God Always Provides

I cannot believe how much time has already gone by. Time sure does fly by when you love what you are doing. It has been such a blessing being here in Uganda serving such a loving and welcoming community. This past month the ministry has been hard at work launching the start of many programs. I have the opportunity to launch and teach the Leadership Academy. This leadership academy is a full year long course where students age 18-30 get to learn and grow in their leadership skills by putting God at the center of it all. In addition to class we are planning a once a month outing to go and serve the communities around us by practicing what we are developing in class. This past month we have been studying the meaning of leadership and what it looks like to lead as God has called us to lead in our current jobs, ministries, school, family and so much more. I have had such an amazing time planning these classes and using the lessons and skills God has provided me with to now touch the lives of so many more. Class truly wouldn't be fun without some leadership activities so we have been doing many of those. The first picture below is everyone celebrating the victory from a "Traffic Jam" game. What is not pictured is the 30 minutes of them starting and restarting as they could not escape the "jam". Leadership is not meant to be easy and as leaders we are called to be consistent and persistent in following Gods intentions.

Another fun game was the common blindfolded obstacle course. The course below may look short but Im sure they would all tell you after 1.5 hours it seemed as if they walked 3 miles. As leaders communication is so incredibly important and saying step here to a blindfolded person is the same as asking someone to complete a task without any instruction. I do believe during this game I have laughed the hardest since Iv been here (or at least tied to when the window fell out). We also learned a lot about having to submit to and trust authority. As you can see below this team truly had their leaders back (literally). Sometimes your team is put in uncomfortable or challenging positions but it is your job as leaders to ensure and comfort them that it will get better and you are walking alongside them. All in all we have been having so much fun growing as leaders together. Please continue to walk alongside us and pray with us as we continue to plan this Leadership Academy and the class continues to grow as leaders. These leaders are going to make a big difference in this world.

As the ministry and settling in has been keeping me busy it requires a lot of traveling and planning how to get from one place to another. With time keeping not being very high of a priority here in Uganda it often requires us to start getting transportation well before our arrival time to ensure we will not be late. This time quickly adds up and was beginning to eat into the time I had to do what God has called me here to do. As a ministry we have been praying together and believing God to provide me with reliable transportation and yes, you guessed it GOD PROVIDED.

"For where two or more gather in my name, there am I with them" Matthew 18:20

Thanks to each and every one of you at home who is supporting me I was able to purchase a car. I have only had this car for a short time but it has already been such a huge blessing. Every time I sit in MY CAR I cant help but smile and overjoy with so much thanksgiving to all of you at home who continue to support me and believe in the mission God has called me to here in Uganda. Praise Jesus for allowing me to take a break from cramming in taxis, praying my way home in Ubers and speeding home on the back of Bodas (sorry mom). Let me tell you it is not fun cramming on what looks to be an already full taxi in 80 degree weather, only to find out 5 minutes later the taxi is going in the opposite direction I need to go. So I then have to get out, pray my way accross the crazy busy street (Ugandas don't even like to cross) then cram into yet another taxi this time going the correct direction. God is so good. Please do not get me wrong, those times were for sure not fun but I wouldn't trade them for anything because God has called me to this community. He did not call me to this community to make it the way it is in America, He has called me to it to walk alongside what is already here. That so happens to include getting around as many others here get around and experiencing the culture first hand. If God wanted me to learn the culture through books or internet He would have kept me in America but He called me to come to this community to walk with them and serve them the very best I can. You cannot serve those you do not know. You cannot serve a community you have not yet experienced. So will I miss the Taxi rides, maybe in a few months but right now I am celebrating yet another blessing God has provided me with so I can go and emerge myself in another area of the community.

Please continue to pray with me for this community and the areas/people where God is calling me to. Pray for the relationships God has already lead me to and are developing. Pray for continued safety and good health as being in a different country comes with a lot of that my body is not use to. Pray for my friends and family back home. Pray for all those who have been supporting me and praying alongside me. Please pray for the ministry as we grow and develop together this year. Finally, please pray for the process of getting my work visa approved.

As always thank you for all you do. Never forget how awesome and how powerful of a God we serve. One who is always providing and one who is always guiding. Isaiah 58:11

With much love and many blessings,

Lexi Dingman