September---2017 Groundwork for Conference
Musafu, Busia, Eastern Uganda
[along the border with Kenya]
Kodema village, Kodema Parish, Masafu sub-county, September BFU conference groundwork report.
We apologize so much for the delay of this of this report, it was due to serious challenge we encountered soon after I came back from this trip. I got a serious eye infection so that I could not do any work on the computer, I had to spend some time staying away from the computer while taking my eye medication. I was also given eye glasses to help me protect my eyes. We also had a serious failure of my laptop, the computer I use to do all BFU ministry reports and all other works. We spent a lot of money trying to fix it but in vain until this week when we got it fixed by a certain young man who is an I.T expert. Thanks to the almighty God that my eye is now doing much better and my laptop is working well.
Five years back we went to Busia with Brother Danny for our BFU pastors and leaders conference but were not successful enough due to some serious challenges we encountered. Before this conference, we had several in the neighboring district called Namayingo where by many pastors, church leaders, overseers and bishops from all nearby districts heard about the impact of our ministry. These leaders developed a great desire of hosting our teaching so that they too may benefit from the sound teachings and the gifts of native bibles.
For over 4years now, pastors of Busia have been calling me and begging me to consider taking our BFU bible conference to them once more.
This time, as we were praying and asking God to direct us on which district we are supposed to hold our September conference. He put a burden and great conviction in my heart concerning the poor village churches in Busia. I concluded that God wanted us to go and minister to the churches in Busia.
When I contacted the pastors they said it was miraculous answer to their prayer, something they have been patiently praying for and waiting upon the lord for several years. So they began the mobilization work right away and all the pastors from different village churches within Masafu sub-county and other villages came together. After holding different meetings, they agreed that the venue for the conference will be Kodema village, Kodema Parish, Masafu sub-county.
I was invited attend the planning meeting on Friday, August 11, 2017. I contacted pastor Katandi to accompany me on that day.
Due to the long journey to Busia, I had to begin my journey on Thursday 10th. I made my journey safely on a boda-boda from Lusenke to Kayunga, then took a taxi [16 passenger van] to Jinja and took another taxi to Bugiri where I spend the night in a motel room. The following morning on Friday 11th, pastor Katandi hired a boda-boda and came from his place in Namayingo to the motel in Bugiri where I was. We then proceeded with our journey by boda-boda to the meeting venue in Buwembe Busia district. The meeting began officially with a deep worship and prayer moment at 1 pm with 15 pastors/church leaders each one of them represented their local church from different villages.
Bishop Bita [blue and white shirt].
Our presence was a great blessing to them because the whole village planning team was so eager to hear my very own words concerning the conference and also to get to know some detail about NTFI/BFU.
Busia district planning Pastors
After a brief introduction by each pastor to get to know each of them by name, village, and the church where they are leading, pastor Katandi was invited to invite his bishop to speak to the team. He gave them a great testimony about the great impact BFU ministry had brought into his life spiritually and physically. How his home and entire village was transformed through sound teaching, great love and helping hands of NTFI/BFU. How he has seen tremendous blessing in the life of thousands of pastors in many different villages through BFU conferences since he joined BFU and began to attend and assist with every conference.
Pastor's executive team with N.T.F.I Pastor Kitandi
He then invited me to speak. I shared with them in detail and gave full information about our ministry, our vision, and mission and how BFU gets the funding for conferences and native language Bibles [this time "Swahili"] and how we work tirelessly and sacrificially for the progress and success of the ministry. BFU village missionary team is highly committed to face any condition for the sake of the poor village churches of Christ. No amount of rain, dust, terrible heat or anything will stop our mission, we board crowded taxis, small motor-bikes [sometimes three on a bike] and on foot. Our donors have done great work towards the support of BFU. They have shown true love and sacrificial donations to help our poor village pastors in Uganda. Through their help, thousands of native language bibles have been given to poor village pastors, overseers, bishops and all other active gospel ministers whose own bibles are very old and dilapidated beyond use and are in desperate need of new bibles. "Road Master" bicycles and clothes have been given to our needy pastors to ease their village ministry.
Bishop Bita explaining fund raising back in the U.S.
I affirmed to them that NTFI/BFU has confirmed the Busia September conference. Our donors through Brother Danny together with the village missionary team are doing their best for the success of this conference.
We then had a wonderful discussion after my speech. The village planning team agreed to contribute enough food for the conference, will provide accommodation for us and all others who will have to reside for the five days due to long distances they travel.
The conference will begin on 25th to 30th September. We then closed our meeting at 6pm with prayer and thanks giving to God, committing everything into his able hands. After having a simple village meal served to us by the village team, we started our journey on boda-boda [small motor bike] to my home village in Osia in Tororo district40 miles from the ground work meeting venue. That evening, we rode our boda-boda safely to my mom’s house where we spend the night.
Bishop Bita and mom [Jaja] in Bishop's home birth place -----Osia Tororo district
Then the following morning on Saturday, Pastor Katandi took me to a big eye hospital found in Tororo town because I had began to feel pain, discharge and discomfort in both eyes. So I wanted to see the eye specialist to examine my eyes. Unfortunately I could not see the doctor because it was a weekend and the doctor’s office is not open on weekends.
I then boarded a taxi and Pastor Katandi rode the boda-boda back to Namayingo. We both had safe journey and arrived safely home.
My eye condition worsened that I could not use the computer; see under the bright light of the sun, the pain and discharge got worse until I went to an eye doctor in Jinja who examined my eyes, gave me the right medication including eye glasses.
Bishop with new polarized sun glasses
Special thanks to my dad for the financial help toward my eye treatment. Thank you all for your prayers because I am now feeling much better and can use my laptop.
Please we still need your prayers and support towards our Busia September conference because behind our target financially. We wanted to have more than 50bibles, and be able to have enough funds for the transportation and upkeep of our village missionary team, but currently we have 11bibles in stock. We trust God to provide abundantly. So we need your prayers. Bishop Bita James Oloo (Jimmy)
September Conference Report
Dad,
I am so grateful once again to preset this report on our September BFU teaching and native bibles distribution conference which was held in Busia (Eastern Uganda).
First and foremost, I would like to give thanks and special praises to our loving God then my special appreciation to all our board of directors, donors and our loving and praying friends for making our conference a great success. Your sacrificial love, prayers, donations and efforts of all sorts are the seasons for NTFI/BFU continuous success. May the good lord continue to bless and reward you indeed as in accordance to his word in Psalm 41:1-3 “Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble. 2 The LORD will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness”.
Our mission was another success indeed. This time we were not able to get other gifts like road master bicycle and clothes as we have been doing in our past missions, but praise be to God for having provided 40 Bibles.
I started my journey at 11am on Monday 25th September 2017 from Entebbe using a taxi with some of the Bibles and my other bag packed with my mission personal stuffs.
Bishop Bita prepared to begin an arduous journey to Busia,along the border with Kenya
Pastor Joshua was already waiting for me in at the book store in Kampala where we had the other bibles kept. I traveled safely to Kampala and went to meet Joshua at the book store. We packed all the bibles very well and then proceeded with our journey together safely to Busia. We arrived in Busia town at 8pm. That evening it had rain heavily from Busia town up to the village and the road was too muddy. It was a very difficult and hectic during that late evening traveling in the dark through that very slippery village road. But the village organizing teams were gathered in the church house praying and waiting eagerly for us since morning. We arrived at the venue (Kodema Disciples of Christ church house) at 9pm. We were received with much joy as the women made that sweet sound of the Samia trill and sounds of praises and hallelujah to God. We then had a nice village tea and meal, we took a wonderful moment of prayers and thanksgiving together, then we were taken to a village house near the church house (venue) where we spent the night.
On Tuesday, we got up at 4am and woke up all other pastors who slept in the church house. then we joined in very serious prayers together as one team till 6am. My mom was very sick in the hospital in Tororo and they needed my help badly, yet I was the BFU village missionary team and they too needed my presence so much at the conference. We realized that the devil wanted sabotage our conference. So we contacted our village pastor, those who have hosted BFU conference all over the country including our international partners. They all joined us in prayers. The early Morning Prayer continued every day till the last day of our conference. After the morning prayers on Tuesday, at 6:30am, rushed using a boda-boda [small motorbike and driver] to Busia then took a taxi-van to Tororo to check on my mom in the hospital.
When I arrived at the hospital, she was in a real bad shape, but praise be to God for his healing hands through prayers of many and financial support of my dad Danny. She is now doing much better.
Pastor Katandi from Namayingo and pr Ochwo from Bugiri arrived at the venue soon after I left for Tororo.
N.T.F.I. Pastor Kitandi
Pastor Ochwo Michael teaching
By 9:30am, every one was set for the conference. So our conference started at 10am with quite a good number of pastors and Church leaders.
