Sometimes missionary work gets tedious. But it sure feels good to receive thanks. Like these grateful girls in the photo, who expressed gratitude to Marge for leading the girls’ group, forty years ago in Zambia.

Or another good friend whom we met in Zambia 38 years ago, is still in touch. Or a friend from Mombasa who is now a missionary in Oman.

Most recently, Simon wrote to us about our two-year commitment in Goibei, Kenya. He reminisced about our time together. He had been given land, but hadn’t been able to transfer the ownership. We were able to help him. He didn’t have a long-term plan to generate income, so we sent him to Drivers’ Ed. We helped him further his studies. He also had health issues in his family, and we were able to pass on financial assistance. He also thanked us for mentoring him.

It feels good.

But it also feels good because your support and encouragement that we feel, are passed on to our friends in Uganda. So they feel good, too.

Thank you for your interest in what we are doing!

He did it! He actually managed to create the ultimate bottleneck. There were 240 bottles on his bicycle! It would be a challenge to his strength and balance to get down the hill. Going up would be worse! But he had to make his deliveries.

We wanted to deliver, too. Our trip to Uganda was highly anticipated!  Our indigenous missionaries were gathering at the mission station at Bombo, 30 km north of Kampala. The pastors at Entebbe, Bwaise, and Bombo knew we were coming, as well. They had plans for us.

And we wanted to deliver!

Visiting the churches was unforgettable. The Entebbe congregation sang to inspired accompaniment. The Bwaise congregation welcomed us as Ken preached twice, later giving a Bible study in English and French. The Congolese and Rwandese members were especially pleased! When the conversation switched to Swahili after the service, their smiles widened like the Zambezi River in flood season. Pastor Alex at Bombo treated us royally, as Marge spent a day with the ladies. They were delighted to make crafts that they could sell. They were excited to hear some basic medical tips from “Where There is No Doctor”.  Ken was able to visit one of the fifty AIDS-affected homes, receiving help from the church. Pastor Alex is an exemplary pastor!

Next time we will be letting you know about the 23 African missionaries we met, and some of their stories. Some interesting conversations arose. One was about cannibals. Are they still active? Apparently so, according to 5 of our workers in northeast Uganda.

Thank you for your interest. We look forward to our next missions trip – we appreciate your help in making it possible.

Avoiding a bottleneck.

God bless.

It’s official. We are scheduled to fly from Toronto to Entebbe, Uganda, on January 15, returning March 2.

And things are shaping up at the mission station in Bombo.

Thirty church-planters from Uganda are attending a conference. Starting churches is foundational to the strategy of missions in Africa. Cities often have several evangelical congregations, but remote villages are usually untouched by the Gospel. In 1970 we entered such a rural village, Muhomba, brought in an African missionary, and planted a church. A few months ago we heard that our congregation in Muhomba is STILL going strong! After 39 years!

The participants in this Ugandan conference are enjoying a new “luxury” – electricity! A line has been strung from a nearby school, and lights festoon the rustic buildings of Bombo. It’s a definite plus – it’s so discouraging to encounter snakes in the dark.

As we prepare for our departure, please continue to pray for a place for us to stay, and wheels for us to drive.

Some of you may not have received our Christmas poem. Please let me know your mailing address if you would like one.

Thanks again, and may God bless you.

For some time the World Missions Department and we have been looking for ways to increase our missions budget to allow us to minister more effectively in East Africa. In August the WMD asked us to seek a ministry position in a local church, increasing our missions income while allowing us to plan three annual 6-week trips to East Africa.

We thank God for opening a wonderful door of ministry to us. Rev Kevin Shepherd, Lead Pastor of Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church in Burlington, Ontario, has offered me the position of “Missionary in Residence”, with immediate effect. Most of my duties in Canada will be related to missions strategy and training in Glad Tidings.

Will we continue to need your support? Yes, most definitely. We cannot continue to send money to our Uganda colleagues and prepare for the training seminars without you.

Will your donations continue to go towards ministry in Uganda? Yes, as they always have.

Is there a Scriptural model? Yes, the Apostle Paul joined the ministry team in Antioch (see Acts 11:26). Later he went on three missionary journeys, with Antioch his home base. Other churches were partners with Paul, with Antioch, and with each other. They gave toward his mission. Churches and individuals in Corinth (2 Corinthians 9:5), in Philippi (Philippians 4:10), and in other, unnamed places (2 Corinthians 11:5) helped financially, and received reports from Paul. Romans 16 lists several names.

Partnership: this new system maintains your partnership with us, but forms a new link with Glad Tidings Pentecostal Church in Burlington, furthering missions. Finally, it strengthens the link with African workers who count on your support and prayers, as they prepare to reach out to new, remote areas, and people who have never heard the Gospel. This is a partnership that includes a circle spanning 10,000 miles.

What difference will it make in your relationship with us? You will continue to hear from us, you will be kept up to date, and you will be able to rejoice with our other partners as we further the kingdom of God.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to write. Thank you for continuing to partner with us, working in harmony with others around the world. May God bless you!

Canada is a land of programs. Activities. Schedules. To-do lists.

Africa, on the other hand, emphasizes people. Relationships. Dynamics – what about  the people involved in programs and activities, and how they interact?

So we are always interested to hear about our African colleagues. The Goibei Mission programs are ended for us, but what about the people? It was exciting to hear this week that Simon and Agnes, the managers of our Goibei station, have just gone on to help in another mission program in Kisumu! Employment is very scarce in Western Kenya, and they have been able to continue to support their family!

There were 10 other families on that station, and it saddens me to think about them. I trust they will survive.

Perhaps we, as Canadians, should pause in our busy schedules to reflect on the people around us. Jesus Christ had to travel from Jerusalem to Galilee, but chose the less-travelled road through hostile Samaria. Why? To minister to a certain woman at a well.

God is fairly busy, but He takes time for us.  May He continue to keep you!

Alex the great

Pastor Alex had an idea. As he sat in his office in Bombo, a small town north of Kampala in Uganda, he felt his congregation should start a new church.

In fact, that year they started 4 new churches.

Their method was like the iceberg I saw in Newfoundland this week. Most of what counted was beneath the surface.

How does this translate into Canadian culture? Sarah, our daughter-in-law, tells how her home group visited a single mom, and in a little over 2 hours repaired floors, painted the unpainted, cleaned windows…..and showed the love of Jesus.

Please remember him, and others, as they prepare for next week’s next seminar in Bombo. God bless.

Kola. Baka, Efe. Nsua, Mbuti. These are some of the pygmy tribes in Central Africa. These are also some of the tribal groups we want to reach, by training African missionaries to go and live with them.

They have suffered over the years. The Greek, Homer, talked about them. They were called pygmaei by the Greeks. They average less than four feet, eleven inches tall.  They have been victimized over the centuries, especially during the civil war in the Congo a few years ago, where they were hunted and cannibalized.

As we prepare for another missions training seminar in Uganda, starting May 4, we are encouraged that pygmy groups speak the dialects of their non-pygmy neighbours – they have no language of their own.

Thank you for helping us train them to assist the pygmies in Central Africa. God bless.

Over 4,500 per month! That is the number of PREVENTABLE deaths that have taken place in the Congo during the last few years. Their people – particularly the women – have suffered, and are still feeling the impact of the war that started in 1998, involving 7 foreign armies.

That is one of the areas we want to reach with our African missionaries. Last month, 40 local pastors met at our mission boot-camp at Bombo, Uganda, near Kampala. This month another group gathered to be trained.

What can individual missionaries do in such war-torn areas? The greatest need in society is to change the heart. Aggression, greed, and the lust for power need to be replaced by submission to Jesus Christ, and a desire to share His love with others. We have seen this impact in Uganda, which has also experienced more than its share of conflict. And we want to try to deal with the issues of war, abuse, poverty, child-soldiers, and the desperation of widows and orphans, by seeing Christ change people one by one!

Recently I was in a study group in Kampala, where a woman identified herself as Congolese. What a joy to see her fulfilled, educated, and living in freedom! This is our burden for others.

We continue to communicate with Rev Simon Peter Emiau about these seminars, and look forward to the day we can join him for these gatherings. You can help make this possible

So where were you 39 years ago? We were in a remote outpost in Zambia, starting a village church, among other things. I recently heard that the church continues to flourish. What an encouragement!

So it was exciting to hear about Goibei, where we served in Africa most recently. Yesterday’s report was that retreats continue to be held, and that money generated is still able to support the 10 familes who worked with us, and to maintain the beautiful grounds.

What about Bombo, the Missionary Training Centre in Uganda where we hope to go? Their first training seminar took place this week, and 40 eager pastors gathered to hear about going to remote villages in the Congo, Sudan, and Ethiopia.

In another 39 years, I believe we will be hearing good reports about Bombo, too. Your support makes it possible for us to be involved! God bless.

Ken & Marge MacGowan

In less that 2 weeks, the first “MissionFest” training school will take place in Bombo, Uganda. There are 45 eager workers who want to be trained to go to remote places in the Congo, Sudan, and Somalia. It is even possible that some pygmies will be there, from the forests of the Congo.

International speakers are prepared to arrive for the 4 days of instruction, and the camp manager is working hard with Rev Simon Peter Emiau to get the grounds ready. There is even the possibility that power will be installed by then.

Your support has made it possible to subsidize this event. Pastors who cannot afford the full registration fee will be able to attend because of you.

Manwhile, we continue to raise support for the next 2 events…

Thanks, and may God be with you.

Ken & Marge MacGowan