WELCOME TBI STUDENTS

It has finally arrived - the Tri-Annual Bible Institute for our village pastors and leaders.  We have been praying and preparing for this event for months.  We are excited as to how God will use these men to reach many souls for Christ. 

Our first Tri-Annual Bible Institute class

However, since this week is just beginning and I don't have much to share regarding it, walk with me back a week to days full of unexpected turns and twists.  On Tuesday we had a big rain storm with marble-sized hail stones.  Keith and I happened to be driving to the church and had to pull over under a tree as we feared our windshield breaking.  As we were waiting for the storm to lessen, we tried listening to our radio station, but there was dead silence.  Our fear was that the station had been hit and everything had been fried.  We were glad that we were wrong.  However, the inverter had been zapped, which is what everything goes through for electricity.  Early Wednesday morning Keith headed to Kampala to see if it could be fixed.  Needless to say, Keith's eyes bugged out when he saw the bill of $1,000!  But then the man found out that we had just purchased it in May.  He didn't want his products to get a bad reputation of needing parts replaced so soon after purchase, so he said it would be written off as still being under warranty.  Thank You, Lord!

This is our church kitchen. The pans sit down inside of the "stove.  They are HEAVY to lift out!

On Thursday Keith sat down to print the booklets for the students this week, only to discover that the storm had also taken out both of his printers at the church.  Unable to do anything without the printers, he was getting ready to come home when he discovered his motorcycle had a flat.  He left it parked at the radio and walked home instead. He decided to take a bus to Mbarara (where his family lives) and buy a printer from there.  He waited for 1-1/2 hours that night and finally came back home as no buses ever came through.  Early Friday morning he drove down, made his purchase, and returned by noon to start the printing. 

Lunch of matoke, posho, rice, g-nut sauce, and cooked cabbage.

Then Saturday morning dawned.  On the second load of laundry, my washing machine decided to give up.  I finished the load by hand, and then started working on binding the booklets Keith had printed.  Not even half-way through, the binder broke.  When Keith came home, he was able to rig up the binder enough to cooperate and finish the job, but the washing machine problem is in the motor and is a hopeless case, I'm afraid.  He was able to replace the tire on his motorcycle, but when he was driving it home that night, the headlight burnt out!

Thankful for our home church outfitting the dorm with beds & mattresses.

We are hoping that our "little black rain cloud" has moved on and that nothing will prevent this week from being great.  Sixteen men are staying in our dorms and are excited to be learning foundational truths that will help them be better pastors and leaders to their churches.  Please pray for this week, for these men, and for Keith. 

Every night is church service this week. Keith preached about becoming a light that draws people.