Some of my favorite miracles in the Bible are when God would take something small and multiply it. In the Old Testament, there was the widow who had only a handful of flour and a little olive oil. She was about to make a last meal for herself and her son and then prepare to die. That’s when Elijah showed up and asked for bread. She trusted God, made him some bread, and everyday God continued to multiply her flour and oil. Of course in the New Testament, Jesus used 7 loaves of bread and a few fish to feed the 4,000, and then also the young boy’s 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed the 5,000.
Just recently I was reminded that our God is still in the business of multiplying things as our reports from our zonal leaders were trickling in. The mission in June that resulted in 1 new church plant has now turned into 5 new churches! Let me tell you what happened.
Our team praying over the new piece of land where we had just planted a new church in Kaliro, Uganda.
In June of this year, World Reach brought their annual medical and evangelism team. We schedule the team to do ministry in Kaliro where we knew there was no evangelical presence and no church. During the mission in Kaliro, we saw hundreds of people come to know Christ. It was a remarkable harvest. We made arrangements to lease a plot of land to plant a new church for all of these new believers. The team prayed for God’s blessing over the land, the new church, and all the new believers. God answered that prayer and did even more than we expected.
When we returned to the U.S., we informed you that we needed $800 to build a basic structure and cover the rent for the land for one year. The Lord moved in your hearts and we were able to provide this new church with everything they needed. Five months later, the church is growing and those new believers are being discipled.
After every mission, we do follow-up ministry in every area the teams were working. We conduct baptisms, disciple new believers, and connect them with good churches. During a mission like this one, it is common that people will come from many miles around to attend the free medical clinic. Therefore when we do follow-up, many of the the new believers will be connected with other local churches. However, while we were following up with all the new believers in Kaliro, it became apparent that there were no churches within a reasonable distance for a great number of these people. It was obvious that 1 new church plant was not going to be enough. With the help of our zonal leader, groups of new believers in the surrounding communities and villages began organizing themselves. In the weeks and months that followed that mission, not one but five brand new churches had begun!
We praise God that he is still in the business of multiplying things! From a single day of one mission, God started 5 new churches! Thank you for being a part of what God is doing in Kaliro.
– Smooth
