Pierce family update: Greetings Dear Family and Friends! It is with great joy I write to you today! I can’t even begin to express with mere words the excitement deep within my heart at the privilege God allows us daily to partner with Him in the work He is doing in the hearts of His people here in Uganda! Just this week He has given me the joy of leading nine precious women in prayer, inviting Him to be their Lord and Savior! It is hard to imagine we have been back in Uganda near a month now. So much has happened and the weeks are just flying by. Knowing that this is our last term in Uganda makes my heart a little sad and yet I savor each moment and opportunity I have with the people here asking God to use me to the fullest each and every day! Before even settling in, I was back to teaching. Being so anxious to be back with my ladies, unpacking could come later. Oh, how I really wish each one of you could have come along with me that first day back in the women’s prison. The warm welcome is a memory that will forever be etched in my mind and heart. As I walked up to the large gated prison, my women prisoners came running out to greet me. Once I got passed the guards, they were screaming with delight picking me up and carrying me as tears rolled down their cheeks. It was only seconds before tears began rolling down my cheeks too. I never expected such a greeting and the women kept saying over and over again in the local language, “God is so good!” “Thank You Daniella for coming back to us!” They had heard rumor that I was coming back and took the time to write a song for me which they sang and danced to that day. The words were so touching. It spoke of how God had used me so much in their lives and they knew He loved them because He had brought me back to them once again. And yes of course I cried again! It was a very emotional day to say the least! Please continue to pray for me as I minister to these ladies. There are about 20 new ladies who have been imprisoned since I have been away. I began this letter by saying I have had the privilege of leading nine women to the Lord and these nine are from this group of women. Several of them are there on murder cases which means I will be with them for some time. The past few weeks we have been looking at what it means to be a true follower of Christ and the cost of true discipleship. Please pray for these women to have true, authentic, real, radical change in their lives as they allow the Holy Spirit full reign in their hearts! My welcome out in the village was just as warm and sweet as that of the women’s prison. The one mama that had told me she would most likely be dead before my return greeted me with such a warm embrace and began dancing around with me with such a tight embrace that I thought we would both fall over together. She is probably one of the oldest women I teach out in the village and to be honest I really didn’t know if she would be still be living when I returned. To see how healthy and strong she was made my heart smile! The last few weeks out in the village we have been looking at the topic of fear and worry. We have been learning the importance of training ourselves in godliness which is key to eliminating both fear and worry in one’s life. These women are continuing to grow and mature in their faith which is such a blessing to be a part of. Two days ago while out in the village I sat with one of my ladies Topista. Topista loves Jesus with all her heart and she has a great desire to see her Muslim neighbors come to know Jesus. Please pray with me for Topista’s Muslim neighbor Zebelda. Zebelda came to our women’s bible study this week in attempt she said, “To come closer to God.” Zebelda’s story is sad and oh how she needs Him! Her Muslim husband has taken on another wife and it is most likely that Zebelda will not see him for the next six months. He has left her with three children at home of all which are suffering greatly. The first born is said to be bewitched and his intestines are swelling so much that it is causing his stomach to protrude enormously. Her ten year old girl is said to be demon possessed and the youngest child has severe wounds all over her fingers that won’t heal most likely due to poor hygiene and lack of nutrition. Zebelda says she will give her life to Jesus if He will first do a miracle for one of her children. My heart broke as Zebelda shared this with me… I thought of the many times throughout the New Testament how people of such faith demanded a sign from Jesus. Then I thought of the many times He healed out of compassion and also as He demonstrated His power and authority and I ask Him to reveal Himself to Zebelda in a powerful way! My prayer is that she would see her state of poverty spiritually and her need of a Savior and that she would allow His love to enter her heart bringing salvation to not only her but her entire family! Thank You for your prayers in regards to our safety! As many of you probably have seen from Don’s post on facebook the first week of our return I was tear gassed pretty bad. What Don didn’t mention in the post was that just seconds before the tear gas experience I was dodging rubber bullets from the police. No they weren’t shooting at me, but I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was so thankful to be able to make it upstairs to our apartment safely! Mobs and riots can form so quickly here and you really don’t want to be anywhere near them when they break out. Just last week Gabrielle and I were in the market when a mob formed quickly as they began to chase and then beat a local thief. We headed the opposite direction as fast as we could and thanked God for His many angels that He always encamps about us! Thank you for your prayers in regards to our health! We have struggled a bit with allergies since arriving back in Uganda but most likely they are due to us just adjusting back into all the familiar smells of Uganda like the burning of the neighbors trash, the raw sewage flowing down the streets and the decomposing piles of trash along the way as well as the nice red Ugandan dirt that is everywhere right now due to lack of rain. Please continue to pray for me as I disciple and mentor the group of women that will continue on with the ministry of ministering to other Ugandan women once our time here comes to an end. Last night I had dinner with them. We had such a wonderful time of fellowship around the table and ended the night with a sweet time of prayer. Please pray that God would give me wisdom as I continue to pour into the lives of these women! As I woke up this morning to the call to prayer from the Hindu temple and just minutes later heard the call to prayer from the Mosque down the street I prayed that God would use me today to shine His light amongst a people who so greatly need Him! By 6:30am I was out the door for a morning walk when my Muslim neighbor stopped me on the street inviting me over to her house for a cup of tea and I thanked Him for answering so quickly! We want to thank you all again for your faithfulness to stand with us both prayerfully and financially. I don’t think you can ever know this side of heaven what an impact your partnership is making! THANK YOU!!!! With Much Love, Danielle (Don and Girls too!)
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 00:18:09 +0000
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