Team Five Morris

We are thankful for the opportunity we have to share and savor the Treasure of Jesus.  We're gaining quite a bit of momentum as we approach Resurrection Day/Easter Season.  For the last month we've been absolutely packed out on our Sunday gatherings at around 60-70 folks with standing room only (we need some more benches). It's a simple service were we serve tea at the end and hang out for about 30-45 min. chatting it up with our 'family', meeting new people and praying together.  We have two Missional Community groups one of which runs at about 25 and the other around 12-15.  Also, we have just begun our Membership class in which we've combined the two MC's on the same night for the next 4wks. **Pray for the gathering to be a great witness and entry point into the community as well as our MC's to produce fruit and commitment to Sojourn

• One of our guys is being sent to Gaba Bible Institute (GBI) for some training in worship leading, while he also attends Uganda Baptist Seminary for theological training.  We have one more possible guy who may begin GBI next term.  These two guys are being looked at for potential leaders at Sojourn in the future **    Pray for  Richard Nsenga and Besweri Wolossi
  

 

• Our Family Development Ministry is moving along quite well with the help of Rosalie Simcoe as our FDM administrator, the partnership with Vintage 21 Church in Raleigh, NC and Wabigalo Primary.  We now have 26 kids in school who either have never been to school or haven't been in several years, with the exception of a few Sojourners.  This makes for a bit of a challenge since the ages range from 8yrs to 16yrs.  Many are teenagers who are still in 'grade school'.  So our students are a bit behind.  The families each have a 'champion' who has helped identify the kids/families and is their point of contact with Sojourn.  They meet with the families weekly to build relationship and opportunity to share the Treasure.  There is no obligation for attendance at Sojourn, only one of cooperation with us.

The Families 'buy in' is to commit to an appointed number of community service hours, aimed at a holistic community approach, every month that will be organized by Sojourn and/or the Local Kampala City Council and Chairmen.  In addition, we will be equipping these families and the community at large with certain job skills. ie: candle, soap and lemongrass tea making. 
We have recently partnered with Katie Borchert from Lifted Uganda to train and empower Ugandans with the skills of sowing.  They have set items to make, which she sells in the US and locally.  Katie basically gives the ladies all the profit after expenses.  We have one of our ladies from Sojourn who will spearhead this work in the hopes she will be a trainer, mentor and discipler to the other families in the FDM.  The goal for this ministry is to be a hand up for them to get on their feet and support their own kids and family. 
**Pray for the families and the champions from Sojourn, that the work would be fruitful and make Jesus famous.  Also for the kids studies to go well and for them to catch up fast.

• We are seeking to move into a support role with the local school through short term teams, school supplies and playground equipment.  Kostia and Rosalie have been allowed to hold a boys and girls bible study for the boarding students as well as our weekly general school program held buy everyone else.  **pray for the teachers and students at Wabigalo Primary.  For good teaching, partnership with us and growing and loving relationship.

 

• Some of the other things happening at Sojourn are a Biblical Interpretation class, Music classes dealing mainly with voice. Loring, Rosalie and Mary started a simple ABC/123 class on Mondays for kids who are not in school to get some basics so as to not fall too far behind. Coming up soon we'll be elbow deep in some community work through Vintage 21 and the Local Chairmen, in June 2011 to build community pit latrines, clearing out drainage lines (really dirty and gross work that nobody wants to do), as well as the possible construction of a playground at the school we're working with.  They'll be partnering with our FDM and Sojourn people.  In addition we'll have a teaching crew from Austin City Life holding a pastors conference at Sojourn in the hopes to build some strong relationships among the pastors in the area. They will also have a contingent coming to engage in some mercy ministry joined with our people in Sojourn and the community.  **Pray for all this stuff to not be 'stuff' but ways into the community to share Jesus, live him out and serve.

• We are still in need of a bunch of cash to purchase the structure we are currently in.  If purchased, it would serve as an excellent multipurpose building that will serve the church, community and overall mission of Sojourn...to be salt and light.  **We had some reports that our building fund letter was spammed and all garbled up.  If you did not receive our email about the building let us know, we'd love to share with you the vision and long term goals for the structure.

There is a lot of awesome stories coming from this work like, little Sojourn communities popping up where people are gathering, hanging out and sharing life together, doing homework etc.  People of Sojourn are becoming more and more generous with their time, money and talents.  Our hope is to have a Family of Brothers and Sisters with our great and and good Father leading us as we learn, love and serve in order to make Jesus famous while giving Him all the glory.  I can't tell you how humbling all this is, it's already gone far beyond my expectations yet leaving much to still do.  We are weak, foolish, nobodies who have had Jesus crash into their lives and change everything.  The Gospel is the power of salvation but it also changes our identity to the core.  Thank you for your generosity in prayer and giving toward us and Sojourn.

**Morris family news:  Aiden, Hannah and Ben are still kickin' it in TaeKwonDo (I'm a bit nervous...I've started sparing with four guys at a time so I can manage them as they get older)
We might be famous in the next year or two...Roger Ross Williams is doing a Documentary in Uganda and we may be in it.  We've done an initial interview with him and hung out for a couple of days.
We are officially finished with our savings.  After selling our house we had a large sum of about 90K.  After our missionary training, plane tickets, set up cost, buying a car, paying off bills and paying for insurance, etc we were left with about 40k.  It's been a good run of almost two and a half years but the 40k is gone.  We've used it to subsidize the church plant, building rent, food and medical attention for others and just about everything else. We've had a little help on the way to stretch it out that long too.  Okay, I'm done with that, just had to get it out.


Please continue to pray for our family and team:

• Pray for Rosalie Simcoe who administrates the FDM
• Pray for Kostia and Vitali who are involved in discipleship groups in two different school as well as a group from Sojourn.
• Pray for the preach/teaching of the Word and the obeying of It.
• Pray for our financial situation so that we can continue to be generous, we're not starving but we can't be all that generous either.

Enjoy Grace,
Dan, Loring, kids and the rest of the team.