One of the ways that Mission Fellowship stewards the provision God gives us through the church family is to help in whatever way we can when Jesus calls one of His children from within our church body to serve Him in a particular way. Recently, the Mission family was able to assist one of our own, Susan Marthaller, as she stepped out in faith and traveled to Uganda with a group called Gospel Messengers. Mission was able to assist with a small amount to help in the work that was done. Below, you will see what the Lord taught Susan in her own words. Thank you Mission family for your desire to give generously to the Lord's work.
Dear Mission Family:
Thank you for supporting me in my recent trip to Uganda. I am grateful to have had your prayers and love during this difficult trip.
I know that some of you have experienced the overwhelming poverty and chaos of Africa, and will understand when I say I felt a sense of hopelessness while there. We drilled one well and installed the pump for one village to have clean water, but on the way to that village passed many people gathering dirty surface water for drinking. We completed the painting of one brick/concrete school structure, but the other temporary structures for the same school were crumbling at our feet. We christened a new latrine for children at a school, but I lamented there was no soap or water for washing after using the bathroom. We gave shoes and gifts to the sponsored children, but many children lacked these basics.
And always I wondered, how can one school, one well, one latrine change the total brokenness of this country? One day I watched a group of boys playing with a ball made of banana leaves and girls jumping rope with a frayed piece of twine. I asked if we could buy some balls for each school to have two. One for the boys and one for the girls! The kids were so grateful for this small bit of fun and I understood that God can work as much in these small ways as in a big overarching way. We can plant these small seeds and God can use them to change a child, a village, and a country.
One of the interpreters for our group was a 41-year-old-man born in a small, rural village with no school. By the time he was ready for primary school, Gospel Messengers (the group I served with), had built its first school in his village. He completed primary, was sponsored for a residential high school, and earned a business degree from a college in Kampala. Today, he speaks four languages, ministers at the Gospel Messengers church, is on staff to interpret for missions teams and is carrying a legacy of education and God’s love to another generation.
What can one school, one well, one clean toilet, one teaching from the Bible do? It can save a life for eternity.
In God’s love and hopefulness,
Susan Marthaller
Here are a couple pictures from the trip as well:
