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Luke Buescher Uganda

 
Dear Friends and Family, I pray this update finds you abiding in the love and joy of our Savior. 
          Have you ever been caught in a sudden and unexpected storm? I remember years ago I was hiking Pike's Peak with two of my cousins. Due to some lollygagging and admitted carelessness, it was already afternoon by the time we cleared the tree line; a definite mistake in Colorado as thunderstorms roll into the mountains almost every afternoon in the summer. looking up at the sky we didn't see any signs of storms or clouds, and figuring we had lucked out decided to push toward the peak. A little more than an hour later we where boxed in by dense fog and could hear the thunder beginning to sound on the mountains around us. We knew we were about as far from the top of the mountain and the safety of the gift shop as we were from the tree line and the relative safety of of the trees. We decided to try to make it to the top to escape the storm. By the time we were nearing the top I was watching my cousins hair began to stand on end, and by spreading my arms out I could literally feel the electricity in the air! Only minutes after stepping inside the gift shop lighting began to strike down all over the mountain. It was definitely a bit of a close call.  

          Back in August, I remember answering an email from my missions pastor, telling him that everything; health, ministry, and life in general were going great. After writing that email I began to reflect that I hadn't even had the sniffles for about 5 months (an unusually long period of time for me to go without getting sick in some way or another). I remember thanking God for my health. Right after that, I went through about two and a half months of almost constant Malaria, followed by pneumonia/lung infection that landed me in the hospital for about 6 days. My team sent me home to rest and recover, and I walked into some very difficult and painful personal challenges in the states. The last couple months I have felt a lot like that day hiking the mountain, in a moment everything seems to flip-turn upside down. It certainly hasn't been fun to walk through everything, and in many ways I'm still in the process. On the bright side, by God's grace my health has improved and I have even regained the majority of the weight I lost while sick.

          In God's sovereign wisdom and timing, I have also been preparing to teach the book of Job when I get back to Uganda. God has used it to encourage me and strengthen my faith in the midst of the storm. I want to share three points that have stood out to me while reading through the book of Job. I hope they'll be a blessing to you too.

1. We need to put our hope in the right place. 

          If I think about my situation and try to compare it to Job, mine obviously doesn't hold a candle. Talk about a storm coming out of nowhere. One minute Job was the the richest, most prosperous person around. the next, he had nothing. His wealth, His livelihood, servants, and even family were taken from him in a moment.  He was given a horrible sickness, and then to add insult to injury his three friends came by to slander and accuse him. Even his wife encouraged him to "curse God and die". I believe man's comfort tends to be very trite. Most of the time, people will point us to vain hopes of how things might get better here in the earth. Sayings like, "Things will get better", "This will all work out for the best", "some day you'll look back on this and see how God used it to accomplish x, y, or z.", fall totally short of what the soul needs in the moment of trial. There may end up being some truth to them, but in the moment of trial, it's all just wishful thinking. Instead, as Job wrestled through the storm, he chose to look to an unchanging anchor of hope and truth,
 
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,

And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.

        “Even after my skin is destroyed,

Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

        Whom I myself shall behold,

And whom my eyes will see and not another. (Job 19:25-27a)

          Job didn't place his hope in the earth, he didn't find comfort in the thought that his situation might improve or be useful for something. Instead he looked to the hope of his redeemer, and found solace in the permanence of a savior.


2. We Need to Understand that Life is a Vapor.
 

This goes right alone with number 1. in Chapter 14 Job declares,

    “Man who is born of woman

Is of few days and full of trouble.

    He comes forth like a flower and fades away;

He flees like a shadow and does not continue."

This concept is expressed a number of other places in scripture, one of my favorites is in Psalm 39,
 

"Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,

And my age is as nothing before You;

Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor."


          No matter what the difficulty, or how long we have to pass through it, no matter what hopes and aspirations we have for this life, whether they are realized or not, it is only a vapor. It will be gone in a moment, and the eternal joy of being with our Heavenly Father is waiting just beyond. It's very easy to get caught up in the here and now, it's easy spend our thought and emotion hoping to make the vapor the most enjoyable successful vapor we can. In a moment it will disappear. I would much rather focus on having an eternal impact rather than fleeting joy. I believe God accomplishes that more in our suffering than in our prosperity.


3. Finally, We Need to Remember that God is good, trustworthy, and in absolute control.

          God is not aimless. The storms He brings us into are for a purpose. Nothing takes God by surprise. Whether we are in a situation because of our own foolish choices or not, God has a purpose in it. Through His word we know that that purpose, among other things, includes our good and His glory. (Romans 8:28). At the end of the day we may never get to know why God brings us into the storms that he does, Job certainly didn't. But we can know that God is good, trustworthy, and in absolute control. Once God revealed himself to Job, the question of WHY God did what He did was lost in the reality of WHO God is. (Job 42:1-6)

So, what's next for me?

God opened up an awesome opportunity for me and February 10th I will be going to Jordan and Israel! I'm super excited for the opportunity!

From Jordan I will finally be heading back home to Uganda around the middle of February.

Please keep myself and the whole team in your prayers as we teach through the book of Job. 

Also, I just found out I'm going to have to find a new place to live once I get back to Uganda. Please pray that God would provide a good place at a good price. I have been hoping for some time now to be able to move closer to the church, and have a house that will be a place of ministry and fellowship. 

Thanks for taking the time to read! I pray that God richly blesses you with a deeper revelation of His character and love.

In Him,
Luke Buescher

P.S. I have updated my information below with the right links and instructions for donations on the new giving platform. 

Prayer requests and financial details 

Would you consider partnering with me in dedicated daily prayer and financial support?
Prayer Requests 
  • That I would be filled with wisdom and boldness to declare the word of God in truth.
  • That I would abide in the Love of Christ, finding strength and victory in Him.
  • 2 Timothy 2:21-22
  • For the Ugandan Church; that it would be built up and established in the word of God, Love of Christ, and in the Fellowship of the Spirit.
  • For the team of Missionaries working in Uganda; for unity, wisdom, and direction.
If God is stirring your heart to support me financially you can do so online by following these steps,
 
1. Follow this link to the donation portal https://rmcalvary.onlinegiving.org/donate/login

2. Either create an account by clicking "SIGN UP", or just click "GIVE AS GUEST"

3. Hit the drop down for "select gift fund" and choose "Missions"

4. Select "Uganda (Buescher, Luke)"

5. Complete payment information 

If you would like to mail in a donation you may send it to,
Rocky Mountain Calvary, 4285 Academy Blvd N, Colorado Springs, CO 80918.

Please include a note in with the donation specifying it is for Luke Buescher to Uganda. Please do not write in the memo line.

Donations are tax deductible

Finally, if you are interested in staying up to date on what’s happening while I’m here, please send me an e-mail at Lukebuescher7@gmail.com, and put “Newsletter” in the subject line.


 
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