Mark: We’ve written this before we left, but you’ll be reading this article right when we’re in the middle of ministering to marriages in Uganda and Tanzania.
Jill: That’s right! God literally connected dots that caused our lives to intersect with Daniel Tulibageny at a coffee shop in Atlanta. As it turned out, God was working to use us to answer his prayers to support marriages in Uganda. You can hear the whole story of how God connected the dots on Episode 135.
Mark: Jill and I are joining Evangel Church World Vision in Jinga, Uganda where we’ll be ministering to pastors and their wives on the topic of marriage. We’re also teaching on relationships at Uganda Christian University and doing another marriage event at a church in Arusha, Tanzania. We’ve had the privilege of bringing hope and help to marriages in the U.S. and in Europe and we can’t wait to add Uganda and Tanzania to that list!
Jill: The more we talked with our hosts Pastor Zachariah Sserwadda and Daniel Tulibagenyi, the more we have come to understand why they’ve been praying specifically for God to provide someone to teach on marriage for the pastors they minister to.
Mark: Marriage is challenging for most of us. Blending two lives together into one is a challenge that requires us to seek God and set aside parts of our own wants to support our spouse’s needs. It’s particularly challenging when you are combining faith with a culture that makes it challenging to support a healthy perspective on marriage.
Jill: Many pastors in Uganda are dealing with extreme poverty. In fact, many will walk two days to attend this event. Pastor Zachariah brings together 2000+ pastors every summer for ministry training. This summer they are asking them to bring their wives and the focus will be on marriage. We will be teaching our No More Perfect Marriages Seminar content plus additional sessions on rebuilding trust.
Mark: Our hope is that we would strengthen ministry marriages, equip the pastors and their wives to minister to the marriages in their own churches, and bring a megaphone to God’s truth to make it louder than the surrounding culture.
Jill: This is a large undertaking and as we head out we would appreciate your prayers. Not only for us, but for the pastors, their wives, and all the circumstances surrounding the event.
Mark: If you are a prayer warrior or are wondering how you can help lift us up in prayer, we have some specific ways you can be praying for this trip.
Jill: Absolutely! We would love to cover every part of our trip in prayer, from the flights to making sure that marriages would be strengthened as a result of our teaching. We would appreciate it so much if you would copy this list and put it in your Bible, your prayer spot, or where you make your morning coffee so that you can pray for these things daily over the next few weeks.
Safety Traveling: For smooth travels on our international flights and on our flights from Uganda to Tanzania and back, but also for each of the pastors and their wives who are traveling for sometimes days on foot to attend.
Our Teaching: That nothing would be lost in translation and that what we teach will strengthen and encourage the marriages of those in attendance, creating a ripple effect through the country as a result.
For Those in Attendance: The pastors and wives in attendance will be weary after traveling. Please pray that God would be preparing their hearts to receive helpful takeaways from our teaching that would equip them.
For God to be Glorified: This whole adventure from start to finish could only happen with His divine intervention. We don’t yet know all the things that God will do at this event, but we are trusting and praying that He will be glorified through it all.
Mark: We have been preparing our hearts and minds for this opportunity. It’s overwhelming. It’s exciting. And if we’re honest, it’s scary too. Jill has been to Africa once, but this will be my first time.
Jill: We can’t wait to share with you everything that God has done through our teaching! If you’d like to follow along, we will be posting some on Facebook and Instagram.
Mark: And in case you missed it, you can hear how God connected us with this ministry in Uganda on To Uganda with Love with Pastor Zachariah | Episode 135. Thank you for being a partner with us in prayer!
