Hi Family & Friends,

Hope you’re having an amazing New Year! Ours has already been very busy, but exciting! We got to spend the holidays with Natalie & Jonah, only to say our goodbyes to them on the 5th of January. It was so much fun to reconnect with them, and to see how God has been working in each of our lives to bring us closer to Him. I was skeptical about the whole “third-culture kid” stories I had read about, but after spending time talking heart-to-heart with Natalie & Jonah, I realized how many of those stories are being lived out in my children. The reality of not being at “home” in America or Uganda, the reality of not being understood by family and friends, the reality of staying torn between two continents, the reality of staying on the “bridge of chaos” in search for being “settled” somewhere safe. These are just some of the challenges that Natalie and Jonah have been facing and will continue to face as missionary kids. I want to thank you for reaching out to them and as a Dad, I’m asking you to continue praying for them and when you have a chance, reach out and just “listen” to them…..it would mean so much to me and to them……

Debbie and I will be coming stateside on March 2nd! We hope to be able to spend more quality time with Natalie and Jonah and to reconnect with all of our family and friends. Jonah and I will be looking at a couple of schools for the Fall of 2012, so please be in prayer for us to find the right place so he can continue his training for ministry. We will only be stateside for 3 months, so please pray for us to get a lot of things accomplished and for God to be glorified in our time there. We also have a very busy speaking schedule while stateside and I’ve attached our itinerary so you can pray for and hopefully attend some of the places we’ll be while in your area.

As we enter the month of February, please keep us in prayer about a number of things:

1) We will be opening two (2) new Local Bible Schools this month, on February
13th we’ll be in Kaliro District with over 100 pastors registered for
training. Then on February 20th we’ll be in Kiboga District with over 40
pastors registered there. There are only three Baptist churches registered
in the whole district of Kiboga, so please pray for God’s wisdom as we do
this pioneer work for His kingdom.

2) Pray specifically for our continued "community projects”

A) Bulega Project:
I praise God that we were able to get the floor poured in Bulega,
thank you all so much for helping us reach the matching gift of
$1500! I have not been out there to get photos, but will try to have
them in the next newsletter!

B) Nzigu Project:
We have about $2500 raised toward our goal of ($30,600) so we’re
waiting for more funds to come in before we can break ground
there, but I am so thankful for those who’ve given to help us get
this far! Keep praying for these Muslim children to have a safe,
healthy school for their Christian education.

C) Bute Project:
We have around ($400) in the account, we still need another $1200
to finish the temporary structure and pit latrine.


3) Pray for God’s wisdom as we plan out this last month of ministry here
before coming stateside. Pray for Harry & Pam Porter, our missionary
friends who will be staying at our home and taking care of the ministry
work while we’re away. Also, pray for them as they are raising support to
continue their work as partners in our ministry after we return.

4) Pray specifically for our financial needs during this New Year…we will be
using most of our general fund for plane tickets ($3186) and health
insurance renewal due March 12th ($3677), as you give to “Nesters4Uganda”
General fund, you will be helping us to recover these bills at the
beginning of the year.

5) While we are stateside, we will be meeting with a number of teams who are
planning to come to Uganda for their summer mission’s trip, please pray
for these teams to work in unity. Pray for God to change them before,
during and after their trip to Uganda. Pray for us as we’ll be hosting
teams from June all the way through October this year!

Debbie and I consider it a great privilege to be your missionaries to East Africa. We praise God for your prayers, your unconditional love and your faithful financial support during these crazy economic times. We are looking forward to seeing you in the Spring and sharing in detail about the greatness of our God!

Terry & Debbie

Are You Drowning?

Hey everyone!

Have you ever had one of those times while in the Word that God speaks so clearly to you about something? Well, I was reading from Matthew 14:22-36, the passage we're studying from as we go through Matthew in our church, and God showed me some really neat truths that I've not seen before! I wanted to just share a few of them to encourage you in your spiritual journey. There are a lot of neat things in the story, that most of you are already aware of...but let me share a few new truths that came to light this morning.....

1) As Peter climbed out of the boat to go to Jesus, he, being a fisherman, most likely was planning to swim to Jesus, however, he found himself "walking on the water!" That must have been a pretty cool experience; here he was doing something supernatural for God, out of his love for Jesus.

2) As Peter was doing the supernatural, reality set in when he "saw the waves...."

3) Peter, "beginning to sink..." Think about it.....as he was "beginning to sink" he, "called out to the Lord." NOT while he was drowning, not while he was overwhelmed, but AS HE BEGAN TO GO UNDER HE CALLED OUT TO THE LORD!!

That's the new idea I had! As a missionary, I "got of the boat" to do the supernatural for God....I obeyed out of my love for Him, I began to walk to Jesus and was expecting to see great things happening on the field...then, REALITY CAME! People began to disappoint; I was deceived, I was lied to by many friends and acquaintances, things were stolen from me, people just saw me as a "means to an end....." That's when I found myself, "beginning to sink" into skepticism and cynicism. No one warned me about the "waves" and the "winds." No one told me about the financial disappoints.....the struggles with malaria (even as I write this, my wife is battling fever, body aches and nausea caused by malaria....)
I just thought everything would be GREAT because I got out of the boat! I obeyed!

But here's the key....Peter called out to the Lord, "AS he was beginning to sink...." You see, for me, as well as for many of my missionary friends, here's our problem....we think we can handle it! We think, "It's not so bad, I can FIX this, I can maneuver my way through this one...." Instead of calling out to the Lord to save us, we continue to go under...we continue to sink into depression and cynicism, thinking we don't need to call out to the Lord, thinking we can take care of it...." The unfortunate thing is, MANY OF US are drowning but we're too proud to call on the name of the Lord! We are soo overwhelmed with LIFE on the field and now we find ourselves in the place where we CAN'T fix it! We're "drowning" in our cynicism.....we're overwhelmed with the "waves" and the "winds" of missionary life.....We feel "stuck," like there's no way out......

Here's good news! It's not too late to "Call on the name of the Lord" He'll meet you right where you are....He'll reach out His hand and immediately save you!! He'll rescue you from the things that are overwhelming you today....I know because He's done it for me!! Here's another cool thing that happened.....AFTER they got back into the boat..."They worshiped HIM...." He longs for you to worship Him again, He misses the fellowship you once had with Him.....Call out to Him...He's waiting...He'll rescue you....it's not too late!!

Terry

Latest Newsletter

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been too long in writing on the blog....just wanted to give you a link to our latest newsletter that will update you on the Nesters!

http://www.rainbowforest.com/node/1989

Keep praying for us to honor God in our lives and ministry here!

Pastor Terry

March Update

Dear Family & Friends,

Hope this update finds you all doing well! Our family is doing fine, Jonah is finishing up his last few classes of home school and Natalie is just starting her second semester at International Health Sciences University in Kampala, our capital city. I’m busy with the home church, the Bible Schools, and various conferences. I’m also teaching some classes at the Uganda Baptist Seminary which I enjoy so much. Debbie is staying busy with the children’s church ministry of our church and working hard to keep the family and the house taken care of. We just hosted a team from the Uganda Water Project for a couple of days and Debbie worked so hard using her gift of hospitality. Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement to the family. There are some days we feel overwhelmed with the “work” here but I know it’s been your prayers that have strengthened us. Please, don’t forget us; continue to pray for God’s hand on our personal lives as well as the ministry here.

One of our pastors, David Ojambo of Bulega Baptist Church was married on February 6th. I was able to preach at the wedding and our family hosted the wedding reception for about 300 people! It was an exciting time for him and we rejoice that we have been a part of his life and ministry. As many of you know, we started a building project for Pastor David’s church in Bulega. I know he and the church family would really like to be using their new facility. Here’s a picture of the church building, as you can see it’s just built up to window level, please help us finish this building this year! We still need at least $3000 to get this church under roof so please consider helping with this building project! I feel really bad that we started this project in 2008 and have yet to complete it, pray with me that we’ll complete it in 2010!

From February 12-14th we hosted a “Sweetheart Weekend” for 8 missionary couples in our area. We had a nice candlelight dinner each night while we watched the entire Mark Gungor series, “Laughing Your Way to a Better Marriage.” It was a refreshing time for Debbie and I as well as the couples who participated. We praise God that we can encourage our fellow missionaries in this way! Thank you for praying for us to have opportunities to encourage and strengthen our “co-laborers” as we serve together here in East Africa. Our home church is also doing well. We are currently studying through the book of Matthew….I just started in the Beatitudes (in fact, I’ve memorized Matthew 5:1-12!) and I’m having the time of my life! It’s exciting to see the scriptures come to life and watch people respond to His Word! We have 8 people who are ready for baptism this month, so we praise God for His hand on our church! We are averaging around 75 adults and over 50 children each week!! It’s an exciting time to be preaching His word to the nations!

From February 22-26th I was able to go with Pastor Abel, the Vice President of the Baptist Union of Uganda to an area in Ibanda District in Western Uganda. We met with a group of around 50 pastors and church leaders from the area to discuss their need for a Bible School and also looked at ways to open up Baptist Churches. Within the whole district of Ibanda there is NO Baptist work! It’s exciting to be a part of this pioneering work with the Rukiga (Ru-chi-ga) people group. Please pray for wisdom in reaching this people group and also pray they will have a desire for Bible Truth. We praise God that already 25 pastors and church leaders have signed up for Bible School training! The big challenge we face now is finding qualified teachers to teach them…..Please pray for God to provide the resources needed to send in our team of teachers to establish Bible Truth in this area of Uganda. It’s will cost us over $250 a month to send our team there, as you give toward the Bible School Fund you help make these efforts possible!

Thank you for reading our newsletter this month and for your continued support to the Nester family. Continue to pray for His will to be done in our lives and for His purpose to be accomplished through each one of us. Send us an email sometime at nesters4uganda@yahoo.com. It’s always good to hear from you!

Your Missionary to East Africa,

Terry

Updates for the New Year

So, this New Year has started off with a bang! After having some friends over for a New Years get together....which also included an awesome lunar eclipse with the "blue moon." I jumped into teaching a 14 hour lecture at Uganda Baptist seminary on the book of Romans. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it as God opened my eyes to learn along with the students. God's Word is so strong and powerful, as we teach it, study it and read it, it comes to life! His word REALLY is living! It meets us right where our need is and shows us the right path to go in! What a privilege to study His Word and share it with others!

Our "home church" is going along well, we started the first of December going verse by verse through the gospel of Matthew....it's been really powerful...we also have many in the church family who are following a Bible reading plan that will take us through the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, the Psalms twice and the Proverbs 12 times!! It's exciting to see His people grow and mature in His Word! This past Sunday, I spoke on the message of John the Baptist, "Repent!" I shared with everyone that "true" repentance includes three things, 1) A changed mind 2) A changed heart and 3) A changed life....we must show evidence of all three if there has been "true" repentance! I also shared three things that take place when there is "true" repentance, 1) We first must recognize our sin and/or our need 2) We must receive His forgiveness and 3) We must allow Him to reform our lives. It was a real eye-opener for many of the people who are just religious and relying on a decision that was made years ago or relying just on a prayer that was prayed some time back. Please pray for God to use me to break the apathy that seems to set in even among our missionary community. Pray for God to show Himself mighty through the fellowship here called, Acacia Community Church.

I'm now preparing for a week-long youth conference in the district of Kamuli, pray for God to use our team to bring about change in the hearts and lives of about 300 youth. Our theme for the conference is based on Ephesians 4:14-15, "Know, Grow and then Go!" We plan on teaching the youth the importance of "doctrine" and knowing Bible Truth, then we will teach them the importance of spiritual growth, giving them some disciplines that will shape them into soldiers of the cross. Finally, we'll show them how to be used of God in evangelism, to go back to their villages, their schools and their towns, proclaiming Jesus Christ as Lord!! Pray for us as we travel back and forth everyday. Pray for all the teachers that we've selected to be prepared and give their best for God's glory.

Please continue to pray for Debbie, she went back to the doctor today and there is still lots of fluid in her lungs, so they want to continue her medicines for a few more weeks....please pray for her nasty cough to go away soon!! I know she's tired of feeling bad.

Thanks for reading my update....Also pray for us as we are planning two pastors conferences in February to prepare them for our Bible Schools. Pray for many untrained pastors to attend the conferences and then register for the Bible Schools that will be coming to their areas in the following months!

Stay strong in the Lord by staying in His Word!!
Terry

Count Your Blessings!

I praise God for another year of service in Uganda. During our Thanksgiving meal with some of our missionaries and Ugandan friends, we sang the song, “Count Your Blessings.” As we all sang, we would stop and go around the table and talk about what we were most thankful for. It was awesome hearing the different testimonies of God’s faithfulness and provision. To hear people genuinely praise God for their life….for His protection over them, for His guidance and His safety over them as they travel these crazy roads here in Uganda.

As we close out 2009 I also want to “Count my many blessings…” I want to praise God for each one of you who pray for us. For you, who know how to intercede for us, for the many times you’ve said to me, “I pray for you and your family EVERYDAY!” I rejoice greatly for your willingness to ask God’s Hand to be on our lives and on the people of Uganda. For you petitioning God for the souls of mankind, for you seeking Him on our behalf….there’s no greater joy than to know we are loved and prayed for by you, so thanks for standing in the gap and please keep it up!!

I also want to praise God for each one of you who have sacrificially given to the work here. As I was trying to come up with a new budget for the new year, I went through the list of donors for 2009 and I was overwhelmed by your faithfulness in your giving to us! I know every dollar given to our work here was given out of a genuine love for the Nester family and for the precious people of Uganda. Thank you! I am so blessed by your generosity. I know some of you have fallen on hard times and weren’t able to keep your financial commitments to us, but that’s okay….God Knows what we need and He is Faithful! Let me give you a quick report of what you’ve help accomplish in 2009:

1) We’ve been able to start 38 Bible Schools in Uganda and Kenya

2) We planted a church in our house with over 150 people in attendance! We’ve been able to teach entirely through the books of Romans, Ephesians,

I John and Philippians! (We just started a series through Matthew)

3) We’ve been able to host a Marriage Conference for our missionary community

4) We’ve hosted 3 teams from the US this year (5 teams are on the books for 2010)

5) We were able to purchase a new van for the ministry

6) We’ve been able to start construction on two churches

7) We’ve been able to assist in the Macedonian Project to reach the slums of our town, Jinja

8) We’ve been able to show the JESUS film in a number of villages

9) We’ve helped a number of orphans with school fees and scholastic materials

10) We’ve spoken in 6 Pastors Conferences (training 100’s of pastors in Bible Truth)

11) We’ve spoken in 6 Youth Conferences (training 100’s of youth in Bible Truth)

12) We’ve been able to financially help a number of widows with their upkeep

I mean, the list could go on and on and on….but this just shows some of what your generosity has helped us accomplish in 2009. So, Thank You!!! I count it all joy to serve along side of you! Through your prayers and financial support we are making a difference in East Africa.

One of the Realities of Uganda

A few months ago a lady named "Christine" from our church asked me to pray for her. She said she had been to the hospital in Kampala and diagnosed with cancer in her feet and legs. She then proceeded to show me the swelling and "rottenness" of her feet and ankles. The skin looked like it was "peeling" off of her from the calves downward. I took her to one of the American nurses who attends our church and she said, "Yes, it could be cancer, but you can't really tell by just a physical exam, so bring us your paperwork from Mulago and we'll look at everything and see if there's something further we can do." I then prayed for her and she went on her way. A number of months went by and I didn't see or hear from "Christine" again until last Sunday....when I saw her I asked if she had brought her papers from Mulago Hospital and she she had them. I told her to wait after church so we could talk and see what we could do to help her.

After church, (by the way a 19 year old boy got saved after the service!) I met with "Christine" and I noticed as she handed me her papers that she began to cry....She handed me a 3X5 green card from the clinic that stated her name and then "HIV POSITIVE." Nothing else on the card.....just the "stigma" of her name labeled as "HIV POSITIVE." I sat there with this 29 year old girl and began to cry along with her. It was a difficult moment for me! I sat there, stunned, face to face with the reality of so many here in Uganda. After some time I began to ask her some hard questions, "Do you have children?" (No, I've had 2 children die of HIV) "Are you married?" (No, I'm a widow, my husband has died of HIV) "Are you taking medications?" (No, I fear going to the clinic to get started)......
I got on the phone and called Holly, a mzungu, (white person) who has an orphanage for HIV children and got some counsel from her. She made an appointment for "Christine" to come to her office and she would escort her to the "Hope Clinic" to be seen by doctors and given the newest and most advanced ARV's on the market for free. She promised to walk with her and get her started with her treatments, to be there during this beginning process to answer any questions and calm any fears. I then prayed for her and she left....as she walked out of the gate, I thought of the pain that she must be feeling: the loss of a husband, the burial of not one, but two children and now the reality of this disease in her own body. I also thought of the hope she has as a follower of Jesus Christ: the promise of a day when there will be no more tears, a day when there will be no more pain and a day when there will be no more HIV/Aids!
"Even so, come Lord Jesus!"