Pastor Hedwig:
A message from Gulu
After the first 3 weeks in Gulu, in which I felt extremely lonely and brokenhearted, Shekinah and I have now recovered and are moving on by faith, step by step. Since we moved into our own home, called “Destiny House” we have started to feel at home. This is not a place like the many I had known in the past. There is no life threat around the corner, and no feeling of hostility. Shekinah and I are received everywhere with open arms, people are touched by our story and are amazed that we have returned into this region, but otherwise they just seem to be very dear and loving people. They wait so desperately for the peace agreement to be signed and for the many thousands to go back to their home farms, but on the other hand, this going home is again connected with lots of tears, fighting and even bloodshed, as the definitions of whose land is whose home, and which mango tree is ours…..since things have changed, burned down, broken in the many years they have gone. I have visited many homes and making friends, just to get the feeling of the people and pray for the right strategy, everywhere is a desperate desire to heal and restore from within. Even in the number of official offices I am visiting to make our presence legally known, the authorities welcome the vision for Inner Healing and restoration.
• Pray for the peace in this region and for a peaceful return home for the thousands in the camps.
• Pray for Favor of God Ministries who really leave a powerful mark of God’s presence in this town.
• Praise the Lord for showing us this lovely home, and perfect place for a ministry start, with the big living room for the trainings, and the 3 extra bedrooms for the former abducted girls who will be able to stay and be part of the healing in a family setting for the 3 months of the training period.
• Pray for the start of the Healing ministry and training right here in our home within 3 weeks time. Pray for the God chosen people to come and take part of the first 3 months training, people who will take the message and run with it.
• Praise the Lord for the Pastors meeting at my home, which we held last Friday, the 23rd of May. Through the National Fellowship of Evangelical churches we had invited pastors of the different denominations for a dinner and a time of knowing each other and sharing the vision of Healing and Destiny with them. 16 out of the 20 invited showed up and expressed great love and some good advice.I was deeply moved and encouraged to keep on moving. Everyone tries so much to make me feel safe and home. It is so different to some of the former places of ministry.
• We are also very grateful for specially one of the many neighboring families. It is a 4 generation family compound with many huts, and people of all ages, with the old, but still very present great grandmother, a pastors widow, as the leader. Shekinah and I have been invited to be part of the family. This is such a gift from heaven for us, who miss home. We love you and thank you so much for you prayer and any kind of support. In Jesus name, I pray that they be blessed, on behalf of both Shekinah and I.
- Ps. A note to those interested in the development of Shekinah. Well, I can surely say, she is loved in this place, and there are so many children that it overwhelmed her in the beginning, but now she is making friends, and also fighting when it gets too crowded, but she is learning to share and to care. She has started talking so much and is so delighted in hearing herself talking and making longer and longer sentences (sometimes still a mixture of several languages!) Oh, and she can ask questions, her favorite one at the moment is "What is this?” She has at least one or more questions per minute each day, unless she gets distracted by something else. And of course she loves singing, and sings along to every one of the children songs. And when she finds a box or basin or something she will beat the rhythm to it. I am just amazed. And the story books I read to her since she was born in the Hospital, she can tell me almost every thing she sees. Well, we surely enjoy being mom and daughter.