Cees and Mirjam Molenaar serve in Kotido, Uganda, to engage the Karimojong people for Christ. At a recent training session of 78 leaders in rural church fellowships, it was discovered that only six could read and write. The six readers automatically became group leaders for the Bible reading assignment, reading the Bible passage aloud three times and then discussing the question provided. People in an oral culture are good at listening and remembering, and some have even memorised the section! When the training had finished, the leaders asked, “Teacher, we are really hungry. God is calling us to teach His Word to the children, and we have learned how, but what are we to teach them if we don’t have His Word and can’t read it?” Matayo is one of the six who can read. His Bible is used for his seven satellite congregations, which means that once every seven weeks, the Bible is opened in one of those churches. The other Sundays are filled with singing, praying, and sharing testimonies. Cees’ Ugandan fellow trainers were shocked: “So God had to bring you all the way from the Netherlands to show us that there is so much spiritual need in our own country. Suddenly, I understand the great commission: it says GO! We didn’t know that there were still such unreached areas in our country.” Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into these fields.

Cees and Mirjam Molenaar serve in Kotido, Uganda, to engage the Karimojong people for Christ. Pray for the vision for a Mission Hub in Kotido to become a fruitful reality: a place which enables more Ugandan missionaries to be sent to Karamoja and far beyond; a base where they can be equipped but also find rest from their hard work; a centre where local pastors are taught and learn to teach their people. Partners in Uganda confirm that there is a need for such a place. The church in Uganda has been growing for years, but there are still entire communities unfamiliar with the Gospel, villages where no one can read or explain the Bible. Even if there are churches within walking distance, there is a tremendous need for deeper understanding and training. Too often, churches limit their mission efforts to one-off campaigns, with an emphasis on healing and food. Afterwards, the follow-up is lacking; caring for those who are still suffering, deepening their newfound faith, building new churches.  

Cees and Mirjam Molenaar serve in Kotido, Uganda, to engage the Karimojong people for Christ. Pray for them as they settle back into village life in Kotido after a visit to the Netherlands for the birth of their first grandchild and the wedding of their son. On the way back to Uganda they dropped their two youngest sons at Rift Valley Academy in Kenya. With a growing family, the farewells and distance become increasingly difficult. Before their break, Ugandan trainers from Western Uganda visited at the Molenaars’ invitation. The region has been considered unsafe for years because of armed cattle rustlers, but over the past year the situation has improved. The Ugandan trainers had never entered a Karamojong village before. They were surprised by the basic conditions. It also confronted them with the sad reality that a region in their own country is still so spiritually barren. The Molenaars’ presence there encouraged them to also commit themselves to Karamoja and to come and help with training sessions. Pray for effective partnership in the days to come.