Easter is right around the corner, as I'm sure you well know. The celebration of Christ's bodily resurrection emblazons within our hearts and minds that God is at work restoring and renewing this whole world, for he gave us a glimpse of that in Christ being raised. That's right: Christ's resurrection is the foretaste of what God is presently at work doing and will ultimately complete one day, when he fully restores and renews the whole world free from decay, disease, and death and bestows us with a body fit for that sort of world. In Christ's resurrection, we have God's promise that he working to make all things new and use us within that plan.
 
So as I think of Easter and the profound hope it brings, my mind focuses in on Uganda, since I just returned from there. I am hopeful about what God is doing there, in bringing Uganda to life with the same power he exercised in Christ. There was a buzz... a vim... a vigor that was palatable as I was there. Through World Vision and the church there in Uganda, God is using the peace to bring Uganda to life again.
 
I also found myself profoundly proud and grateful for all of you at GracePoint while I was in Uganda. Sometimes, I was brought to the point of tears as I saw firsthand what God is doing with the resources we have vested in World Vision in Uganda. Your sponsorship of children in Aber is simply amazing, for we don't just supply a meal for a child but a chance to break free from the bonds of poverty in Jesus' name. These kids along with their parents were so grateful for your generosity because it gives the kids and their family a chance for God to give them opportunities in Uganda that they wouldn't have otherwise. Additionally, our sponsorship of these kids has pooled enough resources to build an additional building at one of the primary schools they attend, which will upgrade and enhance their education. So if you sponsor a child with World Vision in Aber, way to go. But if you don't and you'd like to join a block of us doing so, just reach out to me and I'll connect you with World Vision who will take care of the details (save the $34/month to sponsor them!).
 
Additionally, I went to the Children of War Center where I got the lowdown on the Youth Psychosocial program that GracePoint financially sponsors. This program deals with children who have returned to their homes after their decompression at the Children of War Center where they escaped to from Joseph Kony and his torment and coercion to soldiering. Initially, I thought this program was a matter of compassion where suffering was relieved for these adolescents who were depressed psychologically and oppressed spiritually. But after getting the lowdown, I discovered that this program is actually the difference between an area developing and not developing. No matter how many wells are drilled or schools erected or kids sponsored, areas without the Youth Psychosocial program fail to develop. So we are the only church supporting this program that not only extends compassion by relieving suffering but also establishes justice by fixing structures for Uganda to develop.
 
Then when I returned back to the States, Jenny raved about your prayers and your care of her and my boys in my absence, which only compounded my profound gratitude and pride in you as our church. God is truly doing something sovereign and special among us. He has softened our hearts to the things that make his break, which has fueled our resolve to not just talk about Easter but to extend compassion and justice in keeping with Easter's vision of the future.
 
So I am grateful to God for you and how he is compelling us toward our efforts in Uganda. So thank you for being so tender to the things that break God's heart. Thank you for your sacrifice to doing without certain things in life so that you could be generous to GracePoint and these kids in Uganda. Thank you for not just talking about Easter but also seeking to live out Christ's resurrection and its power in our world, for God is at work making all things new and one day, he'll complete that work!
 
Profoundly Grateful to be at GracePoint with You,