GREETINGS FROM UGANDA, EAST AFRICA!

Well, I finally got ‘ol Nelly her kneecap surgery! In other words, I finally got the truck a new set of shocks. It kept me from visiting the village churches. We also found out the rear seals are “finished,” along with the rear brakes; but I felt that I needed to go to our church in Bululu where I had planned to stay for four days. My mechanic said that we should be able to reach our destination and return with no problem; so with that in mind, I trusted the Holy Spirit who had put it in my heart to go. We had a brief leadership meeting and I was to preach on Sunday, but the real reason came late on a Friday night as we were sitting outside under the stars. Two of our pastors began to open up to me about some very deep pain they were still carrying. They began to tell me of a time in the late 1980’s when it was like the wild west there. They talked about being tortured by certain rebel groups and hiding in bushes while the rebels were searching for them to kill them. Pastor Silas, my friend since November1999, opened up and told me about those times, and more specifically, about how they tied his hands together and beat them with a rod made from the dried hide of a hippo. He said, it was the worst pain you could imagine. Another pastor told me that when he heard about the rebels coming near his village it was too late for him to run. They found him hiding in the bush and as they stood there with machetes, they asked him if he wanted long sleeves or short? I looked at him waiting for him to tell me what they meant. He said, they were asking him if he wanted his arms cut off (short sleeves) or if he wanted his hands cut off? (long sleeves) It was only by God’s mercy that they just walked away from him as he shook in pure fear. On into the night, they opened up and poured out their pain. I don’t want to talk about the other things they said, but it was horrible. Someone from here told me that when someone opens up and tells you about things like this, that you have really gained their trust and deep friendship. I knew then, that this was the real reason that I was to go to this village for those four days. Healing took place for them and for me, and gave me a greater respect and understanding of just what type of MEN we have as the pastors of our Maranatha churches.

In our prison ministry the number of men receiving Christ is growing almost weekly. That in itself is wonderful, but if they are not taught the Word of God beyond salvation (discipled,) when they are released there will be no spiritual roots and when the pressures of this life come, their spiritual growth will have been too shallow to sustain them. Still keeping in mind the need for soul winning for Christ, I asked them if they would be interested in a Bible study about the the Holy Spirit. The next week they handed me a list of very many men who signed a paper saying that they were very much ready for it! So, I began with the Life and Work of the Holy Spirit. I also mixed into this study a salvation message. In this past month I have been seeing men coming and truly repenting with tears, even sobbing not caring who sees them! I like to see tears as it shows me that these guys mean business. We were able to add to the number of ward Bibles in each building where the men are housed, and also to pass out Bibles to some who had only New Testaments.

While studying for Friday afternoon’s teaching at prison about the Ministry of the Holy Spirit, I was reminded of a scripture that says that the Spirit of God draws men to Jesus. Just before I left for prison, I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to make that part of His ministry real today and draw these men to Jesus. You know, teaching can sometimes be dry, but everyone just seemed so excited to be taught the Word of God and just not to be preached AT week after week. Many came this week with pens and paper taking notes as fast as they could while others wrote some scripture addresses on the palms of their hands. Well, as I brought this weeks teaching to a close, I asked the leader of the prison worship team to sing a worship song about Jesus and told all the men to sing that brief chorus. The words of that song were shot directly into their hearts, like an arrow, by the Holy Spirit.

Sensing the movement of the Spirit, it was easy to take hold of the moment, and I shouted, “Sing Louder Men, Sing it to Jesus!” With their faces lifted toward heaven some with eyes tightly shut they sang like an angelic Host. I knew that the Holy Spirit was doing just what I had asked Him to do, confirming the Word. We were already 30 minutes past our allotted time, but the guards were no where to be found, and so I pressed on. I called for those who wanted to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Two came. Then 3 more. Then 4 more and by the time the song came to an end, 14 men had come forward, all down on their knees, eyes shut, mouths moving in prayer repenting, some sobbing and crying! Yeah! Crying. Everyone else was standing with lifted arms worshipping the Lord in a way I have never seen them do in my six years of ministry there. Many tears fell down into the dirt today and the sins of men were washed away by the Blood of Jesus!

As we walked back to the truck, 3 ladies from our Soroti church came from the women’s side of the prison singing a child’s Sunday School song; “I will make you fishers of men! They too had caught fish!

When I first received Christ, my pastor, Rev. Francis E. Champion, taught us how to know the will of God. I remember reading a devotion in a “Daily Bread” devotional booklet that his church supplied to the members. It said that in the old days (before GPS and all that,) there was a harbor and it was a good, deep, safe harbor, but extremely treacherous to get into for the ships because there were lots of rocks and shoals. So they put up 3 harbor lights strategically, so that if a ship positioned itself to be able to see all three lights merge into ONE, they knew they were in the right place to go in safely. The message was that we also must line up our harbor lights so they merge together with the same message:

1) THE WORD, 2) THE WITNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH OUR SPIRIT, AND 3) OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

A few months ago, my circumstances shouted that it was time for me to go home for good, but my spirit did not witness to it, and neither did the Word of God. All the scriptures the Spirit of God gave me indicated the direct opposite. I also believe God guides us as much by His lack of provision as He does by His provision. So, I am resigned to accept that when He provides much I can do much, and when the money is small, I do little. I said all of that to say this: Some have misunderstood my last newsletter and so I must fully confirm that I am not leaving the mission field. That was not what I said. Let me suggest that you re-read the August newsletter again. The Lord has never told me to “give away” or walk away from the churches that have been planted, nor did He release me from this work here. The day He shuts this door, He will open another and I will be the first to know. Until the harbor lights are fully aligned, the race I’m running is here. (I Corinthians 9:24)

Because He Lives,

Ann Travis

Jesus said, I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work.

DONATIONS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO: Ann Travis 845 HWY 113, White Pine

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