Thanksgiving Update!

It has been a while since I have updated my blog!  I'm sorry for not keeping you all informed.  Recently, a lot of things have happened.  I am about to finish my 5th semester at IHOPU.  I am growing leaps and bounds in my skills and spiritually!  My theology classes have changed the way I view the Bible and I am receiving more revelation when I read.  My music classes and worship teams have helped me become more efficient in playing the piano and eventually leading worship.  My discipleship groups have helped me become more of a leader and kept me steady this semester as well!  This past week I spent my Thanksgiving break with a friend and her family in North Carolina at a beach house!  It was so refreshing and restful.  It was exactly what I needed.  The Lord met me in many ways and I was able to spend time in the secret place with him.  For Thanksgiving day we went 3 hours away to her aunts house where all of her family comes together to eat and fellowship!  We talked, watched football, ate, played Apples to Apples and Catch Phrase, ate some more, and then went late night Black friday shopping until 2AM!  We then slept in and went out Black Friday shopping again later in the day. Saturday, I went to my first college football game.  It was a blast!  And then we left NC at 11pm Sat. night and drove through the night to arrive back in KC late Sunday evening! I've got 2 weeks left of classes and then finals week and the semester is over!  Time flies, huh?

PRAISES!!
In my last blog I gave a breakdown of my finances.  I am happy to say that I have edited it because the Lord has brought a couple supporters to me monthly.  My insurance of $90/month is taken care of!! Praise the Lord!  Also, I did not tell you that I was behind on my tuition payment.  This is mostly because I didn't know I was as far behind as I was, but I received an email that I was $845 past due for my tuition and that I could not register for my next semester's classes until it was paid.  When I make so little a month, it's hard to even make the payments on time, but they work with me as much as they can and are very merciful.  So, once I received this email, I began to pray hardcore!  I didn't tell many people.  I spoke with a close relative and they told me that they would pay the remainder of my tuition for this semester!  So I am debt free again!  I can register for my next semester and not worry about taking off a semester to save up!  This is a huge blessing!

PRAYER REQUESTS!
Some of you may have heard about my family.  Please keep us in your prayers during this difficult time.  I am still praying for more monthly support.  I would really like to quit my job at David's Bridal and be a full time intercessor and be more involved in my school as a leader.  In order to do this, I would need about $300-500/month of support.  Please pray and ask the Lord if this year He is calling you to join me in partnership and giving to a missionary in training.  The opportunity to go to Malaysia has come up.  I am praying about weather or not the Lord wants me to go.  My trip to Uganda was amazing and life-changing. I learned a lot.  I would love to continue doing His work in other countries as well.  So please pray that the Lord makes it clear, if He wants me to go.

Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you all for your continual prayers and support. I hope you all are blessed in this wonderful season!

The Past Month or So...

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I've updated my blog.  I've been super busy, but I keep you all in my prayers and I hope y'all are doing well!

So I've been back from Africa for over 2 months.  I can't believe that much time has gone by.  I blink and I'm a third of the way through my semester at school!  So I am in my third year at IHOPU in the Forerunner Music Academy.  This year, the Lord told me to major in Piano and not voice.  So I'm out of my comfort zone a little bit, but it so good!  I'm in level 2 of prophetic piano and then I am also in another Keyboard, Ear training, and Theory class level 4.  So I practice about 8 hours a week!  I am also playing keyboard on my worship team 6 hrs a week.  I'm in the prayer room 20 hrs a week.  This include both friday and Sat night church services.  I am a leader of a girls discipleship group this year!  I am co-leading with two other ladies!  I love ministering to them and receiving from them! I am learning a lot!  I am working 10 hrs a week on the school campus for a $1000 scholarship that goes towards my tuition!  I'm also still working 15 hrs a week at David's Bridal.  I had to cut my hours down due to my even busier schedule than last year!  Lastly, I am taking 2 Old testament theology courses that are impacting my heart in many ways.

I am so excited to be back in school.  I know this is where God has called me!  Coming back from Africa, my heart was changed.  My eyes were opened and I feel very different.  It was hard to come back to the materialism and complex, busy life that is America.  Things were very different.  I will never be the same!  I have learned so much, I feel like I have grown in my leadership skills, identity, maturity, and confidence.  I know that I am supposed to soak up as much teaching, musically and biblically, as I can so that I can then teach others around the world!  I saw a big need for teachers in Uganda.  And I know that need is spread across the nations!

I want to ask for your prayers!  Since I have been back from Africa, my monthly bills exceed my monthly income.  I have asked the Lord what I should do, and I feel like He does not want me to work more.  It is not good for my body, mind, or spirit.  The other option was to drop out of school, but I really like my classmates that I have built friendships with for the past 2 years and I feel like the Lord has so much to teach me and impart into me this year.  As a leader, I am also coaching others under me!  The last option was to raise support.  I know some of you supported me monthly during my first semester here and I am so thankful for that!  I am asking you to pray and ask the Lord if He would like you to financially support me for this year of school.  Here is a break down of my finances.

                 $45/month - Phone Bill
                 $90/month - Car Insurance
                 $100/month - rent
                 $300/ month - School Tuition
                 $120/month - Gas (to get to and from work)
                 Food & clothes I get for free weekly from a ministry called manna4u that is offered to the   
                 missionaries/students here! It is a huge blessing!


**Right now I make about $300 a month at David's Bridal.  Sometimes I have babysitting jobs on the side, but I am still short quite a bit!  I have exhausted my savings as well.  

By sowing into me, you will be sowing into all the countries I will be going to, and all that I will pour out from the training I have received!  My inheritance is yours as well!  Some are called to GO.  And others are called to SEND.  You can't have one without the other, so I need you!

Thank you all for your prayers and support!  You all mean so much to me!  I am keeping you in my prayers as well!  If you have anything specific you would like for me to pray for, send me an email and I'll lift it up to the father in agreement with you!

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Leah

Financial support info for a TAX DEDUCTION:
If you would like to support me monthly with a tax deduction, you can send a check to:
                  3535 E. Red Bridge Road Kansas City MO, 64137.
Do not put my name anywhere on the check.  Attach a sticky note to the check with my full name on it. (Please note that I do pay taxes on this as well, so I only get $16 out of ever $20 you send.  If you want me to receive a certain amount, please take this into consideration.)

Financial support without a tax deduction:
You can write a personal check to me and send it to: 10438 Bales Ave. Kansas City, MO 64137
Or you can click Support Leah to the right.  This takes you to a paypal sight where you can electronically give a one-time gift or monthly!

May the Lord Bless you 10-fold for giving to the Kingdom!

Debrief of Uganda/Solidification of my Calling

Hey everyone!
 

We arrived safe and sound around 9:30AM Saturday Aug. 6th!  The trip took a total of 53 hours!  We had some problems with the Greyhound bus system again, but we thank God that none of our stuff got lost and we arrived in one piece! :)

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!  My time in Gulu Uganda was amazing!  It could not have happened without each of you!  I thank God for having you in my life!  There are so many testimonies!  Many people were saved, healed, delivered, and set free while we were there!  The last day of our time in Gulu, we had a house of prayer baptism.  We took the whole team down to a local hotel, called Acholi Inn, and baptized all the people who wanted to be water baptized!  It was a powerful time.  One man wanted to get re-baptized because he didn't know the meaning the first time.  Another man wanted to get baptized because he wanted to leave everything from his past behind him!  After they were baptized, we had the others pray over them and cover them!  I felt the Holy Spirit in the water and it was another first for me to baptize someone!  I have had so many first experiences in Africa that I will never forget!

To end our time with the house of prayer, we handed out certificates to the ones who came to the three conferences and were faithful and diligent!  It was a way of honoring them!  Then after the certificates were handed out, we had a time of sharing.  Kyle and I thanked them for accepting us and being open to learn from us!  We expressed that we had learned so much from them and their culture and shared our hearts!  Then different people from the group stood up and started to share how they have been blessed by Kyle and I and our time there!  It was so awesome!  I cried a little and it was such a blessing to hear their hearts and what they felt!  They thanked us and then we said all of our goodbyes!  It was hard for me to say goodbye, but I know the Lord will have me go back to Gulu, Uganda again in a year or two!

Now, I am adjusting from Jet Lag and getting ready for school to start!  I'm so excited about this next year in school!  I have a new look at things now!  I want to soak up everything I can so that I can then teach it to others!  I have a new sense of vision for what I am doing and I feel like the Lord is calling me to go deeper!  While I was in Uganda, the Lord gave me a vision for my calling!  He showed me that I am going to be like Paul, an apostle to the nations!  He showed me a little town like Gulu.  I want to join ministries that already have the frame work for a house of prayer and the heart for 24/7 worship and prayer!  I'm going to stay at this ministry for a short time, like 6 months to a year.  During this time I will be pouring into the team of people and trying to work myself out of a job.  I want to train, but then hand it over to them and allow them to lead in their culture.  I want to modify Harp and Bowl so that it can be done in their culture with their twist on things!  Then when my time is done, I want to move onto another little town in a different country, but I want to stay in contact with the first team and go back periodically to check up on them and impart more and more!  I believe this is my calling until Jesus returns, building the House of Prayer!  I'm so excited and I believe my time here in Kansas City, MO at the International House of Prayer University will prepare me and equip me for my calling!

 If you feel lead to pour into my training, you can click on "give" to the right!  My tuition is a good chunk again this year, so anything helps!  This semester runs about $2,300.  That's an estimate.  I'm trying to get on the work/study program that I was on last semester.  This program allowed me to work for the school in return for half of my tuition!  It was a huge blessing!   I witched my major from voice to Piano this semester as well!  I really want to focus on one thing and get efficient in playing the Keyboard so that I can lead worship next year as a Senior!  I'm going to take vocal lessons on the side so I don't loose all the progress I've made in the last 2 years!  I'll keep you all posted on what I am learning and what the Lord is doing the semester!

Blessings upon blessings!

Typhoid Testimony!!

Hello everyone!


Thank you all so much for your prayers!! Since I arrived here in Gulu, I have been having stomach problems.  You might have seen on facebook, but I was in pain for 3 weeks!  I felt tired all the time, my stomach hurt, I had headaches, dizziness, and random fevers.  It even got so bad that I didn't want to eat the food, because I thought that was the problem.  Last tuesday it got worse.  I had to ask Kyle to take me home from the intensive, and he did.  Then, the next day I couldn't get out of bed.  I got the chills and a fever and I knew it was not just my body adjusting to the food.   I knew something was wrong.  So I went to the hospital and got checked for any bacteria infections.  They tested me and my blood came back positive for Typhoid!  Which is an infection you get from food and water, that can be lethal.  The doctor told me that the normal levels of Typhoid are 1-40.  1 being mild and not needing to be treated and 40 being critical level!  When we got my results back My level was 360!! Almost 8 times the critical level!! He said, "Ah!  You should not be alive!"  We need to treat you right away!  So I got the first to injections and the medication I needed to take for 7 days!  That night, Kyle and a bunch of people came over from the house of prayer to pray over me!  I felt fire go through my whole body, which I have only felt one other time in my life!!  The next morning, all pain in my stomach was gone, I had no diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, or fatigue!!!  I had so much energy!! Actually, I felt like myself in the States!  The Lord completely healed me!! I went back to the hospital to get re-tested and the results were still positive, but that's ok!  All the symptoms were gone!!  I'm still taking the medication for the cure, but the Lord is so good and He is faithful to sustain me when I had Typhoid for over two weeks!  I was walking around, serving, preaching, and doing life all by the power of the Holy Spirit sustaining me!!  The doctor was amazed and He kept saying, "We thank God!  We thank God you are alive!!"  THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT! It means so much to me!


I want to express that Kyle and I did not realize we would be paying for all the food for all three intensives, plus food for ourselves and a house of prayer friend that is living with Kyle.  All of our money has been budgeted for these expenses, but we no longer have seed money to sow into the House of prayer or individuals!  There are so many needs and if any of you feel lead to give, it would bless the lives of the people here, and Kyle an I tremendously!   You can click "GIVE" on the right and  it will go directly to paypal!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart!


The time here has been amazing!  The Lord is doing so much here!  The men and women at the house of prayer are great! They are so teachable and loving. This culture is very relationship-based! When you enter a room you have to greet each person and shake there hand 3 different ways, greet them in Acholi language 3 different ways and the sometimes huge them cheek to cheek, on both sides (like the Italians.) Hahaha I love it! I have fallen in love with these people! They are so humble, eager to learn everything Kyle and I give them, and ready to go deep! They have opened up so much, which is very rare in Acholi culture!  Most Acholi people are very shallow and don't really talk about problems, sins, feelings, or emotions, much less showing any emotion! But these people are the first fruits!  They have received healing and are completely and totally abandoned to God! So Kyle and I have done 2 Intensives, the first was on Identity and second on lifestyle (sermon on the mount). We start the last one next monday! It will be on Ministry.  We called a House of Prayer-wide fast for 5 days this week! They were so excited! Weird right? But once they understood why we fast and pray and the logistics behind it they were all eager to join in!  After this last intensive, we will begin music lessons and more harp and bowl training!  


Blessings to you all!  Thank you for all your prayer and support....until next time... 

We Started the Second Intensive on Monday!!

I know it's been a long time!  Things have been going great here.  Kyle and I started our second intensive and we are in the middle of it.  Mid-day yesterday, I got really sick.  My stomach has been hurting since I got here, but I thought it was my body getting used to the food...Then, it got so bad that I couldn't stand.  I just wanted to curl up in a ball.  The women at the house of prayer said to go see the Favor of God house of Prayer doctor, which was next door.  Even though I hate doctors, I went.  He said I probably have an infection from the food, due to the bacteria here in Africa.  Every time I eat, even if it's not african food, I get sick.  So he gave me two medications to take for the next three days.  I finally got the appetite to eat last night, so I took the first dose with dinner.  Please pray that the Lord heals me!  I stayed home today from the intensive and Kyle is doing it by himself.   I can't get out of bed.  I'm not worried though!  God has me in His hands!  I'm here on His watch.  He has called me here this summer.  And I am standing in faith that He will heal me and bring me through this.  


On a happier note, the intensives have been amazing.  Kyle and I, with the help of the Holy Spirit, are teaching some really good stuff.  This week we are focussing on "lifestyle."  Which would be studying the word, prayer, fasting, fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, and much more!  Please continue to pray for us!  We want the Lord to speak through us and impact the hearts of the House of Prayer Volunteers. Pray that He moves and speaks and that it is not our own words that come out!  


Blessings to you all!

Life in Gulu for the past two days!!

Hello everyone!!

I hope you all are well and blessed today, wherever the Lord has you!  He is so good!  Kyle and I arrived safely in Entebbe Friday evening.  I asked the Lord to get me onto a good sleeping schedule right away and He did!  I have had little to no jet lag!! Praise the Lord!

When we arrived, we stayed at Naomi's friend's house for the night.  It was about midnight by the time we got to the house and settled. The next morning, I had my first African breakfast.  We had porridge, eggs, bread, Ugandan tea and coffee!  If was very good!  Naomi and Richard, her boyfriend, needed to go into town for some shopping. So we hired a driver to take us to Kampala!  We loaded up our luggage and off we went.  We got to see what the city is like in Kampala!  It is very busy and nothing like America.  First of all the roads are very busy, but not in the way as America. Everything is backwards here.  The drivers seat is on the right, like England!  So we also drive on the left side of the road, which was weird at first! Then you have little motorcycles, which they call "boda's" whizzing past you on both sides.  Sometimes we would make our own lane in the middle of the road and then merge to the left at different times.  It is a lot more chaotic and they honk all the time.  Cars honk at boda's to get over, and they honk at other cars when they are in your way!  It's not rude here! It's just the culture.

At the market everything is a bargain!  I love this!  I have had experience bargaining at garage sales and things in America.  You even bargain with your driver and agree upon a price to take you to multiple places!  I could get used to this! Haha.

During a traffic jam, there are lots of kids and young adults with hands full of stuff for you to buy.  When they see a white person, they automatically assume you are rich and they call at you saying, "Mazungu! Mazungu!"  This means white person.  It is not rude, or vulgar.  It is just how they describe us.  I find myself calling myself a Mazungu all the time! If you show any interest in them at all they swarm the car shoving things into the car for you to buy!  Kyle saw a pair of sunglasses he liked!  They were ODI's and he took it form a guy to look at them, the man would not take them back!  Kyle had to physically put them back in his bag and we rolled up the windows.  I was laughing hysterically because I have never been bombarded like that before!

We then went to what is called the bus park, to get a bus to Gulu from Kampala!  At the bus park, a bunch of men came up to the window and asked us where we were going.  By this time, I was used to being bombarded.  They went to the back of the car and started unloading our stuff to take to the bus for us!  It was pouring down rain and the bus was about to leave!  They carried everything on their heads, including my 75 pound large suitcase! As we were walking to the bus a man came up behind me, very sneakily, and tried to open my backpack to steal from me!  I didn't notice because of all the chaos.  A local Ugandan pulled him off of me and a mob formed and started beating him.  This was very scary.  One of the men, carrying our stuff, grabbed me to safety!  We continued on.  I looked back and he was still being beaten!  Then, as we were walking, a man tried to steal Kyle's wallet from his back pocket!  The same thing happened and he was beaten as well. They were rushing us to to bus!  We got to the lines of the busses and Naomi and I lost the guys!  Naomi was yelling for Richard and I was yelling for Kyle, but we couldn't find them.  A bus driver yelled at us from his window asking us where we were going.  We replied, "Gulu!"  He said, "You come! You come!"  So we started to get on that bus. But then, the man that was carrying our luggage, found us and redirected us to the correct bus.  They were rushing us onto the correct bus and ordering us to sit down and pay, repeating themselves over and over.  Naomi had to be firm with them and tell them, "No. You wait!"  We finally got seated and the very long bus ride began!  We were smashed in the bus like sardines.  Richard and some other men didn't have a seat it was so packed!  Kyle told us on the bus that, as we were boarding, a women tried to grab his guitar from one of the men carrying our luggage.  And Kyle reached over and grabbed the guitar from her hands just in time!  The Lord protected us and got us all on the bus safely and with all of our luggage!  Nothing was stolen!  Praise the Lord!  I was a little shooken up from it all, but the Lord calmed me and I am very thankful for the men who helped us carry the luggage.  They kept us safe from the mobs and directed us where we needed to go quickly and efficiently!  When you are a Mazungu, you stand out like a green apple among a bunch of red ones!  Everyone stares at you.  The pick pocketers target you because they know you have money, especially travelers that need to make their american money into shillings.  They are very smart!  But the Lord is YHWY!  He protected us and gave us the guides we needed, to get where we were going!

While on the bus, there was a preaching preaching the gospel to the whole back of the bus for about 45 minutes to an hour!  We stopped about every half an hour or hour because they had to go pump water from a ravine and pour it into the radiator!  The bus was breaking down! After a 7 hour ride, we arrived in Gulu!  We dropped Kyle off at Will and Etta Shehee's house.  Will told us he had a full day planned for us, starting at 8AM the next morning!

The next morning Naomi and I hired a boda to drive us to the house of prayer!  This was a very interesting experience.  The roads are not like America.  The are bumpy with huge ditches and pot hole everywhere.  The roads are dirt here.  So when it rains, it is very sticky and muddy.  Taking a boda was like a roller coaster at first.  The boda needs to know where to drive, swerving in and out trying to find the smoothest path!

At the house of prayer, Will introduced Kyle and I to the team of worshipers and intercessors!  We introduced our selves and they were very welcoming!  Will explained that he has brought them as far as he could with harp and bowl.  He said the Lord has brought Kyle and I to take them further and to the next level!  I am so excited about what the Lord has planned for us!  We have met with Will and have many goals and plans for this team!  I will continue to keep you updated on what the Lord is doing!  Please pray the Lord guides us and gives us wisdom with the Local Ugandans.

May the Lord bless you abundantly today!

6 Days Until I leave for Gulu!

Hello Everyone!

I have many praise reports!!

Four days ago, I went with a friend to get dinner and she gave me a the rest of the money I needed for Gulu!!!  Praise the Lord! I am all set to go to Uganda.  I have enough to take with me and be a blessing while I'm there!  Praise the Lord for providing above and beyond what I asked for!

I also received an extremely generous financial gift from a supporter!  The overdue tuition for this last semester is paid in full!!  Praise the Lord! This came at such a surprise and is a huge answer to prayer!  A few days prior to this gift, I was asking God for a specific amount of money and I received it exactly!  The Lord is so good!  He is faithful and He answers our prayers.  Even when our prayers seem outrageous to us, they are minimal to our Lord!

A friend of the family I live with, Shelly, talked with her pastor at The River Christian Fellowship.  They invited me to come and give a 5 minute announcement about Kyle and I's trip to Gulu! I shared the amazing way the Lord orchestrated plans for this trip.  I was able to share at both their 9 AM and 11 AM services.  When Shelly introduced me, she mentioned that my home church in Indiana is not meeting anymore.  This church welcomed me with open arms.  I felt right at home!  It even reminded me of my previous church with similar passion, zeal for worship, and family community!  They welcomed me and "adopted" me into their body.  I am so excited to get to know them.  They committed to pray for Kyle and I and cover us while we are in Uganda!  They even took time to pray over us while we were there yesterday! I met many people and made many connections.  I am eager to plug in to this church and hopefully help out in any way that I can!  This is a huge answer to prayer!

Please continue to Pray for Kyle and I as we leave for Gulu this Sunday at 9 PM.  We will arrive in the  Entebbe, Airport on Tues. May 24th.  We will then drive from Entebbe Airport to Gulu!

I might not be updating my blog until I get there!  May the lord bless you all!  Thank you for all of your prayer and support!!

Until then...

Financial Update!

Hello loved ones,

I want to keep you all updated on how things are going!  Immediately after I posted my blog a couple days ago, I received many donations!  Thank you so much for sowing into my destiny and Uganda! 

As of right now, I have $2,566 in my bank account! Praise the Lord!  Unfortunately the plane ticket has gone up from $2004 to now $2,265.  The Shehee's gave me a contact number of an agent that gets plane tickets at missionary prices!!! I will be calling them tomorrow to see if they can help me book it and get a discount!  However, if they can not change the price, I have $301 left over, which I will be using on Monday to get my shots, malaria medication, and submit my visa application. 

I Still Need The Following:

• Luggage 
• $50 for toiletries and packing necessities
• A couple hundred to take with me for living expenses
• Also, Favor of God will not be supplying breakfast or lunch for the intensives that Kyle and I will be facilitating, so we need money to cover the cost of lunches for all the attendees and also ourselves.  I'm budgeting $250 for that for the entire 2 1/2 months!!
• Lastly, the main thing that causes poverty in Uganda is the lack of money to buy seed to plant and grow the things they want!  Kyle and I want to buy them seed for their farms.  If you would like to give specifically to the locals in Gulu or contribute to the seed, please let me know in the name on PayPal in parenthesis write "seed" or on the bottom of the check in the memo, write "seed money" and I will designate it them!  

Thank you for sowing into Uganda!! I will keep you updated on my Financial Status! 

Blessings to you all

Leah


P.S. On a side note, this does not pertain to Uganda but, I received an email from my school saying that I still owe some of my tuition.  I missed a couple of my payments due to David's Bridal cutting my hours drastically.  Please pray that the Lord provides for that and for next semester.  I believe the amount left on my tuition is $925.  If I do not pay my tuition by the beginning of July, I will not be able to register for the next semester!  If you would like to give towards my tuition, so that I can continue the training that the Lord has given me, You can click the same DONATE button that says "send Leah to Uganda" in your last name write "Tuition" in parenthesis or in the memo section if you write a check.  


Thank you for praying for me! Your rewards are waiting for you in heaven! I am so blessed to have all of you supporting me!  I will continue to pray for you as well!  If you have specific prayer requests, please message me, comment, or email me! I will stand in agreement with you and contend on your behalf! 

My Financial Praise Report!! - Riots Have Ended!!

Hello friends and family!

Praise the Lord!  I only have 700 dollars left to raise and my trip to Gulu is completely paid for!  I have raised $600 for my trip to Gulu!  I am also receiving $1300 back form my taxes this year!  I prayed about it, and I know it's an answer to prayer for this ministry trip!!  Thank you all for giving!  As the day gets closer and closer, I am getting more and more excited!  I'm leaving in 19 days!!

Kyle has gotten his ticket!  One of his supporters paid for his ticket in full with frequent flyer miles!!! Praise God!

I NEED TO GET MY PLANE TICKET ASAP!!! I'm only $200 short right now! 

If you would still like to give, I would greatly appreciate it!!  It's getting down to the wire! You can click the DONATE BUTTON (on the right) to give electronically or you can still send a check to:

Leah Johnson
10438 Bales Ave
Kansas City, MO 64137

The deadline for tax deductible checks is May 6th!  This is Friday! Sorry for the late notice!  I just got an email today!  (Like I've said before, address it out to IHOP. Then, attach a sticky note with my name on it and please do not put my name anyway on the check.)


Things I need for the trip:
(Feel free to specifically pick of these things!)

• Luggage  (I need at least one large suitcase)
• $150 for my shots needed
• $50 for malaria medication
• $58 for my Visa
• $50 for toiletries and packing necessities
• A couple hundred to take with me for living expenses
• If it's possible extra money to help the house of prayer with food and to be a blessing!

Naomi's family is allowing me to stay at her house for free!! Food is included as well!  This is a huge blessing, but if I can I would like to give them a love offering!  Also Kyle is staying at the Shehee's house for free and they have offered their motorcycle to Kyle to use while they are out of town!  He said he was willing to come and get me!  So transportation is taken care of other than gas money!  

Life in KC at IHOPU:

Last week was the last official week of classes.  I'm signing up for next year!  I will be a Junior.  The Lord has been so near these ast two years.  I have grown so much.  Looking back, I see a little 19 year old girl that didn't know who she was, and now I see a strong woman of God that carries herself with confidence.  I have grown to know who I am before the Lord.  Thank you all for taking this journey with me!  I have learned from my previous leaders, teachers, and my peers.  I feel like the Lord is saying that this trip to Gulu is the beginning of something new and it's big!

Praise Report in Gulu:

The riots in Gulu have ended!  Thank you for praying for Naomi and Gulu.  However, Kampala is still under much distress.  There are fires, break ins, robberies, and violent riots still going on.  The police and authorities have tried to control it and have also handled things badly and it has gotten out of control.  They are pulling people out of their homes and beating them! Please pray for Kampala!  Ask for the peace of the Lord.  This is also where Kyle and I will be flying into.  Then we will bee taking a bus the rest of the way to Gulu!

May the Lord bless you all this week!!  Thank You for sowing into the Kingdom and my destiny!!

Uganda Riots Continue - Death Increases- Shehee's Home Robbed

• Will and Etta Shehee, along with their children, have faced a very intense week in Gulu Uganda!  I have received another e-mail from them regarding the riots and violence and what they have been going through since this all started. Here are a couple emails from them.

 (Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 10:10 AM)

(Etta Shehee) "It has been an intense week for us. We have encourtered protests turning violent in Gulu, being robbed, and  traveling 6 hours with all the children to pick Wills mom from the airport all in one week! I am feeling emotional, yet in a tender 'close to the Lord's heart' way, as I try to process all we have been thru and yet continue on with life."

To Pray for:

Uganda- Protests over inflation have turned violent in several cities here, including Gulu. You can read about it here: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/-/688334/1144774/-/c2q3svz/-/index.html .

The unsettling thing about  this sort of thing in Uganda is the underlying bitterness the different tribes hold towards each other. Bitterness that extends for decades and even generations. It seems to be finding an expression in these protests. Will witnessed many people being beaten by police, and the death toll for Gulu has been said to be at 5  (that is after only on night of protesting), one person who was lynched by protesters for wearing a shirt of the current president.

Please pray for this nation in this voltile time.

Gulu has been peaceful since last Thursday and protests are scheduled throughout the country for Mondays and Thursdays.

"Because things could possibly esculate, we decided to stick together as a family and all go pick up Will's mom from the airport and to leave on Sun.  since Mon. was a scheduled protest. We stayed in a hut in the zoo. After a great day with the kids we returned to find our door kicked in and our computer and video camera stolen!

As I have been sad, I have thought 'but those are only things'- I dont' want my emotions dictated by things- I realize my need to cling to Him alone more than ever in this time where He shakes everything that can be shaken."

He is shaking the nations.  He is shaken us. Will He alone be our rock?

Let us pray for the body of Christ as labor pains come upon the earth. Let us pray that His bride would be found fully in love, and standing firm on her Rock in the midst of this storm.

Thank you all

we love you all

Will and Etta

• A letter from Will Shehee depicting what it was like in Gulu when the riots started:

(Fri, Apr 15, 2011 at 7:55 AM)

It was a crazy night. I was in town when the protests began. I jumped on my motorcycle a started heading home. There was a rover of people running, fleeing from town. I reached our home on the north side of town. I had a tough decision to make. My kids were with friends on the south side of town. It was already 6:45pm and it would be dark soon. I decided I wanted my kids to be with me, so I drove the long way around the town center and got there around nightfall. Our ugandan friends there said I shouldn't go back the way I came because there is a shorter safer route if I drive towards town just a little ways...

I didn't make it far before I hit the first barricade. Since the power was out and it was dark, all I could see was fire and a heap of huge stones from one side of the road to the other. I wasn't sure what would happen. I had never experienced a barricade set up by protesters, and I was alone with my kids on my motorcycle with no local to advise me whether I should stop or turn around or quickly find a way through. I wasn't sure if the protesters would be in a mob mentality with lawlessness in their hearts where anything goes. I wasn't sure if I would get totally mobbed. But I knew God was with me. I ended up going around it on a small narrow shoulder bank. No one seemed to notice or care.

I got to where the turn off was supposed to be, but I had never been that way before and the roads are unmarked and unlit, so I stopped to ask someone. Just then a good friend (remember Jerome who we've been praying for) appeared out of the darkness to help me!!! I knew for sure that God was with me! He and a few others discussed which route I should take to bypass town. Then a guy said he needed to go where I was going and he could guide me on the back roads. No sooner had he jumped on than the police started firing tear gas just ahead of us. We escaped just in time!

We wove our way through narrow footpaths in the dark for about 30 minutes. Then we turned onto a bigger road that would take us into the town center. There were huge piles of dirt in the middle of the road from where they are planning renovations for the dirt road. As we drove, suddenly from behind one of the dirt mounds about 6 army guys with machine guns jumped out at us and started shouting at us. They tore our guide off the back and started beating him. They hit him twice in the face with a stick and then tore his shirt off and tied his hands behind his back with it. They threw him on the ground with about 15 other barechested men with their hands tied behind their backs. They started interrogating me and finally told me to go. I said I couldn't go without my guide. They wouldn't listen. I refused to leave without him. (I would be totally lost). Finally they gave him one last whip on the back witha stick and let him come with me. It's a good thing they did, because those other guys were to be taken to the military barracks and beaten through the night and interrogated to see if they were part of the protests.

We headed back into the town center which was totally abandoned. We headed up the main street leading home. Then we saw a police officer in the middle of the road. Next to him was a man with no shirt on squatting on the road. The Policeman was holding a stick. It was obvious what was happening. It didn't look good for us. But he just shouted at us for a while and let us pass.

Then I had to detour to take the guide home. But as we turned up another street, a few youth came running towards us saying "police!!!". There was a police barricade ahead. We opted to risk a turn around. O switched off my headlights and turned around. The police were shouting but I just gunned it. We made it out. I told Richard, our guide, " You're staying with me tonight". After that we wove through a few more roads but didn't hit any more barricades. I was never so glad to see my gate. Etta was safe at home with the baby. She said there had been some close gunshots, smoke,and screaming but everything was okay.

At home we saw the hand of providence behind it all. Richard, it turns out, was the back-slidden son of a Baptist preacher, condemned and rejected by the congregation. After talking for a while, he decided to rededicate his life to Jesus and forgive the adversarial Christians!!! So, it was all worth it! And not to worry, because the kids were not traumatized or even frightened by the ride. They just thought it was a fun game.

So, once again, thank you for praying. God is faithful.

Will

New Paypal Account!!

Hello Friends and Family,

I just got my paypal account set up!  Just click the "donate" button to the right and follow the directions to help send me to Uganda!!  Just an FYI: If you choose to give through Paypal, it will not be tax deductible.

If you would like to give a tax deductible donation, you can mail a check to:

IHOP
10438 Bales Ave.
Kansas City MO, 64137

(Do not put my name anywhere on the check.  Instead, attach a sticky note with "Leah Johnson" to the check.  DEADLINE FOR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS IS MAY 10TH!)

Blessings to you all!
Leah

3 People Killed in Gulu, Uganda Riot! A Call to FAST And PRAY!

All, Praise God, Mao was released less than 24 hours after his second arrest and is doing well. Uganda is still fighting hard for freedom and in dire need of our prayers. On his Facebook page today, Mao called for three days of fasting and praying. If you feel led to join us, please do.

At least three people were killed on Sunday during clashes with police at a revelation to protest rising food in the city of Gulu, 300 miles north of Kampala. 

Protesters clashed with police when it arrested Norbert Mao, a ex- candidate for head in the elections last February and regional government chairman.

Two people were shot by members of the security forces while the third victim died of a lynching, local media reported.  The revelation was part of the battle ‘Go to work’, methodical by the political challenger in Uganda against rising food and fuel prices, and similar events made yesterday in innumerable cities including the capital Kampala.  Hundreds of people were arrested right through the people, where there were repeated clashes between riot police and protesters.  Police have not released a statement with the digit of offended, especially on the protests conceded out in the capital, Kampala, where there were more bloody clashes.  Even if, a policecommander in Gulu has confirmed the three deaths during the riots in this city.  The main challenger politician, Kizza Besigye, said at least 200 people were injured in the revelationconceded out right through the people. To be sure, this people is having a huge dispute and they are really overwhelming right now.

Mao's Call to Fast on Facebook:

FAST & PRAY!!! From tomorrow Monday 18 April 2011, even as we walk to work, some of us will start a three day fast which we shall only break on Thursday 21 April 2011. By fasting we purify ourselves and pray for God's intervention. Please join in the fasting and prayer. The Lord Reigns!!! You will see...The same God who brought down the oppressive walls of Jericho and parted the waters of the Red Sea is alive...

I just received this email, but let's join this fast and continue to pray for Gulu! 

GULU, UGANDA IN FLAMES, RIOTS, AND GUNFIRE!!

Gulu in flames, under heavy gunfire as Mao is arrested

Posted  Thursday, April 14 2011 at 19:18

Residents of Gulu town protesting the arrest of district chairman Norbert Mao over the ‘walk-to-work’ demonstration have come under heavy gunfire and tear-gassing by both soldiers and police.

The police are reported to be rounding the town with Mao in their hold, unsure where to take him into safe custody as crowd pursues them to have him released.

Fuel stations and shops are hurriedly closed with owners, and or operators, fearing probable damage by infuriated dwellers.

Our Northern Uganda Bureau Chief, James Eriku, says soldiers summoned from the nearby UPDF 4^thDivision Headquarters are driving in armoured cars, shooting randomly.

Residents are fighting back by pelting the security operatives with stones, and are burning car tyres and any combustible material on the roads to halt the military’s advance.

Motorised traffic has been paralysed in the town and various parts are inaccessible.

The town is reported to be in a power blackout, and the shooting is “severe”, Mr Eriku says.

Many people are variously injured in the sporadic violence.

HEY EVERYONE!  GULU NEEDS OUR PRAYERS RIGHT NOW!  MY SISTER IS IN THE MIDST OF ALL OF THIS!  SHE IS SAFE, BUT IF WE DON'T INTERCEDE, IT COULD GET WORSE!  I will keep you updated on how things are going.  

The Lord is moving in Uganda and Southern Sudan!

Hello everyone!!


I wanted to update you on how things are going with Uganda!  I received an email that really encouraged my spirit and I wanted to share some of it with you! 

"Praise Jesus for what He is doing in Southern Sudan. Most of you know that as of January, Southern Sudan is now it's own nation (separate from the North, whose government has suppressed them and fought against them for over 25 years).  There is much rejoicing over this victory."
"Praise God, He has over this past week, saved many many souls.  From the reports we received, 2,000 came to faith on Mon. night, and 1,500 Tues. night Also, there have been many healings and deliverances.  They are seeing tons of miracles - blind eyes and deaf ears opening!  Nothing like this has ever happened on the state of S. Sudan!  And there are reports that Jesus even raised a child from the dead!!!"


The Lord definitely has His hand on Uganda and Southern Sudan!  I am so thankful and blessed to go, be a part of it, impart new things, and receive from them!! I am greatly anticipating this trip and I know the Lord is going to change me and do more than things than I can even imagine!


Kyle and I have begun to meet with IHOP leadership for guidance and suggestions!  One of our leaders is Michael Tharpe!  He gave us so many ideas and sermon notes to study.  We are so blessed to have his wisdom.  We have also set up other meetings with leaders we have gotten close to throughout the years we have been here! 

 

Kyle and I Meeting with Michael Tharpe in regards to Uganda

Kyle and I have gotten together and we came up with a daily schedule for the intensive.  We plan on leaving May 24th, arriving may 26th, and beginning the intensive on the 30th. The first 5 days, we will be meeting the team, getting settled, and adjusting to the culture!  Then we will jump right in with a full week of training, teaching, prayer meetings, Worship Sets, Holy Groups and much more! 

What the Lord has been revealing to me:

Everyday I have been praying and interceding for the house of prayer in Uganda.  I have been preparing my heart for what the Lord is going to do.  Last night, the Lord woke me up in the night and struck my heart with his desire for the people there.  He is so pleased with their hearts and His love for them surpasses my understanding!  He gripped me with compassion and zeal to see them rooted and grounded in His love.  The most important thing for an intercessor/singer/musician is to have an inward life of intimacy with God!  Out of this intimacy, flows everything else!  

My Financial status:

I have raised $565 so far!! Praise the Lord! My plane ticket is $2004.  My shots will be around $200.  And I know my visa is $57! I have already sent for my passport, which was $135.  I will need some money to take with me as well!  I also need malaria medication to take before I go.  So I am shooting for $3000!  The next thing on my list is to get my visa!  


If you haven't already considered financially support me, please pray and ask the Lord if He wants you to sow into this.  This trip is so much bigger than me.  He is doing so many things already and training this team will only further His work!  So many people have come to know the Lord, been delivered, and healed from the conference they had in Sudan.  Just imagine, if there were multiple conferences with the team that Kyle and I train at the center!  This team is a catalyst to many more teams being trained after Kyle and I leave! 


I love you all!  Thank you for your continual prayer and support!  You mean so much to me!  I hope the Lord blesses you abundantly!  

Amazing Updates on Uganda!!

   So, most all of you know that I wll be going to Africa this summer in May.   There has been so much that has happened.  I have been emailing back and forth with the Shehee family, this is the couple my sister met at the "Son Kofa" restaurant in Gulu!  They have assembled a team of singers, musicians, and intercessors that are so excited that Kyle and I are coming!  I'm adding a couple inserts from our emails back and forth!  William Shehee said, 


"I know God is sending you guys to take us to the next level!!!  It's so important to God because this is so much more than one team, it is a prototype for the entire city.  Already, several of the leading churches here have asked me to train their worship teams in the Harp and Bowl Model.  So once this team becomes strong, we can begin rapid reproduction."


"The Lord has shown me and many others prophetically that what God begins in Gulu will touch the unreached nations to the north.  Northern Uganda is LITERALLY on the frontier - everything north is unreached.  There are dozens of unreached people groups just one days drive away from here!    And God is raising up an army of believers from here who have passed through the fires of adversity, who do not love their lives even unto death, to carry the Gospel north, deep into Muslim territory.  He is sending a Revival that will start in the "Jerusalem" of Gulu and spread to the "Judea and Samaria" of northern Uganda and Southern Sudan, and the the "Ends of the earth" of North Africa and the Middle East.  And the House of Prayer will be a conduit of that Revival!  So be very encouraged, for what you are sowing here will be reaped all throughout the 10/40 Window. 


This just became so much bigger than I could ever even dream of!  The Lord has a huge plan for Gulu, Uganda, and I am so thrilled to be part of it.  Basically, we will be going to Uganda to teach and preach.  We want to come under the Ugandans there and love on them.  We have been given full reign and freedom to do whatever we want in regards to the house of prayer.  We were even extended an invitation to stay for two months instead of one.  We are talking about doing an intensive with training on the harp and bowl model of IHOP.  There will be worship classes, music and vocal lessons, and hands on training.  kyle and I will be leading all of these things by the grace of God! The Lord has opened this door for me and I am anticipating what He is going to do.  I know He will change my heart, my perceptions, and rock me to the core!  I am so excited to learn from the people of Uganda as well, and be involved in their lives.  The Lord has instructed me to come underneath them, serve them, and teach them about the lifestyle of an intercessory missionary.  I want to go low, like the sermon on the mount teaches.  I;m hoping that many people wind find their callings in this house of prayer and increase the prayer movement.  William Shehee has told us all about the members of our team!  I am praying for them daily, and really sowing into this trip through prayer and fasting. 


The Lord gave me revelation about this mission trip that I would like to share with you.  The Lord showed me that the little bit that I offer, by going to Africa, is sowing into my inheritance in heaven.  And everything that happens in result of that, is my inheritance!  The Lord knows I am a visual person, He made me that way.  So He gave me a vision to help with this revelation:


The Lord showed me a globe.  It started to spin.  As it spun, there were little fires that started all over africa.  The Lord showed me that those fires were prayers that were received and answered from the intercession in the house of prayer in Gulu. The globe continued to spin and it stopped on Africa.  A huge fire started in Gulu and moved throughout Northern Uganda and into Southern Sudan.  It then spread to northern Africa and western Africa!  


      The Lord said, "Everything the fire touches, is your inheritance, Leah."


The Lord is moving!  I am so extremely blessed, and a little shocked, that the Lord chose me!  All of these things did not happen by chance.  They are all intricately part of His divine plan, which ends in His glorious coming!  Just imagine all of the unreached people groups that will hear the word.  All the houses of prayer that will start.  And all of the praise that will truly fill the earth!  


I am asking you to prayerfully consider sowing into this.  This inheritance is not just for me!  By giving through prayer and support you will enter into this inheritance and receive in the kingdom.  Even if you are a student at IHOPU or a different college, 20, 10, or even 5 dollars would help greatly.  If the Lord, stirs your heart, and you would like to give, you can send a check to:


        LEAH JOHNSON
        10438 Bales Ave. 
        Kansas City, MO 64137 


(If you want it to be tax deductible, make it out to IHOP and put a sticky note in the envelope with my name on it!  DO NOT PUT MY NAME ANYWHERE ON THE CHECK.  I apologize, I am trying to get my pay-pal back up and running.  I seem to be having some difficulties.  So I do not have electronic giving available yet, but I will let you know when I do!)
  
THANK YO SO MUCH!  I LOVE YOU ALL AND I HOPE THE LORD ABUNDANTLY BLESSES YOU!