging through the traffic like flies, and carrying all sorts of things that you would never believe could fit on a motorbike.  We have seen chair, mirrors, mattresses, and last night a swaying coffin hurtled down the main road during the night…. Swerving…  its classic.  On our long drive home last night, we sat in a muggy, hot humid car, with poor vision through the windscreen, smashing through potholes, listening to happy Ugandan music, with 5 people in the car, and 2 chickens clucking away at their feet.  Africa!! You gotta love it.
 
There really are ups and down to this though.  I must say, that though some of you might think I find this easy, I don’t.  It really is a challenge for me.  I really am living in the slums.  I never thought I would, and it is VERY different from the open spaces and the beauty of the KZN village I am used to, and the convenience and quiet of my place in Umhlanga.  It’s not so much the toilets, bucket baths, different food etc that I struggle with but more the clutter, the dirt, the smell, the noise, the lack of privacy, my desire for nature and open space versus the pollution and litter, and the sadness of life for people who have only known life as a struggle from the start.  However, in this, God always manages to shine His light.  I hit a bit of a low, but God is always good.
 
Shortly after my last email, I was hit hard with an intense headache which lasted most of the weekend.  Then on Saturday, I spent the day in bed, with a bad stomach, nauseas, very weak, and with that feeling of very sensitive skin.  Just to give you a picture of the situation, using pit toilets in the squalor of the townships can be challenging at the best of times, but when you have no energy, and are feeling nauseas from the start, using these toilets, where the maggots are visible, and sometimes crawling out the pit and around the place, is not the best of situations.  Added to the fact that my room is the lounge, with no door, just a sheet separating me from the house, with the kids screaming and crying particularly more than usual that day (one kid cried solidly for 45 minutes), the delightful sounds of an exceptionally loud drill in my room as they are putting lights in the room, added to the delightful smell of burning plastic wafting through the window, it left me feeling quite sorry for myself.  I may be making it sound worse than it was, but it’s just funny how one day you can feel like a warrior for God, ‘taking ground for the Kingdom’, and the next, be reduced to a little girl crying in bed wanting home!   (ok it wasn’t quite like that, but I like writing stories).
 
Funny thing is, I know with all my heart, I will be back here next year, and can’t wait!
 
During this, I managed to minister to the church a few times, and on one night, a young girl came forward after the word, for prayer.  She did not know Jesus, but was there because she has a recurring dream, every night, that people are cutting her into pieces.  Can you imagine dreaming that every night??  We prayed for this young girl, that the power of the Lord was going to set her free from these dreams.  We then spoke to her about Christ’s authority over the enemy.  She then told us she wanted to be born again, (we didn’t even know she wasn’t), and we prayed with her as she accepted Christ.  It was awesome.  It is always hard to know how genuine these ‘salvations’ are, and I am not one to quickly shout about how someone ‘got saved’, because it is our lifestyle that shows Christ lives in us, but when she came to the church service a few days later, we were abundantly blessed.  She stood up, in a church she did not even know and had only visited once, and testified that the night she was prayed for, the dreams had ended, and that she is born again and has since already been getting involved in the church family!  Mokama yebazibwe - Praise God. 
 
I want to share briefly how when a seed is sown in the kingdom, it can have profound, deep, lasting and eternal effects.  Wilson traveled to Australia to visit friends, (as far as I know they flew him in there), and while he was there, a few of the families gave him a financial love offering.  This man could have taken it and renovated his house, which is very much a need, or used it for something personal, but this man of God went and bought 4 acres of land about an hour out of the city.  He has already planted crops, and they are half grown, and the produce will provide money for their orphans, for their school (he has 1st and 2nd grade at the church), and for the future of the ministry. He also has a long term vision of doing much with the land, and even dreaming of setting up a ‘village’ system, where people can live on the land, take in orphans, and even run a church there as there is no church anywhere in that area and many people needing one.  So this love offering blessed Wilson, and has blessed the ministry, but it doesn’t stop there.  The lady he bought the land from, was desperate for finance, and has been so blessed that she was able to sell it.  Wilson has become special to her, and we stopped in and shared God’s love with her and had a special time.  It doesn’t stop there.  With her money, she was able to renovate her house, (Wilson told me it was in a very bad state), and she was able to employ some men to come and paint the house too.  From a love gift to the right hands, it ends up blessing a ministry supporting orphans, a desperate poor woman, and some men needing work.  Who knows what they used their pay for, but knowing the majority of these gentle Ugandans, it probably went towards family support.  We as the church need to ask God where to sow our seed, and we need to be generous in doing it.  What an amazing thing for me to see the effect of these generous aussies!
 
I have ministered to Wilson’s church, and had an awesome time with them, as well as speaking very openly about life issues, with the youth that evening.  We were also invited to spend the afternoon with St Johns school for their year end ‘leaver’s party’.  I discovered how intricately connected the school is with Wilson’s church.  All the pupils are solid grade 7 Christians, and all the teachers are members of the church too.  It was like sitting at a family function, as the speeches, and awards, were like parents to their own children.  Surely this is what God had in mind for educating our children.  A place where their teachers are like loving caring parents, and part of the curriculum, in spelling, goes like this:  Jesus died for our s_ _ _ _.
 
It had rained incredibly through one night, and the next morning we had to wade through knee deep water to get anywhere from the house.  Not the nicest water to have rushing past your legs, as it has swept through kilometers of the slums, but this is life here in Kampala.  That day we had a 4 hour each way journey to a rural fishing village and ministered to the church of a very poor community of 400 ppl.  We were then given a delicious lunch of fish and had a tour of the little village.  It was a privilege to be a part of their lives, and God gave us some very encouraging messages to share with the pastor and her congregation.  Wilson has taken in the child of the pastor as her husband died a few years ago and she could not look after him then.  Wilson is a very special spiritual father to this woman, and they are in the process of raising up a man in the church to take over the leadership.
 
Wilson has been given a clear call from God, to be a father in the community, as well as to challenge the prosperity gospel, that is rapidly growing here in Uganda, and sadly seducing many leaders away from the true call of Christ.  He has such a love, and such humility, and with the way people have recognized him as a leader and father, no doubt is walking his calling in honour.  It is a privilege to walk alongside him.
 
I only have a few more days here, and we will be visiting some more pastors, as well as some homes and churches.  On Friday night, we have a final night celebration where I will be sharing on ‘His presence’.  We are praying that God will deeply touch lives and more powerfully.  Please pray with us for that.
 
I am really going to miss my Ugandan family.  They have all been so wonderful to me.  Here at Wilson’s house, I have sat with the kids at night going through homework, lying on the bed talking about God, having fun, playing games, laughing singing praying and worshipping.  It has been very special and in many ways am not looking forward to going home.
 
With love
 
Rich