Mission Trips for 2011

In 2011 we are planning 4 church planting campaigns into Uganda and Argentina. There is also potential for a fifth campaign into Moldova, God willing. To date the plans for 2011 are as follows:

Central, Uganda (March 11-20, 2011)
Santiago del Estero, Argentina (June 3-12)
Buenos Aires (Pilar), Argentina (June 10-19)
Mid-West, Uganda (July 15-23, 2011)

Come join us on mission in 2011.

Uganda July 2010 Mission Trip

During this month we saw a small five men team head to the Luwero Province of Central Uganda to share Christ and assist in the planting of a new church. We partnered with Ggaba Community Church and Africa Renewal Ministries out of the capital city of Kampala. This healthy and visionary church began Ggaba Bible Institute just a few years ago with the intention of training pastors as they go back into the regions where there are little or no churches. Pastor Peter Kasirivu of Ggaba Community church targeted the community of Naamasujju in the province of Luwero as the location of this year’s church planting focus. After receiving training at Ggaba Bible Insitute, Pastor Timothy Kisaakye moved to the Naamasujju Community just a few months back. This was the original home of Pastor Peter Kasirivu, and had been his prayerful dream to assist to plant a church in the home of his parents in Naamasujju.
Our American team consisted of myself, pastor Jay Moeller, coach Brad Stephens, and college students, Evan Holman and Christopher Ross. Our team arrived on a Friday night and began ministry right away on Saturday. We focused the morning on training the national team with the tools we brought to share the gospel and then led them out on mission in the communities of Naamasujju and Woblinsi that afternoon. The response was overwhelming. Sunday we worshipped with the core group at Naamasujju and again went to the streets to share the good news of Christ. During the week we emphasized personal evangelism and discipleship, seeing hundreds respond by placing their faith in Christ. On Monday and Tuesday evenings we added Christian film at the Naamasujju site. In addition we had the opportunity of sharing Christ in three schools in the Naamasujju community. We were overwhelmed at the response of the community that week, sharing Christ with 1220 men, women, and children, and leading 490 to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. We also were able to go back for 51 discipleship appointments with new believers.
While we were able to see many families trust Christ together, there were also many individuals that trusted Christ even when their families did not. We were even amazed to see many Muslims come to know Christ, knowing that they would be ostracized by their families. We saw both the young and old place their faith in Christ during the week. I was blessed to lead many men and women in their later teens to the Lord, but also was blessed to lead a man as old at 100 to a saving knowledge of Christ. We closed out the week with a celebration lunch for the new believers. Over 100 joined us on Thursday for lunch at the church site as we celebrated the birth of the new church in Naamasujju. Pray with us for the follow up work that is already in process by Pastor Timothy and the Naamasujju leaders.
Our team ended our time in country by visiting the mother church, Ggaba Community Church, just outside the capital city of Kampala. We also visited Bethany Village where I was able to lead a church planting team in 2002. Today it has a healthy church, a clinic, a Christian school, and 11 orphanage homes. We are praying for this “model” to be a reality in Luwero as the church of Naamasujju matures in the coming months and years.

Our five men team is about to leave for Uganda this coming Thursday, July 15th, returning July 25th. We would appreciate you joining us on our prayer team. If you would like a prayer calendar, please drop me an email at my email at john.williams@e3partners.org and I will email you one. Our focus will be to serve Gaba Community Church and Muti Baptist Church in their desire to each plant a new mission church in the Luwero area of Uganda. We have two teams planned for February of 2011 and are currently recruiting the team, if the Lord lays it on your heart to be a part. If you would like to receive emails from the field, let me know. I will also try to post pictures on Facebook, as I have the opportunity.

After both teams had headed for home, we began focusing on training church leaders in several different cities, setting the stages for future church planting campaigns. We began in the city of Santa Fe, where we had just finished our campaign planting campaign. Over the next week we traveled to Rafaela, Clodomida, Santiago del Estero, La Banda, and Catamarca. It was a blessing to encourage these leaders in their work for the Lord as they evangelize the lost and start new churches.

During the month of March, we had two teams from the U.S. head on mission to Argentina. TEAM ONE: The first team headed off to Pilar, Argentina on March 12-21. We worked with Pastor Beto Chambi and the Evangelical Church. We worked in the area called Villa Rosa, where we shared Christ daily for five days house to house. Every evening we had a service that involved music, testimonies, film, drama, games, and a whole lot more. Our fourteen member U.S. team was multiplied by the fourteen translators and fourteen member evangelism team from the church. Almost thirty other church members served by proving meals, transportation, and logistics. This was the first year to work with Beto, and I am looking forward to working together for years to come. During the week we shared the gospel with over 450 individuals, with 303 trusting Christ as Savior. Praise God! TEAM TWO: Our second team arrived the same day our first team was departing. Our ten member team packed into a fifteen passenger van (with luggage) and headed for a seven hour trip north to the province of Santa Fe. We were greeted by our host pastor, David Ibarra. David is a pastor and church planter from the nearby city of Rafaela. I have worked with David for over ten years and he did an excellent job preparing pastor Miguel Monessa and the host church, Iglesia del Norte (Church of the North) for the campaign. We worked in two sites, La Guardia and Oasis, planting a new church in each area. During the week we heard amazing stories of changed lives as hundreds trusted Christ during the home visits. God broke down many strongholds of Satan in both of these areas during the week, even sins of prostitution, Satanic worship, and incest. When Christ sets you free, you are free indeed. Over 430 heard a clear presentation of the gospel that week, with 212 trusting Christ as Savior. The strength of the teams was not just the evangelism, but the discipleship visits. During the two weeks we spent hours with 160 individuals after they trusted Christ; opening Scripture with them and connecting them personally to a church member who would continue to meet and disciple them. I also want to give special thanks to Eduardo Buldain and the students from the Word of Life Bible Institute. Eduardo, serves as our national coordinator for E3 partners to the evangelical leadership. He also serves as our liaison with Word of Life Bible Institute, from where we receive the majority of our translators. It was great to have our son Chris, who is attending the Bible Institute this year, serve as a translator for the team for his first time. A new first! I want to thank every supporter, prayer warrior, and financial partner for their investment in the work of the Lord.

Mwangaza Choir

The Mwangaza Choir are in the United States for the next six months. They arrived a week ago from Kampala, Uganda with the goal of sharing a great message of hope. Africa Renewal Ministries is sharing the story of how to help children, families, and communities. It starts with the gospel, and leads to a changed life, a church, and a changed community. Come hear the kids and be a part of proclaiming this messge of hope. For the schedule, go to www.mwangazachoir.org and click on "concerts". You will be given the great opportunity to change the life of a child at a time through sponsorships. You can also go make a difference personally. Africa Renewal Ministries is teaming up with E3 partners in San Antonio for four church planting campaigns; two this July and two in February 2011. Go to www.e3partners.org and look for the campaigns lead by myself and fellow staff e3 staff member, Carmen Bennett (also from San Antonio).

The Williams' Family

God has blessed us with 5 wonderful children. New to the family is George Onyango. George just married my daughter Ashley this December 30th. George comes from Kenya, via Uganda. Ashley met George on mission three years ago and the love story began after that. They live in the States at present, and will for the next few years.

Overview: Janelle and I have been married for 30 years and have five children: Erin 26 (married), Ashley 24 (married), Andrew 21 (single), Christopher 19 (single) and Rebekah 13 (single- and no boys better get any ideas for a while!). Erin gave birth to our first biological grandchild, Hunter, this summer. She is married to Allen Atkinson and both are health professionals. Ashley is finishing her degree in Elementary Education and working as a nanny full time. Andrew goes to college full time and holds down full time work at Chase (credit card division), Chris just started Palabra de Vida (Word of Life Bible Institute in Argentina. Rebekah is homeschooled and plays tenor drum in a homeschool pipe and drum corps.

Evangelism Training

It is a blessing to share the good news of Christ and see a person place their faith in Christ. If you have never had that joy, I would love to serve you by training you and your church in evangelism. I am available to come and share on Sunday mornings during worship or set up a Saturday afternoon training for your church. I know that after you learn how to simply share Jesus using easy tools, such as the evangecube, you will be equipped to share the good news with the lost.

Uganda Mission July 2010

This coming July I will be leading two teams to Uganda for the purpose of planting new churches. The first of the two teams will be working in the Kampala area (July 1-11). The second team will be focusing on planting churches in the Western Uganda area, near Mubende (July 17-28). Our host pastor is Peter Kasirivu. Peter is pastor of Gaba Community Church and head of Africa Renewal Ministries. We are excited to partner with Peter and the churches in Uganda to extend the work of God, for God's greater glory. To read about Africa Renewal ministries, go to www.africarenewal.org To sign up for the campaign and go with us, go to www.e3partners.org and sign up for the campaign. Email me if you want me to speak to your church or Sunday School class.

Argentina Church Planting Team

Our March mission teams are in training right now. We have met the last two weeks and it is exciting to see how the Lord is already bonding us together. We are currently developing our support team and prayer teams for the two campaigns this March. We meet on Saturdays at my home at 222 Shannon Lee in San Antonio. We have time of prayer, study of the Word, training, and team building every week. I think we have around 7 churches represented on the team, PTL. Looking forward to seeing how the Lord is going to use the teams in the Buenos Aires province (March 12-19) and the Santa Fe Province (March 19-28). If you would like prayer updates from the field, email me at john.williams@e3partners.org and we will put you on the list.