Counting the cost...

Our Life in Cape Town now

2012-02-01T04:12:00.000-08:00

Bob praying with some of the kids at JOY Club

So we have been here in Cape Town now for three weeks. My how the time just zips right by. It seems like just yesterday we were landing in the U.S. for the first time in two years seeing our friends and family.

I want to share with you what we have been doing over the past three weeks, not too much detail as that will be in our newsletter. One thing is for sure, there is a lot of ministry going on.

Sunday we have church (obviously) in the morning and then in the evening we meet for prayer. This prayer group is really focused on revival in Cape Town and to see the Lord's hand working in the lives of the believer. Also at church I have begun to get involved with the youth group and Suzanne assisting with the children's ministry.

Tuesday we have a staff meeting in the morning. We discuss what the week will look like and also what the church is doing as a whole. There is also the homework club day. This is where some of the people go out and help the kids in the urban areas with their...homework. We have not had the opportunity to participate with this yet though we pray for the continued fruit of the ministry.

Wednesday is the men's prayer group in the afternoon. This is pretty cool. We meet in a park, pray for about 30 minutes then go out passing out tracts and witnessing to people. I have had some pretty cool conversations with people. There is a high population of Muslims here that are always ready and willing to talk.

Thursday is a pretty busy day too. In the early morning we meet at the church's cafe/bookstore, God's Army, for a time of prayer and fellowship. Then, in the afternoon we go to a Salvation Army hospital and pass out tracts to the patients, pray for them and just answer any and all questions about the afterlife. I also got the chance to pray with some pretty sick people. It was great to see the Lord working even though these people are so close to death. Then, Thursday night is our midweek study. We are going verse by verse through 1 Chronicles right now. Needless to say, at the end of Thursday, we are ready to chill.

Friday is the JOY Club. JOY Club was started to reach out to the kids of a very unique area of Cape Town. It takes place in Woodstock. This area is part of the old District Six. I encourage you to check out some of the information about District Six. It is filled with a rich history of Cape Town.

Saturday evening we meet for prayer again. As you can tell, the focus of the church is prayer and reaching out to the community.

Also, Suzanne has had the opportunity to work at the church's cafe, God's Army, a couple of times a week. This is volunteer work, but she is loving it. She will expand more on what she is doing there in our next newsletter.

Until then, we pray the Lord would continue to bless you and keep you.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

We Made It...God is great!!!

2012-01-11T08:24:00.000-08:00

Bobby at Christmas 2011

So, we made it. From Detroit to Amsterdam then on to Cape Town, South Africa. Jet lag never really has set in because we didn't sleep for about 24 hours and then landed at 10:30pm here and crashed until about 11am.

We never would have made it except for your faithful prayers. Thanks for all the love and support.

We will give more details later.

Please continue to pray for a place for us to live. That is our top priority right now.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

Great News!!

2012-01-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

Wee Bobby with his cousin Kaitlyn

So, it has been a long road for us here in the States. We arrived back home to Michigan on Sept. 18th to a warm family reception. We were greeted with open arms and sighs of relief when our family saw that all three of us had successfully made it across the globe. We were both excited to see everyone and comforted by their hugs. Of course, there were no shortage of volunteers to take hold of our newest edition.

But, with all things, change is around the corner. We were recently approved for a three year visa to South Africa. This allows us to stay in the country for the next three years and easily extend it as long as we stay out of trouble :). We are going to be working along side Calvary Chapel Cape Town for a few months then venturing off to plant our own church in the Cape Town area. This is what we believe God has for us.

Though we knew that we would be leaving, it is still bitter sweet. We are excited to start our next phase in life and service to the Lord; but exceptionally saddened by the fact that we are leaving. We had such a blessed time with our friends and family. Each one taking care of us and making sure that we were well attended to. We have nothing but thankfulness and gratitude in our hearts towards these people.

We pray God's most abundant blessings upon all those who pray for us, support us and take care of us in general. We would not be able to do what we do without you all.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby Scott

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Scott's to everyone who is praying for us and supporting us in so many different ways. What a blessing it has been to be home and be treated like family where ever we have traveled. We pray that each and every one of you will be blessed this Christmas season.

Home Safe and Sound

2011-11-25T19:33:00.001-08:00

So, from the Scott group...Thanks. For all of your prayers and support as we traveled over 7300 miles in 39 days!! The rental car company had to put in some "adjusted" numbers as their computer system would not take the real numbers.

We had a lot of "firsts" on our trip, but this was one of the priceless ones. Bobby's first taste of snow. At almost 9 months, in Wyoming at Devil's Tower National Park he ate some fresh snow. He liked it, but not at first. It took him a few minutes to put it into his mouth, but once tasted he was hooked!

We have been home for a few days and relaxing with friends and family. We had a great Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing all of our friends and family here in Michigan. We are so thankful for all the new friends that we made along our journey.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

From Hot to Cold in just a few hours

2011-11-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Scott Group atop the Seattle Space Needle.

We have been traveling so far that we get to see various climates...sometimes in the same day!!

On Wednesday November 2nd we stared the day off in San Diego by the airport. By that afternoon we were about 3 hours North of there in Oxnard and then we spent the night (in some city) where it was getting ready to snow. Then, on Thursday night, we were in Southern Oregon....where there was snow on the ground!! What a difference a few hours make!!

We are currently in Washington and really, really loving it here. We are blessed to meet so many great and wonderful believers. The church here has been nothing but hospitable towards us. We are blessed.

Things are going really well for us on the trip. Our little son, Bobby, has had the great opportunity to meet so many new people and play with a lot of great kids. We are so thankful for his calm demeanor when we are not around and his willingness to all others to watch him. He truly is a flexible missionary kid!!

We are so very thankful for all of your prayers and support while we are on this trip. We will be getting back to Michigan in time for Thanksgiving (and the Detroit Lions!!). We look forward to spending some time with our friends and family back home.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

Day 11....

2011-10-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Things are going great!!

We have had such a wonderful trip so far. We want to thank all the people who have "put up" with us on our journey and all the churches for allowing us to share the vision that God has given us. We look forward to the friends and family that we are coming to see in the near future.

As I am writing this we are in Phoenix, AZ staying with some old dear friends. We have covered over 2000 miles and been through 9 states on this great journey. Thanks for all who have made this possible.

Please continue to pray for Bobby. He is doing wonderful spending up to 8 hours a day in a car. I think sometimes we are more tired of being in the car than he is. Also, please continue to pray for our safety as we are driving and that the Word of the Lord would go out in a powerful way.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

Day 1...39 to go!!

2011-10-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

So today is the day, the beginning of our much anticipated 4000 + mile trip. We are heading to Arkansas to visit Calvary Chapel Jonesboro and the family of believers there. We are very excited to get the ball rolling, so to speak. We are traveling speaking at churches letting people know about the church planting we are going to do in January in South Africa. There is something special going on in Cape Town and we pray that the Lord would use us in a mighty way to help further His Kingdom.

We ask that you would pray for our safety and that our son would be blessed by the whole experience. We also would like to ask for prayer for our family as a whole. That we would grow closer to each other and in our relationship with the Lord.

We would also like to say thanks to all the people who have hosted us in Michigan and taken such good care of us. We know that you took time out of your life just to tend to us. Many thanks.

I will keep you updated on our experience as we are traveling. Until then...

Grace and Peace,

Bob...Suzanne...Bobby

WHOA!!! Our U.S. Speaking/Traveling Schedule

2011-09-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Going down Government Ave. in Cape Town. One of their beautiful parks.

While we are in the states, we will be traveling all over the country from September 25 - December 18. We have been graciously invited to speak at several churches and share with them the needs in South Africa and the vision God has given us. We are excited to meet many new people and visit many of the pastors we hosted here at the guest house. Our schedule is below, so if you’re going to be in the area on any of those dates, please email us. We would love to see you and invite you to hear us speak at the church.

 Sept 25 - Ann Arbor, MI
 Oct 2 - Lowell, MI
 Oct 9 - North Chicago, IL
 Oct 16 - Jonesboro, AR
 Oct 23 - Norman, OK
 Oct 30 - Borrego Springs, CA
 Nov 2 - Oxnard, CA
 Nov 6 - North Bend, WA
 Nov 13 - Centralia, WA
 Nov 20- Sundance, WY
 Nov 27 - Off (Attending Calvary Chapel Ann Arbor)
 Dec 4 - Kalamazoo, MI
 Dec 11 - Whitehall, MI
 Dec 18 - Battle Creek, MI
 Dec 25 - Off (Attending Calvary Chapel Ann Arbor)
 Jan 1 - Off
 Jan 8 - Off (Attending Calvary Chapel Ann Arbor)

Please pray for us as we are traveling with our son. Please pray for safety on the roads and that it would be a blessed time for the whole family.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

A Sweet Farewell

2011-09-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

For Suzanne and I, this was our final team for our two year commitment at the Far Reaching Ministries guest house ministry. These men were from California, Oregon, Michigan and Washington but all came together for the work of the ministry.

Some were here to teach the Bible to our 8th graduating Chaplain class; others came to make improvements on our decade old compound. We praise the Lord for the work that they did and pray that their labor would continue to bear much fruit in the future.

For us, three of these men had been our first mission's team when we arrived in 2010. It was wonderful to see and hear all that the Lord had done in the past 21 months we had been apart.

We look forward to seeing some of these men while we are back on furlough in the States.

We thank you for your labor of love.

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby Scott

Change is Inevitable - Our New Season In Life...Church Planting

2011-08-26T12:30:00.000-07:00

As we have seen with our first child, nothing stays the same for very long. If there is one thing that we are guaranteed in this life it is change. With that being said, we are on the precipice of our biggest change in the last several years.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building." God has given man the unique opportunity to be co-laborers with Him. Our job is simple, we are to plant the word of God in the hearts of people and continue with discipleship (watering) so then God can give the increase.

One of the commands that Jesus gives is to go into the world and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21; Acts 1:8) After taking a trip to Cape Town, South Africa, we have felt the call to return and plant a church in the area. We would be working first with Calvary Chapel Cape Town which was established there about 12 years ago. After getting to know the place better we would branch out and start our own church. Please pray for us as we are at the beginning stages of this en-devour.

Please click on the link for our latest newsletter about what is going on with us and our heart for Cape Town, South Africa.

It's Furlough Time!!

2011-08-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

Suzanne and I wanted to ask for your prayers as we are going to be taking our furlough to the United States from Uganda. We are coming home Sept. 18th to see our friends and family. Most of which we have not seen in about two years...some even longer. We are excited to see our church family and all the new faces!

Please pray that our travel time would be uneventful. Bobby will be about 6 1/2 months old and we will be traveling for about 20 hours. Pray that the Lord would give him rest (and us) as we are traveling.

When we get home, we have several speaking engagements that are already booked but we still have a couple of available weekends. If you have a desire to know what is happening in Africa, please let us know as we would be happy to come and share at your church or home group. Our goal is to get the word out about the amazing things God is doing in Africa to strengthen our brothers and sisters on the other side of the world.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support. We will be giving more details about our move to South Africa to plant a church in the weeks to come. As Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38 "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

Grace and Peace,

Bob, Suzanne and Bobby

Cape Point, South Africa

2011-07-27T06:26:00.000-07:00

This is the farthest South and West you can go in Africa.
We are on the Cape of Good Hope. It was a balmy 50
degrees F (15 C) and over cast with wind around 10 mph.
Great view of the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

A Much Needed Reminder

2011-07-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

I just read this weekly devotional from the pastor of Calvary Chapel Cape Town in South Africa. It really hit home with me and I just wanted to share the blessing.

Trials and Triumphs
July 7th, 2011

"He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze" (Psalm 18:34).

The great military commander of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, once said: "To have good soldiers, a nation must always be at war." Prolonged periods of ease and inactivity do not produce strong armies. In our Christian lives the same is true. We need to be actively "fighting the good fight of the faith" in order to grow and become spiritually mature (1 Tim. 6:12).

This is the reason that God permits trials and tribulations. Growth happens in adversity. Tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance produces Christian character (Rom. 5:3-4). Never seek to avoid the battlefields of life. They are essential for the strengthening of your faith. It is there that Christ trains your hands to make war. As the Captain of your salvation (Heb. 2:10) and the Commander of the army of the Lord (Josh. 5:14), He stands with you and strengthens you in the battle.

Look at Simon Peter. When Satan wanted to sift Peter as wheat, Christ stood with him. He prayed for Peter. "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.'" (Luke 22:31-32). Why did Christ allow this severe sifting? Read the verse again. It was essential for the strengthening of his faith. Through his sifting, Peter would learn to depend less on himself and more upon Christ. He would learn to rest in the unfailing grace of God. Furthermore, his battle training would equip him to effectively minister to the other disciples. In this sense, Peter's great trial ultimately became his triumph!

I hope that these scriptures will help you to understand why you and I encounter many trials and challenges in our lives. Trials lead to triumphs! James tells us that hardships, more than anything, produce perseverance in us, and make us "perfect and complete" in Christ (James 1:4).

In His strong love,
Demitri

Our New Son!!

2011-03-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

As many of you already know, on 03 March 2011 we had our first child, Robert Scott IV.

Bobby happy in his Michigan State Spartans outfit!!

We are very thankful for all of your prayers and support over the past several months. He is such a joy from the Lord and we are very, very blessed to have him as our son. Suzanne will give more details on the story of his birth very soon.

Grace and Peace,

The Scott Family

Some Great News

2011-01-07T22:49:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to share with you all that our unborn son is doing great! We had a 3D ultrasound and everything looks normal. We are still scheduled for a March 3rd delivery date and really couldn't be more excited. We praise God for this tremendous opportunity to raise this child in His name.

We thank you for your prayers and covet them even more.

Grace and Peace,

Bob and Suzanne

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T00:39:00.000-08:00

We just wanted to take a moment and wish you all a very merry Christmas. We know how busy the holiday season can be and we pray that you would just take a moment and remember why Jesus came to Earth. We are so grateful that He made Himself a little lower than the angels and took on the form of a bond-servant. He did this so we can have sweet fellowship with the Father, Praise God!!

We hope that you enjoy this special time with friends and loved ones.

God is in the little things

2010-12-14T12:32:00.000-08:00

Monday I had the opportunity to meet with one of my students from the Bible College at his "house." I was heading downtown in the morning and he was eager to meet with me to show me his place. Now, this is a traditional Ugandan custom. For someone to invite you over, they are truly opening themselves up to you. As the average Ugandan has really nothing, no earthly possessions to call their own. They will literally give you a meal even if it means that they don't eat for the rest of the week. With this in mind, I told him that I would meet with him only if he would allow me to buy him breakfast. He humbly agreed. (Thankfully, breakfast here runs about one to two U.S. dollars.)

After breakfast, he was ready for me to come and see his place. He asked if I would like to take a taxi, I respectfully declined and said that walking was okay with me. I asked how far...he said "far." So I said, "about 20 minutes away?" He said "yes."

45 minutes later we arrived at his place. Now, Ugandans are not known for keeping time so it was my fault for trying to put a time limit on his walking distance. But, I did know that "far" meant that we would be walking for some time...albeit not 45 minutes.

Arriving at his place I got to meet his brother. They both lived in a one room, a 10 feet by 10 feet living space. No bathrooms, showers, closets, kitchen, etc. They had a queen size bed that they shared (completely normal here) and a bunch of Christian movies they had stored up when the church here went to all DVD. But, the best part was the worship music playing on the radio when we walked in. What a blessing!!

Him and his brother proceeded to tell me how they were humbled by me leaving the U.S. to come to Africa. I was in shock. I live in a house, with bathrooms, kitchen, etc. I was the one who was humbled!! He was very proud to have me there for the morning and I was even prouder to see the work that the Lord is doing in his life. It is great that since we have the same Spirit, the same Lord, no matter where we come from, we have the most important thing in common...Jesus Christ. The whole time I was there, neither man complained once about what they did or didn't have. They were eager to show me where they did weekly outreaches in the community and to meet some of the people they encourage daily.

This is just one way the Lord is using us here. We often have chances to meet, pray with and disciple people on their level, really showing the love of Jesus. We pray that the Lord would continue to use us here; to encourage the believers to stay strong and keep their eyes fixed upon Jesus.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Our Trip to the North

2010-11-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Suzanne and I had the opportunity to take a trip to Northern Uganda and visit some friends of ours. They live in Gulu. Gulu is about six hours North of where we live in Kampala. It was heavily affected by the long war that took place here and the people are now starting to show signs of recovery.

Our friends, Keith and Lisa, have lived up there since 2006 and have seen a lot of change. They have invited us up there several times, but it wasn't until now that we had the opportunity to go and visit. On Saturday night, we went out to the village to show the Jesus film. Now, let me tell you, this was a proper village. No electricity, no running water, mud huts to live in and almost nobody spoke English. It was a wonderful time! There were about 100 children that showed up for the film and about 250-300 adults that made the trip to see it. The nice thing is, we just hung a white sheet between two trees, started up a generator, plugged in the overhead projector and the movie was on an iPod. The people loved it and many gave their lives over to Christ that night and some the next morning.

The next day, Sunday, we had the opportunity to go to a village church. This was a great experience. The mud hut was about 30 feet long and about 15 feet wide. They had straw mats on the ground so people can sit and listen to the message. Keith had asked me if I wanted to give the message that morning and I was proud to oblige.

These people were hungry for the Word of God and needed encouragement. The teaching was on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-16 encouraging these Christians how to live in this world but with their eyes on heaven. You see, the Muslims are starting to outnumber the Christians in the North. It is hard to go over 100 meters and not see a mosque. Though they are not persecuting the Christians, they are starting to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

It was awesome to see the hand of God work in these fellow Christian's lives. Please pray for them to continue strong in the faith and to finish their race with joy.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Snakes and Snakes!!

2010-10-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, on Thursday night we had a going away party for some dear friends of ours. They headed back to the U.S. for about six months and plan to return to Uganda to work in Fort Portal. The party was great, people and food alike.

We got home about 11:00 at night, dark out of course. Suzanne opened our first security gate that is about six feet from our front door. Upon opening it, she let out a scream, very loud and very intentional. I got the feeling that I didn't want to walk around the corner and see what she was seeing. But, I did... There was a black snake laying across the path to our front door. Black, three feet long and moving very, very slowly. So there I was, standing in shorts, flip-flops and hanging onto a tray of upside down pineapple cake. Not exactly the "striking" position one hopes to be in when encountering such a foe.

So I did what anyone else would do...I called my security guards over to take care of the problem. Now, Africans HATE snakes. Thankfully my guys knew how to get the job done. One picked up an ax handle and ran over and bashed it's head it. The other one stepped on the tale with his book so the snake would not move. After striking the head several times, they looked at me and asked me if I wanted to pick it up. I respectfully declined only to get the question "do you fear snakes?" I answered that the snakes in America were different...they just smiled and nodded at me. I don't think they bought it.

This was one of several snakes killed on our compound over the last several weeks, but this is the first that we have seen up close and personal. The scary thing is, another American who lives on our compound with us had just been in our house about five minutes before we got home. She just ran over to drop off some clothes for washing...in her bare feet!! We just praise God that nothing happened.

Serving Jesus,

Bob and Suzanne

Getting used to the local customs

2010-05-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

Being here in Uganda has really been a culture shock in a few ways. The driving is on the other side of the road, there are really no stop lights/signs and the round about is a fixture at every road intersection. When you add into the equation that Kampala was originally built for 250,000 people and now is home to over 3.5 million people, you can understand there are a few things that may be a bit...off.

The nice thing about the people here is that they are typically really nice and pleasant to be around. They are social towards you, when you first initiate the conversation. Also, Ugandans really value the concept of close friends. This is where it gets a bit strange, at least to me. In an attempt to be around the locals as much as possible, I have joined a local gym. It is about $14/month and I get my own "coach", or trainer. This place is covered with remnant carpet on the floor and magazine pictures of body builders taped all over the walls. It is four times longer than it is wide and has pit latrines for toilets. All that being said, there are a number of people who go there and the friendship and brotherhood is top notch.

I have been at this gym for about one month now, I go daily around mid-day and I am there for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time. I get to see the same people daily, talk with them, joke around and just hang out. Much to my surprise, one of the men (actually the owner) was talking with me one day when he grabbed my hand and began to hold it much like an American boyfriend and girlfriend would. Now, this is not the first time this has happened to me. This is a sign of much respect and adoration for each other, the kind of brotherhood that teammates would experience on the same football or baseball team. Needless to say, every time this happens...I freeze. It is not something that I am comfortable with at all. I think the reasons speak for themselves, but here it is such an honor to have someone hold your hand. The women do it, the men do it, and it shows they truly care one for another.

For me, it will take some getting used to, if it is something that one can actually get used to. I still remember the first time it happened to me, a man grabbing my hand and swinging back and forth. It took several people explaining to me that he didn't find me attractive, but that he thought of our friendship as very special.

Though I would not try this at home, it is something unique here.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Chuck Smith: A Memoir of Grace

2010-04-04T04:26:00.000-07:00

This was probably one of the most inspiring books that I have read as Chuck opens himself and his faith in God for all to see. It takes you from the beginning of his life and how influential his parents and siblings were in every area of his upbringing. I persoanlly love how Chuck opens up to the reader and allows us to see the personal internal struggles that he and Kay went through while starting his ministry. It is encouraging to know that Chuck Smith, as popular and loved as he is today, started off trying to find where the Lord wanted him to be. It didn't happen overnight as it took him almost two decades to come to the realization that God called him to a grace filled life; and to teach others the same things.

One theme that is repeated over and over again is "everything is preparation for something else." We may not know or understand what God is doing in our lives right now, but we must have the faith to know that He is in control and that He has the plans for us. It is that faith and hope that I found while reading these pages.

Thank you Chuck.

Grace and Peace

Local Kids of Sudan

2010-04-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that Africa has plenty of...kids!! Just under half of the population of Uganda and Sudan are children. With the life expectancy so low here, not even 50 years old, people just don't live as long as they do in America.

These are some of the local kids in Sudan that we had the opportunity to just get to know. Being one of the only white people in the area, when you step outside the gate you tend to get a lot of stares and looks...especially from curious kids.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Great work team for Sudan

2010-02-27T01:11:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that we all made it back from Sudan in great shape. The work crew was awesome and got done more than was anticipated. I wanted to once again give my personal thanks to all five of the men who took time out of their lives to come to Africa and serve the Lord.

These five men from Washington, Illinois and Florida have stored up for themselves treasures in heaven with the good works they have done. From painting to electrical to putting up ceilings and putting in windows, there was plenty of work to be done and no one hesitated to help out. We even had a professional mason who got to play with some cement and learn some new techniques.

Once again, thanks for the hard work and no complaining, Glory be to God.

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Traveling to Sudan.

2010-02-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have asked me where I am going to be while I am in Sudan. Here is a map of the area, it truly is in the middle of nowhere.

My trip has changed a couple of times, but now I leave on Tuesday the 16th and will return two weeks later. We are putting in windows, doing some painting and some other construction jobs. Please pray for the work that is going on there, to be safe and fruitful in all that we do.

View Larger Map

Grace and Peace,

Bob

Brother Andrew - God Smuggler

2010-02-09T21:40:00.000-08:00

This book really spoke to me about having faith in what you are doing and giving God the chance to work in your life. Brother Andrew never went ahead of what God was doing and he was always provided for. This is an inspiration to all Christians to follow God and the calling that He has put on your life.

Also, what I got from this book is the difference between a calling and choosing to do something because it needs to be done. All around the world there are things and projects that need to be done, and most of us are capable of doing a lot; but that may not be where God has called you to be. You see, Jesus called the apostles to Himself, not everyone, just a select few. Though there were many disciples of Christ, not all were apostles. Even within the select 12, there were some who were even closer to Jesus; chosen for an even more specific work. They were not just simply filling a need, but following the call from their Lord.

If we are to fully serve Jesus, we need to follow His calling; and be satisfied with what He has given us to do. All around the world they need Bible teachers, carpenters, administrators, Bible College teachers, etc. but that doesn't mean that we go because of the need, we go because we are called. Much like brother Andrew, he saw the need, prayed, and that was his calling, to get the Bibles under the communist rule.

I hope that you are as blessed as I was after reading this book. Please share how God has impacted you from this book, or any other book you may be reading.

Grace and Peace from Uganda,

Bob

From the coffee shop

2010-01-30T01:28:00.000-08:00

Today we are at a local coffee shop. I must say that Uganda has the best coffee I have ever tasted, cheap too. They have WiFi here and it is pretty fast, almost up to cable type speeds.

Yesterday I got to do my first teaching, it was a 30 minute devotion. The audience was mixed with Africans and Americans. The Africans were Sudanese men, 6 of them, 5 who are in the South Sudanese Army. All have been in the army 20 + years and only one is over 40 years old. You see, they all joined the army before they were 15 years old, one joined when he was 9 years old. As I sat around the room, these were the most kind and gentle men that I have encountered while here in Africa.

All these men have been in over 10 years of war and all have fought in many, many battles themselves. Most of their brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers have all died due to the war. The thing that amazed me the most though was their love for Jesus. They had this unconditional love, a love that you read about Christ having for us. They didn't love Christ because they had nice cars (for none of them had a car), because they had nice clothes (they had to buy new clothes when they got to Kampala) or because they are rich (most make yearly what we make in a month). No, for them the love was only predicated on the fact that Jesus loved them first, that's it.

The text that I taught from was in Philippians 3, speaking of our citizenship in heaven and our identity in Christ. These men don't have much, but they know their scripture well. I couldn't help but wonder how much better off we (Americans in general) would be if we didn't think that every bad thing that happened to us was God turning His back on us or that when we really, really needed something or things went bad we prayed. These men said nothing without mentioning Jesus, and one carries a literal cross with him wherever he goes. I was simply awestruck at the faith, compassion and dedication I saw yesterday. They really have the "God is good all the time" attitude and when they need something, they know that God will always provide.

For me, I pray that the Lord would continue to show me people with this unbelievable faith, unwavering faith. It truly is a blessing to be around people like this. I will be posting some of the chaplain profiles over the upcoming months. I would like to introduce you to some of the men who are changing my life.

Here in Africa

2010-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

We have now been here for two weeks and feeling right at home. It is such a blessing to be serving the Lord right where He calls you to be. Though it has been unbelievably hot and humid, we are getting along just fine.

The best part of running the guest house is all of the other missionaries we get to meet. We have already had the opportunity to get to know people from Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. They had to stay at the house to do some business here in Kampala.

Overall, we are doing really well and already making some new friends and renewing our old friendships that we had started when we were here 18 months ago. The people here are great and a real blessing to work with.

Please continue to pray for us, that we will continue to be a blessing to the ministry here and that we will continue to walk in the grace of Jesus. As we are here, we are hoping to get more and more involved in the Calvary Chapel in Kampala, pray the Lord would give us wisdom in what to do.

Books, Books and more Books

2009-12-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

As per our latest newsletter, we are going to start reviewing some books and hopefully inspire, and be inspired ourselves, to read some books. The Christian should never stop learning nor should they stop gathering information. I hope that these books will bless you, or have blessed you, in the same capacity they have undoubtedly blessed us.

Warren Wiersbe wrote On Being a Servant of God with the idea of helping those who are beginning their ministry all the way to those who have been serving for a lifetime. One of the points he makes is that we should always be reading at least one book, expanding our horizon on the things of God. If you haven't had the opportunity to read this yet, I do suggest that you do. If you have, like me, maybe you should consider this a yearly read. The basic and fundamental truths that Wiersbe states are a lifetime lesson for all of us.

Do you know your Old Testament?

2009-08-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been speaking with several Christians who seem to think that the Old Testament (O.T) really doesn't have a practical or important place in today's church. I couldn't disagree more. Without a proper understanding of the O.T. we can not fully understand what happened on the Cross when Jesus died. Do you know the significance of the day that Jesus died on? Do you know why he called the Lamb of God? Do you know of the picture in the O.T. of Jesus dying and coming back to life? You see, in the New Testament (N.T), the book of Jude speaks about knowing the O.T., Jude 4 "For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe." You see, here we are told to "remember" those things that happened in the old days because they are an example for us today. If you continue reading in the book of Jude, you read things about Egypt, the fallen angels, Sodom & Gomorrah, Moses, Cain, Balaam and the rebellion of Korah, Enoch and Adam. IF I were to ask you how many of these things you could tell someone else about and explain what happened to them, could you? Could you explain how they point to Jesus Christ? Could you tell someone why God was angry with them and He exercised His righteousness judgement on them? You see, I believe that one of the biggest errors we can have today is not understanding the O.T. in the way the N.T. writers did. They used the O.T. for their scriptures and examples for living, why shouldn't we?

Romans 15:4 "For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope."

You see, by knowing the the O.T. Scriptures, it will help with your hope in the Lord, that we may see what He has done in the past and we know that the Lord never changes so we can count on Him for us today. How is your hope in the Lord? Read about Job and his patience, Abraham and his heart to follow God, David and the years he waited for the promise of his kingship to come to pass. All of these men have something in common, they heard from God and waited for the promise.

2 Corinthians 5:10-11 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences."

Far Reaching Ministries Aviation: Rabuna-Fi Project

2009-07-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share some really great things that are happening with Far Reaching Ministries and it's partner, Far Reaching Ministries Aviation (FRMA). FRMA focuses on women's ministry in Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. Take a look at the videos below and it explains it all. They need your help, one way you can help is by throwing a "party" for the ministry. It is just like a party lite or pampered chef party, you get a lot of friends to come over, watch a video and take a look at what crafts the women are making.

Check out their website at www.rabunafi.org

After Our First Week Here In California

2009-06-30T13:15:00.001-07:00

What is better than being in Southeastern Michigan? Being in Southern California!! With that being said, let me tell you that we have quite the work load that we are expected to get done over the course of the next six months. Let me share with you what we have to do: 1. Go through all 148 mp3 teachings of Chuck Smith and take one page of notes on each teaching, 2. Read about 10 books and do book reports on each one of them, 3. Learn and master the QuickBooks program, 4. Do the Self-Confrontation book and work book, 5. Take a Leading From Your Strengths test, read the book and talk about it in a group setting, 6. Lead a monthly bible study at the office, 7. Get plugged into a local church here and start to serve there, 8. Learn how all the office works with oversea's recipts from purchases in Africa....and a lot more stuff that I just can't remember right now. So, to say that we are having a vacation here in SoCal is quite the understatement.

But....God is so great that he has allowed us the time and energy to accomplish it all. Thanks again for all the prayers, we really need them.

So week number one was a huge success....and we have Friday off for the 4th.

See you all soon!!!

Psalm 34:10 "The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing."

Here in California

2009-06-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it to Murrieta, California!! It was a great trip topping off around 2600 miles. Our car, which hit the 200,000 mile mark in Indiana, was fantastic along the whole trip. We took a lot of great pictures as well to capture the great memories.

Flagstaff to Phoenix

Albuquerque to Flagstaff

Sandia Peak

Amarillo to Albuquerque

We want to just thank all that made our trip possible and invite you to check us out on www.facebook.com so you can stay in contact with us.

In the midst of our trip...

2009-06-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, as we are on our way to California, we have stopped in so many cool places. We have had the opportunity to follow historic Route 66 that goes from Chicago, IL to Santa Monica, CA. We picked it up in St. Louis, MO and have done our best to follow it the majority of the way. In some spots it is still a dirt road (original dirt) and in others highway 40 has taken it's place. But, there are some great spots that you can get off and just take the old road for miles and see what it was like in the 20's and 30's to just travel on the two lane. We have gotten to see so many small towns, the smallest being a population of 3...yes 3 people live in the town. It is a border town between Texas and New Mexico, it is actually considered a ghost town, but it still has three official residents. Other than that, the average town that we went through probably had between 400 and 700 people. There are many places to stop and see the history of Route 66, we stopped at a bunch.

Well, today we are in Albuquerque, NM and we will leave tomorrow to go to Phoenix, or somewhere around there!!

Thanks to all for their support, praying and financially, we could not be here without you all.

Love,

Bob and Suzanne

Great News!!

2009-05-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has finally arrived!! We have been accepted to go to California for our six month training period with Far Reaching Ministries. We will be leaving on June 8th and our official first day in the office will be June 22nd. We are hoping to visit some friends and family on the way out to California and have a nice refreshing trip as well.

We are going to try and do some camping at some of the National Forests so we can see all that God has created.

We want to say a special thanks to all who have been praying for us and giving financial support. We would not be here without any of you, we pray that the Lord would give fruit to you in your heavenly account.

We would like to invite all of you to our going away party. It is going to be on Saturday June 6th at 4pm. We are doing a pot-luck style party (don't feel obligated to bring anything) and having some good laughs and a time of prayer. Then, on Sunday, Bob will be giving the morning sermon and we will be having a commissioning time as well.

Once again, thanks and we covet your continued prayers and support.

Just wanted to say hi.

2009-04-22T11:40:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are praying for all, that the Lord will be continuing to bless each and every one of you. Things here are going really well, we have received a few more people that are giving to us on a monthly basis. Suzanne and I are still working our temporary jobs, hoping that soon we will be our in California then on to Africa.

We really appreciate all of your patience as you stand with us to bring the Gospel to Africa. We know that it has been a long road (believe us!!), but we want you to know that we are constantly seeking the Lord and praying for His hand to guide us to Africa.

Thank You

2009-04-07T15:19:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to say "Thank You" to all the people who have been praying for Suzanne and her family. Today was the funeral for her grandma, Mickey, all went really well. It was a great service and many were able to attend and pay their last respects. Praise the Lord that she was able to accept the Lord in her final days, we grieve now only because we miss her, but we rejoice because we know that she is with the Lord in heaven now, waiting for us.

Update

2009-04-02T13:26:00.001-07:00

Hello to everyone,

We just wanted to let you all know that Suzanne's grandma passed away at 10:30pm, 04/01/2009. Praise the Lord she is a believer and is now sitting with the Lord. Thank you for all of your prayers and words of encouragement.

Hello To Everyone!!

2009-03-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

We just wanted to say HI to everyone!! We are doing really well here in Ann Arbor. I hope that you all are doing well too. The Lord has really been doing a work here with us and with our church as a whole. We have seen many new people coming to church and really being on fire for the Lord. We are in the middle of doing a Fireproof Group, based on the Christian movie "Fireproof" that is designed to strengthen marriages.

Suzanne and I are patiently waiting on the Lord to continue the good work that He started a few years ago. It seems like just yesterday that we heard the call to go to Africa and serve the Lord. The past three years have been wonderful for us to grow into His calling and really be able minister to others who are wondering if they have been called as well. It is probably the most popular question we get, "how did you know?" Well, to be honest, it was a holy, perfect peace that the Lord can only give that rested upon us while we were making decisions. We read and studied the Word really giving ourselves over to the work of the Holy Spirit. The real work that the Lord is doing now is preparing us to be away for so long. I know that we have said this before, but this time that we have been able to spend with friends and family has been absolutely wonderful. We are glad that the Lord didn't send us off so quickly so we can get a chance to get to know more people so much better.

Also, Suzanne's grandma is in the hospital and it doesn't look good for her. Please keep her in your prayers, she is probably not going to make it much longer. Praise the Lord though, she did accept Jesus as her Lord and Savior just a few days ago!! I believe that the Lord has us here to see her off and to say good-bye one last time. But, who knows, she may pull through and we may be playing cards with her again! Only the Lord knows.

Anyways, we love you all and are so thankful for all of your prayer and financial support. We couldn't be here without any of you, we are constantly praying for each of you that the Lord would continue to bless you and be your rock.

Looking Forward

2008-12-04T15:48:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

As Suzanne and I are preparing to be here for the winter, we take a look back at the past year that we have been preparing for long term service in Africa. You know, our first trip to Africa was over the 2007 Christmas, not even a year ago. The great thing is, most missionaries wait for a few years to get to the spot that we are at. Now, we are just learning so much from the Lord and many others around us. The past year has taught us to wait on the Lord. He does have many, many plans for our lives, but they are not all going to happen right now. That is probably the hardest thing for us, being able to see the finish line and not being able to run at full pace (for lack of a better term!!).

This time has given us more time to spend with our friends and family. We thought that we would be in California for the holidays but much to our surprise, we got to see all of our loved ones. Even though the Detroit Lions lost on Thanksgiving (and every game before that) we had a great time with all the family and friends. We have gotten to make so many new friends at church and really get to strengthen the relationships that we already had. God has truely blessed the time with our home church. As is in the earlier post, you can check out our church at http://www.calvarychapelannarbor.org/, we have some teachings and pictures there too.

You can also go to http://www.farreachingministries.org/ to see Far Reaching Ministries home page. They have some great pictures of all the work they are doing in Africa and around the world. They really have a heart for the Lord and missions in general.

Once again, we are very blessed to have this calling on our lives and we hope that you can partner with is in prayer or how ever the Lord may lead you.

God Bless.

Our total monthly financial needs in Africa

2008-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

While our total monthly goal is to have $2500 raised for Africa, we must have $1500.00 per month raised before we can go out to California to start our six months of training. Our training in California will be at Far Reaching Ministries main office in Murrieta. We will be learning the bookkeeping for the ministry operations in Africa, also we will have an opportunity to serve at the office in various capacities.

The needs that we have while in Africa are travel expenses (car and air), security, food, water, housing, cell, Internet, etc. This support will also cover the cost of our plane tickets for travel back to the U.S. once a year to take a month long vacation to spend time with friends, family and our supporters nation wide.

Thank you for your continued prayer and support and know that you are helping to make a difference in Africa.

Our trip to the Equator in April 2008

2008-06-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

This trip was really good for us. While being in Kampala, we got a chance to meet some of the other missionaries that work there with Far Reaching Ministries. We took them out because none of us had been to the equator before, it was a good chance to get to know them.

Getting Ready for Africa

2008-06-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

As we are preparing for Africa, we can do nothing more than trust that God has a special plan for the two of us. Neither one of is working right now as we are waiting to go full time in the missions field. We are staying busy by doing some odd jobs for family and friends.

We sincerely appreciate your prayers. Please pray for patience, as this seems to be a learning experience, and for faith, as we are stepping out to serve God full time. We look forward to start our training in California and then it's off to Uganda!

Check out our pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/bobandsu

Please check out our home church at http://www.calvarychapelannarbor.com/

Counting the cost...

Our Life in Cape Town now

We Made It...God is great!!!

Great News!!

Merry Christmas

Home Safe and Sound

From Hot to Cold in just a few hours

Day 11....

Day 1...39 to go!!

WHOA!!! Our U.S. Speaking/Traveling Schedule

A Sweet Farewell

Change is Inevitable - Our New Season In Life...Church Planting

It's Furlough Time!!

Cape Point, South Africa

A Much Needed Reminder

Trials and TriumphsJuly 7th, 2011

"He teaches my hands to make war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze" (Psalm 18:34).

Our New Son!!

Some Great News

Merry Christmas

God is in the little things

Our Trip to the North

Snakes and Snakes!!

Getting used to the local customs

Chuck Smith: A Memoir of Grace

Local Kids of Sudan

Great work team for Sudan

Traveling to Sudan.

Brother Andrew - God Smuggler

From the coffee shop

Here in Africa

Books, Books and more Books

Do you know your Old Testament?

Far Reaching Ministries Aviation: Rabuna-Fi Project

After Our First Week Here In California

Here in California

In the midst of our trip...

Great News!!

Just wanted to say hi.

Thank You

Update

Hello To Everyone!!

Looking Forward

Our total monthly financial needs in Africa

Our trip to the Equator in April 2008

Getting Ready for Africa

Trials and Triumphs
July 7th, 2011