Jesus asked his disciples: Did you lack anything?

It has been over a month now since we departed Africa and returned to Alaska.  During our time in Africa, we had very little access to internet and were not able to keep up with blogs, but we know that there are many who are still anxious to hear the details of what God did.

To tell the entirety of this three month journey seems nearly impossible. From the personal interactions and growth in our own hearts, to the growth of each team member who traveled with us to the miracles of healings in each location and the reception of the message in God’s Word that we preached is more than most readers would be willing to sit thru. After all it was almost three months filled each day with hours of ministry, so we will be posting a few blogs over the next weeks to fill you in on some of the amazing things that God did.

We traveled to many locations throughout Uganda and Rwanda. Some churches were in cities, some in remote villages, some ministry was in prison and some were on the side of the road as we moved along traveling to our next destination. Almost always we were receiving phone calls asking when our team would arrive to minister. Almost always they said we were leaving too soon and every time we were asked to return again next year not only in the same location but also in nearby locations to hold other Pastors conferences for nearby pastors who had not been able to be made aware of the sessions we held.

The meetings were more than meeting and messages. The meetings were ANNOINTED meeting with Jesus speaking thru His Holy Spirit building relationships and love with people who most often spoke an entirely different language than ours.  It was thru this process that I was made aware that God is not waiting to tell His Body ALL truth until we can receive it. He has already told us ALL TRUTH NOW – we just have not translated it to our own understanding as of yet, and the better we get at translating the Word of God the closer to the Full Knowledge of God we will become. It is not God who is changing but WE who are changing from Glory to Glory boasting in who He is.

The details of the journey began with a focus on the people and location we had planned to move in and out of and then we began to see God working in the hearts and lives of each of us who were traveling as a team of 7 members as well. Our personal interactions brought as much growth between us individually as the sessions at each location. The Giving of our time, worship, our love, dedication, and adjustment to the needs of the group made the whole experience an ongoing journey that likely only those of us involved will ever be able to fully comprehend.

We want to thank all of those who gave so we could believe in this outreach succeeding. However, even here is part of the miracle. Unlike last year when Stacey & I went to Africa and our entire budget was in our hand before we left America, this year it was not. In fact we were $6,000.00 short of our budget for this trip when we left home and we did no hold in our had two of the needed plane tickets even to return to the United States and Alaska at our departure. It was a walk of Faith. Yes some people had support us in part, our church had given some, and we had given some of our own. Yet this three month mission was going to be a work of calling those things which are not as though they were + Faith= God said GO and Do this and we were going to do. He was going to have to take care of the detail of how it was going to be accomplished. To make the story even more interesting, at every location we had budgeted a certain amount to accomplish different needed items. When we arrived at each of those locations The Lord showed us things He was asking us to do in addition to the ones we had on the list. These things involved more money than was budgeted for those locations. It was our faith being tried as we choose each time to include the new decision and give extra to that location. Since I have begun to tell this story here, I may as well add that each church responded to our teaching on Breaking the Spirit of Poverty by giving offerings and sowing seed into our ministry faithful to God’s Word. Now before you conclude that these offerings made up the shortfall needed let me say that all thought the money given did add up over time –the entire income from these monies was about $500.00.     

I am not sure how good you are at math or budgeting? Yet most casual readers will recognize that begin $6,000.00 short minus giving more than was planned + $500.00 does equal breaking even. Yet God began to do things like stretch money further than planned or maybe we choose to give and do without things we had planned for and at the end of Uganda Stacey informed me that if we did not have to rent a vehicle in Rwanda we would have what we needed for the rest of the mission – even the new plane tickets to New York, and then the other one to ALASKA! Yet this financial Blessing is such a small part of the trip it is only worth mentioning because God performs His Word Faithfully.

We have seen Him Provide our funds in advance. We have seen Him provide as we go, and now we know that we only need to follow His direction to our spirits and He is taking care of everything we need. We believe our equipment is on its way for future trips as well, including our own plane and sound equipment, projectors and vehicles to accomplish what He directs us to continue to do.

Please continue to pray with us.

Yes it is right for me to feel this way

Over the past several weeks, Denver and I have traveled to many villages and churches here in Uganda.  We have come to bring them God’s love and His word. 

We were blessed to take with us a team from Uganda who does singing and dancing ministry and also children’s workshops.  If you get a chance to look at our facebook page, you can see several of the pictures of them and what they do.  Thank you Gloria, Josephine, TK, and Princess Samantha.  You truly will be part of our family forever.  Also to our special friend and brother John Robert who drove the team through the country and took such care to watch over us all.  We love you.

Because of limited internet we have been unable to post blogs all the details but it has been an amazing experience and so many lives have been touched, including ours.  Our journey began in Entebbe Uganda at Tabernacle of Christ Church and then continued to Miracle of Faith Church in Mukono.  As we were leaving Mukono, I wrote a blog that I was unable to post because we didn’t have internet.  Although there is much to tell about all the travels, I have decided to still post the blog about Mukono Miracle of Faith Church. 

More to come as time allows:

We have spent the past twelve days in Mukono, Uganda. This is the second preaching Conference during our time we will spend here in Africa this year. For this Conference we returned to Mukono where we had preached our final two days of the previous trip to Africa last March. We did eight days of teaching at the Miracle of Faith Church as well as open air conferences for three nights and a soccer tournament that was sponsored in our name.  When I think of my brothers and sisters in Mukono, I have a greater understand of Paul’s writings to the church and the Miracle of Faith church is like my church of Philippi. 

Paul writes:

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Yes, it is right for me to feel this way about the people of Mukono and God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  When we travel and preach the Word of God, we give all we have of ourselves, both financially and spiritually. The refreshing of the spirit is critical in order to be able to continue to give.   Our family at Miracle of Faith Church always fills us in a way that leaves me bounding with joy.  

Pastor Margaret, George, Rolant, and everyone at Miracle of Faith Church hosted our time; covering our hotel, transportation, and food cost. The church also took a daily offering for us to help cover the cost that will allow us to travel to an orphanage in Katogwe and to bless the children there with school supplies.  This is an amazing thing for a church that is still believing God for a building to worship in and chairs to sit on but they have understood what God teaches on sowing a seed and have put their faith in God to provide what they need. This takes great faith to great faith to let go of what you have, not trusting in money but trusting in God and I know God will bless them for this because He is faithful to His word.

George our host asked us if they could host a soccer (football to Ugandan’s) Tournament in our name.  When he ask it did not seem like much of a request to us and we agreed.  Little could we know how much of an outreach this was. Many teams competed prior to our arrival but we were able to attend the final day; and two final matches, first the under 16 age and then the under 11 age group.

After the final match ended we were supposed to say a few words to the group and crowd and give a few small love gifts to whomever we wished and award the trophy for the final match. These boys, many of them orphans, hung on our every word not knowing we had uniform to share with them when we were done speaking. We shared where we are from and how we came to Africa. 

The tournament was built around HIV /STD education, and counseling.  We shared connecting the information on the pamphlet with the response of the crowd. Some took the pamphlets others did not. Some read them others did not. We likened this to the way people treated God and His Word. Many people just ignore it; some read it thinking they know what it says and others look deeply into Jesus and learn from what He has said. The game of life is coming to the final goal. Will we champion by faith in Jesus or lose the Game without a score?

Then we began to recognize the volunteer coaches, team captains, and goal keepers with Jerseys. We awarded Honorable mention jerseys to the losing runner up teams and gave recognition to the organizer with a few journals and jerseys as well.

The audience was so touched by our love that they announced that each Year they were going to hold the Denver & Stacey Tournament adding events as they are able. The amazing part is they just wanted to use our name and never ask anything from us other than our recognition.

If you could have seen the love of the children for us – players and non-players alike- Children whose clothes themselves were beyond repair sharing smiles and love for no return. The leaders encouraged the teams to give each other gifts at the conclusion as sportsmanship. We were blessed when two teams agreed to share their gifts to honor us; a simple plastic cup so full of love that it is priceless.

The church also blessed us by allowing us to bring four of the boys from Abba House and hosting them as well.  Mukono welcomed them with open arms.  Julius, William, Grace and Emmanuel have made us proud with outstanding behavior and participation.  These four boys have not had many, if any, opportunities to leave the orphanage on field trips, so to see them so well behaved was a breath of fresh air.  . Each of the boys was able to help in the conference in many ways. They all helped with the daily children’s lessons and children’s worship.  They also assisted with translating, worship, sound systems, setting up the open air conference, and many other things that I’m sure that I am forgetting to list.   My heart was overflowing with joy every time I saw one of them getting involved and helping. My family is growing every day and I now have four more sons and the family in Mukono counts them as their new sons as well.  It was very difficult to let them go at the end of the time but I know already that God has a plan that will lead us back to spending even more time with them.

 There were too many details of the conference to give in one short blog but Denver spent many hours teaching this week on the finished worked of Jesus Christ, the Blood Covenant, Breaking the spirit of poverty, Right Thinking, and the High Priest. I also did a teaching on Healing and on the final day, together we did a marriage teaching. Many people testified to healing of spirits and of bodies throughout the conference.

One special testimony came from one of the boys that had traveled here with us. He told how for the first couple days of the conference he was seeing there was chapatti for sale and he was wishing that he had some.   Then on the third day I gave him 1000 shillings (about 40 cents).  One chapatti cost 500 shillings so he bought one and had enough left to buy another the next day but then Denver taught on sewing a seed and so he decided to sew the 500 shillings (20 cents) instead.  God blessed him with 2,000 shillings, so he bought chapatti and again sewed part of the money, and then God blessed him with 5,000 shillings. 

I actually saw all the boys sewing money into the offerings more than once and this blessed me because I could see that they were hearing Gods word and putting their faith in Him and not in the 500 shillings that they knew would get them a chapatti.

 This is the heart of the people here.  They may not have much to give by American standards but like the widow with two bits, they give all they have, and it does up.  What they have all given will buy some school supplies for others, and soap for widows. 

We will continue to pour ourselves out as offerings these weeks to come, but we leave Mukono full and ready to give. 

Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.

 

 

Our daughters and sons

Denver and I have been very blessed to spend the last couple of days with the children at Abba House.  Our hearts have grown in the love that we have for these special children.  We did not have some big master plan about what we would do with our time with them but have just taken each minute as it comes and tried to get a little time with each of the children to love on them.  We love them each so very much and I know it will be very difficult on each of us when we leave but they will always have a special place in our hearts.

 

Last year when we came here, we had only a short time to give them their gifts of shoes, sheets, and bibles and did not have the time to get to know each little heart.  The children did not forget, and have even written letters to some of the children that had written to them last year.  Many of them have expressed how much they appreciated these gifts and yet how they did not understand why we were not able to stay and spend the time with them. They need these supplies like shoes and sheets and they appreciate them so very much, but there is nothing more that they want than to be loved. 

 

We have received many letters from the children and one of them that I read today asked if she could be our daughter.  Yes, she is our daughter.

We have eight children plus however many more the Lord gives us.

 

 

 

 

To us they are all our children and yet we also know that God is calling us to many places and we can not actually take them with us but we will love them and pray for them and we hope that God will allow us to come visit them often.

 

 

 

 

Many missionaries come to bless and yet there is no greater blessing than the love we receive from these children  

Just call us friends

From the heart of Denver but it is my heart as well

I Corinthians 3:14 says there is a reward for our work…
Heb 11:6 says we must believe God is a rewarder of those who seek him…
As a follower of Jesus Christ there is nothing more satisfying than giving. When that Giving involves a child who is on the receiving end nothing can be closer to bring joy to warm the givers heart.
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
In the Sermon on the Mount , Jesus taught His disciples to Bless the Poor in spirit; to bless those who mourn; to bless who hunger for righteousness.

 He said even a cup of cold water given in His Covenant Name would be rewarded.
Like you -As follower of Jesus- It is the most joyous thing to Love people and children.
To see the smiles on their faces when they get the understanding that somebody loves them and thinks they are important.

 Here is Africa the people call Stacey & I- Pastors. Really it is not what they call us that bless us.
 I will tell you a secret of my heart.
What blessed me the most- is to see the change in the faces as we arrive and begin to speak of how Jesus changed our lives and put love in our hearts for people. The initial reception is usually kind, yet often guarded or even resistant…..it is this change to the melting heart into friendship that happens as we speak that is my greatest reward. 

As we are preaching the people, who were guarded, become one in spirit with us and us with them. This is exactly the greatest reward that we can receive as brother and sisters in Jesus. Call us apostles, call us pastors, calls us priest of the Lord, or just call us friends. We are not looking for titles….we are looking for the melting of the heart into brotherhood and love as one in unity that is occurring everywhere we go.
We saw it in Haiti; we have seen it in Mukono; we have seen it in South Sudan, and this week it is happening again at the Tabernacle of Christ’s Church in Entebbe, Uganda under Pastor Kaaya and his people.

 Julius a 17 year old of Abba house asked me recently what the meaning of “Worth It All was? I cannot explain the answer to that question better than this: the answer to your questions Julius is: “this melting of the heart to acceptance is the meaning of Worth It All Thank you friends.

 

Old friends and New friends

Greetings from Uganda

We have changed hotels and now have better internet access for a few days so I wanted to take a few minutes to give you some updates on our time here, although to tell you everything would not allow me the time that I also need to rest.

We have been so blessed to see old friends and to meet many new. 

Last year we were only able to spend one day with the children at Abba House, but they had not forgotten us and they had not forgotten the children that had written them letters. They greeted us with smiles, hugs, and questions.   The first question is always to ask how our children are doing, usually followed by wanting to know why they did not come with us. The questions that followed were questions of the children at the church.  They also wanted us to know that they still have some of the balls that we brought to them.   What a joy it has been to see them all again and to meet the new children that have joined the family.  We were excited to see Julius and spend time with him.  He took us around and showed us the garden and other things that they are working on there.  We also meet new missionary friends that have been at Abba House and have been such a blessing to the children there in so many ways. 

The children were so blessed with the new school shoes.  I do not know if words can help you know just how much it means to them that everyone in Healy cares so much for them.  In America we do not fully comprehend what it means to them because for them, even though they have never met you, you are family to them.  For them, they will never forget what you have done.  

 

   

 

 

 

   

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday, while we were visiting the children at Abba House, they received a visit from two couples from South Sudan and have come to Uganda because of the current fighting in South Sudan.  The most crazy (only God) thing is that the couples were from the orphanage that we had been to last year while in South Sudan. What a blessing it was to catch up with old friends and hear the updates of what is going on there, not just the fighting, but what God is doing through the new missionary couple that has come.  I can’t say that I know for sure why God put this meeting together. Perhaps it was simply to bless me with updates for knowing what is going on with these children and widows that I love so much, or perhaps God has yet another purpose but for now it just leaves me smiling and saying “only God”. 

We have had two nights of service at The Tabernacle of Christ Church. This is the church that actually operates the orphanage there.  Pastors and people have come from many churches and I believe that they are receiving from the Word of the Lord.  There is a precious older lady, who does not understand what I say to her, but I take her tiny hand in mine and I hope that she knows how much I love her.  Another man who I learned from one of our new friends is over a 100 has been there both nights and Denver was able to pray for him and for healing for his back.   The people of Uganda receive us with such love and so much hunger to hear God’s word. 

 

Romans 10:14-15

It is hard to believe that 2013 is almost over and we leave home in less than a week to spend three months in Uganda and Rwanda spreading God’s Word and His love.  I miss all the friends in Africa and look forward to seeing them and yet it feels like we just got home….maybe because we did.

It’s been a crazy, busy, wonderfully full year.  I am so thankful for all the places God has taken us and all the friends that we have made along the way but I have to say that I am missing spending time with our 17 year old son.  I think it is often over looked just how much he gives up to allow the word of God to be spread around the world.  We trust God and good friends to watch over him. 

As we work on the final details, satan has attempted to attack in many ways – but no weapon formed against us shall prosper.  We are thankful for everyone’s prayers both before we go and while we are gone.  These are not just nice words that someone says.  Your prayers truly do mean a lot to us as we face this spiritual warfare.

We also are thankful for everyone who supports our ministry.  Your support is what allows us to take the word of God to remote areas of the world that might not otherwise hear it.

Romans 10:14-15 How then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

Because you send us, they hear and because you send us they believe, and because they believe they can call on Him. 

We are reminded just how critical this is as the people of South Sudan are once again dying needlessly from the fighting that began there a few weeks ago.  The word of God is critical to the world everywhere and if it were not for those willing to go and those willing to send them, how would the world hear of God and his GREAT love for them.

As we travel into remote areas to share the word of God, we will be limited to internet but we will try to keep everyone posted through this blog, but more often there will just be short updates on our facebook page so if you would like to follow you can like our page: Loving the Majesty Ministries

Be blessed, Denver and Stacey Urlaub

 

Wait or Push?

Often times, having faith in God means that we learn to wait and trust in God.  He always has a plan and it’s always a good plan.  It’s always beyond what we could ask or imagine.  If we wait on the Lord, it’s actually fun to watch His amazing plan unfold.

Denver and I have watched as each step of the plan for the details of the three months we will spend in Africa, began to come together.  Then suddenly, details that we thought were all set changed.  In October we were able to purchase tickets to get from New York to Uganda and then also tickets to get from Nigeria back to New York. The plan was to fly from Uganda to Rwanda for two weeks and then fly from Rwanda to Nigeria for two weeks.  We recently learned that our time in Nigeria needed to be cancelled for now.  This means we have tickets to fly home from Nigeria but right now, we have no idea why we are going to Nigeria other than to catch a plane home.  I am sure God knows, but as of yet, we do not know.  For now we wait and see what God has planned although this is challenging because we need a visa to get into Nigeria and in order to get a visa we need a letter of invitation stating why we are there.  I could mail them a bible and explain that it is my invitation: go into all the world.  Do you think they would give me a visa for that?  They should because there is no greater invitation.

For me the most difficult part of waiting is to know when to move.  During our daily devotions, Denver and I read the second chapter of Mark.  Jesus went to Capernaum and when the people heard that he was coming, they gathering in huge numbers.  There were so many people that even outside the door there was no room.  Some men were carrying a paralyzed man and they knew they needed to get this man to Jesus.  They knew that if they did, Jesus would heal him.  You know the story: they dug a hole in the roof and let him down through the roof.  As I read this passage, I thought of the woman with the issue of blood and how she believed if she could just touch Jesus hem, that she would be healed and she pushed her way through the crowd. 

We must often wait on God but sometimes when there are obstacles in the way of our miracle, we have to push through.  When the men got to where Jesus was teaching, they could have seen the large crowd and they could have said, I guess it isn’t God’s will for this man to walk.  They could have said, let’s just wait out here and see if Jesus comes by; if it is God’s plan then he will.  They knew Jesus could heal this man if they could just get to him and they didn’t let anything stand in the way. 

So how do we know when to wait and when to push our way through? 
What is God saying to us (you)?

Whatever is before us, the answer really comes down to what is God saying?  Right now for these two weeks of unknown, I hear God say wait, so we will wait and I’m excited to see what He has planned?  But if God says go to Nigeria, then even though I do not see the way. Even though I do not know how they will possibly give us a visa, then I will begin to push.
 

Wait on the Lord

Listen for His voice

And then push through to whatever He is calling you to do