I am very excited to let everyone know that we have been confirmed for our assignment, which means I can share what we will be doing and go into detail. This post may be a little long so bear with me.
The purpose of AIM is Christ-centered churches among all Africa people, with the priority being unreached. This purpose will take us to Kotido, Uganda to work with the Karimojong people. Kotido is in the Northeastern Part of Uganda, near Kenya and South Sudan.
Kotido is a rural town with a small population. AIM has established a partnership with the Church of Uganda and we will be working with them to reach the Karimojong.
The Karimojong are located along the eastern part of Uganda. They are warrior people whose lives often revolve around cattle. In the past the more cows a person had would determine their prestige. As a result cattle raiding has been way of life for this people group. Since raiding was a common thing in the past the Karimojong live in fortified manyattas.
The manyattas are fortified with only a couple small entrances and are built around a central corral where their cattle are kept. Since the manyattas are closed off the Karimojong are isolated and resistant to the spread of the Gospel. Those that do become Christian are often pushed out into town. 87% of this people live in rural manyattas outside of town.
We have a two part job in Kotido. First we will be helping the church with disciplining. Many of the church leaders have a desire to reach their own people but have a very basic understanding of Christianity and need to be discipled so they can be effective in reaching their own people, which is the goal as a whole. Second, as relationships are formed in town we will be looking for ways to reach whole manyattas and family groups who live out side of town. Sara may also be helping disciple some of the local nurses who work at the churches clinic. We’ve been told that things are kind of fluid so our jobs may evolve and change as needed. Relationships are the key here.
We will not be alone in Kotido. The long term team we will be joining are a couple of ER doctors from the UK and their three kids(you can follow them here), physiotherapist from northern Ireland, and some dairy farmers from New Zealand. This group is already there. They arrived at the beginning of this month. The current plan is for us to arrive towards the end of July or in August. We are very excited about joining them, Sara has already gotten to chat with one of them through Facebook. We will continue to homeschool the kids while we are in Uganda. We have been told that it is perfectly acceptable for the kids to go along with us as we work and go about our days.
So what is next? We will continue to support raise so we can go. We have connect week in March where will be in training before we go. The kids will also get some training during connect week as well. AIM takes care of everyone. We will be getting a big list of things we have to finish before we go(vaccines, packing, visas, etc.). We need your support! We need people who will commit to pray for us, our team, and the Karimojong. We also need your financial support. The money you give sends us, provides for us, and it sends the Gospel to a people who need it. The question to ask yourself is not if you can help, but how can you help. The beautiful part is that when you see a picture or read about a need that was met, you can smile and know that you made that possible. How much is needed? We do not have a final budget number yet. The sample number we were given was about $37,000. We also will need to get a vehicle while there which can be in the $10 to 12,000 range, so we are looking at around 48 to 50,000. Once I know a more exact figure I’ll be sure to post it. If you are interested but are unsure what to do, email me or Sara and we can help.
Prayer Request:
- That we will raise all of our support
- For our kids and the culture change they will experience
- For Sara and I and the task before us.
- For our team in Kotido
- That we would be faithful in God’s call and be true disciples.
- Adjustment, Kotido has no electricity.
- Our parents as they adjust to their grandkids being gone.
- God would be glorified.
Pryces of Africa 