Jose Zayas

Rejoicing in Luzira...now off to Soroti...

The final night of the Luzira festival was glorious! In just one week we recorded 1,550 responses to Jesus Christ!

With slow Internet it's impossible to post video yet. But we've got a ton to share in the next few weeks!

Pray as we go to Soroti and reach more with the Gospel!

And enjoy these reports...
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It is Sunday now and we are wrapping up the week in Luzira with the final night of the festival. Tomorrow we take the show on the road to Soroti.

My new friends have become like family to me this week. It has been a joy to serve with them and hear everyone's story. It happens that two of the team are from Mennonite backgrounds which has provided a fair amount of amusement. Being with the team has also been a picture of the kingdom of heaven for me. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am also."

When Jesus first met his disciples he said to them, "Come and see.". He invited them to experience and share in his ministry by participating. Teaching about Jesus and visiting the poor and the sick has helped me understand God's love for his kingdom in a way that I never would have gotten just sitting in church or going to a bible study. Not to mention being stretched and having my heart broken every day.

I will sign off with a verse pointed out to me by my Mennonite brother Gil, who has each day pointed out the exact scripture describing our experience or addressing a challenge we faced. From the book of Philemon (who has ever studied Philemon?) verse 6: "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

~David K.

Uganda! Uganda is such a beautiful place! The people here are even more beautiful and are very kind and compassionate. So far, the harvest has been plentiful thanks to the pastors and friends preparation and planning of our week. I had the privilege to walkthrough downtown Luzira to invite people to our festival andinvite thm to have a personal relationship with Jesus. A few of us decided to go out to these streets of poverty. We were told the area was not a nice area. There were many drunks and prostitutes here. Each of us went out with a Ugandan friend of the church or pastor. I went on the streets with Peter,a very compassionate man of God. We didn't make it very far before a number of people asked what we were doing and what our festival was about. The hearts of many Ugandans are open, and in search of something to save them. One young man was vey interested when I told him the festival is to share the news that Jesus loves all of us. He could only speak so much English, so Peter took ove. I stood there and watched Peter share the gospel with this man,and also told his personal experience of the power of God. When Peter was sharing this, I was amazed at the intensity and passion he had. I stood there trying not to let my jaw drop. You could tell that he was full of the love of Jesus and it was overflowing abundantly from his words. The thing that made this so impressive, was the fact that he was seaking in the Ugandan language and I had no idea what words he was saying. Peter had a personal experienbce of dealing with demons, and when he cried out to God, the denmonbs immediately stopped terrorizing him. The best part was when I told him that was an amazing story, he responded with "All the glory goes to God!" Like I said, the landscape is beautiful, and the people are even more so. God is doing great things here!

~Jenny

This week has been amazing in so many ways. We have started this trip strong -- pray it will continue. Before we even stepped out on the battle field while still preparing for our first attempts at saving souls for the kingdom; the enemy put a spirit of discouragement on the drama team. No one wanted to do it. God answers our prayers, He let us rest that night and we have performed it several times. We prayed for help and God helped us immediatly. We had faught hard and are winning souls in Luzira. Our God is great and he has been our stength. I have been able to overcome fear, sickness, discouragement, in-expierence, and exhaustion in Jesus's name! I specifically remember prayer for boldness and confidence before leaving. We have stood up several times, at the Spirit's prompting, were unprepared and questioning. It is in these moments that I notice God moving. I am praying fr God to continue to work through me, and for a willingness and an ear for the Lord's calling.
Thank you to those who have helped me get here! God is using this team... we were placed so well! PHILIPPIANS 2:1-5 GOD SPEED!

~Tim

Hi Friends and Family! I send my love to you all. Christ is doing a mighty work, as we have seen many people come to know him as Lord and Savior. Our God is awesome and bigger than I have ever imagined. Know that I love and pray for you. Believe that God is changing Africa.
In Christ! I LOVE YOU Orlena, Nan, Jake, Beth, Josh, Mom, Lynn, Skip, Troy, Ron and Judy, and freinds!

~Scott

The team divided up inot teams of 1 or 2 to minister in the local churches this Lord's Day! Many preached for the very 1st time and were thrilled to see people come to Christ. The harvest is ripe and we are honored to serve together with the fellow believers in Uganda. Tonight is the final night of the first festival and we are expecting scores of people to respond again, as we have seen each evening!

Last night we prayed with hundred's who wanted release from demons, healing from Malaria, Typhoid, school fees, peace in their homes, and wisdom to know and do God's will.

~Randy

Today, September 20, 2009~Sunday, The Lord's Day in Luzira
After reaping a harvest of souls this morning at the Truth Foundation Church, our mission team photographer David U. said to me "could we go find Francis, the shop keeper in the market who is close to The Kingdom?" So we left the "99" at the church and found this one lost sheep in the market. David led this lost sheep into the fold with tears of joy and gladness. Now their are 100 in the fold in Luzira. The people living in darkness here are coming to the light. Luzira means "light"!!! Hallelujah and Praise God for Jose Zayas Ministries!

~Gil

Saturday in Uganda...

Week one of the mission is almost over. Because of the non-stop schedule, we don't have time to post video yet....but here are more stories of team members serving here in Uganda.

Keep praying! The team is preaching in churches all over Luzira Sunday morning and the final festival meeting is Sunday night.

Then it's a long drive on Monday to Soroti for another week of outreach.

Your prayers mean everything to us!

Jose Zayas
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This trip has been utterly amazing and life changing for me so far.
It's incredible to see how much love and compassion the people that
we've come into contact with have for us. I've never seen so many
pearly white smiles and never had so many strangers treat me like
they've known me for years. One of the biggest differences that I've
noticed between Christians in the states and in Uganda is passion and
a sense of urgency to share the gospel. With such little they rely
completely on Christ, and those that follow Jesus follow Him with all
their heart. We've come to share the gospel and spread the love of
Jesus, and so far the Holy Spirit has been moving in a powerful way.
Pray for a revival in Uganda and that we will be vessels for God to
use us in mighty ways!

- Austin

If you're a Christ follower, we all know God desires to transform our
lives. Often, in the process, we need to become broken first. Well,
it didn't take long after arriving in Uganda, and God completely
wrecked me. The spiritual hunger among the Ugandans is remarkable.
One school we visited had hundreds of children pressing in on the team
as we shared. It reminded me of when the crowds pressed in on Jesus.
Another time we set up and once inside the school area, people in the
dirt alleys were peering through the cracks, so we went out and
invited themin to hear the Gospel. I'm shocked at the number of
people who respond to the Gospel message. When in the US, you only
get one or two responses on a Sunday morning, but here 50's and 100's
are responding each time the Gospel is shared. It's overwhelming and
it's one of the most joyful experiences I've ever been part of.

Last night I met Robert at the crusade; he introduced me to his
children and told me his wife died in 1998 when a lightening bolt hit
their house right after giving birth to a daughter. Robert named her
Mercy -- now a joy-filled 11-year-old. Praise God!

- Brad

Day 7 of the trip, Day 5 in Uganda -

An orphanage, slums, more schools than I can remember. A mental
hospital, a refuge for homeless boys. Not the normal stops on most
people's visit to Uganda. Not the normal stops on most Christian
outreaches in the U.S. I'm awed by the boldness of the young people
on our team, ducking into hovels, being literally swarmed by groups of
children, speaking out about their belief in Jesus Christ wherever,
whenever, and to whomever. I'm humbled in their presence. The
generation behind me and the generation of children coming up in
Uganda will both do much to change their countries in this world.
Because of the transforming power of Jesus, this is the reason for
hope.

- Pat

When Jose asked us to write a couple paragraphs about our time so far
in Uganda, I tried to find the words to say, to show you all about our
experience... But how can I do that? The words evade me. Our
experience here has been so amazing -- more than words can express.
Our goal, our purpose, the reason we flew half way around the world,
have asked you to help us financially, to continually shower us with
prayers, is for the soul purpose to spread the Good News of Christ.
We go into schools every day and are surrounded by beautiful African
people with smiles that could light up a room.

The Lord has blessed us with a drama that is powerful and gives us a
platform to share our testimony and bring these children, teachers,
and people of Kampala to the foot of the cross. We get the privilege
and opportunity to lead the lost ones in darkness to the light of His
glory. My heart is full of joy. To see people receive the gospel
openly, hear them shout the name of Jesus, witness lives transformed
to God, has left me with a fulfillment like no other.

I wish I could share more and express the feelings better, but words
are not enough. God placed this call on my life to come to Uganda and
at first I wasn't sure why. But now I see the reason. The days are
long, the skit is draining, the spiritual warfare is immense, but
through Christ alone, I am able to continue in strength.

Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for renewed
spirit everyday. And for now...

- Rebekah

More updates from team members in Uganda...

The team continues to be used by God in amazing ways!

Pray for supernatural strength and protection. These are long, draining days of ministry.

Pray that the Lord would use us, even in our weakness. Enjoy the following team reports....in their own words.

Jose Zayas

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Hello from Uganda! Once again Uganda, Africa has captured my heart and is quickly becoming my second home. Throughout our first few days in Luzira, we have had a chance to do street ministry, preach in many schools, speak with leaders and business people in Uganda, and visit a mental health hospital. The most challenging for me was the hospital, it broke my heart in so many
pieces. Seeing the need and suffering, I had to remind myself of God's promise that, "not a sparrow falls to the ground un-noticed." What an amazing, faithful God we serve that is able to restore and heal the most utterly broken.
"But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and did not forsake them." - Nehemiah 9:17
Furthering the Kingdom together,
- Megan

"I lift my eyes up to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." - Ps. 121:1
Today we went to Butabika Mental Hospital. We began to tour the hospital and began in the women's ward where they were preparing to go home. But from what I could see, they didn't seem to be very ready at all. There were some women by the tree who were drooling with blank stares and yellow and black spiders crawling on their heads. One woman who was quite excited about us and our sharing, had skin that seemed to be deteriorating on her right side. On to another women's ward, as we were praying for them, one woman laid on the ground grabbing my and Melissa's ankles. Another woman there just sang the whole time. She followed us to the men's ward and there was where my heart broke. As we began to pray, Melissa and Juliet carried a man from the field who had tried to stand up, and both his knees buckled under him, possibly breaking both legs. He barely had a heartbeat. One man, Andrew, asked me to pray with him, and as soon as I began to speak, I couldn't even produce the words. I cannot believe that this was a reality. How do these men and women have the drive to keep on living? And then I looked toward the Lord and remembered that our awards await us in heaven where our souls will be eternally refreshed and our bodies will be healed. This was a very vivid comparison of the world and how man is dead, but with the Lord, we have such beautiful life.
Leaving the courtyard, a woman was trying to escape through the bars to follow us. As we walked up the path, a police truck pulled up and from the back they pulled out a woman who appeared non responsive, and was only clothed with a small skirt. The rest was literally left for the eye to see. So the next two wards we went to, made me crumble. I could not handle this a moment longer -- open flesh wounds, rotting and flaking skin, and unclothed patients laying in the fields. I was overwhelmed. Praise the Lord we ran out of time. On the way out, there were beautiful violet blossoms on the ground, of which I gathered a few and placed them in my journal as to never forget these precious souls that the Lord loves that we will one day meet again.
- Sarah

Where do I even begin?? How can words possibly express the experiences we've had thus far in Uganda? Anything I say is bound to fall short of truly describing the witness of both the heartbreaking, as well as the awesome and joyful occurances. I'll begin by saying that God SO GOOD, and is definitely at work here in Uganda. Butabika Hospital specializes in mental healthcare. We visited there today (Thursday). The crusade that the staff are on to care for these patients is a most amazing sight - especially with all they have stacked against them. But they do their jobs humbly and with such grace - Praise the Lord!! To try to draw a mental picture: their facilities currently house 750 men and women who are in various stages of recovery from a variety of things ranging from drug & alcohol abuse, psychiatric disorders, and mental disease. The men's psychiatric ward alone currently holds 143 men for which there are only TWO nurses overseeing and administering care around the clock. Can you imagine!?
The facilities tour was candid, eye-opening, and heart-wrenching. We were able to see and interact with patients, which for many was a somewhat overwhelming experience. Within the confines of each ward, the patients were able to roam freely about, so interacting with them was not exactly optional - especially when you are a "Mazungu" (white person). Although my passion and desire has most definitely been to reach out to those who are suffering, I must say that it was not easy in this place...until I began to see each and every person through Jesus' eyes. The Lord transformed my sight in the woman's psychiatric ward when a woman (older than myself) approached me saying, "I love you mama. Mommy I love you," over and over. She put her arms around me and would not let me go. As she first approached, I stood there not knowing what to do, but as she desperately clung to me, my heart melted because it was clear that all she desired was to simply be loved and accepted. As I held her in my arms, I began to weep. No matter that I did not know her; no matter that the smell of uncleanliness was more overwhelming than I had yet to encounter; no matter that she was ill and rejected by this world. She is a child of my Father's, and He loves her just as He loves me. Everything else melted away as I tightly embraced her.
Here in Uganda, many of our hearts have been touched in areas that have never before been touched, and I believe that our visit to Butabika Hospital was a much larger dose of reality than many of us were expecting. I'm not going to lie - it was extremely difficult to see the kind of suffering in this place, but Praise the Lord that we were able to witnes there and be a light of God's radiant love to the people that the world has thrown away.
There have been countless amazing experiences here in Uganda, and we aren't even half done! The people here have treated us with such kindness and gratefulness, and the children are so precious! Please continue to pray DAILY for our team's unity, and the Lord's hand over all that we do. We have such an ambitious schedule, and many of us are tired, but it has all been for God's glory. Please also pray for the transformation of hearts and lives here in Uganda, as we teach our brothers and sisters about Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:9-13
Happy Birthday Dad! I love you.
-Amy

"Victory in Jesus!"
Devil's lair was raided today. Visited two state schools and performed five dramas. The drama is visual only (no words spoken) with powerful testimony from each team member of what Jesus Christ has done in our lives. Today we had approximately 500 children giving their lives to Jesus! A teacher and an administrator also accepted Christ! After the meetings, soccer balls with Scripture written on them were handed out - praise God! Though we are weak and tired, we left the results up to Jesus for His glory. Pray for these children that God would protect them and keep them!
Henry & Joe

In their own words...

It's already Thursday afternoon here, and the team is being used by God in massive ways.

In a few hours we'll do our first evening festival event in Luzira.

Each day the team has done a least six school assemblies...we've been to an orphange, spent time with slum children, and hosted an evangelistic dinner for business leaders and civic officials. And that's just the first four days!

Here are just a few stories from team members...in their own words. Check back each day for more stories and pictures....

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"I am not ashamed of the Gospel, it is the power of God at work saving everyone who believes... It is through faith that a righteous person has faith." - Rom. 1:16

Wowee, God is at work through everyone on the team... I see it in their faces. At the beginning of the trip, the drama skit was a mess and barely anyone knew their part and we were freaking out and praying like crazy because we needed to perform at three schools the next day! So we practiced that morning before going to Bethany Village (an orphanage/school) and all because of God, it was perfect! I love seeing God working through us!

We canoed over Lake Victoria to Bethany Village and Uncle Francis (coolest guy ever) showed us around. There were 177 kids with 11 operating homes, with 15-19 kids living with one housemother and one nurse for the whole village! When we were being showed a house, three little children popped out of nowhere. Timothy, Deborah and their little sister. They had the biggest smiles on their faces. They charged me, umping on me and playing with my hair; their giggles were the most beautiful sound my ears have ever heard. We have so, so, so much more than they have and yet they are much more happy than we are! Th rain started pouring, but that didn't stop the fun. Timothy, Deborah and I went crazy -- sliding, laughing, singing and splashing each other, I had complete joy! There were kids dropped by their sponsors because of the economic times. They were all lined up and I felt God tugging on my heart to sponsor Fiona Shelich Omega, and who am I to deny the Holy Spirit? So my first whole day in Africa and I have a child! Who knew?! Goodness, God is unbelievable! The next day we went to Infants Joy School to show our skit to the kids, and (not to my knowledge at the time) share a little bit of our testimony. Right when I walked into that school, I started crying. All of those smiling faces, desperate faces lookingat us like we were like celebrities, my heart melted. Our skit was amazing! I got punched by accident, talk about taking one for God's team! Then I had to speak and I've never spoken in front of more than twenty people, but I whispered, "Lord, give me the words" and all of the fear flooded out of me! And boy did I speak, I loved it. I really truly feel the Spirit inside of me, pouring out of me. We've done that about seven times so far, and every time I feel the Holy Spirit stronger than before. I love you all and thank you for your prayers and love! God is awesome! - Micah

PS - I love and miss you mom and dad and Snuggle, I miss you too! Gia Gawala (I love you)!

Day 1 - School Ministry

Our bus pulled into the small village once calle Geza-Geza (double darkness). Nestled within the large city, the huts line the dirt road. If I reach my arm out of the bus window, I could touch the hands of the people inside the huts. All of the pe9ople look at the big bus with "God is Good" painted on the dashboard as we dip and jump all over the road. "Mazoongu's!" the children yell, point and wave. I feel overwhelmed with anxiety... what will I say? What will I do? God is good, how will I show them? (Hindsight: God's Spirit will do it for me!)

The bus door swings open, and the children come running! They crowd me, and I squat to be near them and to look into their dark, beautful eyes. They want to touch me, so I let them. They reach out to me, one after another... After they get a touch of my hand, they want more... my hair, my lap, my arms. I hug them. They giggle. We exchange names and they smile. It is then that I can see hope in their eyes. They have nothing, but they are happy. They are children, expectantly waiting for us to bring them Good News... so we do. We sing, we praise God, and we share the truth of who Jesus is. How He was sent to earth by His FAther to seek and save the lost.

This was the first school of eight that I have visited in the past two days. It was called, "Sapphire"...and oh what a gem of a place! I want to share about each of these schools and how God's Sprit has moved in mighty ways. Each place is different, so we need to be SO flexible... but one thing doesn't change: sharing the hope of salvation through Jesus turns a "gaza-gaza" place into a "Nur-Nur" (double light).

Please pray for rest as we are very tired and need continual filling both physically and spiritually. Pray for continued boldness to share Christ; for God's Spirit to be on Jose and the entire team (our first festival is tomorrow)! Pray for team unity , good health, His words and not Ours, and more and more of Jesus!

Melissa

"Took Islamic School for Christ" -

Prior to arriving at school prayer offered up, I met the Muslim Headmaster of the school. He invited us in and then left. I shared Christ with 250 Muslim students, through the "Everything Skit" which was followed by a powerful salvation message. 100 souls saved!!! There were two Christian teachers, who had been praying for years that someone would come and share Christ with this school. Victory!!

Scott

"God Ordained Appointment"

Do you ever just know after the fact that God put you in the right place, at the right time, with the right people? Well that happened to me yesterday as our team went to what some here call the "Middle East Ghetto." As we unloaded from our van to walk down into this area of town, there was garbage laying on the sides of the path with little, precious children all along curiously welcoming us. There is a small church (room) tucked into the walls of these little shanties, called, "God is Able" and this is where I met Kristen and her friend and evangelist, Flavia. It really seemed by chance at first as we ended up breaking into groups for prayer and I just wasn't sure which direction to go, but saw a group of young men (most of whom we learned struggle with alcohol and drug addiction) on a bench and one woman alone on the end of the bench. So I went and sat by her and after talking a bit, we decided to break off and talk together. After learning her name and profession as a self-appointed evangelist for the ghetto area, another lady named Kristen came to join us. She told me she was the pastor's wife and explained how when they started the church,not many would come until they started feeding them three times a week. She also explained that she used to run a Christian school, but had to close it down because the city had built a barrier between the shanty town and the path to their local shopping mall where Kristen could take the children to the bathroomn as there were none in their area. Well the more we talked, the more my heart felt burdened and broken for these precious women who sacrifice their safety and their all for the love of these precious people, that most considered "down-and-outers." I kept thinking, what can I tangibly do for these women other than pray for them? (They don't take our prayers lightly though, but really covet and appreciate them, unlike how we sometimes take prayer for granted in the US -- at least I do). Anyway, all of a sudden, I thought of my extra witnessing tool called an "Evangecube" and pulled it out of my backpack. I told Flavia I had a gift for her that I thought she could use to help in her evangelism. As I walked her through this little block of a picture story with Kristin interpretting, her eyes watered up several times as she gently clasped her hands and nodded as it unfolded the gospel story from darkness to light. If you could have seen the look in her eyes of true gratitude for something that in the states we would probably leave tucked in the back of a closet until our next mission's trip, you would know that what we do here, really matters to these precious, grateful people! Oh I pray God will continue to bless this little church in the ghetto of Luzira, and that he will multiply His kingdom a thousand fold as little Flavia goes door-to-door (well many don't have doors, but you get the gist) with her Evangecube and heart that longs for others to know Jesus as she does. Thank you Lord for this God-appointed meeting today!!

Becky

Day one for schools in Luzira

Here we go!

The teams have been working hard at music and drama to Christ in schools. It's Tuesday and we're in five schools, mostly ages 6-14.

As well, we'll have a team on the streets sharing Jesus in the marketplace.

Pray for the Spirit to work through the teams and for salvation to be our reward.

Here's the drama team doing a skit to the Lifehouse song "everything".

We'll have some team members share their perspective in the next blog...

We've all arrived...WITH our luggage!

We're all here!

After a smooth connection in Amsterdam, the Oregon and North Carolina teams have officially combined.

Othr than the bus breaking down twice from the airport to the hotel (pretty normal...and wasn't long)...all's well.

It's already Monday morning here. Breakfast at 7:30. Off to an orphanage from 9:00am to mid afternoon.

The team's going to Bethany Village, an orphanage run by our ministry partners, Africa Renewal Ministries. It's a 20 minute boat ride away on Lake Victoria.

Not a bad way to begin!

Things have calmed down from the rioting last week.

Please continue to pray for wisdom, safety, and divine appointments as we lift up the name of Jesus wherever we go.

Later tonight, team members Gil and Randy will join us from a week of preaching in Lura and Gulu.

And we'll meet with local pastor in Luzira tonight for prayer and planning the week's events.

Remember, we're 7 hours ahead from East Coast time!

Rejoicing,

Jose Zayas

We've all arrived...WITH all our luggage!

We're headed to Uganda...in the midst of the riots...

It's been a crazy 48 hours.

As our team of 23 have been busy getting ready for a two-week mission in Kampala, news of civil unrest has spread around the world. It's amazing how quickly a peaceful city can be turned upside down.

We've talked with local leaders.  We're keeping up to date on the latest information.

And after prayer and lots of discussion, wer'e still set to go!

Times of turmoil are often a unique opportunity to spread the Gospel.

Don't worry.  We're not looking for trouble! 

Jesus didn't look for trouble.  He lived HIs life to rescue those far from the Father.  And sometimes that means going to difficult--even dangerous places. 

We leave on Saturday from Portland, San Francisco, and Charlotte...connecting in Amsterdam and then flying into Entebbe by Sunday night.

Please pray for the team.  For safety. For the Spirit's power.  For courage.

Pray for:

Amy, Austin, Becky, Brad, Bruce, David K., David U., Don, Henry, Jenny, Joe, Jose (me!), Margie, Melissa, Megan, Micah, Pat, Randy, Rebekah, Renee, Sarah, Scott, Tim...all from the US.

Pray for the communities of Luzira (a section of Kampala, where riots have broken out) and Soroti.

Pray for many to come to faith in Christ and the churches to be re-ignited for outreach.

We'll keep you posted on what God does over the next two weeks.  As you read the blogs, pray and pray some more.

For souls in Uganda,

Jose Zayas

I no longer hate the middle seat...

Flying in the middle seat stinks.

You can't lean on the window. You can't stretch into the aisle.  You're stuck.

After a great morning preaching at Journey church and brunch with friends, I dropped off the rental car at Charlotte airport and was ready for some relaxing downtime.

I already had confirmed first class upgrade on Delta from Charlotte to Atlanta and Atlanta to Portland.

Perfect.

That is until I saw the huge line at the Delta counter and braced for the worst.

Bad news.  My flights were canceled.

Good news.  They had already booked me on a direct flight from US Airways to Portland that would get me home an hour earlier.

Bad news.  Only middle seats were left.

After posting a whiny Facebook status about my middle seat, a couple of friends sent quick replies:

Kevin: "God put you there to witness.  Double the opportunity."

Jim: "I don't think the evangelists of old would have considered this a concern."

Man....were they right!  After a quick prayer of repentance while walking down the jetway, I settled in my brain that God must have changed my airline and seat for a reason.

You'd think I would default to that mindset after years of watching God orchestrate events like this.

But after a long weekend of travel and preaching...I just wanted to check out and sleep.

God had different plans.

By providence, Amelia sat next to me in the aisle seat.  A quick chat and we both discovered we go to Solid Rock church.

Accident?  Coincidence?  I don't think so.

We talked about everything under the sun.  Relationships.  Product development (she leads a team that designs ladies clothing for Nike....fascinating job).  Theology.  Even the difference between grape purple and plum purple (this is evidently a big deal in women's fashion....I'm more of a a gray or black clothing kinda guy).

We laughed.  I learned a bunch.  And made a new friend.

I look forward to meeting her husband Todd. I look forward to seeing my new friends at church.

I look forward to a serious discount at Nike (hey...she offered and I gladly accepted!).

I still hate sitting in the middle seat on airplanes.  But I'm grateful for God's reminder that no matter where I sit, or what plane I take, He always has something great in store.

It's a matter of perspective.

My next flight is from Portland to Amsterdam and Amsterdam to Uganda.  While I'm praying for more free upgrades, I'm more open to whatever God would have...even if that means sitting in the middle.

(However...Lord....people in first class need to know you too!)

jose

Pastor Dennis and the Church under the Mango Tree...

Here's a video with my dear friend from Charlotte, Will Oswald, who recently joined me in Uganda to teach at Pastor's conferences.

On Sunday morning, he spoke at a unique church....one that meets under a mango tree.

Meet Pastor Dennis, who's village congregation has worked hard to build a permanent place to worship....brick-by-brick.

Now we get the privilege, when our team returns in September, to purchase and put a roof on this church.

This is just one of the many joys we have when on mission in Uganda.  Preaching the Gospel, raising up biblical, evangelistic leaders, and finding unique ways to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jesus loving brothers and sisters in expanding God's work.

Enjoy!!!

Church under the Mango Tree... from Jose Zayas on Vimeo.