35 & COUNTING...

It’s been just over 2 months since the conception of the FNC Academy.  We couldn’t have asked for a better beginning.  At the start, most of our students could barely write their own name.   Now they are writing short, but complete sentences!  And you should hear their English, now that they have had extensive work using the “Hooked on Phonics” tools.  Their little brains are becoming strong and smart, thanks to our amazing team of teachers and YOUR support.  Together, we are truly providing Hope to the hopeless.

FNC Academy held it’s first parent/teachers meeting, and can you believe we had a better than 90 percent turn out!  The parents/guardians that couldn’t show did give us a valid excuse and ended up coming the very next day…we couldn’t have been more pleased with our parents’ support.  

Did I mention we were growing and building???  Thanks to a very generous donation, FNC has been able to add on another classroom, and to it’s enrollment 12 more students, for a total of 35!  Because of the additional students and grade, we also had the opportunity to employ 3 more ladies from our Pillars and Ornaments women’s ministry.  These ladies will be assisting our head teachers in the classroom. 

We have 7 students that still need sponsored.  Would you prayerfully consider supporting one of our remaining students?  For more information, please click on our FNC ACADEMY link at the top of this page.

Our weekly and small group ministries have been studying and going through the gospel of Mark.  Baptism has come up a lot as of recent, questions about it and why to do it.  We’ve taken this opportunity to teach what the bible has to say regarding the subject.  Last month we had a total of 4, two women and two men immersed into the waters of baptism.  Just last week, the World Changers, (our teens ministry) began a study and conversation about baptism, and from the reports, it looks like there are more to come!  Just a quick note:  We decided to retire the “Barrel” for baptisms and have purchased a small blow-up pool...working a bit better.   

Thank you for your constant prayers and support,

Todd G.

THE FNC ACADEMY

When Wendy and I came to Uganda, the last thing on our minds was a school…but if we were honest, everything that God has accomplished here through Friday Night Church wasn’t on our radars.  We continue to be in awe.  We continue to walk entirely by faith…something we have truly learned, living and ministering in the third world. 

We can’t stop now, even if the task ahead seems daunting.  So on March 10^th, Friday Night Church is launching The FNC Academy.  Some of you might ask, “Does Uganda really need another school?  Aren’t there already schools around?”  The answer is a bit more complicated than replying with a simple yes or no.   Allow me share with you a few of the facts we have found in the community we minister in… 

Faith Abwooli

1.  Though some of our Joy Club kids, “go to school”, we have found most are extremely under educated.  8 year olds up to 13 are not able to perform even basic writing skills such as spelling their name or writing the alphabet. 

2.  Children are desperate for education.  So much so that most are willing to go back two and three grades just to get into the FNC Academy where they will actually receive a proper and Christ centered education. 

3.  Because of the cost and burden to the parent or guardian, about 50 percent of our Joy Club kids fail to attend school on a regular basis.  Some have even failed ever to enroll. 

4.  Most children in our community are malnourished and have limited access to clean drinking 

water.

Slyvia Nassozi

Mr. Torzon, my high school history teacher and football coach always used to remind us to never let our “don’t want to’s” get in the way of our “want to’s.”  Scott Alexander, my best friend and mentor taught me years ago to always “start small and go slow, but begin soon.”  Wendy and I don’t know the first thing about starting or even running a school.  We don’t have all of our i’s dotted or our t’s crossed.  We don’t have the funds to begin a school much less sustain it.  But let me tell you what we do have… We have the passion.  We have the facilities.  We have an amazing staff that desires to love on and educate our kids.  We have willing parents and guardians with children desperate to learn and be loved.  And we have a God whose will is to love and care for His children.  This is enough for us.  The real question now is, “Is this enough for you?”  

Thomas Kagaba

Because of our limited funds and resources we are starting with just 24 students and 4 teachers.  Classrooms will have both a male and female role model/teacher, which we feel is an important part of our children’s spiritual and emotional growth.   We’ve done our calculations.  Below is the figure we have up with that will sustain each child’s education and physical wellbeing.   

For $49 per/month or 1.58 per/day, you can provide holistically hope for one of these children.  This is what your monthly gift will accomplish:

Lillian Azoyo

-A Proper and Christ-Centered Education

-2 Nutritious Meals per/day

-Clean drinking water

-Clothing for your Child

-School supplies and Backpack

-Emotional and Spiritual support

-Medical

-Real Hope in a hopeless community

Some of you might be asking, “What if you get more than 24 sponsors?  Will you consider enrolling more children.” The answer is really simple…YES!!!  Which means, it’s up to YOU how many children go to school here at the FNC Academy.  We have a waiting list of more than 50 students already, with many more to come.  

Mercy Letasi

So this is how we’re setting this whole process up.  Because The FNC Academy is operating on a shoestring budget, we are beginning our sponsorship by using Facebook as the connecting point between the child and you the sponsor.  Each child is listed, with their picture and basic facts.  The page provides info such as name, DOB, family, etc.  This also allows for monthly updates regarding the success and achievements of your child, while being able to communicate with ease.  Not a fan of Facebook and still want to sponsor a child?  No problem.  We can provide the same information and service by using email or even the postal service. Below is our FNC Academy FB page link.

-THE FRIDAY NIGHT CHURCH ACADEMY-

After visiting the FNC Facebook page, please select the child that you want to sponsor.  Then message us and communicate which child you have chosen.  FNC Academy will then send you a confirmation message providing you with further information about your sponsorship.  Again, if you don’t want to use Facebook, just send an email to:  todd@thekissingwell.com or wendlgill@yahoo.com and we will happily assist you.    

Important Note: The FNC Academy FB page will be set up and maintained only by my wife Wendy and will NOT be accessible by anyone outside our FNC staff.  Also, every parent and or guardian is aware of this and has given us verbal and written consent.      

We have made the giving/donations options easy and convenient:

Option #1- Paypal

Option #2- Autopay (automated draft from checking)

Option #3- Send your monthly gift to: THE KISSING WELL, PO 344 Vermont, IL 61484, USA

Please make check out to THE KISSING WELL. Include your child’s name in the memo. 

To set up payment using option #1 or #2, please visit our DONATE PAGE here on our BLOG.

The Kissing Well is a 501(c)(3), making your monthly gift tax deductible.

A FEW FNC PICS AS OF RECENT...

Charles and Derick...two of our World Changers and Joy Club leaders

The Marksmen busy sanding the boards for the bookshelves for FNC's new reading program.

Our Pillars and Ornaments learning to sew.

Pillars and Ornaments are needing more room...

Some of our Joy Club and World Changer kids

An updated pic of Joel (in the middle) doing very well and growing, thanks to a life impacting surgery.

Acoustic worship with Todd and Anita @ The Fire Place

The Fire Place

The Fire Place

New Azonula Azonula band @ The Fire Place!

My daughter Lucy and son Otim...helped Todd celebrate 

 

 

HERE I AM...

“Here I stand arms opened wide…I am yours and you are mine…my whole life is yours, I give it all, surrender to your name…forever I will pray…have your way…have your way!!!”

This song is one of the reasons we are in Uganda for me (along with many other factors).  Singing it in church Sunday after Sunday and at home on Itunes was a pivotal moment in my life that the Spirit convicted me personally that I needed to truly surrender my whole life to Jesus.  That meant following my heart to do what God had placed so heavily on it and that is serving the least of these.  This year and a half of being in a third world, raising our kids, keeping our marriage healthy, starting a new ministry, and just living life has had its challenges.  I can honestly say, if we had not done it when we did it, I don’t think we would have ever done it.   I am so thankful that God’s timing is always perfect.

God has been so apparent in this place to us and for that we are ever grateful.  We all feel as though Friday Night Church is exactly where and when it needed to be.  We are so excited for the people that are starting to call that their “home church” and are looking forward to this coming year filled with some ministry changes and growth. 

I recently read a book entitled “Leading and Loving It” by Lori Wilhite and Brandi Wilson (thank you to Debbie Hunt for this book).  This book has renewed my hope and encouraged me in ways I didn’t even know I needed.   For any of you leading in a ministry please take a couple days and read this book.  It has reminded me that I am fighting this spiritual battle with so many other women.  I went from feeling very isolated and insecure to feeling equipped and encouraged to go on.  I am so thankful for the insights of how to pray specifically for my husband, children, ministry, and church while in a leadership role. 

My prayer for 2014 for everyone reading this blog (my family included) is that you will surrender to God everyday and pour your lives into the things that matter most.  Spiritual warfare is real and very much a part of our lives here and I think for everyone in ministry.  Please continue to pray for that specifically for us and for your own pastor and their families.  Please pray for our ministry specifically the changes we are making early 2014 that they will grow FNC and it will continue to be a healthy church here in Uganda.  Thank you for constantly keeping us in your lives and prayers, you have no idea how much this means to our family and to this ministry…2014 is going to be a great year!!!

Leading and Loving It,

Wendy

YEAR TWO

A few days before we left to come back to Uganda, a man, I will keep him anonymous, prayed for me (over the phone) that God would keep me weak, so that His strength would sustain me, and not mine.  I’ve never had someone do that before.  When I first heard the words come out of his mouth, I wasn’t at all shocked.  After all, scripture is clear that “When we are weak, He is strong.”  But something about that prayer has stuck with me, something that continues to cover me as we get back into the swing of things here in Kampala. 

So we are officially into year two of this great adventure.  Year one, as most of you already know, was full of great challenges and amazing joys, and everything in between.   Wendy and I are forever grateful for all the prayers and support thus far! So what does year two have in store?  What are the plans that God has for Friday Night Church?  We continue to tell people that we really don’t know what we’re doing, but that God does, so we continue to put our trust and lean on Him for our way forward. 

One of the fist things we feel we need to do before we take any more steps forward is to solidify the FNC team.  During year one, God assembled many volunteers, some even developing into full time and part time paid staff.  Now we want to see who really is “on the bus” and who is “slashing the tires”.  In other words, who is called to minister at FNC and who is not.  After we figure out who is on the bus, then it’s time to get everyone in the right seat, according to their passions and gifting. 

I wanted to leave you with pictures from our November 1st “Fire Place” FNC’s monthly large gathering.  Thank you again for all the love and support you all showed us while we were back in the States! 

FNC Family

Todd, preaching the Word

Worshiper @ FNC

The FNC band

RECKLESS PURSUIT

To pursue something or someone is to go after it or them with a reckless abandon of your own needs and wants for their betterment…that is my own personal definition of pursuit.

Everyone wants to feel pursued.  It is a fact of life that if you breath then you need pursued.  You may have times when it is stronger than other feelings in your life but it is still there waiting to creep up to the surface again.  Whether you are a child looking for friends, a teenager looking for your parents’ approval or involvement, or a spouse looking for attention or affection.  Whether you are a church leader, looking to your congregation for approval and support; or looking to your boss for the next advancement.  We all look and long to be pursued daily and sometimes in the right people and sometimes not. 

One thing we want to do while here in Uganda is pursue people in the loving name of Jesus, not in a strange stalker kind of way.  But it is our desire for people to feel longed for and wanted.  There are too many people in these communities and around the world, that feel like God has abandoned them a long time ago and they are on their own.  We desire to change their minds by pursuing them and helping them feel wanted.  We are trying our hardest to be a church where everyone is welcome and wanted.  Where you don’t have to be in your Sunday’s best, but you come as you are.  Where you don’t have to have all the answers to life and life’s issues, but you come and seek God’s love and keep breathing and moving forward. 

Friday Night Church has recently started a men’s and women's group for the desire of helping people learn about the love of God and how he can be the center of their lives.  So, how do you show people God’s love and that he pursues them daily?

We had a group here a few weeks ago from our home church (Ben, Ethan and Christie), I asked them to bring some specific clothes to help a family in need who’s a part of FNC.  Charles is a special man, he is married and has 4 precious kids.  His kids come to Joy Club (our Wednesday after school program) and his wife and him come for The Fireplace (monthly large gathering).  We had the privilege of taking 2 tubs of clothes; shoes, hats, just basic necessities of clothes to them for their kids.  I cannot tell you the impact it had on us as a family, but as the group from the States can tell you it was awesome.  One thing that really hit me though through this divine intervention was that they felt pursued through that meeting.  Charles led us in a prayer after we gifted them with the clothes and the first words out of his humble mouth were, “Lord who am I?”  I think we all just sat there dumbfounded at this man’s humble prayer not knowing how to process this thought. 

So, who are we?  Do we think of ourselves more highly than we ought?  Or do we humble ourselves before the Lord daily, offering our lives in sacrifice for His service?  We are all guilty of waiting for someone to pursue us, but what if we just think for a second that we should be pursuing others not waiting to be pursued.  What does that change in our view of being pursued?  Does it change anything for us?  Do we still long for that “feeling” that we need to be wanted or needed, or can we change that about ourselves?

I am not perfect in this area of life, marriage, parenting, or being a child of God, but I trust God that I don’t have to be perfect in this area.  That He pursues a relationship with me and I with Him and that’s all that matters.  My prayer is that we can keep pursuing the broken and beaten here in Kampala to know that they are desired and loved by the Father of us all.

Thank you for partnering with us!

In His loving embrace,

Wendy

UNITY

My sincere apologies for taking a bit longer in putting together this latest blog.  The month of June was filled with extra opportunities for ministry here in Kampala.  Some of them, onetime events, while others have opened doors for a more consistent partnership in the gospel. 

We had our monthly events, including “The Fire Place”, which focus for the month was “Unity”.  It seems that even here in Uganda division amongst people, not excluding those that are churched, is alive and well.  Some things in life are truly global.  Jesus’ life example wreaked of unity.  In fact, one of Jesus’ last prayers to the Father, recorded in John 17, was that we as the church would be one, and that we would be one with Him.  Jesus knew what was to come.  He knew one of Satan’s largest means of attack, was the never ceasing virus of division.  Jesus is still praying that prayer for us today.  

God is truly stretching me in ways I never knew I could be stretched.  Loving and accepting those that seem at the time, to be unlovable is one of the many areas in my life God has chosen to challenge me as of late.  Some of these people are even those I work hand in hand with on a weekly basis.  It’s difficult for me to look past the obvious flaws of a co-worker in the Gospel, and not allow it take a toll on how I treat and interact with them.   But I’m sure I’m not alone in this, and I am certain that others feel the same challenge regarding me.  God is slowly by slowly changing my heart in this area, but I imagine this struggle will far outlive my lifetime.  Thank God for His never-ending grace.   It seems this past month’s FNC theme of unity was written for me. 

Todd-

I was asked to give an update on 2 things, Joel and JCI.  For a few months, we have gotten to know Joel (one of our neighbors directly outside the FNC gate).  Everyday when we pull up to come to school, he is there with his brother and sister waving and yelling “bye-bye” to us.   We have fallen in love with all of the neighborhood kids who love us just because…and Joel has a special place now in our hearts forever.  As much as we would want to pick him up at Joy Club or during the week, we couldn’t because it hurt his stomach and he would cry or grimace.  So, I finally decided enough is enough even if we have to pay for him to get better ourselves, let’s pursue it.  I thought it might be worms or parasites that needed some meds, but it was a surgical problem (umbilical hernia) that many kids need done here.  His though was causing his growth to be extremely stunted (he is almost 5 but looks as though he is 2) and causing his body lots of daily digestion pain also.  So we posted a few pics along with an explanation on facebook and within minutes had over and above the amount we needed for his surgery to take place.  So 2 weeks ago, he went in for the surgery and it was a huge success.  It has been hard to see him just laying around not able to do much, but these past few days has been wonderful to see him up and walking, laughing and playing again.  He still has a bandage on that will get removed Monday, but he has healed beautifully from the surgery and will make a full recovery.  Todd has been talking of unity within the church lately and to me this spoke volumes to me personally.  How much of an impact we as a global church can make together.  Yes, we are here in a third world country being the “hands and feet” in a very literal way of your money you send us, but without you we would be able to do nothing; even more without Jesus it’s all for nothing!  So, for those of you few who donated please feel proud that you changed this boy’s life forever and please continue to pray that they continue to learn and grow in their relationship with Jesus, because that’s what it’s all about. 

Now, Joy Club International-if you haven’t been following or are new to our blog is our every Wednesday after school club for kids; it is for ages 3-grade 5.  Currently, because kids are back at boarding school we have been running around 130, which has been a great number for us to learn and continue to train our volunteers.  We are fully expecting that number to climb in September when there is a month long break from schools.  I want to share with you some of the details about what the kids are learning and doing at JCI in the hope you can understand and start praying for their spiritual development in this area.

 First of all, Pat Henry and Linda Luthy (from our home church) generously donated 2 years worth of curriculum to start off our JCI, a huge thank you again; along with craft and art supplies for the first 6 months…wow!  We are currently on the 5^th lesson (out of 13) of the first set of material, which is called “Friendship First” by Group.  So far, the kids have learned that Jesus wants to be our best friend, Jesus shows us how to be a friend, Jesus accepts us, and that Jesus is kind.  We started out doing one lesson over 2 weeks but quickly realized we were too rushed so now we are taking a month for one lesson.  This month we will be talking about Jesus listening to the children, and focusing on how to be a good listener and friend.  Our goal is for the kids to fully understand the lesson and concepts and show them ways of putting these simple truths into action.  We all feel like they are responding very well to these lessons and slowly letting the gospel penetrate their everyday lives. 

The kids at JCI have enjoyed the music so much as we are doing Hillsong kids with lots of motions.  They have enjoyed our snack time every week of popcorn and juice, which is such a treat for all of them!  They also have a group time where they talk through the lesson and answer questions together as a group, and also pray for each other and share about their lives.  I think what some love the most is craft time.  This is such a time of creativity that they just don’t have the luxury of doing at home or school or even at church.  It’s amazing to me how much they have just enjoyed coloring or drawing because they don’t get to very often.  Some are such wonderful little artists that is just amazes us every time we see what they can draw.  So without your donations this would not be happening period.  

You are literally changing the neighborhood in the slums of Bukoto/Kamoga as we speak because not just one or two kids are learning about Jesus, but whole families are coming to know more about God because of JCI.  We are blown away every week at how many kids and families come to our little base camp for JCI; hopefully someday you will be blessed and be a part of this physically with us.  Please continue to pray for JCI and the impact on the community, help us to show Jesus through our actions and words, and pray for our volunteers!  

Finally, please pray for our last 9 weeks of homeschooling.  This has been quite an adventure in this area over the last year and we are so happy to be in our final stretch.  The girls are feeling more confident, adjusted, and eager to continue with homeschooling in the future.   We are blessed to have you partnering with us and hope you will continue to pray for all of our continued health, physical & emotional well-being, and spiritual steadfastness!

Blessings,

Wendy