"Exciting Outcomes Inquiring of the Lord"

Then David inquired of the Lord, saying "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hands?" And the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand." 2 Samuel 5:19 Greetings, Life is a real adventure as we inquire of the Lord. Often we pray, “God, please bring the people to us you want us to help.” Inquiring of the Lord is at the forefront of all our decisions. It is amazing what God does when we ask for guidance and wait to see what He wants us to do next. When we traveled back to the US from Uganda we wondered what was ahead. God’s showing us many open doors and closed doors as we transition to new things. God is always connecting the dots. A friend from Watermark Church contacted me to help a Ugandan youth she sponsored for years. The student had finished school and was no longer sponsored. After searching for her sponsor, the young woman found her on social media. She desperately needed emotional and spiritual help as the result of a trauma. She was suicidal and had no where to turn. Margaret and the sponsor were able to connect to her on Whats App. After discovering the details, Margaret suggested a plan to get help in Uganda and put her sponsor in touch sharing a weekly Bible Study on-line. Margaret felt the study would help draw them closer together and provide healing for the young woman's heart. Margaret agreed to help her with her resume and have a Ugandan friend introduce her to a small group of women in Navigators close to where she lived in Uganda. She told us she wanted to be a barista so we are exploring her options. We are so grateful to God she is recovering. Another amazing story started with a wedding announcement of two students we mentored at Uganda Christian University and a 12 year old letter. They were just good friends at the time but romance bloomed. Elizabeth, who is an industrial designer/artist, sent Margaret a message she was getting married and guess who it was? Simon Peter is his name. Both received help with their resumes and completed a class" Problem-solving God’s Way" from The Rock. As Margaret chatted with them Simon Peter asked for help finding his sponsor. He lost track and wanted to show his appreciation. The family was from Dallas, the father worked for JP Morgan, his wife was named Sarah and they had two daughters and one son. I called a friend, mentioned the name of the family and she knew the family. God is amazing! Simon Peter’s grandmother had been contacted two weeks earlier about a letter for Simon Peter from his Compassion sponsor. The Ugandan postal system is very different from the U.S. With amazement he read the letter and realized it had been lost for years. Their youngest child was two years old at the time the letter was written. Now the son is 14 years old. When Margaret chatted with Sarah in Dallas, she mentioned there were many letters written but apparently not received over the years. Simon Peter is so grateful being reunited with his sponsors. Simon Peter and Elizabeth are just a few of the over 600 graduates of Uganda Christian University who have been mentored over the years. To read more about the 600, click here.   Mark participated in a mission trip to Guatemala, where his mission work began more than 20 years ago. The banner was used as a camp visual aid and is about being accepted, secure and significant as believers in Jesus. Our identity in Christ is foundational. The Rock donated the banner and Spanish Life Application Bibles to the discipleship ministry there. Below are pictures of the Guatemala team from Dallas and Mark's group of children. Mark finished his certification with Freedom in Christ and is scheduling Freedom appointments as he receives referrals. The Rock also provided a Community Freedom Curriculum to a friend’s church in Grand Rapids. He had shared with them the discipleship tools when he visited. Embracing the concepts, they were excited to implement it at their church. The freedom tools which are Biblical help us deal with all kinds of challenges in life. It is a practical way to embrace being more than a conqueror with Jesus. Margaret continues working with people needing help understanding their God-given skills, resumes and healing from past hurts both in Uganda and Dallas. This week she has eight students in Uganda needing career assistance and the students continue to refer their friends to her. Part of our continued work in Uganda is providing Life Application Bibles to people wanting to go deeper in the Word along with remotely preparing people to understand their identity in Christ. Click here to donate to Bible Resources. Sharing our joy and appreciation,   Mark and Margaret

 

"A Light On the Hill for Jesus in Uganda"

 

You are the light of the world. A town build on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14

Greetings!                                                                                                         As we prepare for Resurrection Day, we wanted to share our gratefulness for our risen Lord and the many blessings we have experienced. Read the story that was published in the UCU Standard to learn more about the process of donating Kingdom View to Uganda Christian University.  New UCU guesthouse is ‘light on the hill for Jesus’  April 4, 2023 0 Comments By Pauline Luba Uganda Christian University (UCU) has added a new guesthouse to its collection of hospitality facilities. The Kingdom View Guest House, located on Besania Hill, Mukono, was acquired as a ministry donation from The Rock Kingdom LTD (UG), funded by The Rock Outreach (USA) late 2022. The guesthouse, completed in 2016, becomes the university’s fifth hospitality facility, but the first outside the precincts of UCU’s main campus. The other four guesthouses — Eunice, Garry, Missionary House and Tech Park Units — are within the university.  Kingdom View Guest House, whose architecture was inspired by the shape of an African hut, offers catering services, high-speed internet, laundry services, free parking and airport transportation access for international travelers. The architectural design was done by American Mike Reid, who is also credited with drawing the plans of UCU’s gate, as well as other buildings within the university, including the Hamu Mukasa library...(click on headline above to read whole story) UCU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor David Mugawe, Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, and other managers and guests after acquiring the Kingdom View Guest House in late 2022.(left to right)

Transition Update Christopher tells us things are going smoothly. Vanessa who is managing the guest house part of the property was visited recently by the archbishop of the Church of Uganda.  The chaplain uses the pavilion quite often for meetings of the chaplaincy as well as training the leaders of various fellowship groups on campus.  Dorcus and Norman of our old staff are assisting Vanessa with hospitality. Every Saturday except during final exams, Christopher and a team of volunteers show Christian movies and discuss what they have learned from the movie. Christopher shared he had helped some students with their LinkedIn accounts and one law student has received three great internship opportunities.  Margaret and Christopher continue to work with individual students developing their CVs/Resumes and preparing them to enter their careers. See the pictures on the Rock website Discipleship Memories from Uganda with A Kingdom View. As time goes on we see the Lord's fingerprints in so many things and are excited about the new things he is presenting for us to do in Texas. Mark has been going through the book, Victory Over the Darkness with board members, to deepen their knowledge of the expanding Freedom In Christ focus through the Rock Outreach. It is an encouraging book and a practical discipleship tool. April 16th he leaves for Traverse City, Michigan for a practicum completing his training as a Community Freedom Associate for Freedom In Christ Ministries. The training allows him to be certified to be a discipleship resource to churches desiring to set up Community Freedom ministries. In June, Mark returns to Guatemala on a mission trip. It has been 23 years since the first mission trip. Look what the Lord has done! Margaret has been pleasantly surprised at the number of requests from Ugandan students needing assistance with career planning and learning their God-given skills. Mentoring UCU Honors College students each term is such a blessing. Our Ugandan ministries of providing Life Application Bibles for students and pastoral care weekends for pastors, missionaries and their spouses who need a peaceful weekend break in the Kingdom View Guest House continues. Your donations are to the Rock Outreach as we continue to serve. Thanks to all our supporters and prayer warriors. Your involvement continues to yield an amazing dividend. We look forward to sharing more with you as God continues to open doors. Please feel free to share our contact information with future missionaries, people planning trips to Uganda or needing information about the culture.  Joining in where God is at work,   Mark and Margaret Noblin   The Rock Outreach, Inc. Dallas, Texas www.rockoutreach.org

"Discipleship Memories From Uganda with A Kingdom View"

 In 2005 we moved to Uganda for the first time. On our previous trips, we visited the villages or slums with no exposure to the middle-class life of Ugandans.  Little did we know that there was a whole other life we hadn't explored. Just in case, we prepared for what we thought might be ahead of us. We adapted recipes, brought extra stuff from home but found the adjustment easier than we thought after finding a few key resources. The people are big-hearted and fun to be around. If there is one thing I miss the most is cooking classes with students in the kitchen and dancing to music when we were waiting for brownies or cookies to bake.

This attached file

is a file of some of my favorite recent memories on the last trip to Uganda. I hope they put a smile on your face.

"God's Provision for a Vision"

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

 

UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyez (left) receives Kingdom View land titles from The Rock Kingdom LTD  Uganda board secretary John Ggayi.

 

Mark, VC Aaron, Margaret, and DVC of Finance and Administration David Mugawe after agreeing to handover Kingdom View to UCU under the management of the Chaplaincy.

 

 

Our testimony is that God is truly faithful. God chose us to make disciples of Jesus. In 2004, He pointed us to Uganda, where from day one our mission was to raise up a ministry empowering people with the indwelt love and knowledge of Jesus. We teach how the Bible says this sets us free, making us “more than conquerors.” True empowerment to us meant Ugandans stepping up as disciples to grow, manage and make the ministry financially sound without funding from overseas. That has always been our vision, desire, and prayer, though at times from a worldly view, it seemed unattainable. But God is not bound by worldly circumstances. He has answered our prayers and fulfilled the vision by joining us with Uganda Christian University to assume full oversight (under authority of the chaplaincy) and financial support of Kingdom View effective this month. We are entirely compatible with the leaders and doctrine of UCU, whose mission and commitment are to “equip students for productive and holistic lives of Christian faith and service.” UCU is retaining deputy managing director Christopher Byomire to help lead the ministry forward. Already significant increases are happening in students taking advantage of the facilities at Kingdom View, including those newly coming to faith in Jesus. We are joyful to see the ministry mature into a Ugandan legacy for Jesus. As for us, our calling remains the same: to make disciples of Jesus. Margaret will continue working with students preparing them for life by learning their God-given skills and seeking employment after graduation. Doors have opened for her to minister in Dallas to refugees needing resumes. Both of us will be resources for UCU staff and students as needed. Our Ugandan ministries of providing Life Application Bibles for students and pastoral care weekends for pastors, missionaries and their spouses who need a peaceful weekend break in the Kingdom View Guest House will continue. Your donations are to the Rock Outreach as before as we continue to serve. Mark also will focus in the US on reaching and encouraging people through the Freedom in Christ ministry. The ministry teaches our acceptance, security, and significance in Jesus. Also, that we are who the Bible says we are, not necessarily who the world defines us to be. Mark has been leading this ministry at Kingdom View in Uganda for the past 10 years. The impact on individual lives (including our own) was and is amazing. In addition, both of us will be available to encourage and coach future and current missionaries. Thanks to all our supporters and prayer warriors. Through the years and the coming years your support has and will enrich the lives of people in East Africa. Your involvement has yielded an amazing dividend. We look forward to sharing more with you as God continues to open doors. Please feel free to visit Kingdom View and Uganda Christian University if you travel to Uganda. Christopher will be happy to show you around.

 

Mentoring continues with Jesse, his wife Pamela and their little girl, Charis. Jesse and Pamela help facilitate Relationship Forum answering questions about navigating the culture when you want to marry.

 

 

Fruit from the ministry continues with Ugandan  leaders Nicholas, Christopher and Elijah with Mark and Margaret outside the ministry house. All men have volunteered at Kingdom View during their time at UCU and continue to return and mentor others. Discipleship is multiplication.

 

"Heart Connections in Uganda Refresh the Soul"

 

Every time I think of you, I thank God for you. I have joy in my heart every time I ask God to help you. I thank God for the joy we share in telling the good news from the very first day until now. Philippians 1:3-5

In mid-August we left Dallas for five weeks in Uganda. Covid has been hard and seeing our friends in Uganda was refreshing. So much has happened since we were there in December. As we planned the trip, we discussed how we could encourage people. Our desire was to soothe and comfort our friends, have fun in the kitchen and appreciate their love for the Lord. Margaret was excited to meet some of the students she had helped online with their resumes/CVs. Guys Mark mentored stopped by to catch up. Even former scholarship students spent the night, stopped by with their kids, and some had fun cooking pizza. The time with all these young people refreshed our souls. Our love for them has continued through the stages of life and isn't that what discipleship is all about? Memories Nicholas, Christopher, and Elijah, three men Mark mentors and disciples visited us at Kingdom View. From their time at UCU years before Covid hit, they have participated in movie night, cooking classes and leadership classes about " Leading God's Way." Nicholas is a program administrator for Cornerstone Development Africa, Christopher is deputy managing director of the Rock Kingdom LTD and Elijah is an engineer for Uganda National Roads Authority. Nicholas led movie night, Christopher manages Kingdom View and helps students with CVs and Elijah donated his time to improve our road. Each man has held leadership positions while at Uganda Christian University and currently mentor others.   Fun In the Kitchen Christopher and Tabitha had September birthdays, so we had to celebrate with brownies! Miria, Elijah and Nicholas pitched in to help. We even danced in the kitchen. John learned how to make pizza on another night. Spending time in the kitchen puts smiles on everyone's faces.               Participation Up, Great Need for Life Application Bibles Navigator alumni met in the pavilion, UCU fellowship groups along with Friday night prayer overnights are increasing. Student and alumni participation is up. Forty-one students squeezed into the sitting room to attend movie night recently. With attendance up our stock of Life Application Bibles is depleted. Would you consider contributing to the Bible Fund? Other News  In other news, Margaret is writing a book about things she has learned over the years living in Uganda about the culture, and the Ugandan perspective of expatriates living there. Several Ugandans will be collaborating with their perspectives as well. Sharing information for mission teams and people considering living in Uganda is the focus. A plaque honoring the life of Bishop Kamanyire, the first Ugandan leader of the Bishop Tucker Seminary who originally owned the Kingdom View land was installed in September. Prior to his death, we discussed the Kingdom View vision and his support of the plan. We wanted to honor his memory in the pavilion for his faithfulness to the Lord. His land was a blessing to many students and continues to "be a light on the hill for Jesus. The bishop's granddaughter Sheila said, "Grandpa would be so happy to see this. It is a kind gesture. His legacy lives!"