You guessed it! Tom and I

Road Trip Highlights

Photos from Los Angeles & Azusa

Brooke's Uganda Ministry Update #8

Brooke’s Uganda Ministry Update #8 – Saturday, June 3, 2006

Dear Friends,

Psalm 133:1 & 2
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.”

I feel I need to begin by updating all of you on the Azusa Street Centennial celebration since I had asked you to pray about that in my last update and I must sincerely thank those of you who were faithful to doing that. Truly it was an amazing week in so many senses of the word! I felt incredibly challenged and stretched and also blessed and ministered to. The week was incredibly full – from late night airport pick-ups of African delegates, to early morning ministry booth set ups at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Although the work was challenging, what was truly remarkable is what this scripture alludes to – how blessed the Lord is when His children come together in unity to worship and praise His name and serve one another in love. Truly the purpose for this week of celebration and remembrance was to bring together all the different streams of the Spirit-filled movement from around the world and be “Together Again.” This was the theme and it is amazing that one movement has touched an estimated 600 million people worldwide and given birth to many denominations yet to come together – of course just a small percentage was an amazing feat in and of itself. There were 45,000 people from 113 nations represented in Los Angeles that week (April 25-29, 2006) and what I witnessed was an amazing sense of love and excitement for the Lord and what he has done and is doing in the world.

My role at the conference was to serve Pastor Jackson Senyonga who was coordinating the continent of Africa. What this looked like on the ground was late night meetings with Tanzanian bishops and seeking to find housing for a group last minute from Zimbabwe. I have to say that without the leadership of the Azusa Street Centennial staff and those from Crenshaw Christian Center in LA the work would have been much harder and painful. There were many delegates who unfortunately showed up in LA with almost no money and needed all of their physical needs to be taken care of, thanks to the Lord and a lot of hard work, I believe they were provided for to a certain extent. In addition to this logistical fun, Julie – my co-worker from northern California and I – served our ministry booth sharing with anyone who happened to walk by about what the Lord is doing in and through the ministry of Christian Life Ministries and how they could become involved. The hours spent at the booth could drag on and prohibited our participation in workshops and other activities, yet, it was evident the Lord had us there for a purpose and it was exciting to see the relationships that were able to develop even by standing there. For instance, the booth to our right was the “Bound for Life” booth of Lou Engle’s ministry – the same one I had undertook the fast in solidarity with and my friend Adam was the one working that booth. Then the booth to our left was that of Christian Healing Ministry – the ministry that Francis and Judith MacNutt began that is based in Jacksonville, FL – where my mom and her husband live and they are affiliated with them.
One of the most blessed encounters that took place at the booth was that I met two young Australian men as they were walking by and struck up a conversation asking where they were from (Adelaide) and informing them of my impending move to Newcastle for grad school. They were intrigued and told me they had gone on a short-term mission trip there and knew of a church plant. I gave them both my business card and asked that they please e-mail me so we could keep in touch and perhaps they could introduce me to the church, since I was praying for a community when I move to Newcastle. Indeed, they have e-mailed and the most amazing news came out of our correspondence. One of the gentlemen, Mena Soliman told me of a prophecy that Australia was going to experience revival and that it was going to begin in Newcastle, with the youth…. Now, if you remember the fast I embarked upon from March 1-April 9th was specifically focused on praying about a prophecy that Dutch Sheets had that “this is the year the lid comes off the youth revival” in the United States and we were praying specifically for the city of Boston… So, already the Lord at the beginning of this year told me this was for me a year of fasting and simplicity in preparation for my move to Australia and then I complete this fast focused on our nation in a specific way and here the Lord confirms even the small city I will be moving to in Australia as having a similar prophecy! I was amazed! Even more exciting was two days after I had learned of this word from Mena, I received an e-mail from an old college friend who has been working with YWAM for a few years in Los Angeles – Karisse Schilling and she was writing a group of us to let us know that her sister Kristel has been doing YWAM also and served in Australia and Thailand for her DTS and outreach and has developed a heart for the youth there (who the highest rates of youth suicide world) and that she will be going to serve the youth at the YWAM base in Newcastle! Yes, what a small world! Me, with my youth ministry minor going to the exact place to study a Masters of Social Change and Development and even this year becoming spiritually prepared to battle this issues in the Spirit… I am confirmed and amazed!

Speaking of Australia, I did get official word last month that I have been accepted to my program and am set to begin February 2007! All of you friends in Australia – get ready, because I am coming to visit you! My dear friends Liz and Shannon (National Student Leadership friends for many years) and a visiting Aussie – Kiwi and I recently went out to dinner and got to know Kiwi and caught up on life and it makes me so excited to see what the Lord will have in store, but there is so much here and now too that I am excited about to share with you…

An amazingly beautiful event that took place also at the Azusa Street Centennial – apart from the amazing speakers (anyone that I’d grown up hearing my parents talk about – Reinhard Bonkke, Benny Hinn, Kenneth & Gloria Copeland, TD Jakes, etc. was there and speaking) was that on the Saturday to close out the time they had an International Youth Convocation where all these leaders in the faith laid hands on those of us in the younger generation to impart the spiritual blessings the Lord has for us to carry onwards from the first one hundred years after Azusa. I was so honored to be able to be there and receive anointed prayers from those gathered – including my current boss Pastor Jackson Senyonga. Truly, the major blessing for me during the week was seeing my Ugandan friends – the entire Senyonga family and friends like Margaret and Emmanuel and meeting new friends like Suzette and Mary. I am so grateful to be able to have a role in a ministry that gives me so much responsibility at a young age and the opportunity to interact with so many precious brothers and sisters from around the world. Cultural differences don’t fade away even with the love of Christ, but I am so grateful for the fact that even despite friction involving being on time (African vs American) that we are one.

After Azusa I did two days of follow up and then embarked on a five day cross-country trip with my friend Marie. Marie lived in Southeast Washington this past year and completed a year of service with Campus Crusade’s inner-city ministry – Here’s Life Inner-City. Marie and I had gotten to know one another at the Southeast White House and had been spending time together over the months. When I heard she was moving back to San Diego, CA from DC and was driving alone, I decided quite easily I could take some days off work to accompany her… So, that’s what we did departing on May 3rd we drove like this cross-country:
Day One - Washington, DC to Hope Mills, NC –stayed with Marie’s friends of the family- the Bailey’s
Day Two - Hope Mills, NC to Jackson, MS (stopping at the MLK Center in Atlanta) – stayed with Ann and Jimmy Young – wonderful friends who attend an AMiA church there and so my pastor Mark Booker connected us with them there
Day Three – Jackson, MS to Dallas, TX (through Vicksburg, MS scenic drive and lunch in Shreveport, LA) – stayed with my dear friends Linda and Joel Hurley that I’ve come to know through the NPB
Day Four – Dallas, TX to Tucson, AZ (lunch in Midland, TX) – were supposed to stay in El Paso, TX but decided we could press on and ended up at our little roadside hotel
Day Five – Tucson, AZ to San Diego, CA (cactus & date milkshakes in Dateland, AZ and old ruins) stayed at Marie’s family’s house and were able to go to La Jolla as well as Balboa Park and The Rock Church (Miles McPherson pastors there)

Whew! It was a full time and I realized that although I needed a break from work I was pretty tired afterwards! But, it was so worth it to share a journey with a friend, to see our nation in all its glory (even the oil fields of west Texas) and to meet God’s people all over the nation. The lushness of Mississippi to me was the most physically beautiful, although the desert sunset and coves of La Jolla are a beauty to behold as well. I am so grateful to have friends and friends of friends to call on in almost any city in this nation and am constantly amazed by the generosity of those who are called by the name of Jesus.

When I returned to DC my work changed a bit – I am now back to being Pastor Jackson’s assistant for all practical purposes (in addition to still helping to plan the BBC mission trip to Uganda for October). Michelle, our dear co-worker home-schools her precious children, Jackson and Jocelyn and decided that what Pastor Jackson needed was someone more available and she knew she needed to be more available for her family. She will be missed, but since Azusa is now over, it is not too cumbersome for me to take over my old duties again. The one thing that is tricky to get used to again is having Pastor Jackson call me at all manner of times (and realizing he wants me to sleep with my phone off so he can leave me messages and a to-do list!). Please continue to pray for our ministry as we continue to adjust, transition, grow and discern where the Lord is taking us. Pray for Julie – our Office Manager in Roseville, CA and for her husband Scott as they parent twin 8 year olds this summer and balance working at home and serving this ministry. Pray for the Senyonga family as they remain in the US only 2 more months before returning to Uganda for the remainder of the year and maybe for longer than that. Please pray for me as I look forward to being in Washington this summer yet working from home is beginning to have me wary and as I continue to try to recruit and organize teams from around the US for our conference in October and I travel there in early September to prepare.

I am so grateful to be in Washington and all the opportunities the Lord continues to open for me to serve at my church and in the community. Tomorrow is a big day in fact – it is the Global Day of Prayer and I would encourage you to see if your city is celebrating go to: www.globaldayofprayer.com or www.gdopusa.com. My friends and I decided Washington, DC needed to be represented (as we obviously do for the National Day of Prayer) and so we are hosting an event at my friend Elyse’s house (one of my co-coordinator for Perspectives) and we are looking forward to gathering from 1-4 PM tomorrow. We are arranging the time into vision casting, worship and then prayer rooms for various purposes: the city, the church, the nation and the world. The Global Day of Prayer originally began in South Africa in the year 2000 with a desire to seek the Lord’s face by beginning with corporate repentance and drawing close to Him as 2nd Chronicles 7:14 (“humble ourselves and pray”) encourages us to do. Since that time the first Global Day of Prayer was initiated last year and an estimated 200 million believers from all across the globe in 156 nations gathered to pray in various venues from living rooms and small groups to masses in stadiums. This year there are registered gatherings in every nation except 25 around the world! If you can, even in the privacy of your house, join your brothers and sisters in united prayer. You can go to: www.waymakers.org to download a prayer guide to help you know what to pray and what scriptures to help facilitate the time.

2nd Chronicles 7:14
“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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

I recognize this update letter is very long already, but I must share one wonderful surprise that has taken up much of my last 6 weeks and has made this update letter come out a bit later than it should… I have begun to date the most amazing man. I mentioned briefly in the last update a friend from Perspectives who cooked us an amazing Arabic meal – well that man is Tom Jeffers and unbeknownst to me that night when he came over to cook at my house and happened to bring enough food and wine for us (my roommates included) that night of preparation that there was intent underneath it. I have been completely grateful to the Lord for each of the past six weeks spent getting to know Tom and congruently me better. It may be early to write any of this, but I only let you know to pray for us as we seek the Lord’s will in our relationship. From wine tasting, to tennis, to running a 5 mile race together to a enjoying a wedding in Connecticut to worshipping at church – I am grateful for his friendship.

James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

With that, I leave you my friends and thank you for your partnership with me in prayer and life. Congratulations to all those I have celebrated with in these past six weeks – for Ashantae’s graduation from Howard, Swati’s graduation from Georgetown, Meghan’s graduation from American, Beth and Al’s wedding, Jacqueline and Dylan’s wedding, Mary’s baby shower, April’s wedding shower, mom’s birthday, mother’s day, Aunt Donna and Uncle Bill’s 30th anniversary and too many birthdays to count – I am grateful to share life with all of you!

2nd Corinthians 13:11
“Finally, brothers, goodby. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace be with you.”