I recently had the honor of teaching at a men’s conference in Uganda in east Africa. Bright Hope International, who has worked there for years, asked me to speak on the topic, The 5 Roles of a Man: Son, Brother, Husband, Father, and Grandfather.

I also had the joy of serving with a team of friends who brought their own gifts, experience and passion to the table. It was remarkable. 100 men, including 30 pastors attended the conference. One of the highlights was unbridled joyful worship led by local men. I think I even moved my hips and swayed a couple of times.

In addition to the conference, Bright Hope lined up visits for us with church leaders, father’s club leaders, and individual families. Most of those we ministered to live on less than $2/day, and it was a moving experience for each of us to see the commitment and dedication men and women put into keeping their families together in the face of grinding poverty.

Our team (in rear) Gordy Decker, Donnell Digby, Mike Staff and Craig. In front is Charity, a Ugandan leader with Bright Hope and one of the fathers who attended the conference, and his two daughters.

Our Team

(In rear) Gordy Decker, Donnell Digby, Mike Staff and Craig. In front is Charity, a Ugandan leader with Bright Hope and one of the fathers who attended the conference, and his two daughters.

A significant highlight of the trip was partnering with Bright Hope national staff leaders. Led by Charity, a gifted and insightful Ugandan leader, we found a heart connection with each staff person who prepared our meals, drove our vans, and translated for us.

Thank you for your prayers for me and the team, dear friends.

  •  I asked for safe travel, and we had it. Even in the indescribable chaos of traffic in the capital city of Kampala, and even though the return trip alone lasted an exhausting 47 hours!
  •  I asked for prayers for our health, and we had no issues with mosquitoes, and Charity made sure we had safe, well-prepared meals for our inexperienced digestive systems.
  •  Most evidently, I asked for your prayers that God would bridge the language, cultural, and even racial differences we had with our au- diences. All the men on the team would agree with me; our connections and depth of friend- ship went deeper than we even hoped for.
Our team
Donnell and Gordy speak a blessing over some of the men and boys at church on Sunday.
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I want to thank you, friends, for your thoughts, your prayers and your financial generosity, which allows us to touch the lives of so many men, even when they live thousands of miles and 10 time zones away.

I’ll also remind you that we are looking to the Lord to provide $25,000 in the coming months to cover the cost of online media communication with men, and the provision of free resources we offer to every man who requests them. If you feel called to be part of our team in accomplishing this vision, we would be exceedingly grateful.

Joyfully,