My Last Breathe, Uganda Update & The Battle Is Great!

We need your continued prayers for Pastor Jackson of the Landmark Baptist Church at Lake Victoria.  If you follow our blog, you know he has lost his wife to a sudden illness and is still battling for His life with a very serious illness himself.   Our Pastors from Mt. Elgon continue to travel to Lake Victoria to pray for Jackson and help him through this trial of life. 

 Jackson

Some of our Kenyan Churches have taken up special offerings to help Pastor Jackson with his mounting medical expenses as well as the expenses for His wife’s illness and burial.   We have sent love offerings to help him through this time and pray that he will recover and continue to fulfill his calling to preach the gospel.   His faith is still strong and I have been told that at the graveside of his wife, while suffering from His own sickness, he stood before the funeral procession and proclaimed that he will preach the Word of God until his last breath.  That’s the kind of dedication and commitment to Christ that we would love to see from all of our Children of faith.

 Children of Uganda

  The Uganda front continues to expand with Pastor Nixon on the Mt. Elgon side of Uganda and Pastor Timothy on the Kerio Valley side pushing the gospel deeper into Uganda.   Both men are discipling the young converts there as well as training men of God to step up to lead those works.   It is gospel preaching and scriptural New Testament Church planting being replicated before our very eyes.    The two older works are nearing four years old and we are starting to partner with them to build permanent sanctuaries.   We are praying that God will provide for specific Churches and individuals to partner with these young Churches to put a roof over their heads and give them a permanent meeting place to preach God’s word and worship the Lord Jesus.   Would you pray about helping these men build these two historic Churches in Uganda? 

The American Front finds us burning the road, which is the story of the life of a Missionary.  In addition to what Paul described as the care of the Churches in Uganda, Kenya and now The Florida Plant, we continue to fulfill deputation appointments on Sunday evenings.   Last week our Missionary journey took us to Alma, Arkansas to celebrate 100 Years of Ministry at Dean Springs Missionary Baptist Church.   Dean Springs MBC is the co-sponsor of our work and has been a great blessing to Terry and I for many years now.    It was an awesome celebration that involved great fellowship and powerful services with the alter full of God’s people thanking Him for a Church that has stood the test of time and faith.  

 

This week I used the Dean Springs MBC study to teach our people who have joined us in Florida Church plant the characteristics of a successful Church which has given God glory for a century now.   What a powerful illustration of God’s people who have coveted together to keep the commands of the Lord Jesus through the local New Testament Church.   I pray that we will be found so faithful.   The more time passes, the more we are realizing the gravity and severity of the terrible battle we are in here in the United States of America for the hearts and souls of men, women and children.   This is not news to those of you have been faithfully serving the Lord on the home front for decades but from our unique perspective we see the intensity of the battle of faith has increased one hundred fold.   We might compare what we are seeing today in our own country to the strongholds that witchcraft and idolatry had over many generations in the remote villages Terry and I have worked in East Africa for many generations.  The principalities, the powers,  rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places have such a foothold in our nation that it no wonder we are in the spiritual condition that is leading our nation away from God.  But thanks be to God that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.  Jesus is still the greatest need of every man, woman and child I thank Him that he is our Master and Commander.  Keep us in the your prayers and also note that we have joined the host of missionaries who will no longer send reports through snail mail but only through email.  Our sending Church will send a hard copy upon request.  Thank for allowing us to share this journey of faith.

Casandra Accepted Christ October 25, 2015

Uganda Church Building, Funerals & Discipleship Training

The news from East Africa continues to bless and encourage our hearts, specifically the work in Uganda.   The ministry Terry and I poured our hearts and souls into on Mt. Elgon and the Kerio Valley has crossed the border into Uganda in both areas.   We personally started the Pokot work in Uganda several years ago and one of our Pastors (Nixon) has pushed the gospel across the border on the Mt. Elgon side.   Both Landmark Baptist works run between 50-75 members and are growing.  They have been meeting under trees and tents for several years now and they are starting the building process on the Mt. Elgon side of Uganda with funds that our mission team of four left them last month.    It seems that the steel poles and truss pattern we help bring to East Africa has caught on and has become the new preferred method of building these types of structures.    With that as the backdrop, Pastor Nixon loaded up poles and trusses on a small truck and shipped them from Kenya to Uganda to start the building process for our first Ugandan sanctuary.

 

 It is a always a great joy to be a part of the Lord’s work world wide but it is also an honor to be a part of making history and leaving a legacy for Christ as well.    In addition to the great news of the Ugandan work progressing, we received sad news that Mama Carolyn, who is Pastor Jackson’s wife, had unexpectedly contracted a fatal illness and died suddenly.   Pastor Jackson is the fishermen we led to Christ and God subsequently called him to preach on the shores of Lake Victoria.   Please pray for this young Pastor and family who now have to survive without their Mother and Wife. 

Pastor Jackson has had trial after trial this year and barely escaped death himself when he became deathly sick earlier this year.   Not sure if the two illnesses were connected but I know that my name sake Carlitos has lost his Mama.   While our Kenyan brethren buried Mama Carolyn, I preached our second funeral service for one of the young men named Ryan who has been visiting our new Church plant here in Florida.

The death of these two young folks has a way of reminding us of the importance of our calling and the urgency of eternity.

Heb. 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Our in home discipleship Bible studies and training continues to consume much of our time with as many as six or seven per week.   We are seeing much significant growth in the lives of these folks as we teach them on a variety of subjects which include:  Salvation, Baptism, Eternal Security of the believer, How to Study the Bible, Knowing the will of God and Dealing with Temptation.   We are committed to growing a handful of strong disciples at a time who we pray will in turn teach others down the road.  Our ministry philosophy remains the same, bring them to Christ, disciple them and then commend them to the Lord on whom they believe. 

The numbers and Church growth will take care of itself if we remain faithful to God’s plan for scriptural Church planting.  By the way we continue to see folks profess Christ as a result of building close relationships with them.   These studies are also affording us the opportunity to meet family friends and neighbors to preach the gospel to along the way. 

John 4:35  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. Tracy Miller Trusted Christ October 14, 2015

In closing, please pray for Terry and I as we try to re-assimilate into our own country and culture again.   We have been home for a year now and still do not feel that we are able to reconnect with our country and culture yet.   It is strange that we are feel like strangers and sojourners in our own land and wonder if we will ever fit in again after spending years becoming African.    I fully realize that many who share this journey of faith with us will read this and wonder what I am talking about but know that reentering their own culture may be harder for the foreign Missionary than adapting to a new culture.   May God bless you and be glorified through our daily walk no matter where we are. 

In His Service,

Bro. Chuck & Sis. Terry Fernandez

Kenya/Uganda/Florida Plant

Our Exterior Classroom fund for Jr. Church/Youth is now up to $1,500.00.

Would you consider a special offering to help relieve overcrowding of youth and so we can bring more kids to Christ?

Goal is $5.000.00

Please be reminded that any and all Financial Support needs to be Sent to

Sending Church Information:

First Baptist Church of East Bay

10102 Old Big Bend Rd.

Riverview, Florida 33578

or DONATE THRU SECURE PAYPAL  (***right side of this blog will take you there)0

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