SETTLING IN AND READY TO FOCUS

hEY EVERYONE. We are settling in here in Mississippi. We will probably move to a more permanent location around April 1. This will be just in time for us to just get settled and then leave for Uganda! It is good though.

Our plans for Uganda are continuing to expand. It will be exciting to see who will actually go with us. Please continue fundraising. Our accounts are set up here in Mississippi now for UTMI, so funds should be sent here to:

UTMI
P.O. BOX 89
DeKalb, MS 39328

We will be setting up the airline tickets soon, so we will need to get the funds in the bank. We are finding the banks to be very difficult to deal with. They are WAY too cautious. For example, we deposited almost $3000 in our new personal account here on Feb. 1, and the funds are still not available to us as of this writing (Feb. 13). However, the bank we are using for the ministry only has a Five day hold on out of state funds. I am saying this to let you know that last minute funds will not be available for use immediately.

God is still building the team comprised of our fellow Believers from Paso Robles, Ventura, Ojai, and Mississippi. It is exciting to see. The Ugandan Believers are very excited about our upcoming trip as well. They will be greatly blessed of the Lord by our coming, and we will be greatly blessed by going.

So Pray, Pray, Pray, and Stay in the Word of God regularly. Get as intimate with God as possible in these coming weeks. We want to be vessels of honor, fit for our Master's use!

Susan and I love you all.

UPDATES

Your airfare money needs to be in before February 15th so we can make reservations. We have a large group going in April, we will need to book ahead to secure seats for our flights.

A LIABILITY RELEASE FORM will be sent out for all to sign and return to Unchanging Truth for our files.

We will be purchasing Travel Insurance for the dates of the trip. Normally this costs between $3 and $5 per day/per person for the duration. This will come from your total cost of $2700 for the trip.

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT – Bring $50 and $100 bills dated 2000 and newer, with no ink marks on the bills. It is hard to get anything less than a $50 or $100 dollar bill exchanged. Most people are fine with $200 - $300 in spending money. Up to $800 in merchandise can be brought back to the States without taxes.

The Exchange rate fluctuates for Uganda Shillings. In the past it has fluctuated between 1600-2100 Uganda Shillings to the dollar.

We are putting together a sponsor letter guide that I will be posting shortly, that will give you a good description of why we are going and what we will be doing. You can use this as a guide and personalize it from you to send out to friends and family. Most people will never go themselves, but they would love to help support a loved one that does go. Don't be afraid to send this out to everyone you know. God will raise up the people to get involved in this great ministry.

POTENTIAL TRIP PARTICIPANTS:
• Scott Harrell, Susan Harrell, John Harrell, Cristin Harrell, Jim Poorboy, Tracy Cook, OVBC --3?, CBC --4-5?, Paso Robles --4?

DATES: April 21-May 5 or 6, 2010
• NOTE: The days on which we arrive and leave Uganda are dependent upon the airline we travel on. Most airlines do not travel to and from Entebbe every day. Many only fly in and out 3 days per week. Cost and itinerary will determine which airline(s) we use. It is NOT an easy trip—It is between 28 & 40 hours of travel and layovers each way. The flight from the U.S. will be 11 to 16 hours of flying time, depending on the route, with the connecting flight to Entebbe between 7 and 9 hours of flying time. Coming home is really bad for jet-lag due to the time-zone changes. Ambien CR is a great sleep aid on these long treks. There are ample movies to distract you, and usually the food is great!
AGENDA:
o PRAY – PRAY – PRAY! – Believe God for Great Things for His Glory!
o Depart – April 21, 2010
o Arrive Entebbe – April 22
o April 23-24 – Pray, Plan, Orientation
o April 25 – Worship at Kakira
o April 26-30 -- Conference
o Morning and Afternoon Sessions
o Evening Worship Rally
o May 2 – Visit Villages and Preach
o May 3-4 – Shopping & Sightseeing -- DEBRIEFING
o May 4 or 5 – Depart Entebbe
o May 5 or 6 – Arrive in USA
o PRAISE! – PRAISE! – PRAISE! – Celebrate the Good Things God Did!

COSTS: Ideally, each participant should seek to raise at least $800 above airfare.
o Airfare = $1800 (Approximate)
o Housing = $50/room X 13 days
o Transportation = Van@$40/day + Driver@$40/day = $800 Per Van X Two
o Petrol = $600
o Food = $250/Per Person + $1500/Conference Meals

TEACHING FOCUS:
o School of Ministry
o School of Theology
o School of Missions
o The Peacemaker Plan
o Women’s Studies
o Children’s Ministry—As Leaders are available
o Youth Minister’s Track—As Leaders are available

If you have any questions, you may contact Scott at 805.223.0072, or John at 805.201.5916, or Susan (Women's conference) at 805.646.2141.

Welcome new Uganda Team 2010! The dates are set for APRIL 21 - May 7, and our plans and preparations are underway. We are excited to welcome new team members for this upcoming year and look forward to meeting you in person. Please sign in as a "Follower" so we all can see who will be going this year.

For information concerning various things related to our trip such as-- Vaccinations, Passports & Visas, Do's & Don'ts in Uganda, Travel tips & Packing Hints, Working with interpreters etc... go to our other blogsite called Trip Preparations and all these topics will covered.

To find out specific information about your conference in which you will be participating, select that conference from the side bar to the right. You will get first hand information from your Team leader. You will also be able to contact your teams leaders at that location should you have any questions.

The most important preparation you can begin to do now for this upcoming trip is to faithfully and fervently pray. We will be posting an ongoing current prayer list about which we all can join together and pray. Check in frequently for updates.

We are excited to see what God is going to do on this trip, and also in each of our hearts as we look forward in faith, expecting great things!