Summer of Travel

FSI has experienced a bustling summer, filled with extensive travel for many of our pastors and leaders.

Drew Atlas traveled to Africa with his church group, accompanied by his daughter Moriah.

Below are his daily notes from their trip and ministry time while in Africa.

[ Jump down to Sat 7/27 & Mon 7/29 as they have some especially cool events! ]

How great is our God

Start of Update emails to Prayer Team for Drew & Moriah Alatis re Uganda ministry trip July, 2024:

Sunday 7/21/24 

Moriah and I will be joining a 15 person team from a couple Columbus churches, traveling to Jinja, Uganda (7/22-8/1/24). Jinja is on the northern tip of Lake Victoria, from which flows the headwaters of the Nile River. We will be joining some local ministries in Uganda for a two day Pastors Conference (900 pastors are registered for Thursday & Friday) and for a one day Youth Conference (1200 are registered for Saturday). Ministry for us is anticipated to be speaking at the Conferences, encouraging the pastors, and the youth (ages 12 - 28), prayer for salvation, deliverance, and healing. We also will be ministering in various churches on Sunday, and anticipate contacts during our travels there, during, and back.

We are asking folks to stop and pray at noon each day, on their own, and bring us before the Throne. We are asking that folks pray in asking for us to hear and know God's heart for His people there, and to move in His Love and move in His power of His Holy Spirit. 

As Scott Moses has recently encouraged us, and it witnesses to our spirits, that in seeking to be used by God to serve the people there, that we stay grounded in knowing God is powerful and good and that with Him is unfailing love (Ps 62).  As we have heard has happened with this trip in prior years, we are asking for Spirit led words of encouragement from us, for clear words of knowledge, words of wisdom, healings, deliverance, and miracles, again, all flowing from God's Love for the people we are serving.

We would also appreciate some folks agreeing to pray, like you, not just as noon, but picking a day and praying for the above, for our team, and for God's Kingdom purposes to be come, and His will be done throughout that day you are praying.

…We so appreciate your love and prayer covering to support us in sensing God's love and knowing His leading of what to say and what to do.  Please let us know. Thanks for your love.

Grace and God's Love to you,

Drew for Moriah and the team

Mon/Tues 7/22-23/24 travel to Uganda. 

Wednesday 7/24/24 after midnight:

Just arrived in Entebbe, Uganda. It’s 2:30 am Uganda time Wed 7/24/24. Praise God. All was exceptionally smooth (& long) travel. Now we have a 5 hr drive through the night through Kampala, & onto Jinja. Our faith is building for the ministry meetings tomorrow. Met the local Jinja guys. All Godly, zealous men of God. It is winter here so it is such a beautiful, cool evening, even so much nicer than Columbus. 😂

Have intermittent Wi-Fi. Will contact again when available.

Love you so much. Thanks to all who are praying.

Abba for Moriah & the team

Uganda update:

Today, Wed, 7/24/24 after arriving by van in Jinja at 6am, (after over 38 hrs of travel), we settled in, unpacked, got a few hrs sleep. We then got up at  noon, ate, & went to a boys street orphanage to minister. Tough kids, mostly teens. 

At the orphanage, Many of our team spoke & led out in prayer, including words of knowledge & healing. We then took time to pray for each kiddo there. 

Moriah & I also shared. Moriah was dynamic. 

We then went to the Worldfire ministry center for prayer, worship, & then supper. 

Fyi: The vision of WorldFire Missions is to ignite revival by leading people into personal encounters with Jesus.

Definition: We intentionally pursue the heart of God daily and value His presence above all else. Our first ministry is to Jesus. He will always have preeminence.

The Youth Conference is entitled: PURSUIT - SEEK FIRST

Pls prayer for our words to the Pastors these next 2 days.

Hi All, Addendum to last update just now. Drew wrote:

We especially request your prayer, for tonight, we just learned tomorrow’s speakers line up and see that for tomorrow morning (at 3 am Thurs Columbus time), Drew will be one of two main morning speakers to the pastors at the Pastors Conference. 

Second, just before the morning sessions, (at 12:15 am Thurs am Columbus time), Moriah was asked to lead the pre-meeting Team devotions to start our ministry day. 

We pray for no “cerebral” messages of the “arm of flesh, leaning on its own understanding”… BUT, we ask that God’s love & God’s supernatural power fall on the listeners, & on Drew & Moriah, when the messages, prayer & ministry times proceed. 

Drew was asked to give his message on encouraging individuals (often in leadership) when they have epic failure. (Jonah, Peter, David, etc. - 2Cor 7:10; Pr 24:15; Jonah 3:1; Heb 12:15; Heb 12:11; 2Cor 12:9; 1Pet 5:6; Mat 11:28;)

Thursday, 7/25/24 Uganda Update:

Moriah’s message at devotions was beautiful & powerful. All were amazed & blessed for such a Spirit-led start to the ministry day. 

My talk went very well at the large mtg, (with the team leader saying it “hit it out of the park.”) The prayer ministry time later in afternoon was powerful. More on that later. 

There were some challenges, but God sustained us with his grace. (I think due to a reaction to the malaria meds & due to some attempted mischief from the enemy b/f my talk, I threw up 2x early this am. Also, our team leader’s wife, Abby, also suffered serious, 3rd degree burns on her hand from a stove, also before we left to minister this am.) 

We all came before the Lord & committed this day, & these ministry sessions to him. All ministry times went exceptionally well. Some of the more experienced guys addressed some demonic manifestations in two people trying to disrupt the meetings. 

Awe inspiring to see the power of the Holy Spirit take authority & allow for some beautiful  worship time to occur before we started praying for people’s needs & healing. 

Pls pray for a total washing away of any stomach & headache issues, & for Ms. Abby’s painful, burnt hand, so that ministry can proceed unimpeded these coming days. 

Praise God. His power was (& is) made perfect in our weaknesses. When we are weak, then we are strong. A huge “Thank You” to all for who are interceding in this spiritual battle & endeavor.  I see your prayers working. Things went so well, despite the opposition & challenges. 

Love to all.

Friday, 7/26/24 Uganda update:  

We just finished the second day Pastor’s Conference. Yesterday’s conference was in Buwenge, a town an hour away from Jinja. Today, the Conference was in Jinja City itself. 

In addition to today’s speakers, they had the rest of the team members come up in the afternoon and deliver words they had for the people. We also took time to pray for other people at the end of the day. A full 8 hrs of ministry was tiring (especially on the heels of yesterday); but it was so gratifying to see the Word go forth and people touched & ministered to. 

Moriah, as usual, was wonderful. She had had a dream of a Ugandan man last night. Today she saw that man in the meetings. During the team ministry time, she called him out & we invited him up & prayed for him.  

This morning, she also had a vision (word picture) of what God was going to be doing in the bldg we had not seen yet today. Her sharing that picture & its meaning was a great encouragement to all. 

At the end of the day, when things were being cleaned up, the head pastor asked me if Moriah was my daughter. He said she has a powerful prophetic anointing. He also encouraged that we help her be further developed with books & others who move in this area. 

Just then, the primary prophetic team member joined our conversation. The head pastor repeated the comment to him re Moriah & he replied, “Oh definitely, it is so evident with her.” 

When we got back to our apts, Moriah & I had a good conversation. She told of her awe in what God had been doing. She also relayed a cool, humble, fear of God in wanting to be very respectful & reverential in this whole area. 

Prayer requests for Saturday:

    1.    For tomorrow’s Youth Conference, tomorrow’s speakers include, along w: the other adults, Moriah & the one other teen on our team. (“Youth” conf…) Pls pray for her hearing what God wants her to deliver in her address. 

    2.    Pls pray for open hearts of those attending the youth conference tomorrow. 

    3.    Pls pray for all of us being attentive to what the Lord’s heart is for us to pray, say, and do. 

    4.    We also ask for strength, (being tired of getting up early, doing ministry all day, going to the Worldfire HQ for a late dinner, & then debriefing).

    5.    Our team is being split up among various churches for Sunday morning services. Pls pray that Moriah & I, & another team member, discern what mssg & how to deliver it to the church to which we are going on Sunday. 

    6.    PRAISE God for relatively smooth (but tiring) activities, great weather, little admin. problems, good ministry times. Also, Abby’s burn is getting better & I am back to eating. 

WOW, YOUR PRAYERS ARE BEING VERY EFFECTIVE.  THANK YOU!

    7.    Praise God for the blessing, love, & power being released, & being received by our dear brothers & sisters.

Again, YOUR PRAYERS ARE BEING VERY EFFECTIVE.  THANK YOU!!!

Saturday 7/27/24 Uganda update:

God blessed the youth conference beyond expectations with much worship, joyful celebration, preaching and prayer! They counted 120 (later updated to 150) people who came forward for salvation (don't know how many stayed in the seat and prayed). The 1200 people did not come as expected, but 2300 did! Praise God! 

There was much singing, dancing, praising, even a famous Ugandan Christian rapper (in black leather, sunglasses, & dreads) made an appearance, much to the delight of the young people. 

The Ugandan, Christian rapper did some songs that pleased the adults & youth alike. (Most there were in their teens & twenties.) He had met his wife in Jinja and he sang a great rap song with audience participation. The chorus was “No touchy-touchy until the wedding ring is on the finger.” All were swaying, even dancing, holding up their hand highlighting the (wedding) ring finger. 

During the talks, Moriah's exuberant, authoritative, compassionate and Spirit-led message shell-shocked the team and energized the young people. Although there was an altar call after the first message in the morning session, after Moriah’s afternoon message, even without her giving an invitation, there was a surge of people who came to the altar to respond & pray as she finished her impassioned talk.  

At the end of the day, our team was amazed with all that God had done today. The team leader's wife later said to me with tears, "your daughter's message and delivery wrecked me." (The team leader & others commented that Moriah’s natural, relaxed, & free flowing style, incl. traversing the stage & into the seats, praying in tongues while walking & waiting on the Lord during her mssg, and her passion & zeal, was reminiscent of a Kathryn Kuhlman anointing. The organizing local pastor even raised the idea of another youth conference featuring her. Moriah was wanting to take a low position on all of this, especially while trying to process it all.)

BONUS TESTIMONY:

Tonight, we learned of more answered prayer. Before arriving in Uganda, while in the airport in Ethiopia changing planes to Uganda, I struck up a conversation with a lady in the ticket line going to Kampala. I encouraged her with a scripture. She looked startled & said, that is the same scripture that a close friend of hers used to say. She opened her phone and showed me a missing person poster of her friend.  I asked another female member of our team to join us and offered to pray with her. We pulled out of the ticket line and prayed for the now crying lady (Daisy) and that her missing friend (David) would be found. She went on to Kampala & we to Jinja. 

Tonight we learned that our local pastor’s wife received a message from a friend, who had received a text from another friend, who had somehow been contacted by Daisy, the lady in the ticket line in Ethiopia. Daisy wanted to tell us that the day after we prayed, her missing friend, David, was found safe. Praise God!!

Prayer requests:

1. Please pray for the messages that Drew and Moriah will give at one of the local churches.

2. Pray for all the team members speaking at various churches Sunday morning.

3. Pray that Drew can connect with a local orphanage he's been trying to reach here in Jinja.

4. Pray for the team's time praying for people at a local hospital on Monday.

Praise God for all the above answered prayers, productive meetings and the Spirit's move. YOUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN SO EFFECTIVE! Thank you!!!

Sunday 7/28/24 Uganda update:

Yes! The Sunday morning services for all teams all went well. 

The church Drew, Moriah & another team member attended was outside of Jinja, under a tarp. 

Drew gave the teaching. Our Fellow team member gave her testimony. Moriah then gave a message and brought an enthusiastic response. (One of the men said that their church has had a number of foreign speakers come, but Moriah’s message was the best he has heard.)

Upon return from our church services, the entire team regrouped, debriefed & had lunch. 

We then went to a “Prayer Mountain” outside of Jinja. It had previously been a place of blood sacrifices by witch doctors; but one of the primary witch doctors became a follower of Jesus. After many miraculous struggles, even a court challenge by the witch doctors, the mountain was purchased by Christians & has become a place of prayer & spiritual reflection for Christian leaders. There are various huts & seats throughout the mt. for prayer, with a spectacular view of Lake Victoria. 

God was so evident there & touched our team members with prayer, worship (& tears). 

Prayer Requests for last day’s activities in Jinja:

    1.    In the next few hours on Monday, pls pray for our time ministering in a local hospital that will include praying for the sick. 

    2.    Pls pray for words of final encouragement & giving to the many workers at Worldfire Africa who have faithfully taken care of us, driven us to the different venues, humbly responded to our needs, as well as served late setting up venues & logistics for all the various ministry events. 

    3.    That God wld give us safety & discretion as we decompress tomorrow afternoon before leaving, as the team walks downtown & rides a boat on the upper Nile River. (Street crime & thefts have escalated in recent years.)

    4.    Praise God Drew was finally able to connect with a  certain local orphanage & will visit there tomorrow afternoon. 

    5.    Praise God for God’s very evident response to your prayers with such rich ministry times, smooth transitions, & absence of catastrophes. 

We SO appreciate you!!!

Monday 7/29/24 Uganda Update:

Eventful day of team worship on Monday morning, and later we went thru a children’s hospital praying for the sick children & their families. 

The concept of private rooms was non-existent in the hospital. There were many, many small beds/cots packed into large rooms with narrow isles between the beds. On top of that, (forlorn) family members stood in those isles, next to the beds, or the family members sat on the beds if the child was small enough. 

And those were the fortunate families able to get into one of the large rooms of patients inside the hospital. 

The dark hallways outside the rooms likewise had patients lying on blankets along the wall of the hallway. 

Outside, there were families sitting on the grass, with their sick loved ones lying on a blanket. We were told that sometimes a family may want to eat with their child & spend some time visiting with them. Such wld not be realistic in the overcrowded, bed to bed, cramped living conditions within the bldgs. It cld be overwhelming but we prayed for sick kids, their families, & for medical staff (when we were able to see them).  

After the hospital prayer visit in Jinja City, Drew was able to visit the orphanage connected with another missions organization with which Drew is connected. Also, on this last full day in Jinja, we were able to take a short boat ride on Lake Victoria. We went to the part of Lake Victoria where the waters get visibly turbulent and where, at that one area, they start rushing out to begin the Nile River. We later had a sweet farewell meal with all the missions staff of Worldfire Africa Missions.  

Pray Requests:

1. Pls pray that we are able to pack efficiently & prepare well for the over 50 hours of travel on the way back to Columbus. (This includes leaving this housing facility, spending some final time at the Worldfire HQ & then in downtown Jinja. Then driving 6 hours through Uganda to Kampala, & on to the Entebbe & the international airport. We will take off after midnight on Wed am flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We will then catch a flight to Ivory Coast, & from there, fly across the Atlantic to New York City, stay overnight, & fly into  Columbus Thurs am, which will be Thurs 6 pm for us. 

2. Pls pray that Drew’s last follow up contact with the local orphanage is successful, and also that we know how best to bless the missions staff here. 

3. Pls pray we are sensitive to what God wants us to do with all the folks we will encounter in our over 50+ hrs of travel, (such as Drew’s previous encounter & prayer with the woman in Ethiopia who had a missing friend, who she later reported thru contacts that he was found safe the day after Drew & a missions team member had prayed for them). 

4. Praise God for such rich & good ministry experiences, great weather, good safety, team unity, & God’s repeated touches to us & His good favor!  

We love you all & appreciate such wonderfully effective prayer support!!!!

Drew & Moriah for the team

Update: The flight to Ethiopia was delayed in Entebbe, but should hopefully not affect the next flight to the Ivory Coast. Then on to New York!  Please pray for some of the team members dealing with stomach issues. They are all exhausted but doing well in spirit. Your prayers are greatly appreciated!  Thank you, friends!! 

Tuesday 7/30/24 Uganda Update:

Got this update around 1 this morning:

Tuesday Uganda Update:

By the time you are reading this, we will have travelled from Jinja and driven across the Ugandan northern coast of Lake Victoria, boarded our plane in Entebe, & are now flying into Ethiopia. 

We will change planes in Addis Ababa & will fly to Ivory Coast. From there, we will take off, cross the Atlantic & arrive late into NYC on Wed b/f midnight. We will spend the night in NYC, & leave for Columbus in the morning on Thursday. 

Update:  During the extra time in the Entebbe airport, due to the delayed flights, Drew got to speak to two people headed for Dubai who were also waiting on their delayed flights. The guy was in an R & B band, & the lady was from Uganda but working in sales in Dubai. The guy seemed dark & into to world, but as Drew shared his story & how God had changed is trajectory, the guy began to lighten & started tracking each example & practical, Biblical principal that was brought up. 

The lady (Maureen) was tougher, as she was apparently raised in a Christian household. Unlike the guy, she was often distracted from the conversation. When asked what she meant when she rattled of that she was ‘born again & had accepted Christ as her lord & savior,’ she wld not (cld not?) explain what she meant by that or how God impacted her life in general. She seemed unimpressed (even done with) with whatever the church had to offer. 

In my conversation with those two people, I tried to explain the basics & wonder of faith & relationship w/ Jesus to the guy, while opening up life & love for a deeper walk with the gal.  Things were cut short when an unexpectedly early call to move through the gate was given. I encouraged them both to a deeper connection with Jesus. 

Pls pray that. 

1. The lady, Maureen, wld let go of dissatisfaction with the old, formal ways. 

2. Pls pray the guy wld take to heart the encouragement to seek God’s plan for his life & trust God’s Owner’s Manuel. 

3. Pls pray we do well on these final legs of travel. It is grueling, w/ little sleep, a long route, & being spiritually/ministry spent. 

4. Pls continue to pray, including for our health, for a few team members, Drew included, have started to feel somewhat ill internally. (Maybe it is being sleep deprived or we picked up a friendly “buggus”.)

5. Praise God for the opportunity to share the Gospel, even on the journey back. 

6. Praise God for this trip’s good health for all team members & His sovereign & gracious touch on the ministries.

Pls don’t give up your intercession?!!

Love you all!

From Drew & Moriah for the Team

Addendum:

We So appreciate you CONTINUING to pray for us in our final stages of this missions trip.  We have experienced more  problems/issues in this one day than in all the other days combined.

These “tests” include team members feeling ill, flight changes, security issues (the other teen in the group inexplicably was pulled from the line for what turned out to be his being required to undergo an extra bag & body searches), etc. 

BIG GRACE IN ETHIOPIA:

One of the biggest challenges came when, after coming down the plane’s steps in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Drew found that his passport/money holder belt under his shirt was missing. Never happened before.

Going directly back up the stairs against the flow of all deplaning passengers, he explained to the startled stewardess why he needed to re-enter the aircraft. When he reached his seat, the passport/money belt was no where to be found. 

With a sinking feeling, Drew considered the major disruption this would cause in having to see the team & Moriah continue on to the States w/out him, & with him having no money, no US ID, esp. no passport, him not having any local contacts, or a place to stay while working things out (probably for days) with the US Embassy to get a new passport, transport, etc. 

In trying to be thorough in such a desperate circumstance, Drew had gotten down on his hands & knees to see if the thin belt had slid anywhere underneath the seats. Only a dirty floor, with little light, was to be seen in that narrow, cramped space. 

There, lying face down on the floor, bowed down on his knees, desperate, amidst the dirty, tight space, Drew thought this was a most appropriate place & position to be in to pray to God. And he did pray - even declaring: (in desperation but also in faith):  “God, I KNOW you will take care of me, despite all that lies ahead with what this situation will entail. I trust You & I KNOW You will take care of me.” 

He repeated this & called out to God as faith and love surged thru him in that disastrous circumstance. 

While he was praying, declaring God’s care & provision, he heard a voice (w/ a strong accent) above him say: “Excuse me sir. Are you looking for this?”  And the stewardess handed Drew his passport/money belt. She said (a number of times) “a tall blond man” saw it in the plane isle & gave it to her on his way out. (In the midst of all these dark haired Ethiopians & African men? Cld that have been an angel??!)

((In fact, as he later thought of it, Drew did not see the belt in the isle, as he returned looking, & he definitely did not pass or see any tall men, let alone one with “blond hair.”))

PRAISE GOD! Thank you Jesus!! You are SO good!!! He saved Drew from such a major set of hurdles!

It seems like stuff of good life lessons:

When we are in overwhelmingly disastrous situations, when we are “amidst dark, dirty tight spaces…,” prospects of no contacts, no resources, there, “face down on the floor, bowed down to our knees,” trusting & declaring our need, & declaring His goodness that HE WILL take care of us, there, God sends His word to us. 

He is SO good. 

Also, we appreciate you continuing to lift us up before the throne & covering us in your prayer. 

We are now headed to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, — to face whatever is in store there for us as well. Your prayers have supported all of us on this amazing adventure. Thank you. 

(We will arrive in Columbus on Thursday, about 11am. Until then, thanks for your partnership!) 

God’s Grace & His Love & Goodness to you!

Hallelujah!!!

Following Wed 7/31, 8/1-4:

Monday 8/5/24 - final installment of the past 2 week Uganda Ministry Trip (thank you for being with us):

Last night (Sun 8/4) was the first night in our own beds since before we left for Uganda on Monday 7/22/24. (Within a couple hours of arriving back in Columbus from Ivory Coast/Ethiopia/Uganda on Thurs 8/1, our family left for a previously scheduled family camp weekend (Thurs-Sun 8/1-4), including an intervening quick trip to Michigan on Fri/Sat to pick up our other daughter, Keziah, from her 11 week ministry trip throughout the western United States. - Even on our way back from Michigan now w/ Keziah, when driving thru a small MI town having a local fair, Keziah suggested we stop & share Jesus with people there. We turned around & did so, browsing amidst the stalls, & listening to the Spirit for His leading. We prayed for, shared the Gospel, & encouraged, a number of folks. Got back in the car rejoicing & drove on to rejoin the family camp in Ohio.)

After arriving to our house yesterday afternoon (Sun 8/4), Moriah & Keziah began in depth sharing & unpacking their recent ministry experiences. It has been SO sweet. 

Below is a postscript re our final travel day in our Uganda trip experience, showing yet one more God kindness & God deliverance overcoming yet one more ongoing challenge He addressed:

———————————————

Wed 7/31/24 - arrived late Wed night from Ivory Coast into NYC. Stayed overnight at a NYC airport hotel to fly out to Columbus on Thurs am 8/1/24. 

However, it turned out that our reserved shuttle to the airport bumped us from 6:45 am to 7:30 am. Then the shuttle was almost a half hour late arriving.  So instead of getting to the airport more than two hours before our 9 am domestic flight to Columbus, we arrived at the airport less than an hour before departure. 

When we tried to check in at the Delta kiosk, it said: “Flight not available. No further flights to Columbus today.”  The Delta assistant at the kiosk area confirmed that we were already shut out of our flight and that we had to go downstairs to buy tickets for another flight for another day. Ugh!  

BUT, God was not done showing His kindness and faithfulness to His people & to your prayers!

When we then went to the Delta counter workers, although they repeated that we were too late & we cld not check into our flight, it seemed that simultaneously, while 3 different workers at 3 different windows were reviewing our reservations, they each decided to see what they cld do to override the block. It was almost as if a Guiding Hand was moving them… funny that. 

They did get us all into the flight, but they said that with it being so late, it was likely that the luggage wld not join us and wld come on a subsequent flight.  We later found however - the luggage did join us - on the same flight. It seemed that these two final days of travel, God delighted in allowing hard & even impossible roadblocks only to show He could handle them all, no problem. 

Thank you for your continued partnership in this wonderful ministry trip to, in, through, & back from Uganda. May you enjoy the fruit of your intercessory efforts as fellow laborers in this kingdom work. May you know more of God’s Grace and even more of His Love in abundance for having joined in this ministry adventure to the people in Uganda (& to his people who went too!). 

We love you and appreciate you all!

Drew for Moriah and the Team

{The End - or really - the Beginning…}

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