The Next Step At Kingdom View for 2017

Blessings abound at Kingdom View as we completed Phase 1 in 2016. Several of our Dallas friends joined us for a Christmas Pancake Breakfast recently and we shared the progress made in 2016.  The pictures show the construction and the activities we are doing so far.

Phase 2 is the fundraising, constructing and completion of the pavilion for 150 people. This facility will support the 40 fellowship groups on campus, the other ministries doing discipleship such as Navigators and Life Ministry Uganda (CRU) along with departmental fellowships.  In October we already were getting requests from a choir group of 70 and the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of over 100. So we know the demand will be great with a campus of over 8,000 students and limited space to meet.

Enjoy the pictures and pray if you might want to join us in serving East African, Uganda Christian University students with this facility.

Click here to see pictures

Vision To Reality

As we rejoice in experiencing God turning vision into reality by completing Phase 1 of Kingdom View Ministry Center last week, we are reminded the real foundational work has only just begun.

Mark oversaw construction of the ministry home across from Uganda Christian University and can testify Phase 1 of Kingdom View is built to last (we consumed 938 bags of cement along with many tons of sand, aggregate stone, hard core and iron bars). Excellent construction honors the Lord, but the real measure of worth is impact for Jesus. 

For Mark's Take on Construction in 
Uganda Click on the Photo Above

Scripture has many references comparing structural foundation with spiritual foundation. At the Rock, we got our name from Matthew 7:24-25:

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”

Jesus is the Rock and that’s where we are standing. The Apostle Paul makes a similar point in 1 Corinthians 3:10-11:

“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

The psalmist minces no words on the folly of building on any other foundation:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

As we finished Phase 1, we are excited to have a new beginning.  More than ever, we are equipped to encourage others to believe and thrive in the freedom of the new covenant of acceptance, security and significance through trust in Jesus alone.

Ugandans are amazed we completed the ministry house and welcome center in just six months. God’s hand is with us. He answered our daily prayers to protect the workers, defeat corruption and construct a center that honors Him.

Guests love the specially designed bancos (built in benches) along the walls of the media room and dining room. Already students have pitched in to help cook in the large kitchen created with fellowship in mind. The warmth and coziness help create an atmosphere conducive to one-on-one discipleship, small group teaching and the ever-popular movie nights.

Margaret continues to meet individually with two to three students 6 days a week to help them discover their God-given skills and develop their CVs (resumes.) You find her at the dining table with her laptop recording the seven stories recalling their earliest praise worthy achievements which are evidence of the student’s skills.  As believers in Jesus we need to understand how God designed us so we know in a practical way “our plan and future.” 

In some ways the time has flown by with the construction, but in other ways we have been planning Kingdom View for over four years. We welcome you to visit.

With joy and thanksgiving,

Mark and Margaret

Progress On Kingdom View

With just a few months left with the construction of the first building, we are making steady progress. Check out the latest pictures by clicking here.. Our target date for move in is September first. Thanks for your prayers.

Sing and Shout for Joy!

"Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!" (Psalms 81:1)

After more than three years of praying, planning, fundraising, land acquisition, government compliance, architectural planning and building contractor negotiations, construction of Kingdom View is underway. We praise God for what He is doing.  Imagine each day seeing progress and being blessed by our contractor who often brings his Bible to read between supervising the workers. Recently Mark got into a fun discussion with him about Nehemiah rebuilding the wall.

Also, on the work permit front, eleven months after moving back to Uganda, Mark and Margaret have received their Uganda permits. Praise God we navigated through many challenges without succumbing to pressures to take short cuts which would have dishonored the Lord.

Our strength is renewed as Mark and Margaret continue to mentor and deepen relationships with student leaders at Uganda Christian University. It is exciting to see them embrace our freedom and identity in Jesus sessions; seminars on Biblical principles of making and managing money; and servant leadership training.

This week Mark and Margaret are teaching a World View class on "Marriage and Sexuality in the Contemporary Time," with a heavy emphasis on questions and answers.

We trust the Lord and know His timing is perfect. It is invigorating when prayers are answered, logjams are broken and great strides are made.

   

	The ground level floor with walls going up

A view from the back of the house towards Mukono down hill

The ministry house will be where Mark and Margaret live while serving in Uganda which is bigger than the current apartment on campus. The first floor will accommodate small groups for cooking classes, Bible studies, dinners and the living room has been especially designed to accommodate the students coming on Saturday night movie discussions. Our location is a 10 minute walk from the center of campus and for some students it is actually closer than the apartment. Already we are providing part time employment for 2 engineering students, and a recent graduate from the Honors College. God continues to multi-process.

God has provided the perfect location for ministry to the students, faculty and other ministries. In the future when several dormitories/hostels are completed, we will be next door neighbors to over 1,000 students.

We have sufficient funds to complete construction of the first phase of Kingdom View, but we still need about $25,000 for furnishings, equipment (including for a media center for students) and other necessities such as a generator when the power is off.

We ask for your continued prayers that with this breakthrough of the first phase that support is inspired for completing other elements of the vision. These include a pavilion suitable for 150 people, more small group student meeting space, a small retail center to serve the needs of nearby students while training other students in business; guest bandas; and a small retreat center with platform tents.

All of us in the ministry are blessed to be a blessing to others in Uganda and appreciate the continued support you have provided the ministry.

Excited to see what the Lord is doing,

Mark and Margaret Noblin in Africa with Board Members Dan Vick and Skip Shaw in the U.S.

  

Renewing Our Strength

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

In traditional Ugandan wedding
introduction attire

We find ourselves doing plenty of waiting on a couple of major ministry areas even as the Lord opens new doors in our primary focus of discipleship.

We continue to wait for our Uganda work permits, which in November we thought were a done deal after a six-month process.  There have been opportunities for short-cuts to receive the permits. Acting on these would dishonor the LORD. Waiting upon the LORD to deliver the permits in the proper way is our decision so our ministry will not be hindered from soaring like eagles.  Also, we want to stand on the Rock of Jesus - not in the shifting sands of the world --as in Matthew 7:24-27.  Those verses are the inspiration for the name of our ministry.

Patience also is required in the building of our first phase of Kingdom View. Based upon estimates from our architect and engineer, we thought we had enough funds to start building the first phase - a ministry/missionary house -- last month. However, the construction bids came in significantly higher than estimated.  We are seeing what costs we can defer and still have a fully functional ministry house with our existing budget. (It appears we need another $25,000 to complete the original design).
 

Crossing the cultural divide in construction is daunting in both approach and design.

The accepted way to build in Uganda is to start before you have enough funds to complete the project. If you have enough funds to put in the foundation (or even part of a foundation) then you begin work.  You proceed to other phases when more funds are available. This is the answer to the curiosity many visitors to Uganda have when they see many partial shells of buildings.  In this case, we do not conform to the Uganda norm.

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' (Luke 14:28-30).

Though this statement by Jesus is in the context of considering the cost of following Him, we believe the literal interpretation applied to considering the cost of building also is valid. As ministry leaders, we desire to model Jesus' teachings and biblical truths in all areas.

We are blessed to have new opportunities for ministry on campus at Uganda Christian University. We have been asked to teach biblical leadership to leaders of the 40 fellowship groups on campus. Margaret is teaching our Identity in Jesus and Mark is expounding on The Rock Leadership Creed.

It is a critical time on campus as some outside influences are promoting unsound doctrine. Confused students have sought guidance from us regarding false teaching from a nearby church.  These students are being falsely told that as Jesus believers we are all gods; that if you wear eyeglasses you have weak faith because God has not corrected your vision; that you can skip classes to attend church functions declared mandatory by the pastor and God will give you favor on exams; and that it is dangerous to travel and get outside the "spiritual covering" of a specific pastor. We are joining with and supporting the university chaplaincy in teaching and doing spiritual battle against these unbiblical assertions.

We also continue our Sunday afternoon "Leading God's Way" seminars, movie nights with discussion, individual Christian counseling, serving as guest lecturers and providing mentoring training to staff and the Honors College.

The spiritual fruit encourages us in a way that far outweighs our frustrations in work permit and construction delays. Yet, we seek your prayers that the ministry may move forward in God's perfect timing in all areas.

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

-- Mark and Margaret Noblin