Dear friends I am glad to finally be back with our blog, the best news is that I can now do this on my phone at my convenience without sitting down at a stationed computer. I just found out about the app for blogger this morning and as God provides time, I will be writing more regularly and keeping you updated on the ministry here at Greater River.
Now we all know it's Christmas time and everybody is running crazy about gifts and
dinners and these beautiful things but it is very important for us not to forget what Christmas or the birth of Christ is all about and what does it really mean to us especially now in the year 2012.
Please thoughtfully read this message and may the Lord speak and minister to you.
Isaiah 9:6
1- For unto us a child is born... One of the greatest joys is to welcome a child, God has given us the opportunity to welcome a child in our midst, it is a blessing, therefore we have a reason to rejoice!!!
Unto us a child is born!!!
That means joy, happiness, smiles and merry in the place of our sadness, grief and misery, there is a child in our midst therefore lets rejoice and be glad.
-2
Unto us a son is given.. Not to Jews alone or a chosen few but to all of us unto us all of God's people a son is given, he is a gift Freely given, therefore it's our responsibility and choice to receive him in our lives.
-3
His name will be called wonderful:
He is full of wonders and great things, miracles, blessings, gifts, abilities and so much from God he wants us to see and enjoy!!
Taste and see that The Lord is good!!
4-
Counsellor..
He says in his word that come and let us reason together, though your sins are as red as scarlet they shall be made as white as snow.
He is a friend he wants to have a relationship with you and me, a one on one relationship not just a Sunday or group affair.. He wants to comfort and listen to you and speak words of wisdom and counsel to you.
5-
Mighty God
What a blessing to serve a mighty God who is able to defeat all the challenges In our lives, he is stronger and mightier than the situations In your life. All you need to do is ask him, call upon him in the day of trouble and he will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you have not known.
6-
Everlasting father
He is the father to the fatherless, many of us either didn't have a chance to have a father or lost them, but I tell you my friends he is an everlasting father, he never kicks us out of his house because we are older than 18!!! we are always his children.
Let us take advantage of this love and just enjoy the love of our father!!! He is waiting with hands open wide to love on us...
7-
Prince of peace
You and I can agree that there is apparently no peace in our world, in our nation, schools, work places,even In our homes and bedrooms!!!
Thank God he is not only giving us peace, but he is the prince of peace... He wants to give you peace today, he is here to calm the storms in your life, when the fires are raging he wants to be your peace, when the bills are over due he wants to give you peace, when there is no food on your table, he wants to be your peace.Whatever the circumstance might be, he is able to give you peace because he is the prince of peace.
So dear friends as we celebrate this festive Christmas season let us reflect and
Remember that this gift God has freely given is for us, for you and me. It doesn't matter what you didn't receive for Christmas just be content that you have the greatest priceless gift of all, The Lord Jesus Christ, give him 100% access into your life and see the difference he will do in your life, he will turn it all around for the good, Again taste and see that The Lord is good!!
Enjoy this season and New Year's celebrations responsibly and we will see you on the other side of 2013!!
Blessings,
Andrew Paul Kizito
www.greaterriverchurch.org
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
LAST MISSION TRIP UPDATE
LAST MISSION TRIP UPDATE
Dear friends it’s been a very short 9 days in Uganda and I am happy with all the progress we were able to achieve, thanks to the support of you my family in the U.S and here in Uganda, I could have never managed all this by myself.
For those who have been following my blogs, on Saturday we had our last day on the ground with the children we minister to, the ministry board suggested that we plan an early Christmas party and also get a chance to give away the rest of the care packages I brought with me from the U.S., it went very well.
Before the celebrations I was able to visit with some of the teens who had gone astray and just talked to them to revive their spirit and hopes that had disappeared.
It’s so amazing how a good thirty minutes of one on one ministry can make a huge impact and bring visible results. that was always my vision to offer direction, encouragement and hope, so I bless God so greatly that he has allowed us to see the fruits of this ministry.
Also just seeing how the then kids now teenage moms, and younger adults who didn’t want to get involved are now personally coming and you can see through their eyes, a cry please we need more of this!!.. So keep us in prayer that we can wisely use this opportunity to be fully effective as God would want us to.
Our volunteer instructors led the children in games and songs and quizzes for prizes, the kids enjoyed this a lot and so did the adults who were present.
We prepared a big ceremonial meal of pilaf rice and beef and each child had their own bottle of soda a Fanta orange and Mirinda fruity.. Kids for some reason just love these two brands, so it was just amazing to see them enjoying that.. Sodas go for 1000 shillings each, which is about 60cents U.S money.. But it is so expensive for families here..
Actually they only drink sodas at weddings, parties and maybe when they perform well at the end of a school year.. That was a great sight to see and just let the kids be kids.
After the meal we had more requests for sponsorship from parents and we made more sponsorship packets, so hopefully we can get each of them a sponsor to get them through school even as our building facility starts to materialize.
We gave out more packages to those who had not come earlier in the week and at around 6pm we had to literary chase the kids away to go home as they didn’t want to move an inch! as they were opening their packages and showing each other what they had received.
As we made our way to the car to leave, some of the kids came with letters to their American friends who had sent the gifts.. This is amazing because I didn’t tell anyone to do that, they actually also made banana fiber dolls and handmade toys to send to American children!!
All in all it was a great experience, though very short and fast not what I expected ,I didn’t get a chance to see most of my relatives and friends but it was just as great to do the work of the master,
Now I look forward to meeting my family back in Colorado. I will keep you updated on how everything goes.
Thanks for your prayers and support, God bless and I will talk to you later.
IMMEDIATE PRAYER REQUESTS
*THERE IS A HUGE NEED FOR CLEAN WATER ON THE LAND WE ARE BUILDING
-we pray for provision to drill water from the ground,clean water is half a mile away,making the building process slow, as well cooking and cleaning, the children carry the water in 20 litre jerrycans over their heads.
*THERE IS A FINANCIAL NEED TO COMPLETE THE WALLS, ROOF,AND FURNISH DESKS AND TABLES FOR THE CLASSES BEFORE SCHOOLS OPEN IN FEBRAURY 2013
* WE NEED WISDOM TO HIRE GOD FEARING TEACHERS AND INSTRUCTORS WHO WILL RUN WITH OUR VISION OF .. 'RAISING UP GOD FEARING, MORALLY UPRIGHT AND SELF SUSTAINING CITIZENS'
* WE NEED A REGULAR FINANCIAL FLOW TO SUSTAIN THE MINISTRY
-We talked about starting a small scale bakery that can provide bread, cakes, doughnuts and other comfectionary needs
- This will engage the young people in our ministry and also provide skills and some source of income
- An Estimate of $ 2000 Is enough to start this bakery project.
* QUATERLY OR MONTHLY SPONSORSHIP FOR CHILDREN
- This will enable children in our ministry in uganda access high quality christian education, meet basic needs and also facilittate teachers school workers and volunteers.
PRAYERFULLY CONSIDER GIVING A TAX DEDUCTIBLE GIFT TODAY:
YOU CAN SEND YOUR CHECK TO
2340 S TROY ST AURORA COLORADO 80014
OR GIVE ONLINE ON OUR WEBSITE
Saturday, December 8, 2012
IT'S A WRAP!!
SATURDAY 8 2012
Greetings dear friends and loved ones.. My trip to Uganda is
coming to an end today. I bless God for all the great things he has done and
the ability to get most of things I had in plan done.
I thank you for all
the prayers and the support in all ways.
Today Saturday we are wrapping up the activities for my stay
but the ministry will continue, by the grace of God we have a fully functioning
board of directors working tirelessly and for free to make sure everything goes well.
On the plate today
is another give way of care packages I brought from our church New Life
Community Church, I was given three boxes of toothbrushes, toothpaste,
booklets, pens and pencils and more all in a single package for each child, I
wish you could be here to see the kids buried in excitement as each one for the
very first time in their lives would own a real toothbrush and use toothpaste
to clean their teeth, as opposed to using little dirty sticks and ash or to keep
their teeth clean daily.
Now just a few
days ago, when we gave away the kids care packages we had two full grown
fathers who came and they wanted a package for themselves thankfully we had
more than enough. But it’s interesting because African men don’t get involved
in things like this.. let alone got to do with little kids and teenagers in God
related activities. So we thank God for
that, actually one of the men came to me, shook my hand and thanked me. Can you
imagine this small package preached the great message of the love of Christ to
men who would have never made it to church and all the glory goes back to God.
We shall also have
a big meal and drinks for the kids from the whole village, we pray we cook
enough food to feed all of the them.
We shall also
prepare sponsorship packets today, because some of the parents or guardians I
have talked to, say they want their kids to go to school, they just cannot
afford it. So we pray that we can secure sponsorship for the children through
you our partners and well-wishers.
Alright I have got
to run and get to work and later pack for my journey back home to the U.S
tomorrow night.
Keep us in prayers
and will talk to you again very soon,
Andrew Paul Kizito
www.greaterriverchurch.org
Thursday, December 6, 2012
UGANDA MISSION UPDATES (12-6-12)
Friends,
blessings and greetings from Uganda. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
The last two days have been crazy busy and I didn’t get the chance to write, but we praise God for good health , safety and work is going well am trying to get as much as I can get done before heading home to the U.S on Sunday.
Sunday I was able to get a rental car for easy access to and from the village, that's a blessing!! However I just realized I didn't know how to drive until this week!! The way people drive here is worse than New York City. So my 'good' driving from the U.S is earning me very Loud Honks and the rest that comes with that!!
I visited my former home church on Sunday and got a very warm welcome and they even had me share my testimony and experience in the U.S and I never felt so humbled to stand before the pastor who helped me get into ministry almost 15 years ago and give a good report of what God is doing in my life.
Monday we were able to get some legal stuff taken care of as far as the school is concerned, we registered that with the Government here and when the school year opens in February 2013 we will be up and ready to run.
Tuesday we went through the mapping of the Land again with a local engineer and I gave them the kind of picture I envisioned for the finished structure and they are now designing that and by Friday we shall have all the measurements and full costs of the whole project finalized.
I was also able to get some video and pictures of the area we are stationed I will send you some hopefully tomorrow.
Wednesday we started digging the foundation for the classroom blocks for the nursery/kindergarten school and two elementary classrooms as well.
We figured it will be better to start on something small that will be ready by the beginning of the year even as we wait for provision for the main structure which might take almost six months or more to finish.
On Wednesday we also met with some of original group of young people we started working with in 2007 and shared how we can be more effective in reaching this community here with the blessing God has given of the school and ministry center.
blessings and greetings from Uganda. Thank you for all the prayers and support.
The last two days have been crazy busy and I didn’t get the chance to write, but we praise God for good health , safety and work is going well am trying to get as much as I can get done before heading home to the U.S on Sunday.
Sunday I was able to get a rental car for easy access to and from the village, that's a blessing!! However I just realized I didn't know how to drive until this week!! The way people drive here is worse than New York City. So my 'good' driving from the U.S is earning me very Loud Honks and the rest that comes with that!!
I visited my former home church on Sunday and got a very warm welcome and they even had me share my testimony and experience in the U.S and I never felt so humbled to stand before the pastor who helped me get into ministry almost 15 years ago and give a good report of what God is doing in my life.
Monday we were able to get some legal stuff taken care of as far as the school is concerned, we registered that with the Government here and when the school year opens in February 2013 we will be up and ready to run.
Tuesday we went through the mapping of the Land again with a local engineer and I gave them the kind of picture I envisioned for the finished structure and they are now designing that and by Friday we shall have all the measurements and full costs of the whole project finalized.
I was also able to get some video and pictures of the area we are stationed I will send you some hopefully tomorrow.
Wednesday we started digging the foundation for the classroom blocks for the nursery/kindergarten school and two elementary classrooms as well.
We figured it will be better to start on something small that will be ready by the beginning of the year even as we wait for provision for the main structure which might take almost six months or more to finish.
On Wednesday we also met with some of original group of young people we started working with in 2007 and shared how we can be more effective in reaching this community here with the blessing God has given of the school and ministry center.
Today Thursday we left early to get more
supplies to work on the foundation and get the walls up, in order to be ready
for the school year beginning February 2013.
We were able to give away the packages from
the children’s ministry at New Life Community Church and the kids were so happy
and couldn’t keep their eyes off their packages.
We had to leave to them in amazement and head
on our way to another meeting with the leaders of the children’s ministry.
Time check
5:53 pm
I will keep you updated, blessings and thank
you again for the prayers and support.
Andrew Paul Kizito
Andrew Paul Kizito
www.greaterriverchurch.org
Saturday, December 1, 2012
UGANDA MISSIONS UPDATE
Greetings to you dear friends and loved ones, it is a blessing to
be able to write to you about the progress here in Uganda, East Africa.
God has and
is still so faithful, those of you who remember I mentioned to you that that we
would be travelling to build a children's
ministry and resource center, but all was said in faith with nothing in the
bank to show for it!!
Long
story short, God provided and I am now here, I arrived Friday night 11:00
pm after a number of connections from Denver to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam,
Amsterdam to Kigali and Kigali to Entebbe Uganda.. A very long flight but I
thank God for safety and good health through the whole process.
I was
met at the airport by my mom and some friends and family and we drove straight
home to my friend’s house where I am residing in Bukoto a city suburb.
God is gracious, my friend has internet access in his house which is
making it possible for me to stay in touch with my family through Skype, viber
and magic jack free calling to any U.S number, now that is a blessing!!!
So
yesterday Saturday I made my first attempt to go to the city I was born and
raised in, but I tell you four years can make a whole big difference in a
growing country, more people, more cars, less space and lots of changes!! I made
it there without any help via public means and was able to see a few people I
knew then, which was nice...
Later
on in the day I made my way to the village where they had been waiting
impatiently for my return, now this is the village where I used to spend my Christmas
holidays and go into the forests to look at monkeys and hunt for wild birds...
so to go back to do something that is going to help the community, that is
profound and I thank God so much for allowing to use me at such a time like
this.
We
had planned on giving away care packages nicely done by the children's ministry
at our church , but postponed that to Monday when more kids are notified in the
community and also have an opportunity to do evangelism through that, I know
with all my heart that this is going to make a big difference in families here.
Now one of the reasons I felt so led to set the ministry in this area is because
not so many people care to go into these isolated communities , most people
want to go to cities that are more established which is okay, but I really
believe in making an impact in small communities because when people are
enlightened, taught and trained in the right way, they obviously love their
home towns they will most probably stay and make it better, and the better it
becomes the more people are attracted to it, they then start investing, and
before you know there is a lot of growth, and in the long run this prevents
overcrowding in the bigger cities, you get less crime, because people can find
work in their local areas, they then build stable families and instill good
values.
Now
we need a lot of prayer and I believe this is God's timing, yesterday as we
prayed and dedicated the construction to the lord, in our meeting there was a
little girl I could notice from almost 6 years ago from one of our ministry visits,
she was carrying a baby , so I asked whose baby it was and she said with a lot of
fear, ‘that is my baby’, Now this is the trend in these little villages,
families cannot afford to even pay for the subsidized government elementary
education, so they keep their girls from school and have them work in fields,
their dreams are broken and no hope, so they start having babies, but in my
opinion 14 year olds should not be mothers, they still have their own growing
up to do!!!
So I
ask for your prayers and support that we can establish the school as soon as
possible, even as we build this multi-purpose structure that will house the
school, library, ministry auditorium, counseling and guidance center as well as
a home for children who have been neglected by these teenage moms who once over
burdened by the responsibility they run off to the city and never come back
leaving the children to their grandparents.
Next week Monday we shall start unloading the bricks oven , and start
mapping out the foundation , please keep us in prayer, and if you feel led to
give any gift to towards this work .. Please go ahead and send that to
GREATER RIVER 2340
S TROY ST AURORA COLORADO 80014
or go to our
website www.greaterriverchurch.org to place a donation online
I will talk
to you on Monday blessings and love from Uganda
Andrew Paul Kizito
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
NOW IS THE TIME
Dear friends Its been a long while since I wrote on our blog, I was busy finishing up school, working on different ministry projects and doing my best to be a good husband, father and pastor as well.. so I pray you bear with me.
In the next couple of days I will be in Uganda East Africa on a mission trip I shared with you the last time I wrote. God has been so gracious in providing funds for me to travel and also be able to break ground for the Chidlren's ministry and resource center that will be a center of love, hope, education, mentoring and evangelism.
I would be a cheat if I dont testify on how God made this possible, at the beginning of this year we had over 15 people desiring to travel with me and we were a hundred percent sure everything would go as planned, but as the months drew near, family commitments, financial difficulties and other unavoidable circumstances made it very difficult for our friends to be a part of the November mission trip.
Panic started to set in as I was the only one who would make it but didn't have airfare available, now a few months earlier we had started making bricks for the building structure, and I was getting so worried about the bricks getting destroyed by the heavy rains if construction didn't take place as scheduled, and the hopes of an entire village dashed if somebody didn't go, mind you we announced the trip at the beggining of the year. At the very last minute, friends God not only provided the amount I needed to purchase my ticket but he also provided a very good price you cannot find for an International ticket anywhere around December, Praise to our God!!!
Just to give you a background of the village we are doing the ministry, It is a small village with almost 1,500
people living there, mainly older people in their 70's and older, taking care of their grandchildren who are usually abandoned by their young parents who go to the capital city Kampala to seek a better future, the parents only come back once a year for Christmas holidays or new year celebrations.
The main religion is the African Traditional Ancetral Religion, where the worshippers believe in praying to their dead ancestors for every aspect of their life, rain, good crops, a good harvest and health for them and their families.
With that background and their age, It is almost imposible for them to listen to preachers or even pay any attention to anyone trying to introduce anything new that will 'distract' them from their ancentral beliefs which they vow to keep and most times inherit all the 'regalia' from up to 4 generations.
With that in mind, the percentage of children is outnumbering that of adults, as the older folks succumb to sickness and natural deaths, the children take leadership of the home and in so doing they cannot complete school as they have to work long days in the fields to take care of the youngest ones and the cycle continues on and on and on.
That is why our ministry is very very important in this village, this sunday while sharing with my home church I mentioned that in this age of modernity, In ' 2012 ' people still brush their teeth with small sticks from a special trees because they cannot afford a toothbrush, let alone soap to wash their bodies and clothes to stay clean and healthy.
Praise be to God that I will be taking hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, clothes , pencils, pens which I believe will make an impact you cannot even imagine.
The Structure we are going to construct will house a Ministry Auditorium where children will be ministred to the love and word of God in action in their respective ages, a full functioning kitchen and dining area to serve balanced diet meals, a well stocked library with all relevant text books necessary for academic progress and success, once we install electricity we shall be able have computers in there as well something new to the entire village, special housing units for children who have been abandoned, neglected and those who have lost their parents to the deadly AIDS epidemic in the country.
In an effort to have a regular positve and spiritual impact we plan to have classroom blocks for a pre-school / kindergaten program and with God's provisions we shall add elementary level classrooms all with the mission of raising up God fearing, responsible and self sustaining citizens who will in turn teach others.
So my friends I ask you to pray for me as I travel this week for safety, good health and good weather for us do everything on plan and safe travels back home to my family.
We welcome gifts and donations of any size to help us in the daily operations of this ministry and the construction process.
We estimate the entire building project will cost $50,000 to complete hopefully by the end of 2013.
Prayerfully consider writing us a check to
GREATER RIVER 2340 S TROY ST AURORA COLORADO 80014
or donate online at www.greaterriverchurch.org
We shall have a phone giving plan at the beginning of 2013... Let us know if you would love to go with us next year and volunteer in building, serving and blessing the children of the small village Kyoga in Uganda, East Africa.
Check out the pictures of the bricks and the picture of how the Children's Ministry Center will look like at completion.
Email us at:
greaterriver@gmail.com
Blessings on you today..
Andrew Paul Kizito
ONCE FINISHED THE MINISTRY CENTER WILL LOOK LIKE THIS.
YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE HELPING TO STACK THE READY BRICKS.
www.greaterriverchurch.org
In the next couple of days I will be in Uganda East Africa on a mission trip I shared with you the last time I wrote. God has been so gracious in providing funds for me to travel and also be able to break ground for the Chidlren's ministry and resource center that will be a center of love, hope, education, mentoring and evangelism.
I would be a cheat if I dont testify on how God made this possible, at the beginning of this year we had over 15 people desiring to travel with me and we were a hundred percent sure everything would go as planned, but as the months drew near, family commitments, financial difficulties and other unavoidable circumstances made it very difficult for our friends to be a part of the November mission trip.
Panic started to set in as I was the only one who would make it but didn't have airfare available, now a few months earlier we had started making bricks for the building structure, and I was getting so worried about the bricks getting destroyed by the heavy rains if construction didn't take place as scheduled, and the hopes of an entire village dashed if somebody didn't go, mind you we announced the trip at the beggining of the year. At the very last minute, friends God not only provided the amount I needed to purchase my ticket but he also provided a very good price you cannot find for an International ticket anywhere around December, Praise to our God!!!
Just to give you a background of the village we are doing the ministry, It is a small village with almost 1,500
people living there, mainly older people in their 70's and older, taking care of their grandchildren who are usually abandoned by their young parents who go to the capital city Kampala to seek a better future, the parents only come back once a year for Christmas holidays or new year celebrations.
The main religion is the African Traditional Ancetral Religion, where the worshippers believe in praying to their dead ancestors for every aspect of their life, rain, good crops, a good harvest and health for them and their families.
With that background and their age, It is almost imposible for them to listen to preachers or even pay any attention to anyone trying to introduce anything new that will 'distract' them from their ancentral beliefs which they vow to keep and most times inherit all the 'regalia' from up to 4 generations.
With that in mind, the percentage of children is outnumbering that of adults, as the older folks succumb to sickness and natural deaths, the children take leadership of the home and in so doing they cannot complete school as they have to work long days in the fields to take care of the youngest ones and the cycle continues on and on and on.
That is why our ministry is very very important in this village, this sunday while sharing with my home church I mentioned that in this age of modernity, In ' 2012 ' people still brush their teeth with small sticks from a special trees because they cannot afford a toothbrush, let alone soap to wash their bodies and clothes to stay clean and healthy.
Praise be to God that I will be taking hundreds of toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, clothes , pencils, pens which I believe will make an impact you cannot even imagine.
The Structure we are going to construct will house a Ministry Auditorium where children will be ministred to the love and word of God in action in their respective ages, a full functioning kitchen and dining area to serve balanced diet meals, a well stocked library with all relevant text books necessary for academic progress and success, once we install electricity we shall be able have computers in there as well something new to the entire village, special housing units for children who have been abandoned, neglected and those who have lost their parents to the deadly AIDS epidemic in the country.
In an effort to have a regular positve and spiritual impact we plan to have classroom blocks for a pre-school / kindergaten program and with God's provisions we shall add elementary level classrooms all with the mission of raising up God fearing, responsible and self sustaining citizens who will in turn teach others.
So my friends I ask you to pray for me as I travel this week for safety, good health and good weather for us do everything on plan and safe travels back home to my family.
We welcome gifts and donations of any size to help us in the daily operations of this ministry and the construction process.
We estimate the entire building project will cost $50,000 to complete hopefully by the end of 2013.
Prayerfully consider writing us a check to
GREATER RIVER 2340 S TROY ST AURORA COLORADO 80014
or donate online at www.greaterriverchurch.org
We shall have a phone giving plan at the beginning of 2013... Let us know if you would love to go with us next year and volunteer in building, serving and blessing the children of the small village Kyoga in Uganda, East Africa.
Check out the pictures of the bricks and the picture of how the Children's Ministry Center will look like at completion.
Email us at:
greaterriver@gmail.com
Blessings on you today..
Andrew Paul Kizito
ONCE FINISHED THE MINISTRY CENTER WILL LOOK LIKE THIS.
YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE VILLAGE HELPING TO STACK THE READY BRICKS.
ME TEACHING ONE OF OUR FIRST CLASSES IN 2007
www.greaterriverchurch.org
Thursday, September 27, 2012
FAITHFULNESS...THE KEY
Luke 16:10
New International Version (NIV)
This powerful verse speaks volumes by itself, and i tell you there is nothing in this world as good as seeing answered prayer !! Today i am just going to testify about God's faithfulness and promises.
About 6 years in my dormitory i began to think about the events that had shaped my life, unfortunately most of them were very unpleasant and i will share those at the right time.
My mind shifted from myself and went to thousands of 'me' who were caught in a fishnet of poverty , abuse, neglect and despair..e.t.c i started asking God how i could be of help to that one child i have never met, whose story similar to mine i have never heard.
I vividly remember a voice speaking to me in my heart very clearly to 'Do Something'. I was still in school , didn't have any money , didn't know anybody important or sponsors for that matter.
Our dialogue continued and i mentioned to God in honesty that i desired to help, i desired to make a change but how could i start? The voice told me , 'Start with what you have' i looked at my self , i was making 50,000 ugandan shillings (25.00 US Dollars) per month!! yes per month for 12 hour days monday through friday as a nursery/kindergarten teacher.
God promised me that if i was faithful he would be faithful and would make my willingness to help others materialize, if i stayed faithful 'with what i had'.
Long story short i shared the idea i had with some good friends of mine and decided to go my maternal village many miles from my city home every weekend to just talk to children and pre-teens about the Lord and also address the issues of life regarding health, adolescence , sex and social everyday situations alike.
The begginning wasn't easy but we stayed faithful, saving money from my meager salary from which i also payed my rent, bus fare and food!!! We poured love, hope and direction to these kids we were not related to, actually some of them from Muslim families and some from homes with occult and witchcraft shrines in the backyard.
Fast forward God opens doors for me i get a better job , i start travelling the world and later settle in the U.S and he lets me meet wonderful people who share the passion and vision i have for abused, neglected and disadvantaged children in the Country of Uganda.
I remember one time while working as a baby sitter for some friends in the state of Massachusetts i was making 50.00 per week working from sunrise to sunset and yet still sent money to support the ministry we had started, many times i felt like giving up..but by the grace i stayed faithful.
As i write this blog God has given us the opportunity and the resources we prayed for six years ago and that was to build a decent structure where we could meet with the kids and just bless them with good words, clothes, hygienic needs,a balanced diet meal and also regularly monitor their progress by way of a school that teaches the academic curriculum with a huge emphasis on biblical and godly values.
This week with a very good gift from a generous family we started breaking ground for bricks for the facility that will be a center for hope, love , enrichment and growth in the body, mind and spirit.
I just felt like sharing with you this awesome testimony and journey God is leading us on..i encourage you my friend, whatever God has laid on your heart it doesn't matter what it is ask God to show you how you can make that first step, by using what you have in your hand. If you don't have anything, you have some faith, maybe smaller than a mustard seed but God can use that if you let him!!!
So my friends i ask you to pray with us, in November this year we believe to travel to Uganda to lay the building foundation for this ministry that is going to change and transform lives in our small village and our country of Uganda at large.
I pray for you too that God will give you the patience and bless you with the people who will walk with you through the journey of your calling.
Please visit our website and see how you can be a part of what is doing in our ministry.
blessings,
Andrew Paul Kizito
greaterriver@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/greaterriver
www.facebook.com/GreaterRiver
www.greaterriverchurch.org
In this picture i am teaching a class in 2008 in the early days of our ministry.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Little Seeds We Sow
The Little Seeds We Sow
Psalms
126:5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Just the other
day I was looking back, its only been a few
years ago and was amazed at how God has
really blessed me with almost everything I prayed for and dreamt of as a young
boy, it’s so amazing to realize that God
really is at work in our lives , we many times just don’t realize it and so
often we focus on the things we don’t have, our failures , disappointments and
what people say about us or even more
commonly judge ourselves in comparison to our peers and friends we grew up with
or went to school with.
Did you know that every
day we sow seeds in our lives, into our kids, our loved ones and people we know
and those we may never know or even meet.
It saddens me a lot ,it
shouldn’t though whenever I hear that, ‘ what we are today is at a greater
portion due to the seeds we have sowed in the past..’ Very hard to swallow…… especially if you have sowed
more bad seeds than good ones… seeds take many sizes and shapes, technically
everything we do is a seed or a fruit. Think about it!!!
The words we say to
ourselves, the time we spend and how we spend it ,the places we go ,the people
we meet and how we interact with them and what we gain from these relationships
, all these are seeds that will affect us or the other parties for the rest of
theirs and our lives.
Now most of you
know that I am a pastor and one of the most difficult things to mention in
church is teaching people or asking them to give money.. Because the first
thing some people will think is that you want to take and use their money for
your personal use and probably become rich from it, I thank God for my
wonderful congregation who give so cheerfully and generously.
But the truth of
the matter is that, giving money in the
house of God is actually giving to God out of our love, honor and appreciation
to him..
Now how this money
is used is a concern many of us have and that’s okay!! Granted. but shouldn’t
bother us that much if our intentions are right and are geared towards God and
his service…do your part and let God deal with his men or women on the ground.
Giving our money is
probably so hard because it represents our hard work, sweat, and the pain we go
through to get it..but giving a portion of it say 10% is very hard for us to
do.. Believe me!! But when you do with a cheerful heart and willingness within,
you are sowing a seed that won’t only
return to you in the short term but
fruits you will enjoy for a lifetime!!
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what
he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for
God loves a cheerful giver
So I looked back
and remembered the times I gave so much of my time serving in the church,
singing, cleaning, preaching without pay and how painful it was for so many
years and actually most of the time it was routine but my soul was out of it completely.
But thank God he still counted those seeds.
Imagine a farmer
waking up so early in the morning, breaking hard ground, weeding the ground,
planting the seeds, pruning, making scare crows, more weeding, and then waiting.
And actually sometimes losing all his seed to pests.
All this stuff is
not fun to do.. But the fact that you do it regardless of the process, painful as it may be sometimes in heavy rains,
very hot sunny days, I tell you right
now One day!! the fruits will come and
when they do ,there is no better joy
than reaping a hard earned harvest!!
By the way this can take a span of three to
twelve months!!! A year to be precise..!! (If you are dealing with crops)
Scripture tells us
to continue doing good for at the right time we shall reap a harvest if we do
not faint.
Galatians
6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap
a harvest if we do not give up
So
my friends in everything you do, be it giving your time, sharing your
resources, spending time with people that you love or people who love you..
know in your heart that you are sowing seeds and one day most importantly you
will stand before the throne of the Almighty and he will say,Well done good and
faithful Servant!!
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Taking Back Ours
It’s always a
blessing for me to get on the laptop and share with you my heart and the
messages God places in my spirit. The Lord has placed urgency inside me to
address daily life issues from a biblical standpoint and to encourage the body
of Christ to fully live the life our savior died for.
As followers of
Christ we many times live below what God has intended us to, but I believe with
all my heart that once we realize whose we are and the sacrifice he made for us
to be free, we can live in the ‘promised land’ even here on earth regardless of
what is around us, be it hard economic times, strained relationships and all
the evil that surrounds us today.
Speaking of hard times
that are obvious to us each day especially here in America it is very easy to
be distracted, disappointed and even lose the ‘Joy of our salvation’ David in
the bible after sinning against God by killing one man’s husband and committing
adultery on her, after realizing his mess he earnestly pleads to God to not
take away his holy spirit and the Joy of his salvation.
Psalms 51:11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
The most
important thing in David’s life was not the woman she had stolen and killed for,
not the majestic palace he was living in or even the power he had as king. What
was most important was being in the presence of God or more clearly living with
the presence of God each day of his life, and additionally having the Joy that
only God gives.
When you read in-depth
the story of David’s fall into this sin, you also realize that the child that
was born as a result of his uncontrolled sexual desire and greed died after a
brief illness. Now David doesn’t dwell so much on that knowing that he was
being punished for his acts, he instead pursues what is most important: Having
the Holy Spirit present in his life and also the JOY that God gives.
Many of us ,me
included make mistakes every day, we lose things that we treasure so much ,in
this economy the most valuable ‘asset’ is having a job, expecting a child and
having a roof over our heads etc. etc. but none of these things beat the Joy
that God gives.
Imagine why do we go to school, work long
hours, some people even steal or con others for a quick buck? We all want to
have that state of satisfaction, we want to be happy, we are seeking Joy in the
wrong places, in drugs, sex, shopping, education, having children all these may
to a certain point make you happy but true happiness comes from seeking, finding
and maintaining the presence of God and his spirit in our lives ‘EVERYDAY’
That’s why we need to go back to the root
and source of our joy , peace and content. Do we want to have fulfilled
relationships? Exciting family moments? Have successful careers and achieve our
ambitions? The secret is going back to seeking God and his righteousness and
the rest shall be added to us (Matthew 6:33)
God has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places but to enjoy them, maintain
them is our job everyday , let’s take back our families, let’s take back the
gifts God bestowed on us, let’s raise our children in the way of Lord and enjoy
the fruits of our labor by seeking God daily, involving him in our decisions, inquiring
of him before making major and minor moves and I promise you God will direct
our paths..
P.S Listen to the Audio version on the link below:
http://soundcloud.com/kizitopaul/taking-back-ours
P.S Listen to the Audio version on the link below:
http://soundcloud.com/kizitopaul/taking-back-ours
Blessings to you
as you fully enjoy all his benefits,
Andrew Paul Kizito
Monday, August 27, 2012
IF ONE MAN CAN..
In my last blog 'God is knocking on your door' I highlighted a number of issues hurting our society today, among them gun violence which has led to so many deaths at a repetitive pace. Whenever i turn on my phone to read news updates, I am greeted with some tragedy somewhere next door, on the highway or at a workplace. This doesnt mean that evil hasn't been going on but in my opinion its like we are having worse news each day and you rarely hear anything good, peaceful and encouraging.
In our church service as i was speaking God led me into the story of Abraham and how he was able to save his family from destruction, we all have heard or read about Sodom and Gomorah and how much evil was going on in that city..it was too much that God was fed up of the unrighteousness and wanted to just wipe out the entire city.
Genesis 13:10 Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.
Verse 13 gives you the idea of what was going on and if you compare the two, their situation clearly relates to the state of our society especially here in the west where we have access to everything we need and don't need as well.Unfortunately whenever there is so much in abundance there is an outbreak of sin and rebellion towards God. No wonder King Solomon in
proverbs 30:8 asks of the lord
'give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.'
However at the end of Solomon's life he succumbs to his fear...he had so much wisdom and wealth and he ended up dishonoring the name of his God.
Back to Abraham he gets a visitation from the Lord and the Almighty reveals his plan for Sodom which was to destroy it completely but as we read earlier his relative Lot was in the city as well with all the wicked people.
when you read chapter 18 of Genesis you will be shocked to see how wicked the people were, both young and old were so evil that at the sight of the angels only two of them the 'whole city' was so 'excited' and wanted to sin against them and Lot as well when he wouldn't let the two men out of the house for their evil sexual pleasures..
That is how wicked Sodom was....and so is America and the west!
Am not getting off track but the point here is that we can still save a generation , we can still save our families, we can save our cities from the wrath of God, bretheren it sounds outdated but God has not changed he is still a holy God who hates sin and he still punishes those in rebellon
Yet he is still a God full of Love and compassion and just like Abraham when he knew there was only a handful of rightoues people in Sodom he pleaded on their behalf to God until God said that he would spare the city if there was only ten righteous people there, unfortunately there was less than ten and God saved them and destroyed the rest of the city.
We have our families that we love so dearly, kids that we adore, assets we have acquired, and dreams we build each day.. only God can keep all this intact, while his hand is over our possessions they will stand, while his hand is over our children they will survive the dangers of this wicked generation, while we drive back and forth he will surround us with his protection and we will see our loved ones at the end of the day.
If one man could do it for his family in a far land, you can do it for your family, church, school, community and country as well
2 chronicles 7:13
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
God is waiting for us to humble ourselves and admit that we have fallen short, he wants us to seek him, he wants us to turn from our wicked ways and he promises he will forgive us, we his chosen ones and he will also heal our land.. and all that dwell in it..
God is looking to raise up the John the Baptists of this generation, he is looking for men and women who will pray and seek his face without fear or shame and the revival will come, not only through big stadium meetings but from our kitchen tables, from our bedrooms and family reunions.
Will you be the one to bring our nation back to God? start with your family, with your workmates, with your business group and so on and so forth..
share this message with the people you love and let's spread the fire of revival..
blessings
Andrew Paul Kizito
twitter @greaterriver
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