As my wife and I read from the book of Amos this morning, we saw the prophet of God having to remind the children of Israel of the marvelous works He had done for them. In spite of all the miracles, the Israelites had turned away from God and pursued the world, absorbed by their own selfish desires.
We thought about how so many of the kings of Israel and Judah had started well, but Read more…
On this Christmas Eve, we’d like to take time to give thanks for all the workings of God in our path to missionary work. We’d especially like to take the time to thank all of our supporters for helping us along the way. We have humbly benefited from the outpouring of support from brothers and sisters in Christ from all parts of the country. We have received your prayers, your financial contributions, and open doors to your families and homes. We have received the benefit of deepened relationships, and know that we will also receive gifts according to the blessings with which you have been called to share. Thank you so much for being willing to share in this journey with us. It is so amazing to see the many parts of the body of Christ uniting in the work of glorifying Him, and it’s wonderful to see the truth of the gospel that the disciples of Christ would be known by the love they have for one another.
As we have travelled the country, we want to let our financial supporters know that contributions toward our mission have not been touched. By the generosity of the people of my family company we continue to receive a paycheck through their donation of paid time off. It is our hope that we will be able to continue on those wages until we depart for Uganda so that the support we raise will be used as we start our life overseas.
We wanted to provide an update on our current support, and remaining need. We celebrate God’s amazing provision!
We are currently receiving approximately $3100 of monthly support, with $1400 left to achieve our target of $4500 per month. It’s hard to nail down a number, since each month varies from the next. Until we start in Uganda, those monthly funds are being ‘banked’ in our New Hope Uganda Ministries account. Of the total monthly contribution, 7% goes to the administration of New Hope Uganda Ministries. This helps with member care, support for children in Uganda, and for some of our great team members in the Unites States that help to support us. Our monthly support goes to our living expenses, including things like health and life insurance. We budget some of the monthly support for future travel home for furloughs, or in case of any kind of family emergency. We also budget ahead, anticipating that we will have fluctuations in support over time.
Sinkler Home in Uganda
For our start-up costs, we have raised $63,000, at which we are truly humbled. This total means that we have already raised the support needed for our home that we will move into on February 12th (Praise God!!). We can also start applying this toward our training in Uganda. We will be attending the New Hope Institute for five months where we will be trained in African culture, Biblical application in that context, and language training in Luganda. We were also able to cover the import taxes on our bicycles, 4 wheeler, and homeschool supplies that were shipped to Uganda ahead of us. Our target is to reach a total of $97,000 for our travel expenses, the purchase of our home, our training, and our vehicle.
We rejoice in the Lord for the generosity of the saints and those who have felt led to give. Our only remaining hurdle is the sale of our home, which we trust that the Lord will take care of as He continues to remain faithful to us in all ways.
This Christmas I cannot escape the thought of what Christ gave up in order to come and live a life on earth, denying His rightful place. He left the very throne of God to humble Himself and become a man. As if that wasn’t humbling enough, He died the worst of all deaths, rejected by those He came to save. He did this for us because His love for us is so great, not because of anything that we accomplished for Him. In response to that love, He asks for obedience to His calling and a life set apart to Him. With His example of obedience to the Father, we are committed in obedience to Him. We are blessed to find this true of all those who are saved by the grace of God’s gift which was sent to us at Christmas. Thanks for being God’s gift to us.
In our second post of this Epic Road Trip, we are thankful for so many things.
After our visiting of friends, family, and support in Wisconsin we journeyed south, crossing a few state lines along the way. On December 1st we travelled through Illinois and into Missouri, where we visited friends from our home church, Evangelical Bible Church of Dickinson, ND. The Toews family and their friendship has been missed, and it was so good to Read more…
As we are in our final stages of preparation to move to Uganda, we are still needing to raise additional support for both our start-up expenses and our monthly living expenses. However, I am writing to submit to you the needs of some of our co-workers.
Our family mission statement in moving to Uganda is “Establishing Ugandan leaders to disciple the next generation in Biblical manhood and womanhood.” With that mission statement in mind, one of our objectives will be to help the existing staff to explore their spiritual gifts so as to best utilize the tools that God has granted to the Kingdom work at Musana.
Medi, Eva, Jesse, and Eden Kanyike with the Team Sinkler
This work has already started in Musana under the leadership of Camp Director Syd Sparks. One Ugandan family in particular, the Kanyikes have answered the call to ministry at Musana. While the rapid growth of camp has required Medi to contribute in many ways, his heart is for camp program. With prayerful insight and wisdom, the Kanyikes were sent to the United States where they are currently in training at the LTD (Leadership, Training, Development) program at Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin.
While they have obviously raised the funds to get here and get started on their training, they are still in need of support to complete the training and get home. They currently need $5250 for tuition, fees, and their room at Camp Forest Springs. In addition, they will still need approximately $3000 for their one-way tickets back home.
Selfishly, it is hard to ask for help for the Kanyikes when we are still needing support of our own. On the other hand, we desire for the Kanyikes to gain further education in line with their gifts and heart for camp program. We see this training as an investment in the community of Musana, and in the goal of discipling the young men and women of this rural area of Uganda in biblical manhood and womanhood. Would you consider, or share this post with others who might consider helping to complete this important training for the Kanyike family?
To donate to the Kanyike family online:
To donate to the Kanyike family by mail:
New Hope Uganda Ministries
PO Box 154
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
Please forward the email from your inbox to as many as you think might respond to such an invitation to contribute to God’s work in the Musana Community. Support for the Kanyikes is certainly support for us, and for the mission of discipling the next generation of Ugandans in Biblical manhood and womanhood.
If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to the TeamSinkler blog here:
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The night of November 26th was another last for us; it was the last night in our home in Dickinson. On the 27th we decorated our Christmas Suburban with lights in lieu of a tree, and moved what was left of our belongings into our garage. We attended one of our last Sunday services at Evangelical Bible Church in Dickinson, and eventually set the cruise control of a loaded down vehicle headed east for greatly anticipated adventure and goodbyes.
Minnesota Border at Veterans Memorial Bridge
By Sunday night we had crossed our first state border and pulled into Hawley, MN to see some dear friends. We were encouraged to hear of the ways that God has been working in their lives through foster care, and even more specifically how God is alive and active in the lives of the parents of those children who end up in care. It is always so great to to spend time in fellowship with brother and sisters who can share stories of God’s work through the lives of ordinary people.
Wiggins Family in Hawley, MN
Kanyikes at Camp Forest Springs
After 323 miles travelled on Day 1, we tacked on another 427 on Day 2 to arrive at Camp Forest Springs in Wisconsin. This camp features a training program designed to educate future camp ministry personnel. It was at this camp that Musana Camps in Uganda was first conceived by the mind of Musana Camps Director Syd Sparks. Today, our friends from Uganda are attending training in order to add to the amazing skill set of the staff at Musana Camps. We visited Medi, Eva, Jesse, and Eden for the afternoon and were able to gain some perspective from our Ugandan peers. This was another great evening of fellowship and sharing, and we are so thankful for this family.
Staci’s cousin, Cherie at her beautiful home in Stevens Point, WI
On Day 3 of our epic adventure we stayed in Wisconsin, traveling another 180 miles to see family. We visited Staci’s cousin, Cherie in Stevens Point, and then continued on to stay with Staci’s Aunt Kay and Uncle Orren at Whispering Pines Retreat in Shawano, WI. We have been amazed at God’s creation in Wisconsin; it is a beautiful state.
Fortunately for us, looking in the rear view we have seen Dickinson get overwhelmed with at least 10″ of snow in the last 24 hours, with drifts that are as big as our Christmas Suburban. This Epic Adventure is so packed full of stops that we really could not afford to have any hiccups in the schedule or travel plans. Please pray for the folks at home as they endure the weather. I’m especially mindful of the many employees affected by this storm and what it means for the family business as they scramble to maintain operations and keep equipment running.
As we travel, please pray for journey mercies for our family. Please pray that God gets all the glory for the amazing way that He has orchestrated so many of the details along the way. Please pray for Isaac to be well rested and to endure the difficulty of being strapped in a car seat for long days at just three years old. We continue to pray for unity as a family, grounded firmly in prayer during what can be long and frustrating days. We also continue to pray for God to sell our home to a family who will be blessed by it. I don’t think we’ll get many showings while the 5′ drifts block the drive, but hopefully soon order will be restored in Dickinson.
Also, please write to us at teamsinkler@gmail.com. We’d love to know how we can pray for you. Staci and I each have our prayer lists, and they are growing. While Staci has been very diligent in prayer, it is an area that I am in need of improvement. We believe that this life transition will be dependent on prayer. By sharing your prayer requests with us, we will be able to mourn with those who mourn and give glory to God for those that are blessed by answered prayer. Will you allow us to share in the blessing by praying for you?
In business we often talk of goals and even exit strategies. They are normally referred to as exit plans, but this exit was anything but planned.
This is my last week of work. Just over five years ago I broke free from my cubicle at Visa in Denver to participate in the family venture in the Bakken. In those five years I experienced things that I never could have imagined. I operated salt water disposal facilities, participated in the construction of them, eventually became the general contractor of new construction, and engineered new tank design and facility layouts. I have great memories of Read more…
What an election season! The divide between red and blue has never been greater, and so I find a piece of Abraham Lincoln’s speech in 1858 applicable. In it, this Godly man referenced scripture as was typical of him to do.
In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing or all the other.
It is my estimation that our country is at no different place of impasse, and even the concept of slavery could be applied. We are either slaves to self, or free to God and others. The difference is not red and blue, but instead the difference is self and selflessness. I made my vote for the candidate that I felt best suited to lead this country into the future, and I have many close friends that I love and respect who voted for the other. There are many good people with good character on each wing of our country’s political preference.
In the months leading up to the election, and now in the early hours of aftermath, I have witnessed the force that drives the wedge of division in the country. It is worship of self. My preference, my company, my success, my kids, my way of life, my circumstance, my victory is all that matters. In this way, the representatives for each wing of political philosophy were a very accurate representation of who the people of this country have become. Our differences could be our greatest strength if we could just learn from each other and humbly esteem others more highly than ourselves.
For the record, we booked our one-way tickets to Uganda on the eve of the election. The outcome, of course, had nothing to do with our leaving. We are leaving because God said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. We are leaving because God said that the second greatest commandment is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. We are leaving because we feel strongly that while we could accomplish these things here, He has called us to go. We are obedient to Him because before I could ever fathom quitting a successful career to follow Him, He left his throne and became flesh to die for me. My God lovingly and sacrificially made a way for me to restore my relationship with Him in spite of my sin, and loved me before I could even begin to conceive of who He is. He convinces me every day to give up my love of self and continue to cleanse myself from the sin of worshipping myself in favor of worshipping Him. I am so imperfect and broken, and yet He works in me to heal me and bring me closer to being just like Him. He is a loving God who loves first and rightly judges, but only after He has offered to pay the penalty for the verdict. God has so distinctly, so clearly called us that we finally had to give in and say, “That’s it! We’re leaving the country!”
That’s it! We’re leaving the country!
As we go to Uganda, I hope the people of this nation, especially those who claim Christ as King, can humble themselves, turn from their wicked ways, pray and seek His face, so that He might heal and restore this land. If those who would call themselves Christian will truly follow Him, they will sacrificially love one another as He did. They will place the needs of others above their own, especially when it is not deserved. They will extend a hand to those who have opposing views, and those who live their lives in complete disobedience to God will see this love as a testimony of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside the hearts of those who claim faith in Christ.
As Abraham Lincoln’s quote suggests, if we do not turn soon, our nation will not continue to be divided. We will become one or the other. We will be a people who honor God and others first, or we will become a nation only capable of honoring ourselves.
My family will choose not place our trust in men. We believe that the restoration of a people governed by the people, starts with the hearts and motives of the people. We will endeavor to follow Christ and love with complete abandon to self in as much as He helps us to accomplish it. My family is not worthy of praise or honor because anything we do that could be perceived as honorable or righteous was done through His power, that not of ourselves. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord… in Uganda.
As we prepare to serve at Musana Camps, the camp director has put together a video to help explain the story of Musana Camps, and why there is such a need for additional support. The video was designed to inform those who will be attending our annual Giving Thanks Banquet at Evangelical Bible Church (EBC). We found the video to be such a blessing that we couldn’t help but to post it here for those who will not be in Dickinson for this event. If you will be attending the banquet on November 12th at EBC, you get a sneak peek!
Please take the time to watch the video, and thanks for your prayerful support of this ministry. As we approach our time to leave, we are in need of monthly support to sustain us as we shut down our lives here and prepare for our new normal. Gifts of any size are a blessing to the ministry, and we only ask that you would seek God’s guidance on this. Instructions for monthly support are found on the Donate tab on this page.
Also, if you haven’t yet, please subscribe to this blog to receive regular updates as we get closer to our time to join those in the mission field.
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It is my ultimate goal to keep our friends updated on our journey, and to help them to be a part of this process with us. It’s the mission of this blog to accomplish this very thing. I have had a bit of a writer’s block, feeling like I needed to provide an update, but unsure of what exactly to write. This morning the block was cleared, and as usual, it was Scripture that was speaking.
Kaiya Nicole
My daughter has recently committed to reading her Bible more regularly, and in doing so has had many great conversations with her mother and I. Just last night she was reading in Galatians, and God spoke to her through Scripture. She came upstairs and explained what she had read, and then told us that she felt like God was telling her Read more…
IV Meds and Fluids
This week has been a challenge for Team Sinkler. It was one week ago that Staci came down with an infection in the lymph nodes of her neck. Doctors do not know the source or cause of infection, but what we saw was an incapacitating infection that caused one side of her neck to swell up. At its worst point, it nearly looked like a baseball protruding from beneath her skin. Her neck was thick enough that you might have mistaken her for a middle line backer like Clay Matthews. None of our home remedies or medicine would provide relief, Read more…
