God's Salvation Power

Twenty-one year old Katie approached a Buddhist family sitting in their yard. Here is her story: "After sharing God's story from Creation to Christ, I did not feel led to ask them if they wanted to accept Jesus' free gift, yet, so I asked if they needed healing for anything. The man and woman said yes, their legs. I prayed and asked them to stand, and they said it was somewhat better. I prayed again; they said it was almost completely healed. Then I asked them to repeat a prayer after me. Again, they received more healing. Finally, I asked them to pray silently and ask God to heal them. Then they stood up and were completely healed! The man got up and literally started running around. His smile was unbelievably large. After that, this family of five all accepted Christ! When I returned to disciple them, two more people were there. They, too, were healed and accepted Christ. God is so good!" 

Katie and her disciples

A mom of two young girls, left them and her husband at home and traveled to Thailand with us on her first mission trip. Here is how Lisa communicated some of her experience: "Amazing! In one word, I would say miraculous. Never in my life did I believe in modern-day miracles. I heard many stories, but my faith to see it with my own eyes did not exist. We met a sweet single mom, and she was drawn to as by hearing us share with a man playing guitar on the street corner. We heard her moving story, and I felt compelled to share my story with her. After hearing my testimony and that of my team members, she teared up and wanted to hear God's story. She accepted Christ! She then requested prayer for a back issue that prevented her from standing without assistance. We prayed. Moments later after we finished praying, she stood up quickly and exclaimed, 'I am healed!'  This was something I never believed could happen. Others standing around noticed and smiled--the entire street corner felt God's love and power. His faithfulness blew my mind! I will never forget the love that God gave me for the Thai people."

Lisa's new friend has no problem kneeling for the photo

Megan's most memorable experience how the fish keeper Sansong came to Christ. "God was testing my obedience to follow His voice. On Monday, we went down a long road that led us to a fish pond. We felt led to share with a man sitting under a covering near the pond. He was very welcoming as we shared the gospel, but when asked if he wanted to follow Jesus, he responded, 'No, because I'm a Buddhist.' But as we returned each day to visit, I could see God chasing away layers of hindrances.  Sansong began to delight in the story of how Jesus called the fishermen to be His disciples. He finally shared His most pressing worry: "Is it a sin to catch fish?' We explained it was not, but nonetheless, Jesus covers all sins. He beamed with joy at this news. He then shared that his daughter was a Christian and had shared God's story with him several times,but he had not heard such relatable stories. He asked us to pray for his daughter to get a good job and that night his daughter received a well-paying job in Bangkok. Sansong began to see how Jesus is the living God. On the third day I woke up and God revealed to me that I was to share the shepherd story with Sansong. I had no idea how a fish keeper would relate to a shepherd, but I was obedient and we read the story together. Sansong began laughing with joy and stated he related most to this story because he was a shepherd of his fish and now understood God's love. He then decided to become a follower of Jesus. Before we even got to train him how to share his new faith with others, Sansong was sharing God's story of forgiveness with other fishermen."

Pastor Yut, Sansong, and Megan

Team member Mary, who has been on about a dozen trips with e3, shares her story of personally seeing God for the first time heal physically: "A 63-year-old widow heard God's story and was very receptive and open. We prayed for her knee as she had a hard time walking and was home bound. The Lord healed her and then she received Jesus, the healer of the heart. When we saw her later in the day, she had walked to her mother-in-law's house. Her mother-in-law wanted knee and eye healing; the Lord healed both. After hearing the story of Jesus, she also received him with joy. When we returned for Bible study, they were waiting for us, their knees and eyes healed--no cane for the 81-year-old! We studied the story of Zaccheus; the Lord was teaching them so many things about Him. They said they knew Jesus loved them and they wanted to tell their family about Him, so we practiced with them how to share God's story." 

A few other highlights include 15-year-old Cameron's Buddhist translator Bee receiving Christ on Wednesday after watching God heal two people physically. Anne had the privilege of praying healing for a monk in his 40s. The following day as we continued discussions with him, he said all religions teach people to do good things. We agreed with him and then explained that only Jesus forgives sin. He listened intently to what Anne continued to share with him, and he asked the Thai Christians to meet with him, even after Anne's departure.

God's greatest work was His ministry of reconciliation, drawing 80 Northern Thai people to himself for all eternity. 244 others heard His story and will contemplate this truth as we continue to pray for their salvation. Although we had to return home, 62 people were trained to share their faith and will continue the work. A total of 20 small groups were begun, and we will continue to pray they will develop into house churches as our Christian Thai partners continue the discipleship process with these new believers and seekers.

Tatiana Walks

Tatiana, a nine-year-old little girl unable to move her legs at all from birth, had such a sweet tenderness about her. Terri and 16-year-old Taylor met her Monday as she sat in the dirt in front of her home, arms and legs atrophied from lack of use. They didn't have time to share God's story at that moment, so they prayed for her, that God would heal her spiritually and physically. After praying, the team asked Tatiana if she could stand. Taylor shared, "Everyone standing there kept saying 'It's impossible.'" That's when Terri bent down and picked up Tatiana at the waist to see if she could stand. She could not. The team prayed a second time, which is when Tatiana's chest started pounding and a beautiful smile, a smile of joy, came across her face. Terri asked if something was happening in her body, and Tatiana nodded, "Yes."

Patrick and Christian praying fervently over Tatiana

Later that day, Terri returned as promised to carry Tatiana to the children's program. After story time, Taylor's mom held Tatiana, running with her for all the games. The team was fairly certain that this was the FIRST time that this child had ever played running games with the village children. Her joy was overwhelming for the team.

Because of the rain, Taylor wasn't able to meet up with Tatiana on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Patrick's Peruvian national wanted him to share God's story with Gloria, Tatiana's grandmother. As they came to the home, Patrick's translator suggested they pray for Tatiana, so Patrick shares, "I did, but I was lacking the faith that anything would happen. Sure enough, nothing happened." The translator suggested they pray again, so as they prayed a second time, Patrick says, "I felt God's heart for this little girl, how much it hurt Him that Tatiana has not been able to move her legs or walk her whole life. Then I see her legs move, but she could not stand. I was ready to give up, but my translator said we should pray one more time. I prayed and began to cry  for her with God's heart and to pray with a pure and undistracted heart that she be healed." While Tatiana was not physically healed, her grandmother was healed spiritually as she put faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of her sins!

Patrick will never forget how God used him to bring healing to Tatiana both physically and spiritually

As Patrick and his team left the house, he heard clearly in his mind, "Son, your sins are forgiven" from the story of the quadraplegic at Capernaum that he had read to his team that morning: "God was reminding me the order of things by asking in my mind 'How much more miraculous is it that I have forgiven her sins?' I was deeply humbled by the revelation that I had witnessed a miracle far greater than Tatiana's walking. I saw her grandmother receive Jesus! I walked away joyful and praising God that He had spared her, but also grieved that Tatiana still was not walking." 

Taylor went to Tatiana's home shortly after that, not knowing Patrick had just visited them. Taylor shares what happened next: "We were all sitting around the table, and I asked Tatiana how she felt. She responded, 'Very good.' Then, out of nowhere, she says excitedly, 'Grandma, Look!' and Tatiana stood up! I was in shock and couldn't believe my eyes. She then walked across the room with the support of my translator! Soon after that, Patrick and the rest of the team came to Tatiana's house and watched as she practiced her standing and walking. I am so blessed to have met Tatiana and am so excited to meet her again, in our new bodies in heaven." You see, when Patrick returned to train Gloria in how to share her faith, Tatiana became a follower of Jesus!

Taylor and Betty could not believe what God had allowed them to experience

The heart of God is full of compassion. May we all ask God to give us His heart for all people. 

Signs and Wonders in India

"So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who bore witness to the word of his grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands"  Acts 14:3.

Yes, our team of 19 spoke boldly to the mostly Hindus with some Muslims they met in homes in Mumbai, and the Lord demonstrated His power through them. Here a just a few of the stories.

Terri, Megan and Logan worshiped Sunday morning with a Christian church we were partnering with. Following the service, a man about 70 years old approached the team for prayer. He had been blinded two years earlier when acid got in his eyes; he could see shadows, but that was the extent of his sight. Terri asked if she could put her hands on Sunjit's eyes while the team prayed, and he agreed. After about 30 seconds of prayer, Terri removed her hands and asked, "Can you see? Did Jesus heal you?" He looked around and stated matter-a-factly, "I am 30% better." The team prayed again. Once again he was asked if he was healed, and once again he looked around and stated routinely, "I am 50% better."

At this point, Terri asked him if he would like 100 percent healing. He stated that he did. Therefore, Terri asked him to pray for his own healing while the team prayed alongside him. He prayed, head bowed and lips moving slightly. Again, Terri asked if Jesus healed him, and he informed them he was 60% better. Terri and this Indian man then got down on their knees as together they went to God, asking for 100% healing. Next, he was at 75% healing, then 90%.  Interestingly, he then announced he was leaving. The team was shocked!

"We thought you wanted 100% healing?" Terri asked.
"I do, but I will come back next week," he replied through the translator.

At this point, the team wasn't sure if he was overwhelmed by what God was doing and couldn't process it, so felt he needed to leave, or if the enemy was trying to prevent him from receiving 100% healing. After persuasion from the pastor, he stayed and together we prayed, and his healing was 90% again. And, again, he wanted to leave, but agreed to stay at the pastor's encouragement.

This time after prayer he stated, "I know I'm 95% healed, but I won't know if it's 100% until I try to cross the street." That's a very perceptive statement because in Mumbai you really don't want to cross the street without 100% vision!

To assess the situation, the pastor asked him to read the sign that was across the courtyard on a door about 30 yards away. He read it out loud to the joy and exclamations of himself and the team! What incredible joy filled the room, as together we praised God for His healing and mercy. 

What a privilege it was for our team to pray over so many sick and hurting people

More Wonders of God's Power
Dhananjay, a Hindu who became a follower of Jesus on Wednesday when Lauren shared with him, was overwhelmed by God's forgiveness. He kept asking, "God REALLY forgives my sin, ALL my sin?" We assured him yes, providing scripture to prove it. In fact, in prayer together, we asked God to show him his sin and as God revealed his sin to him, we suggested he take those sins in his mind's eye and mentally lay them at the foot of Jesus' cross. We sat in complete silence for two minutes, and then said amen. When we opened our eyes, you could see the joy and peace emanating from Dhananjay face and eyes. Now he KNEW he was forgiven; the Lord had met him and assured him.

Next we did a Second Bible study with him, using Luke 24:44-49. When he was asked if there was anything he didn't understand, he responded with verse 49: "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

"What does this power mean?" he inquired. The pastor with us started to give him the answer, but Terri asked him to wait.
We then asked Dhananjay, "What happened when you became a follower of Jesus yesterday?"
"My sins were forgiven and when I die, I will go to God in heaven," he responded smiling.
"What else happened?" Terri asked.
"I received the Holy Spirit," he said.
"Correct," she replied. "Now read the verse again."
After he read it to himself, he exclaimed, "The power is holy power!"

Dhananjay (on the right) came to Christ along with his son

Wow! We were all blessed by his insight. Truly, the Holy Spirit is accurately defined as Holy Power. And Dhananjay knows that power is his as a follower of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will reveal many wonderful truths from scripture to him. In fact, he was so amazed with scripture that he stayed up ALL night reading the Book of John, hence he fell asleep the next day during the Bible study!

It is so encouraging knowing that when we leave, these baby believers will be well taken care of by the nationals we are partnering with, and more importantly, the Holy Power will be with them!

Discovering Where God is at Work

With Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's approaching, may of us will visit with friends, co-workers, neighbors, and extended family, and these visits can be wonderful opportunities to share the hope we have in Jesus Christ. Leading missiologist Carol Davis says, "When you find the spiritually hungry and prepared people, you have found 'good soil' that God has prepared for an abundant harvest. Now you are on God's agenda." Wouldn't you agree it's always easier to share God's love when it's His agenda? But how do we find those prepared people? 

Often, when we join God in what He is doing, there is a great harvest. While on the mission field, one of the ways to see where God is working is to find a Person of Peace. A Person of Peace is the doorway into the surrounding community...or to your neighborhood, workplace, school.

As we prepare to Go to our neighborhoods, workplaces, or schools, one of the most important things to do is to pray for a "Person of Peace." What does that mean? When Jesus sent His disciples out to share about Him, He told them to look for a "Person of Peace." He admonished them: "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.' If a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house" (Luke 10:5-7). Jesus simply tells His disciples what to do. He doesn't explain why. But when we look at examples from the rest of the New Testament (examples like Zaccheus, Cornelius, Lydia, the Gadarene demoniac, and the Samaritan woman at the well), the "Person of Peace" is someone God has prepared, in advance, to receive both the messenger (you) and the message (story of God's love, i.e. Gospel). This person opens the door to his own network of friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.

Chief Sung was a person of peace in Pum Veal, Cambodia

A Person of Peace has three consistent characteristics:

Receptive: A Person of Peace is an unbeliever who has been prepared by the Holy Spirit. He always welcomes the messenger (you) and is open to the Gospel. 

Reputation: A Person of Peace is well-known in his workplace, neighborhood, school, whether for good or for bad. Some biblical examples with good reputations include Cornelius (Acts 10) and Lydia (Acts 16). Others were well-known for their bad reputations, like the woman at the well (John 4) and the Gadarene demoniac (Mark 5). Yet, when each accepted Christ, their character was radically changed. God gained the glory for these transformations. 

Influential: As the others watch the life transformation begin, they are drawn to the reason for the change. A Person of Peace is willing to introduce his or her circle of influence to Christ. They tell others the wonderful things Jesus has done for them. 

A Modern Day "Lydia"
An e3 team in Slovenia met a woman who lived in the village where they were planting a new church. This gracious woman offered her home as a meeting place. The next day she accepted Christ. She was a Muslim fortune-teller who read tea leaves and coffee grounds to predict the future. Through her circle of influence, 21 people received Christ. They started a house church in her home. After reading the story of Lydia in the Bible, this woman renamed herself "Mama Lydia." Finding a Person of Peace is key to establishing the work in a particular area (your neighborhood, workplace, school), as in the case of Mama Lydia. It has been found that when a new church or small group is built along natural friendships and family lines, the "Body" grows more quickly and often makes a greater impact than groups that do not share the same natural relationships.

So, as the holidays approach and you go into your neighborhood, workplace, and school, remember that God has been there before you. You are looking for a Person of Peace to share your story (testimony) and God's story (Gospel) with. And because God is the One who is drawing them to Himself, you will be encouraged and blessed by their openness. So start praying diligently for God to reveal a Person of Peace in your spheres of influence.

God Uses Young Team Members

The following stories are shared by e3 Legacy leader Jim Corbin from when his team of 26 North Americans served in Costa Rica this summer. Twelve of the team members were under the age of eighteen! God used the youngest team members to further His Kingdom, even from the beginning of their time around Tarbaca, Costa Rica.

Listen in as Jim shares about their first day in the field:

Tonight, as we shared stories of what God did today, most of the stories came from voices of youth, excitedly sharing their stories of leading their first people to Christ.  People in the community where 13-year-old Patrick is serving told him not to approach a certain house, because a witch lived there.  With his translator and local church member, Patrick went anyway.  As Patrick listened to the woman’s story, he learned that she felt lonely.  The community had stopped talking to her or visiting her.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Patrick led the woman to Christ.

Jessica came with her 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and had concerns about whether her daughter would be bold enough to share her story and the Gospel without her mother at her side. Tonight, as Elizabeth shared her story about going into a school to ask about talking with the children there, Jessica realized that God was working in her daughter’s life.

Halfway through the week, God continues to amaze His missionaries:

Sometimes God just likes to show off. Early in the week, God already demonstrated that He had prepared us to encounter specific people during our time in Costa Rica. On Wednesday, He took things to new levels.

Monday evening, Darren and Sara, led by the Holy Spirit, shared the Gospel with people who serve our team meals at the restaurant connected to where we are staying. Yenner, who had asked what our team is doing here, accepted Christ.  Just as our team has done throughout the five communities where we are serving this week, Darren and Sara tried to set up a discipleship meeting with Yenner. They requested to meet Wednesday night, but Yenner was not scheduled to work on Wednesday and was, therefore, unavailable.

On Wednesday afternoon, when a discipleship meeting Trena and Ryan had scheduled fell through, they looked to share the Gospel with new people.  As the time neared for them to head back for a different discipleship meeting, Trena decided to go down a dirt path and share the Gospel at just one more house.  As she, Ryan and Gabriel, their translator, approached the house, Ryan saw people working in the yard and thought she recognized a familiar face from the restaurant where we eat breakfast and dinner each day. Sure enough, in the community where Trena and Ryan are serving this week, half an hour from where we are staying, they bumped into Yenner and his wife. They scheduled a discipleship meeting for Thursday in Yenner’s home.

  

In a different community, Jessica saw a house with a verse from Isaiah on the door and asked the owners about its significance. She quickly learned that the people who lived there were Jehovah’s Witnesses. On a handful of recent occasions, including the church service in Costa Rica on Sunday, the Lord had shown Jessica Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” Even though Jessica felt ill-prepared for conversation with Jehovah’s Witnesses, God showed her His ability to carry her through that situation. Jessica, who speaks some Spanish, had a Spanish-English Bible with her. She had owned this Bible for nearly ten years, but had not used it recently. Wednesday afternoon, at just the right time, she discovered a paper in its front cover with Bible verses addressing the doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses—something from a Bible study years earlier. We are continually encouraged to see how God is accomplishing His purposes each day, as we look to Him to guide our steps.

During the week, the LORD continued to bless the area of Tarbaca with His grace to those whose hearts were softened. We were able to share the Gospel with 380 individuals, and of those, 210 accepted Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior. In addition, the teams were able to start 39 discipleship groups where 174 individuals attended during the five days. As part of the celebration, Austin shared that this week God showed him that he needed to surrender everything to God. Austin told us that sharing his faith was one area in his life that he has had trouble with, and everyone in the room agreed that this is something we all struggle with in our walks with the LORD.

What in the World Are We Here For?

So often, we become wrapped up in the the daily grind of life, and we forget all about the mission that God has entrusted us with.  All around us are people in desperate need of being reconciled to their Creator, yet we are too busy to notice.  Too busy to remember the power of the God who drew us to Himself.  Unencumbered by their daily routines, God gave our team members a clear view of His call, and the might and power that are ours through the Holy Spirit.  These are some of their stories:

Meagan, 18, shares her favorite story: "I went to Cecilia's house and shared the gospel with her and her husband, Peter. They loved God's story. I asked if they knew where they were going when they died, and they were taken back a little bit. Peter said 'no,' so I explained heaven and hell. They weren't ready to accept Christ, so I asked if there was anything that they needed me to pray for. Cecilia pointed to her little baby who was sick with malaria; the baby was laying there barely awake or moving. I prayed over the baby and said I would come back tomorrow to see them and check on baby Justine.  They also said their 16-year-old boy sitting was mentally challenged since birth. I was running late, so I said I would pray for him the next day!  When I returned, the husband wasn't there, but Justine was looking a little better. I sat and talked with Cecilia and then prayed over Frank, who looks and acts like he's 5 years old. It was very heartbreaking to see him sitting there not active and drool coming from his mouth.  Cecilia told me that he won't let anybody touch him but her, so praying over him wasn't easy. I went back again and was surprised to see Justine crawling around and playing, perfectly healthy! I just wanted to thank God for healing Cecilia's precious baby girl. I talked with Cecilia and prayed over Frank again and then left. On Thursday, Cecilia finally accepted Christ and I was so excited!! I prayed over Frank again and could see a huge difference in him. He was walking around and trying to talk. I went back again and sat with Cecilia again. She kept thanking me for coming back every single day and showing love for her and her children. Justine was as happy as ever and Frank was looking great, playing, trying to talk, smiling, and walking around.  He was still drooling, but he was letting me touch him and kept going into the house and finding little gifts for me (even if it was just a bean or piece of plastic). Cecilia told me that she could see a huge difference in him since I had been praying for him, and I told her that it was just God working. I grew extremely close to Cecilia and her beautiful family and was sad to leave them, But I know that God is watching over them and that one day Frank will be healed." As we show love, walls are broken down, and reconciliation between God and Cecilias can take place.

Sterling and Anahi, a young, newly engaged couple who served in Uganda, share some of their thoughts: "Thank you. I could say it a hundred times, and still not have said it enough. Thank you. Thank you from our team. Thank you from pastor Benjamin, a Ugandan who was in the village with us, and who marveled at the sight of the works of God. Thank you from pastor Molly, who will be leading the church that you helped plant there, in Mkandwa. Thank you from Sandy and Richard, two young men who were healed physically in Mkandwa. And thank you from Saidat, Sekamanya, Peter, Waswa, and the dozens of others who were healed spiritually, who were redeemed and brought back to relationship with their Creator, and who are pursuing to know Him further through the study of His Word still today.

God saved many people in the surrounding villages of Masaka, Uganda, because you participated as senders and prayers. One lady in Anahi's village named Ida was a 50-year-old woman who lived in a hut with her brother because her only son stole her money and ran away. God saved Ida the week we were in her village, Masambya, and she is now attending a discipleship group with another girl in her village. Ida is such a sweet grandma to all the children in the village, and we all will continue to pray that God will use her in amazing ways as well as by sharing God's love story with all the children in her village." 

Uganda was David, Susannah, and their four children's first mission trip. It was a joy to watch God us this family in a powerful way. David served with two of his children, Mary Frances (14) and Will (9), while Susannah ministered with Blake (17) and Louisa (11) in a neighboring village. Here are a few of their stories:

·         Louisa was speaking to a woman in Saaza village on Friday and she told Louisa that, “Some blond-haired boy much too young is sharing the Gospel in Gayaza.”  These two villages are almost 15 miles away from each other and yet The Word spreads quickly.  I’m so glad we didn’t cheat Will from this amazing experience in Uganda by leaving him behind because he was too young.

·         Susannah spoke to a well-versed older man for hours over a few days who was skeptical about Jesus; after a few days and much prayer with his wife, the husband and wife, Charles and Harriett, asked Susannah to come in to their home, “We’ve been waiting for you.”  She continued studying the bible with them and, sometime after, he told her interpreters that he was ready to accept Jesus Christ.  His wife cried and the rest of the team did also.  They told Susannah that they were both HIV-positive but their outlook on life was forever changed knowing they now had accepted God’s gift of everlasting life and forgiveness.  We gave them no money or food or any other benefit.  Only the greatest gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God graced them to accept this gift by faith.  They were overjoyed and later he became the Person of Peace for the village of Saaza, who will lead the people there to create a new church.

·         On the trip to the airport in Entebbe, we had to pass through a security checkpoint where they always require you to get out of the vehicle for inspection.  As we rolled down the window to speak to one of the stern looking Ugandan Military Police holding an AK-47 machine gun, our driver said, “These are missionaries.  They are heading home now to America.”  At first, Susannah and I started looking around for who he was talking about.  We had never ever thought of ourselves as missionaries.   It felt like we were in a movie.  And yet I asked the officer as he contemplated, “Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?”  He responded with a big smile, “I am born again!  You may pass.”

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FW: My Uganda Mission Trip Prayer Team e3/Uganda:2013 x David Schorlemer Jul 3 Reply to me, Andreas Thank you thank you thank you!  We love you all, too.  See my letter below.  I adapted a few lines from David Rinke’s letter. David S. Schorlemer Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer STALLION OILFIELD SERVICES 950 Corbindale, Suite 300 | Houston, TX  77024 713.275-4162 (Direct) | 713.724-4169 (Cell) www.stallionoilfield.com ++++++CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE++++++ The information in this email may be confidential and/or privileged. This email is intended to be reviewed by only the individual or organization named above. If you are not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination or copying of this email and its attachments, if any, or the information contained herein is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system. Thank You

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FW: My Uganda Mission Trip Prayer Team e3/Uganda:2013 x David Schorlemer Jul 3 Reply to me, Andreas Thank you thank you thank you!  We love you all, too.  See my letter below.  I adapted a few lines from David Rinke’s letter. David S. Schorlemer Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer STALLION OILFIELD SERVICES 950 Corbindale, Suite 300 | Houston, TX  77024 713.275-4162 (Direct) | 713.724-4169 (Cell) www.stallionoilfield.com ++++++CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE++++++ The information in this email may be confidential and/or privileged. This email is intended to be reviewed by only the individual or organization named above. If you are not the intended recipient or an authorized representative of the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any review, dissemination or copying of this email and its attachments, if any, or the information contained herein is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender by return email and delete this email from your system. Thank You From: David Schorlemer Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2013 8:01 PM To: 'bkinney@ccatexas.org'; 'john.young2@ubs.com'; 'burtmoritz@earthlink.net'; 'tpierce@caldive.com'; 'Christian.Post@hp.com'; 'inkling1016@yahoo.com'; 'Jeff.Berkhouse@cardinalhealth.com'; 'ssendelbach@holmesmurphy.com'; 'ttrcka@lockton.com' Subject: My Uganda Mission Trip Prayer Team Gentlemen, I wanted to thank you and your families for your abundant prayers during our trip to Uganda to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and tell the story of God’s love for His people.  God did amazing things all throughout our journey.  We were welcomed by humble, soft-spoken, beautiful Ugandan people.  They were so grateful for our presence and their happy, joyful children were a blessing.  As you read this, I want you to imagine walking alongside me on the dirt paths of a Ugandan village on a hillside overlooking a river valley and sitting by my side while we ministered to the Ugandans because you were there with me in spirit. As we arrived at the mother church and other venues throughout the week, we were greeted with a chorus of drums played by the children, a group of children singing and rhythmic dancing.  They celebrate the greatness of Our Creator with an enthusiasm that brings joy to your heart.  They honor God with every aspect of song (instruments, voice and dance).  Throughout the week I wept with joy over how they worshipped.  This was a beautiful thing to see the youngest to oldest worshiping with a smile and enthusiasm.  Ugandans feel a need for God in ways that some who live in so many comforts of the West today do not.  This alone has inspired me to rely more on God and be in constant relationship with Him. The Ugandan nationals (partner churches) were humbled by the way we sat with individual villagers to get to know them and understand where each person stood in their relationship with our Creator.  Although many villagers carried a title of a specific denomination, some were trapped in works over God’s grace and in condemnation or a feeling of hopelessness for their situation.  Our mission was not to strip them away from their denomination but rather to help them know the Jesus of the Bible, help them capture the individual relationship with God that He desires and have them embrace God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9) and to access their inheritance of God’s bounty for each of them. As we sat on a mat or small stool in their humble mud-hut or handmade brick homes to begin a bible study, one family shared how happy they were to be walking in the love and grace of Christ, freed from condemnation.  In several situations, I could see the hopelessness and despair caused from living with AIDS or the death of their husband or their uncertainty about receiving School Fees for their children or other difficult circumstance melt from their face as they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.  They had captured a genuine joy and love in their hearts.  They were beginning to realize that they had been living in the past or worrying about the future and now were opening their heart to things eternal. Our discipleship meetings were new to the Ugandans, as we taught how new believers could learn to read and study the Bible, seek the Holy Spirit's personal message and respond to His message through action.  This technique allowed God’s word to be revealed in their own time as infants in Christ.  We focused on not teaching so as to help them realize they could continue these studies even after we departed.  This enabled them to remain engaged and learn how to study on their own.  Most often, I started our discipleship study with Matthew 6:25-34 - Do Not Worry - and they all loved to hear these words and many of them came out of their shells to discuss what was revealed to them in this passage.  Even those who were illiterate would give the common Ugandan “mmm”, a quiet gesture of peaceful agreement. Late in the week, our team went to the Jireh Orphanage (http://www.us2uganda4life.org/jireh-childrens-center.html) on a hill near Masaka to minister to children who had lost their parents to AIDS or could not care for them any longer or were abandoned.  The gift was that the children ministered to us by welcoming us with cheers, singing and dancing.  I was able to capture a video of some of the event if you would like to share the experience of being surrounded by orphaned children that had a passion and enthusiasm for the Lord Jesus Christ in spite of their condition: http://youtu.be/jTixGcSfq0A After almost a whole week of sharing the story of God's love with villagers in the surrounding communities of Masaka, we were rejuvenated by the orphans who honored us in song for what we were doing for their country.  How God's family is so sweet and full of encouragement.  It is beautiful how He uses the broken to deliver His message of love to us.  This was a haunting and mystical experience in a beautiful sense.  Most of us shed tears of joy as we watched the children so joyous during these songs.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was intense. The family that ran the orphanage was an older couple that have seven of their own children, all adults now or finishing college.  The leader explained how they run a primary and secondary school for over 300 children and they teach them that God is involved in ALL subjects including math, science, literature, etc.  He spoke in their presence about teaching the children that they have been chosen to become the leaders of Uganda and they will take with them the love and majesty of Jesus Christ into all areas of Uganda and other parts of Africa and maybe even to America someday.  It was very inspiring for all of us to hear these words. A few stories I wanted to share: ·         Louisa was speaking to a woman in Saaza village on Friday and she told Louisa that, “Some blond-haired boy much too young is sharing the Gospel in Gayaza.”  These two villages are almost 15 miles away from each other and yet The Word spreads quickly.  I’m so glad we didn’t cheat Will from this amazing experience in Uganda by leaving him behind because he was too young. ·         Susannah spoke to a well-versed older man for hours over a few days who was skeptical about Jesus; after a few days and much prayer with his wife, the husband and wife, Charles and Harriett, asked Susannah to come in to their home, “We’ve been waiting for you.”  She continued studying the bible with them and, sometime after, he told her interpreters that he was ready to accept Jesus Christ.  His wife cried and the rest of the team did also.  They told Susannah that they were both HIV-positive but their outlook on life was forever changed knowing they now had accepted God’s gift of everlasting life and forgiveness.  We gave them no money or food or any other benefit.  Only the greatest gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God graced them to accept this gift by faith.  They were overjoyed and later he became the Person of Peace for the village of Saaza, who will lead the people there to create a new church. ·         On the trip to the airport in Entebbe, we had to pass through a security checkpoint where they always require you to get out of the vehicle for inspection.  As we rolled down the window to speak to one of the stern looking Ugandan Military Police holding an AK-47 machine gun, our driver said, “These are missionaries.  They are heading home now to America.”  At first, Susannah and I started looking around for who he was talking about.  We had never ever thought of ourselves as missionaries.  It felt like we were in a movie.  And yet I asked the officer as he contemplated, “Are you a follower of Jesus Christ?”  He responded with a big smile, “I am born again!  You may pass.”