Alison preaching in Kisoro, southwestern Uganda

Administering Communion in Mbale

Administering Communion in Mbale

Singing with Mother's Union in Nebbi


UN Refugee Camp in Kisoro for Congolese refugees


Tents in the refugee camp

Local decorations on the gate for the Women's Retreat


Archbishop Henry at his 5th Anniversary Dinner

Dear Friends,

From the starting gate of 2009, I have been sprinting through the first two and half months of this year. They have been filled with travel to the four corners of Uganda, all with a view to forging new and strengthening existing partnerships in mission.

In January, I found myself preaching at the ordination of seven new priests and two new deacons in the eastern Uganda Diocese of Mbale. Mbale Diocese has a new Bishop who grew up as a Muslim and came to faith in Christ as a teenager. In addition to meeting with those being ordained and preaching at the ordination, I was taken on a tour of part of the Diocese where the Christians are a minority but are contending for the faith in some miraculous ways.  

The highlight of the trip was during a Sunday afternoon fellowship meeting at the Bishop’s house with the three choirs from the Cathedral. Choir members were sharing with one another, and one young man said, “Pray that one day I might be saved.”  Rarely does one here such a direct request for salvation. During a break in the fellowship, I shared with the Bishop that this young man was actually asking for someone to pray with him then and there to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior.  

It turns out that this young man grew up in a Muslim home, but had been singing in the choir for five years. He wanted to become a Christian, but feared the retaliation of his family. I sat and listened to the Bishop counsel him with a small group of senior clergy. Then, to my amazement and delight, the Bishop asked me if I would lead him in prayer to ask God to forgive him his sins and to surrender his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Together we prayed and I got to usher him into the Kingdom of God.  Many others before me had planted seeds and watered them, but the Lord gave me the joy of reaping the harvest. The Bishop asked a few of his fellow choir members to stay close to him and provide emergency support in case his father kicked him out of the home.

As I traveled home, I carried gifts with me from the Bishop of Mbale to the Archbishop – a bunch of matooke (like plantains), which is the staple food for central Uganda, and a turkey! I stopped overnight on the way home for a few hours of retreat at a simple “resort” on the River Nile in Jinja. But, what should I do with the turkey? The night watchman at the lodge kindly offered to feed him and look after him for me. I’m telling you…we did not have a course on this in seminary!

We are currently exploring a partnership with a new ministry in the US that specializes in building children’s villages for orphans. This potential partner wants to build many, many children’s villages all over Uganda, and the Church of Uganda is uniquely positioned to be able to scale up such an outreach. We hope to pilot this project in two dioceses – one in northern Uganda, and one in Western Uganda. Leaders from this ministry are coming to Uganda at the end of March. In preparation for their visit I have traveled to northern and western Uganda to meet with the potential leadership teams. Please pray that this partnership will solidify and offer an opportunity to provide much-needed care and support for many orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda.

In February I was invited with key members of the Provincial Mission Department to be on the team for leading a retreat for all the diocesan Mother’s Union and Women’s Ministry Workers for the whole country. The retreat was in Nebbi Diocese, which is in northwestern Uganda.  This was the first time this group of women had come together for a spiritual retreat and not just a skill training workshop. It was very powerful with many women having significant encounters with the Lord.

Immediately following the retreat in Nebbi, I escorted Bishop John and Meg Guernsey, Uganda’s Bishop in America, from Kampala to the consecration of the new Bishop of Ruwenzori Diocese in Fort Portal, a town in western Uganda.

And, I have just returned from visiting Kisoro in Muhabura Diocese, which is in the far southwestern part of the country and borders Rwanda and Congo. This is a very, very beautiful part of Uganda. The diocese has a new Bishop after being without one for six years. I preached at two services in the Cathedral and led the opening devotion for their diocesan synod (convention).

In the midst of all of these travels, we celebrated Archbishop Henry’s 5th anniversary as Archbishop with a gala dinner and fund-raising event, which raised $22,000 of local seed money to launch the Decade of Mission.  The Communications Director left suddenly in January for nine months of study leave, and I have been asked to fill in for her during that time. This is, at least, my second full-time job!

I have continued to meet with the GMM-supported evangelists working on the frontline of mission. Yisuf recently received another $15,000 grant from a British Charity for his work among unreached people and persecuted Christians. James, the former cell phone repair man, is back in Uganda this month on leave from his security guard job in Iraq, where he has also planted a church among the Ugandans serving in Iraq as security guards.  Michael continues with his English classes in Uganda and one-on-one evangelism with unreached people. And, Gech is planning two major evangelistic outreaches in Kenya in May. I hope several Ugandans and I will be able to join him for those missions.

In the face of the current global economic crisis, I have made several cost-cutting decisions in order to reduce our expenses without hindering the momentum we have built up for the mission work we are doing. The first decision is to travel to the US only once this year – in the fall. Normally, I would visit in the spring and the fall. But, this year, I will come only in the fall. The second decision is to travel, as much as possible, by bus rather than by driving my car. The price of fuel fluctuates between $5 and $6.50 per gallon. The cost of gas, for example, to drive to Kisoro in Muhabura Diocese is approximately $400. The bus ride was ten hours, nearly bald tires, uncomfortable and crowded seats, with loud music or Nigerian movies blasting through speakers above my head, and pit stops in the bush…literally! But, it was only $40!

Thank you, too, for continuing to sacrifice with me to share in this mission of empowering Africans to evangelize and holistically disciple unreached people. You are a blessing to me and to many people you will meet one day in heaven!

   Love,

   Alison

E-mail: alisonbarfoot@yahoo.com                                     Phone:   +256 782 321 027