2011 far exceeded our goals at IMFC in Kampala, Uganda. In some cases by over 100%. Obliviously we set our sights too low. The Lord had much larger plans than we had faith to dream. I don’t want to make that mistake again. I want to see the extraordinary. I have talked to the team and here are the goals we have established for 2012. These goals stretch us but we want to take full advantage of the opportunities God has opened to us! I ask you to join me in praying for these.

Distribute 150,000 pounds of food in 5 slums of Kampala
In January we finish the work in the 3 slums we are currently in. In February we open up 2 new areas. Pray that the Lord bring the support needed to allow us to increase to 3 slums again in August. We will be training James to do church planting and training someone to take lead Bible Way for him anticipating the ability to engage 3 slums.

Introduce 10,000 plus people to Jesus Christ and enroll them into Bible Way
Through volunteer teams from the US, the effort of the IMFC staff in Kampala, the believers in house churches and expansion into areas outside Kampala this goal can be reached. We were close enough in 2011 to see this goal, so we have beefed up our printing budget and added people to just grade books in expectation.

Baptize 500 people
The challenge here is the cost and hassle of transporting people to Lake Victoria to be baptized.

Start 200 house churches
Actually what we want to start is a movement of church planting that spreads throughout Uganda and spills across the boarders into surrounding countries. Our goal is to see what happened in the book of Acts when the believers were thrust out of Jerusalem and they went everywhere spreading the gospel. 200 churches is only the beginning. Our goal is to plant simple, organic churches that can exist without the aid of the west and where the people can meet, pray, study the scriptures and hold each other account to live out the truth of God word. Then, see them planting churches. We know this simple approach to church growth works. Lives are truly changed. People enjoy the church and the community sees what happens.

Establish a growing work in Arua
Arua is a city of more than 60,000 people in Northwest Uganda less than 6 miles from the Congo and only a few hours from Southern Sudan. We entered Arua in August through the prison. Today, more than 200 people are enrolled in Bible Way and a young man, Alfred, is being discipled to lead in church planting. 2 of the volunteer teams coming in January and February will spend 2 days each in Arua sharing the gospel. We believe the potential is great.

Raise over $210,000 of support
This is a minimum required if we are to reach these goals. The Lord has always meet our needs and He will again.

Again, have a great new year. God bless.

Dear Muzee Jimmy,

This year has been an amazing year for us, the entire Kampala, Uganda, IMFC family! We even closed the year with a super baptism. We did have 27 to get baptized! Its always a blessing to baptize after saturating these slums we work in with evangelism. Baptism is a very public witness of belonging to Jesus Christ. Munyonyo on Lake Victoria, Uganda, has been a prime location for this with its witchdoctor shrines and vibrant boat landing site with drunkards, sex workers, fishermen, and youth all around showing our new believers what sinful lifestyles they have left behind. The loud public mockings from those still caught up in the old sinful life gives a public confirmation that the baptism candidates that come to Munyonyo are not playing games with faith or trying to please the Muzungus standing around.
    

27 People Proudly Display Their Certificates of Baptism

I want to say thanks to all those that have helped us with the shillings to pay for baptism. That giving has really encouraged the work here. Also, I want to thank the volunteer teams that have come, shared the Gospel, participated in Manna Ministry and the baptism. The staff has really been blessed by that! Thanks all of you!!
                                        
Thanks yours and His,
Douglas

Dear Muzee Jimmy,
On Friday, the 9th of December, we did have a great food distribution at Bwaise 3 Zone here in Kampala and a wonderful time of follow up with the beneficiaries. Many of them being overwhelmed with joy and gratitude, could not wait to be asked to tell their story. They  just burst out wanting to tell their testimony to us of how Manna has not only empowered but completely transformed their lives. One of these is a single mother of 7 children. She is 44 years old and living with HIV/AIDS. Her names are Farida Nabukude and she lost her husband to HIV/AIDS. When he died he left behind nothing for the children and her. They always lived hand to mouth and all we could see is that he actually left behind 7 desperate children and one of them has special needs, a victim of cerebral malaria. Her one room house cost 30,000 shillings monthly and come next year it will be 40,000 shillings. Farida says Manna has greatly impacted her life. Here is how.
          
Spiritually

“I used to be spiritually dead. I was a Muslim and I knew nothing about God. I didn’t care about Jesus yet I wanted spiritual healing. I had a very deep longing in my heart to relate to God so I practiced Islam, but that left me empty!” When Manna came, the Muzungu volunteers shared with me. This was an opportunity for me to hear the Gospel and I indeed believed on Jesus as Lord and Savoir. I am now born again!! I am even member of the house church that meets at Susan Okoli’s mother’s house. I am also doing Bible Way so that I may grow in faith and surely I have been blessed by that. Now I am really getting to know God deeply! Now Jesus means everything to me!!”

 
Physically

“I am an HIV/AIDS victim and I was getting sicker with each passing day even though I am on ARVs. My doctors would recommend many things including bed rest, which to me was very expensive since I am the soul bread earner. I had to sell sweets in the hot sunshine even when this left me with high fevers and a very bad headache. My blood pressures got to worrying level, for I worried about many things including dying and leaving my children without anything like my late husband did. My CD4 count was getting lower. That means that my immune system was getting weaker each day making me very vulnerable to malaria attacks and other infections. But when Manna came bringing food, I got back my physical strength. My health is better and now I can afford to have a bed rest when the need arises.”

 
Economically

“I used to sell sweets and heavily relied on loans for capital for my business which only left us indebted month after month. We lived hand to mouth. We had zero savings for what I got daily was used to cover for the huge family needs. This kind of economic life tied us to Bwaise 3. We had no option to go elsewhere even if our current house flooded. I was also tied to sell sweets even if it does not work because of having little capital. But through the food given us, I saved up shillings enough to start another business in Luzira landing site. I sell second hand children’s cloth from which I  now save between 7,000-8,000 shillings daily on sales. I still sell sweets as another alternative business. During the 4 months I have been in Manna Ministry, I have been able to save a sum total of 900,000 shillings from all I do in business. I plan to use this to buy a plot of land in Kakiri which will be for our family home. I am now talking to pastor Deo to connect me to honest sellers. You know I got all this saving because of the training and encouragement I got from pastor Deo as he followed up with me. Now I have choice over what business to do and where I should live to do it!”

 
Socially

“I really did not have a social life. What I mean is Manna has made me have a voice amongst the people that live around me because here when you do not have anything, you cannot even contribute toward weddings of your relatives and friends. You cannot even afford funeral services for your loved ones and friends. Your children stay home for lack of school fees and you are laughing matter. Even during meetings your opinion does not matter. Everyday I was so scared to see or hear my landlord coming around, but now I am so confident to even greet him for I am now very able to make rent payments. I have better people now to relate to. The house church members are a new found better community, since their values are the same with mine. We are all believers in Jesus, growing to serve God.”

 
Future

“I had no future plans. I didn’t see any purpose in my life. I worried daily and tried here and there to work. I didn’t look forward to any new day. I felt defeated! Now I feel so victorious! I am born again so when I die I know for sure that I will be in heaven with God! We now are planning to buy a piece of property for my children to have when I am all gone! Now, I am even sharing my faith with others in Luzira. Before I did not even try because I did not know what I believed when i was a Muslim. Now through Bible Way and the SOT training I am sharing my faith. I plan to open a house church in the village I came from and will go to. I am able to provide for my house rent increase come next year. I am able to send my children to school and even now food will not be a problem in the future when Manna goes. All this is because you gave us Manna!”

 
Gratitude

“Look at what the Lord has done through you giving us Manna. My life is not the same again. Life is worth living. May God bless and be with you all for always!”

 
Dear Muzee, I cannot add any words to what this precious lady said! This testimony is coming from Bwaise 3. Thanks!

Yours and His
Douglas

Today I want to share some of the good news of what happened this year. In 2011, 150,000 pounds of food and 400 gallons of cooking oil have been distributed in the slums of Uganda. Read that again. One hundred Fifty THOUSAND pounds of food! Four HUNDRED gallons of cooking oil! Amazing! How many people have been blessed through this? Over 1200 people monthly! I want to thank you for your gifts that provided for this ministry.

Here is an email from Douglas that gives the story of Angelina and her family who are currently in the program. She is just one person. Her family is just one family that has been touched. Their story can be amplified a 1,000 times.

Here is another whose life that has been changed by Manna here in Angola. She is a lady called Angelina Kayoko. She is a 67 year old Kenyan married to a Congolese man and they are resident in this slum in Kampala called Angola. Thats where Manna met them and changed their lives holistically!

Two weeks ago during a follow up visit with her, she and her husband prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savoir. She and her husband did not speak well Lugandan. She speaks Swahili but she did understand enough to hear the Gospel.

They came to Kampala to find her husband’s brother, only to find themselves renting a room in Angola slum and they have been here 18 years now. They have done all kinds of odd jobs for living even looking after pigs for a living. At one time they even owned 3 adult pigs, which unfortunately they had to sell off to pay hospital bills for her husband when he developed a heart problem. And thats when Manna found them. They had nothing! Angelina’s husband was on dying stage and she had nothing! The piggery project they had was gone! But when Manna came in, they did not only get back their piggery project, they found Jesus as Lord and Savior! Angelina’s husband is alive! Though he is still on treatment. But now saved!! Born again!! Wow!

Angelina has been able to save money during the food distribution period. Enough to buy 3 piglets. Two of the piglets are 3 months old and the other is 4 months old.

I asked her what she would say to the people who contributed toward Manna and this is what told me,

“Even when you are there and I am here, I thank you! I appreciate all you have given me and my husband! Did you know that bean soup was what the doctors working on my husband recommended as his most important diet! And that’s exactly what you came with!! Thats why I am so very eager to see your faces so that I may say these words to you all face to face. Thank you very much! I am what I am today because of what you gave! My husband is alive because of you all! We are now saved because you gave! We got back our piggery project because of you! I am now smiling because of you!!

Please do continue to pray for us. My husband’s medicine for a single dose costs 7,000 shillings for every two weeks. We hope to handle this with the piggery project we have now. Pray for it! We are also praying for God to continue to bless you all! May God bless you all!”

I want to thank every one who makes Manna happen!! Lives are being changed and God is being Glorified!! Jesus’s name is being lifted high!!

Doug

I cannot overstate the importance of this food to the people who receive it in the slums. Words fail me. You just need to come to Kampala and meet the people who receive it to see for yourself the difference it makes to people!

I hate the long flights from here to Kampala, Uganda! And the more I make these flights and the older I get, the more I hate it! But it worth it’s and I will gladly do it many times a year. Here’s why.

Hello Muzee. I hope is all is well. Here is an update.

We did have a successful food distribution in Bwaise 3 zone of Kampala, Uganda on Friday, Nov. 11. Immediately after the distribution it rained heavily. On the 13th, we did have a powerful baptism.

Robina's baptism at Lake Victoria

Though threaten by the rains here, it still happen! 51 people got baptized in total and out of this very number 18 were Manna beneficiaries. Even more cool about this is that one of the persons baptized is a lady whom you and Mama Pam shared the Gospel with in a bar in Angola. She was one of the few people that prayed to receive Christ that day. I remember us driving to this bar a few hours before you and Mama caught your flight to the states. Her names are Robina Nansamba. Going to that bar was worth it, because that’s how we were able to bring this precious soul to Jesus! Anyways, my eyes spotted her at the baptism, and behold I asked her to tell us her story and here is what she told me:

“My names are Nansamba Robina, a single mom with only one child, a boy. I was a wasted drunk but now I am saved and sober! I was a wasted life but now I celebrate life because of what Jesus did through you all. Today am being baptized. Its my very public witness that I am born again and a growing disciple of Jesus.
  
I would have NOT been here being happily saved and baptized if Muzee Jimmy and Mama Pam didn’t come to Mutos Bar. On the day they came, I was foolishly drunk and filthy! I had spent the morning on a deadly drinking spree. I would drink alcohol so as to get sleep. I was a very frustrated mother! The man who fathered my child ruined my life when he promised me a happy relationship that would lead to a happy marriage. I found out that he had three wives and that I was going to be a fourth wife. I tried to make it work, but it didn’t! When my son was two months old, he left me and the baby with no upkeep. So with these problems, I turned to alcohol and became a wasted drunk! In fact my mum would follow me into a bar and drag me home! She would first threaten the bar owner not to ever give or sell any alcohol to me again. On many occasions she threatened to call the police on them. My drunken status made me loose a lot of resources and relationships with family and friends.

Robina's happy after being baptized

I hated my life! But I didn’t know how to get out of the pit fall I was in. So when Muzee said that ”what you are looking for is not in that glass of alcohol, or that bottle of beer,” this truth donned on me and I asked them to pray for me to leave alcohol. But before they prayed, they shared with the Gospel of Jesus and I believed and prayed to receive Jesus. From that day I never remained the same! My neighbors recommended me into the Manna program of which I am a beneficiary! With the food I am saving shillings and working! I am also a member of the Angola house church. My mum is very happy with the decision I made to ask Jesus into my life for this changed my life! I never used to help out at home, now I do! Now I am a clean, saved, sober and lovable person! I started even to have men notice me. Some are asking for serious relationships but I am waiting on God!! I love this new life! It’s very peaceful!!”

   
I want to thank Mama Pam, Muzee, Manna staff and all who contribute shillings to make Manna happen. Thanks so much! Thanks for caring for us!

I want to humbly submit that every time compassion goes ahead of spoken words then its love and this leaves behind lives transformed! When we speak the Gospel in compassion, then every one we reached out to sees Jesus in us and they get saved!! Thats what happened with Robina when we stormed the bar in Angola. The compassion shown through Manna is an example of that big spoken word that helps our people understand that we love them, that we care for them and thats what God is about!
      
I want to thank you all for your involvement in spreading the Gospel. It is changing lives to the Glory of God!! Muzee thank you!! Mama Pam, thank you!! Thanks to your entire tribe at home!! Thanks to all in all!!
                
Yours and His,
Douglas

Now, I look forward to January 13, 2012 and boarding the plane for Kampala, Uganda.

I got this email from Douglas a couple of weeks ago. It speaks for itself.

Wow! Wow! Oh, Muzee. Oh, mama Pam!! This is for real. We  had an appointment IHK and they did all kinds of tests including a scan and guest what? It showed loud and clear very healthy super baby girl. So we are going to have a baby girl! Wow! I am (we) are so happy about  that and so grateful to you all for your love, care, prayers and support. Sheila is due around Feb. 2012. God has been faithful to us. What a sweet day! This is a happy news.

Thanks to you and Mama, to the board, and to all the rest for all in all! With the medical insurance given us, we were able to do the scan and know what we needed to know. Now our prayers and lives are completely changed!! Wow!! Wow!!

Sheila said to tell you all thanks. We are very grateful for who you all are to us and for what you do for us!!
                                     
Thanks yours and His
Douglas

Now that ought to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving! Have a great Thanksgiving.

Gabriela

Deo has worked with IMFC from the very beginning as a church planter. Congratulations Deo!

For the past seven years I have had the pleasure of working with six men in Kampala, Uganda that I have come to highly respect, admire and love. During our time together, these guys have all found wives (Deo was the only married man when IMFC begin!) and many of them now have children. I have watched them grow not only in their personal and family lives but also in their work, whether it be in the slums, prisons or schools. They have been a blessing to me and to every volunteer who has journeyed over to work with IMFC in the slums of Kampala, Uganda.

This year, 2011, over 9,000 people will come to the knowledge of Christ through their ministry and many more discipled and cared for. They will have given out over 150,000 pounds of food, 400 gallons of cooking oil and 50,000 discipleship books! They do all this work in an environment day in and day that many of us would be afraid to venture into. Death and disease are prevalent. Mud is ever-present from the frequent rains and flood waters. Alcohol, witchcraft, prostitution and drug use are common place, but, as the scriptures say, where sin abounds much more does the grace of God! These guys have done an amazing job for an amazing God in an amazing place. I am very grateful that the Lord has allowed me to work with them for Him in the slums of Kampala, Uganda. And, thanks for your support that provides for the needs of these men and their families. Thank you.

IMFC now has three men planting churches and training leaders in Kampala, Uganda: Deo, Benon and Vincent. Vincent has worked with us from the beginning but in June he moved from working in the office grading Bible Way books to the field enrolling people into Bible Way and planting house churches. He has caught on quick, loves the work and is doing a great job. Here is Vincent telling his story in his own words. By the way, the beautiful lady with Vincent in the photo above is Joan, his wife.

I have graded Bible Way books since 2004. All I was relating to was the statistics and answers on the test, never seeing the faces of the real people in the slums of Kampala whose lives where being changed by these books. I used to hear the testimonies of changed lives through these books but not seeing them I really felt I was missing something. I wanted to see thee change that happened through these materials because it was through these materials that I, too, came to faith in Jesus and experienced change!

In June, I moved out of the office and joined the church planters in the slums of Kampala and had the opportunity to see these changed lives. Through the house church and the Bible Way discipleship program, I have  seen quality Christians emerge! Some have transitioned into leadership for the house churches. Now as I talk, I have 300 plus people doing Bible Way in Angola slum and I have also planted 13 house churches there since August! During this time I have seen witchdoctors come to faith in Jesus and drunkards sobering up with the Gospel. This is what I wanted to see the whole time I graded books! Now my joy every day is to see the evangelized, discipled and trained believers planting more house churches! The gem is the changed lives for Jesus. Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Vincent

Nakankajo Zainab is a 35 year old single mother of one child living in the slum Kibe of Kampala, Uganda. She lost one other child some time ago. At age nine Nakankajo developed cerebral malaria which then left her immobile. She now walks on her bottom! She uses her feet for doing everything else including: washing cloth and cooking. She had a wheel chair once but it was damaged by some very mean men!

The man that fathered her child disappeared after people around demanded him to take responsibility for Nakankajo and the child. People around wondered why he would get a person in Nakankajo’s situation pregnant.

Anyways, Nakankajo came to the slum Kibe in Kampala, Uganda from Mpigi. Her auntie brought her here and life here has not been well! From having to crawl on her bottom to a very public latrine every time of need to being a single mother who is disabled, life has been hard! She told me that,

“When it rains, every spot of this gets wet! So when it rains badly I have to yell out to my neighbors for help which is being lifted to the top of my table to be above the flood waters! But when the rains flood badly here, they take me to the middle of Kalerwe main road. Thats a high place very near to us. Sometimes I am left there until morning. When the road is very flooded, I have to pay for a boda to take me to Mulago hospital here in Kampala where I can sleep in the corridors. This, too, is dangerous! But I want to thank you for Manna Ministry. The food is what I depended on when the recent floods messed up Kibe for more than two weeks! I could not get out of my house. I stayed in my house trapped in! But the food kept me going. My tomato business has been badly affected by the floods. But thank God you came! I even get to share some with others in need! May God bless you all.”
 

What a big blessing it is to be there for Nakankajo Zainab, Nabacwa Sauda and others in need! Thanks to you all for all in all!! Have great day! Thanks for your prayers and support!!

Yours and His
Douglas