Serving in Northern Uganda

The Scripture the Lord gave to Tyler after three days with Pastor Zane:

Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; There shall none of my words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 12:26-28

The Lord has confirmed that as soon as we are financially able to make the trip, the seven of us will be heading out. We are going to join the ministry the Lord has begun with Zane and Summer McCourtney in Northern Uganda. Their main church is about ten minutes from home in the town of Kitgum.  They also serve the people about 2 hours away in Lotodore with weekly Bible Studies. There is a 40 acre farm in Lotodore that Zane oversees. He disciples the workers while teaching them practical skills in farming and management.

Zane runs a non-for-profit organization called Grow. He “borrows” land from owners who are not utilizing it. For two years, he employs local people to bring life to ground that has not been farmed for hundreds - maybe even thousands – of years. They plow, plant, maintain, and harvest the “borrowed” land. The profit from the harvest reimburses the company for the investment made in employing the local people, the seed, etc. After two years, he hands the working farm back over to the land owner. More farms drive the cost of food down for the community, and create jobs for Northern Ugandan families who would otherwise be starving.

The main goal for these farming projects is salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and discipleship. Many workers have gotten saved and now attend the church. Eventually, Zane’s vision is to turn the fellowship over to faithful Ugandan believers in order that they might teach their own people the ways of the True and Living God. The goal for the farm in Kitgum where Zane lives now, and where we will also be living soon, is a discipleship training/Bible school to equip pastors and elders to plant more churches.

There is a heavy emphasis on evangelism, teaching verse by verse through the Bible, and discipling the believers through farming and money management… just spending time with the people and teaching them what it is to live for the Lord. The greatest need there in Northern Uganda is for faithful men to teach the Scriptures to people that are hungry to learn.

Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast learned of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall teach others also.

II Timothy 2:2