Dear Family & Friends,

We pray this update finds you well! The months have swiftly passed by since our last update. So much has happened! As we mentioned previously, our trip being delayed was bittersweet, but it provided an opportunity to meet both a new nephew and niece and attend a brother’s wedding! We are thankful to the Lord that we were here to meet these little ones and celebrate with our brother, new sister-in-law, and family!

The delay did not feel as long as we expected it to with our busy schedules. It’s been a fruitful and full (sometimes a little chaotic) couple of months. Spring suddenly turned to summer, and the summer is already half over. Fall feels just around the corner, though we (Lord-willing) won’t be here to see the leaves turn color.

Keeping up with our four littles, helping out at camp and our church, packing, and all the visits/goodbyes/events have filled our time well. We cannot believe the time has come to head overseas! Such an exciting time that also comes with many other emotions as we say our goodbyes to loved ones for quite a while and face unknowns ahead. It’s strange that this season has been one of so many “lasts” and starting next week will be starting a season of “firsts.”

As we prepare for our departure in less than a week two songs have come to mind- John Denver’s, Leaving on a jet Plane, and the more edifying hymn, Be still my soul (Written by Kathrina von Schlegel in 1752):

We have finished most of our shopping for last minute items. Our house is getting emptier as bags are being packed, re-packed, weighed and sealed. Each of our children senses and processes the changes (passed, present, and future) in different ways. It’s starting to set in for the kids that our departure is near. They have had many hard goodbyes with family and friends, decided which stuffed animal or toy to bring with them and which ones have to stay, and have started to show signs of “unsettling.” Pray that God would give us compassion, patience, wisdom and intentionality with them. It’s often now we find ourselves reading passages from Scripture with them like Psalm 139:5-10.

Pray that the Lord would comfort and encourage their hearts as well as ours through these verses and other promises/ truths we find in His Word.

Travel Plans

Many have asked us about our flights, what life will be like, and so on… We will try to answer some of those questions. We now have our plane tickets, visas, etc. Lord-willing, we will fly out the afternoon of July 29th and will land in Entebbe late on the 30th. The next morning, we will likely run some errands in the capital city of Kampala before taking a 6 hour drive to the city of Mbale.

Though the ultimate destination for us is at the Nakaale station up in the district of Karamoja, the plan is for us to stay in Mbale for a couple of months at a guest house that the Orthodox Presbyterian Ugandan Mission (OPUM) rents. You may remember that in the Mbale area, OPUM has the Reformation Book Room (A christian literature resource center/cafe/gift shop), Knox School of Theology (A seminary), and several Reformation Church of East Africa church plants that they are assisting. Though the delay in getting to Nakaale may draw out the “settling-in” phase, we are looking forward to building relationships with our team members, the local churches/believers, and other contacts there. Our time there will be valuable as it will provide us a better understanding of both ministry locations and the Mbale area, which we will rely on heavily for supply runs, etc. in the future.

Why the Delay in going to Nakaale?

Providentially, the one other long-term missionary family located in Nakaale is on furlough in the states right now. Once they return to Uganda, the Nakaale station will be better equipped to onboard us. God has also provided for temporary coverage in Nakaale through other short-term/associate missionaries to meet the facility maintenance needs. They are doing a tremendous job serving alongside the rest of the OPUM team in Nakaale. At the same time, there are currently many comings/goings and needs in Mbale, so we could be better used there for the time being. We are excited to plugin and help as needed and as we can. However, we are also trying to have realistic expectations knowing that much of our time there will be spent learning the culture, navigating the area, and just doing life in another country. We will also need to work through other details like the process of obtaining our work visa and dependent passes, etc.

If this all sounds like a lot of moving parts, it’s because it is. Ministry can be complicated and the team is smaller than it has been historically (which means everyone is wearing more hats). Please pray for our team as they juggle many moving parts, details, and needs. Pray for us that we would be humble, flexible, and servant hearted- ready to help out wherever and however is needed.

We are encouraged by our team’s commitment to the work and faithfulness in it. We pray that we would be diligent to the calling that the Lord has called us to.

Do also pray that the Lord will call many more workers into the harvest (Matt. 39:8). There is a great shortage in missionaries (Not only in our denomination, but in other denominations and missions organizations as well). The need is great, especially for ordained ministers. Our denomination (The Orthodox Presbyterian Church) called for a day of prayer and fasting on Saturday, August 17, 2024…”that the whole church may pray as one people, and call upon the Lord with one voice, that we might lament our distress and unworthiness before the Lord, confess our sin, and commit ourselves anew to the work of the Great Commission in the faithful service of the Lord our God; that we would humble ourselves, seeking the Lord’s guidance and provision for the spreading of His kingdom to the ends of the earth; that we humbly implore God to raise up missionary evangelists for our foreign fields.”

Would you join us in praying to this end?

Until Next Time

This newsletter is more detailed and larger than usual due in part that it will likely be our last one we are able to write stateside. We want you to be informed on what will likely be happening between now, and whenever our next newsletter will be as we adjust to life in Uganda.

We do sincerely ask that you would pray for us in the days leading up to our departure, for our travels and the early days of transitioning to a new country and culture. In all this, we take heart that we serve a God who “Goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deut. 31:8-9). So, entrusting the work/ministry, lives, and loved ones we leave behind to this same God, we take heart and set our sights on where He is calling us next.

We are thankful for your prayers, support and encouragement!

Until you hear from us next time in Uganda- or until the next delay 😉

In Christ,

The Emmett’s

Praises

  • That it looks like we will finally be getting to the field!
  • That our packing and preparations are mostly complete!
  • Pastor Julius Mukwana was installed as the organizing pastor of Nakaale Presbyterian Church and the church was taken on as a missions work of the Reformation Church of East Africa.

Prayers

  • Salvation for our children.
  • Comfort and peace as we say goodbyes to loved ones.
  • Safe and smooth travel and transition to the field.
  • That we would be able to get our work visas and dependent passes quickly.
  • For wisdom and encouragement for both the OPC Missions Committee and the OPUM team as they navigate multiple changes on the field.
  • That the church plants in Nakaale and down in Mbale would continue to grow/thrive.
  • For elders and deacons to be raised up from within the congregation of Nakaale Presbyterian Church.