Do you know that it is closer to the beginning of 2011 than it is to the beginning of 2010? Hard to believe isn’t it? Over half this year has passed. Time is moving swiftly and I am getting older! Plus, now I have to start thinking about Christmas gifts! It will be here before we know it.

Anyway, it is a good time to take a quick look at what God has done through the IMFC ministries in Uganda in 2010 and celebrate it. Here is a quick look at the first six months. I find it absolutely exciting. I believe you will also.

•2,437 people have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, enrolled into Bible Way and received the first book, Who Is Jesus. At this rate almost 5,000 people will receive Christ as their Lord and Savior and begin to be discipled in 2010! Beginning now, I am asking God for 5,000 people in 2010. Join me. Celebrate it!

•In June alone, IMFC gave out 1,888 discipleship books and 180 Bibles! 521 were the first book of the Bible Way Material, Who Is Jesus. The remaining 9 books of Bible Way made up the 1,367 books distributed. This work is exploding! Celebrate it!

•23 Churches have been started: 17 in Naguru and 6 in Natete. Celebrate it!

•528 Bibles have been given to people who have completed the first five books of Bible Way, successfully passing the exams and memorizing 60 Bible verses. Celebrate it!

•6 new Bible Way Clubs were opened in 6 High Schools in Kampala. This brings the total number of schools IMFC is in to 26. Celebrate it!

•73 new believers have been baptized. (Note: baptism happens mainly when volunteers are present to pay for transport to Lake Victoria. There are many waiting.) Celebrate it!

•Jinja Prison has been engaged. 3 wards of this huge prison are now involved in the Bible Way Program. This makes 14 prisons in 7 different facilities. Celebrate it!

•Leadership training is now taking place in Naguru and Natete with over 30 people participating. Celebrate it!

•These numbers do not reflect the food that has been given out month by month to over 700 people and the lives that have been changed through it. (You have read their stories here.) Nor do they reflect the volunteers that have traveled to Kampala and had their lives impacted as well. Celebrate it!

This has been a great first half to 2010. But, the work is just beginning.

I want to share the final paragraph from an email Joseph Esiana sent me who leads our IMFC team in Uganda. It is written for all of you who have prayed or given to this ministry.

I know the Lord has used you incredibly to give that has led the success as outlined above. God has multiplied your gifts and produced a bountiful harvest for himself. Will you continue to join Him even this summer and fall in what He is doing in Kampala and Uganda? Remember; “The harvest is plentfull but the laborers are few” Will you be among the few to join Him?

May the Lord God bless and honor your efforts.

Joseph Esiana

Team Leader IMFC – Uganda

I want to thank you and ask you to keep praying and giving. The growth of this ministry is hard to keep up with. Thanks.

The growth in the High School Ministry in Kampala is beyond our dreams. In fact, IMFC NEVER planned to have a ministry in the public High Schools of Kampala, Uganda. But God had plans. Plans we did not know about. But plans that He has brought to life.

The High School Ministry begin last fall, 2008. By the end of 2008, eight high schools had Bible Way Clubs. Today, there are Bible Way Clubs in TWENTY High Schools in Kampala. Three of these are Muslim High Schools. In these twenty schools more than 2,500 will gather weekly to pray, sing, study the scriptures and have fun. These clubs are all student lead.

This fall I visited a couple of these clubs with a team of volunteers from the US. Here is a really short video of the work that happens with these students week after week.

So, where does this ministry go from here? I don’t know. Nine more schools have asked IMFC to start clubs in their schools. But we have hit our limit with the resources we currently have and cannot enter into any more schools or take on new students.

How much does it cost to operate? Two US dollars per month…per student…for one year!

This supplies the student with the ten books of the Bible Way Discipleship Course, a Bible that they earn when they complete five books and memorize sixty Bible verses, and the cost for the IMFC staff to help the student leaders and interact with the teachers of the schools and the students.

Amazing isn’t it. Only $24 a year will impact one student in Kampala for life.

Would you pray for this ministry. Our goal is put Bible Way Clubs into these nine schools in 2010 and add more than 3,000 students.

This work has come from the Lord and I know that he will provide the means to move it forward to touch the children of Uganda for Jesus Christ.

Oh, by the way, many of these students come from the slums that IMFC works in providing food and help to families.

Went to Equatorial College this afternoon. It is located in one of the slums of Kampala that we work in, Soweto. I don’t know why they call it a college. The ages of the students range between 12 and 18. Many of the students were off on a field trip, but 55 students were present with one teacher. They sang worship songs and shared together.

I spoke to them from Matthew 9:35-38 and the Lord’s need for workers. They were very attentive. I challenged the ones present who had not received Christ to open their hearts to him. No one responded. Douglas continued to challenge them and six students got up from their seats and walked to the center of the room indicating their desire to be a Christ follower.

Joseph led the students in a Sword Drill. It was great to watch these students thumbing through the Bibles to find the selected passage and be the first to step forward and read it to the rest of the group. Joseph gave the six who accepted Jesus into their hearts and three winners from the Sword Drill new Bibles from Bible Way. These Bibles cost $7, but are a great investment.

As I meet with the IMFC staff I learned that they have work in 13 High Schools in Kampala with over 2,500 involved in the Bible Way Club. Three of these High Schools are Muslim High Schools! God has opened some huge doors to impact young people who will help shape the future of Uganda. These clubs are all run by students who give their time.

And, to show you how fast this work has spread, last year when I was here in Kampala meeting the staff, they had just opened the first Bible Way Club in a High School! They ask for prayers for this work and God has answered.

Bible Way is now in “10″ High Schools with 834 students! This has all happened since August of 2008. 5 High Schools begin clubs in the fall of last year. 4 were added in February and 1 this month. The student leaderships in all of these clubs are reporting a growing number in every meeting day and eagerness in recruitment of new members. Most targeted are the new believers that prayed to receive Jesus during the club meetings.

Here is the story of one of these 834 students.

A Testimony From Bible Way Club Leader At Royal High School
Precious Tumwebaze is a former Moslem that we are now discipling through Bible way. She leads the club in her school and through her leadership, over 80 students have been mobilized into the club and 35 have prayed to receive Jesus as lord and savoir.

Tumwebaze (is a luyankole word for “lets praise”) and her dear mum got kicked out of her clan/ family when she prayed to receive Jesus as lord. Her dad passed on because of HIV/AIDS and her mum is living with the virus. But, when you meet this rock solid believer, you will not know that her home is in this kind of status. Her smile is very sincere and bright! She is full of good energy for Jesus. She was the 1st student in that school that was very interested in the discipleship and even won a bible in the quiz that 1st day. She now leads the club and she loves it very much. And this is what she says about the club:

“Bible way club is a great encouragement. Knowing where I came from… this course makes me interact with Jesus every day. And the club members are now my new family since I got kicked out of the other biological one, because of my newfound faith. Even the secretary of our club is a former Moslem. Her name is Hadijah.

“We have 85 come in every meeting of the club. The numbers are growing and at every meeting, lots of students pray to receive Jesus as lord and savior. The club meeting is open to all students and the school administration is very supportive to the club activities and we the members.”

Continue to pray for Tumwebaze, the other 833 students of Bible Way and the Bible Way staff.

The IMFC team in Kampala had prayed for 3 new BibleWay clubs to open in High Schools by the end of Feb. 09. Three have already opened and the fourth is planed is scheduled to open this week before the end of February. God has exceeded their prays! This means Bible Way Clubs are now operating in 8 High School! God is good.

Here is a word from Douglas as they celebrate the opening of a BibleWay Club in Equatorial College.

Today, we have launched another BibleWay club in a High school. This time in a school called Equatorial College. This is a very large school with over 1,500 students. Its situated in Namuwongo just above Soweto slum and very close to the market there.

One of the Hands on team members called Sarah shared her testimony and 27 students prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior! All 27 were immediately enrolled into Bible way discipleship!

150 students gathered for the launch! And so the club will be meeting every Friday!

Wow wow!!

Douglas

On Saturday, November 9, 2008, thirty high school students and patrons gathered at the IMFC Ministry Center to learn about Bible Way and how they can start a Bible Way Club in their school.

Pray for these students and the staff of Bible Way as they plan to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the High Schools in Kampala 2009.

When people say that the Moslems are hard to reach out to, we say nothing is too hard for our God to do! That’s what brings us to pray to Him to open doors for new works among the Moslems in Kampala. And, He has opened a big door in a purely Moslem girl’s high school.

Kibuli Moslem High School is the last place you would think any bibles and Bible Way would be able to get into, but here we are with a wide open door to boldly enter and start ministry of discipleship and evangelism through Bible Way. We have 6 enrollments so far and next year we will grow from there! Pray for these students and their patron. This a picture of them at the Ministry Center.

Douglas

High Schools in Kampala are asking for Bible Way Clubs! I just received this report from Joseph. Pray for our team as they attempt to walk through this open door to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with high school students across Kampala.

We are now very close to opening the first Bible way club in one of the high schools. St Janan Luwum is very promising. These clubs will be a powerful way of reaching out to all the high school students. For example this very school has up to 192 students doing our courses. We do have the students to lead that.

We do plan to start these clubs in 10 high schools between now and March 2009

It only cost about $1 per month per student to run a Bible Way Club. This provides for the material and someone to run the club. Pray with us about this opportunity.

10 high schools have asked the Bible Way staff to start Bible Way Clubs in their schools! One High School already has a Bible Way Club with 158 students completely run by one of the high school students! He goes to the ministry center to get the books, leads the club meetings, distributes the books to the students and grades the test. He does all of this as a volunteer. Is God at work in Kampala or what?

Check out this video of Joseph (IMFC Bible Way Ministry Leader) interviewing high school student Bible Way Club leader, Alan.

Watch this video of Joseph and Douglas discussing the importance of Bible Way Clubs in the high schools of Kampala.

Pray for Alan and the Bible Way Staff as they seek ways to minister to more students in more high schools in Kampala. Pray for us (IMFC) as we seek God’s will in this wide open opportunity to share the gospel with future leaders and business leaders in Kampala, Uganda.