CAT | My Ministry Trips
2 greyhaired men in leather jackets
London and Friends
It always surprises me how fast time goes. Sitting here behind a desk in Novosibirsk, Siberia, it seems ages since I went by train to London for the day to see my old friend Peter van Niekerk. On his way back to South Africa from the US, Peter was just stopping over to see Carmel, one of his daughters, who lives in London. It was wonderful to just hang out together for the day, catching up on what God has been doing in our lives and our families. As he is deeply involved with many churches in the different countries surrounding S.A, it was a particular delight to share with him my experiences of the month Chris and I spent in Uganda. Seeing that Africa was getting under my spiritual skin, in true Peter style he seized the opportunity and invited us to come with him on a trip to Mozambique and Malawi. Well, that gives me more to pray about! Isn’t friendship a wonderful thing, particularly when it stretches out over many years - a refreshing tonic for the soul!
Tues 6th
Arrived 7.30pm at Entebbe airport and immediately impressed by the heat and noise of this African country. We will be based at a Catholic guest house in Kampala, the capital.
Wed 7th
Speaking at a 2 day conference for church leaders – our first experience of the real Uganda! I am thankful that Pastor Stephen is driving me around throughout our stay as negotiating the pot holes and deep gulleys in the roads takes considerable skill. We arrived at a small church in a ‘shanty town’ type community, with barefoot children, long-horned cows and goats sharing the bare red earth outside which looked like a rubbish tip. Inside, the corrugated iron roof and earth floor made it feel like walking into an oven! There was no door and once, while I was speaking, a cow wandered in! I decided to teach on what the kingdom of God means in practice and managed to persevere in spite of sweat pouring down my face. Chris found it just too hot and had to stand outside. With the obligatory PA turned to full volume, both she and all the neighbours didn’t miss a word!
For the rest of the week Chris joined a team from the UK running a holiday camp for the younger children who attend the school at the Kampala Children Centre (KCC).
Fri 9th
Stephen collected me at 5.0 am to travel east to Tororo, a village near the Kenyan border, for a leaders’ conference. We arrived at 10.30 to find 80 people waiting in another little tin-roofed church. However, this one had a floor of hardened cow dung with a pattern imprinted and the surrounding area was clean and tidy – impressive! It was baking hot with a bit of a breeze. I explained to the smartly suited leaders that they had a choice between me teaching in a short sleeved shirt or passed out on the floor! Even then, I took a break every hour or so to cool down under the mango tree outside.
Over the three days I was told 166 leaders came, many walking as far as 25km; about 50 came by bike. I was particularly impressed by a pastor in his mid-70s who had cycled the 25km – and not on smooth cycle tracks like in Holland!
Sunday 11th
The local church and the leaders who had stayed over packed into the church. Many mothers had brought mats and sat outside with their children. Before I left, I was given a love gift – a live chicken! I was able to graciously accept it and ask them to look after it for me and let it produce chicks.
On the long drive back we stopped to take a photo of 3 baboons sitting by the roadside. They immediately started begging at the car door! We later stopped at the source of the river Nile, which starts at the northern edge of Lake Victoria and travels 4,000 miles (6,000 km), taking 4 months to reach the Mediterranean at Cairo.
Mon 12th
A welcome free day relaxing at the guest house with Chris, who’s been working with the children at KCC. Fascinating to sit and watch eagles soaring – we counted up to 17 – as they seem to fly in formation like a squadron!
Tues 13th/Wed 14th
Speaking at 3 different venues both days: mornings at a leaders’ conference, afternoons to young professionals in the city centre and evenings at a church meeting.
Uganda is an amazing country in so many ways. There seem to be at least several thousand churches in Kampala, from the small poor neighbourhood church to the megachurch. It is said that over 80% of the population are Christian, 10% Moslem.
The majority of churches seem to have very noisy overnight Friday prayer meetings as well as many midweek meetings – we can hear gospel singing virtually all day!
Thurs 15th
We were taken to visit ‘Africa’s prayer mountain’ by Stephen and Robert, both of whom were involved in setting it up in the mid 90s. People come to fast and pray as individuals, groups or churches, for instance the head of the Inland Revenue brought her department up to pray! Basic accommodation is available and an auditorium where there is regular teaching on Prayer and Fasting for those new to it. We met two young men who had arrived from Rwanda to pray for several days. We felt privileged to pray there with Stephen and Roabert, a very interesting author of many books, a self educated intellectual, who has also been preaching in the surrounding countries for many years.
Friday 16th
Chris and I joined Arnold Mwonge and Stephen on a trip to South Western Uganda, to the city of Mbarara. The journey gave a fascinating insight into rural Uganda, especially the state of the roads, which often are full of deep potholes that have to be avoided. Having set of at 2.30, apart from a brief photo stop at the equator, we arrived at the Hotel the church had booked to find it had no electricity! Another was eventually found and we sat down to eat at 11.30 pm.
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A joyfull and blessed New Year to all
0 Comments | Posted by goosvedder in My Ministry Trips
The past weeks have been wonderfull. Christmas with all the children and grandchildren. Today an tomorrow the birthdays of two of the most inportant women in my life, Christ and Abi. I pray that during this coming year all of you will experience more of His Love and Grace as you grow closer to Him.
I feel I have conquered jet a new challenge as I have writen this from my IPhone
The picture is of our garden after heavy snowfall yesterday turned it into a fairytale scene.
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Holland and European Prayer Breakfast in Brussels
2 Comments | Posted by admin in My Ministry Trips
This week I flew over to Holland to be with my mother; she will soon be 85 and I hadn’t seen her since August. We’re praising God for the steady progress she’s been making since her last stroke, so much that the medical staff are now talking about her going back to live in her own home again. I’m sure it was no coincidence that, after I’d booked my ticket for Holland, I was invited to participate in the European Prayer Breakfast in Brussels. Jacek Matlakiewicz drove over to Holland so we could go together. It was an amazing experience! More that ever before I realised that the Lord, in the way only He can, places people who love and follow Him with all their heart in strategic and influential positions. 
The main speaker was Andre Rouvoet, the Dutch Deputy Prime Minister, who shared about the aspirations of so many east European citizens who long for freedom, while here in our comfortable democracies in the west we have taken so much for granted. He then continued to spell out to all of us the responsibilities that come with freedom, quoting many times from Paul: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13). From every angle and using many practical illustrations he stressed how we are to take our responsibility seriously in politics. It was a privilege to interact with a number of them, personal details were exchanged and only the Lord knows what will come out of this.
One more evening with my mother: We talked today over lunch about the time I left home at 19 to study at the Bible College of Wales in Swansea, Wales – she realised that I might never come back into her life again if I went from there to some far flung place in the world. This made me think about the two amazing women in my life, Mama and Chris, my wife, and how they have been willing to make the sacrifice to let me go. It’s a challenge to reflect if we are willing to release people – sons, daughters, leaders – into the further purposes of God. Are we willing to let go of things we feel we have a right to, such as ministry, churches, positions? It’s the women in my life who probably challenge me most – not forgetting my radically-minded daughter!!.
Tomorrow I will catch the early plane from Amsterdam to go for a long weekend to Szczecin. I will keep you posted.
During the 12 days home we had a busy programme as we had my youngest sister Marianne and her husband Wouter stay with us. We had been looking forward to this for a long time and had a lot of fun together. What made it particularly memorable was that we celebrated our grandson Josh’s 18th birthday at the weekend with a big family party. And now on Sunday my granddaughter, Janneke will become 13 and a teenager. At times like these I realise that I must be getting older!!