From Brokenness to Breakthrough: The Gospel in Northern Uganda
When Rex and Melinda Guynn first set foot in Uganda nearly twenty years ago, they had no idea how deeply God would root them in one of the most remote corners of Africa in a region still healing from decades of war. What began as a short-term mission journey has become a lifelong calling to restore hope, train leaders, and disciple a new generation across northern Uganda.
A Journey of Obedience
Their journey with Missionary Ventures began in 2000 with a mission trip to Haiti. Over the next few years, they returned again and again (12 times in total) until a life-altering accident changed everything. When Melinda broke her back, it became a turning point.
“That’s when God made it clear,” she recalls. “It was time to move from going on trips to living the call.”
She volunteered with MV for three years before making her first trip to Africa with Gary and Patsy Hall. The Lord soon led them to Kitgum, Uganda, which was emerging from a 22-year rebel war. The people were desperate for healing, discipleship, and leadership.
“It wasn’t where we planned to go,” they shared. But after finally arriving in northern Uganda, “We knew it was where God wanted us.”
Planting Hope in Hard Soil
Today, the Guynns oversee a thriving network of five churches, three schools, and more than twenty Kids Clubs that reach over 1,500 children every week. Many of these gatherings still meet under trees, where children and adults alike hear the Word, sing, and share meals through weekly feeding programs
“We focus on people, not projects,” Melinda explains. “When they thrive, the Kingdom grows.” She adds that you can show the Jesus Film and see hundreds come to Christ, but unless pastors are trained and discipled, those new believers won’t have a shepherd.
Through Missionary Ventures, the Guynns have helped local leaders plant churches, run schools, and grow ministries that stand on strong biblical foundations. Their ministry is deeply relational, working to equip and empower Ugandans to lead, teach, and multiply.
Equipping Leaders for Generations
Training pastors has become one of their most powerful ministries. This year, they hosted a Pastors’ Conference in Kitgum with over 150 leaders. It’s the first of six conferences planned across northern Uganda, with some being held deep within South Sudanese refugee camps. Each conference represents partnership in motion: local believers, MV missionaries, and friends like Alex and Tanya Tinson who have walked alongside the Guynns for more than 15 years.
Another powerful partnership that the Guynns and MV celebrate is with the Christian Motorcyclists Association (CMA). Together they have helped pastors literally take the Gospel farther. Through CMA and MV support, Uganda pastors now ride motorcycles and bicycles to reach remote villages where the Gospel had never gone before.
“It’s not just transportation,” says Melinda. “It’s multiplication.”
Building Futures Through Skills and Faith
Perhaps the Guynns’ most transformative initiative is the Called to Serve Vocational School, now celebrating its ninth graduating class. Since opening its doors over a decade ago, more than 500 young men and women have completed two-year programs in tailoring, hairdressing, bricklaying, and small-engine repair. Each graduate earns both a diploma and the tools they need to start their own business in one of four programs: tailoring, hairstyling, small engine repair, and brick laying.
Behind each diploma is a story of redemption. One recent student came to the school planning to become a witch doctor. But during a mandatory chapel, she encountered Christ in a powerful deliverance moment. “They prayed for more than ten hours,” Melinda recalls. “By midnight, she was free. She cut her hair, renounced witchcraft, and now she’s thriving in school.”
Many of their students are orphans or child heads of households. Without training, they face early marriage or deep poverty. But through the school’s mix of skill development, discipleship, and grace, their lives and communities are changing.
As they prepare for their next graduation ceremony later in November, with more than 1,000 people expected to attend, the Guynns are grateful for God’s provision, equipping 80 new graduates with their business start-up packages.
Small Things, Eternal Impact
In every corner of the ministry, the heartbeat is the same: relationships that last, and small acts that make a big difference.
From solar-powered audio Bibles for the blind, to soccer balls for 1,000 Kids Club children, to chairs and tarps for churches still meeting under trees, every gift fuels the work of the Gospel in practical, tangible ways.
“It’s truly an advantage to be with Missionary Ventures,” Melinda says. “They understand that missions isn’t a formula.” It’s about relationships–walking together, training others, and seeing God multiply His work through local hands.
A Legacy Still Growing
Nearly 20 years later, the Guynns’ ministry stands as a living example of MV’s focus on Vision, Stewardship, Stability, and Legacy in action.
They’ve provided Vision, helping Ugandans see what’s possible through faith.
They’ve modeled Stewardship, using every resource to build lasting transformation.
They’ve built Stability, raising leaders who sustain ministry through challenges.
And they’re leaving a Legacy for the generations of pastors, students, and children who will carry the light of Christ long after the Guynns have gone.
“Everything we do,” says Melinda, “comes back to this: equipping others to serve. When they thrive, the Kingdom grows.”
Partnering Through Core Mission: Strengthening Every Missionary
The Guynns’ ministry thrives because of the steady provision from God and supporters, including MV’s Core Mission, which focuses on giving missionaries the care, training, and infrastructure they need to flourish long-term.
By giving to Core, you’re not just supporting one project, you’re sustaining the very systems that keep global ministries like the Guynns’ alive and effective.
Your gift helps provide:
- Pastor Support: Many local pastors, like Ps. Simon Peter, serve faithfully but lack resources for essentials such as transportation, training, or even paying a dowry to marry.
- Church & Kids Club Needs: Dozens of congregations still meet under trees. $5–$15 can provide chairs and tarps so believers can gather rain or shine.
- Children’s Outreach: Over 1,000 children meet every Saturday, and a single $20 soccer ball fuels play, community, and joy in 23 Kids Clubs.
- Graduate Empowerment: $10,200 is needed this fall to equip 80 new vocational school graduates with the business tools to launch their futures.
Every dollar strengthens the Guynns, and every missionary like them, to serve faithfully, grow sustainably, and multiply eternally.
Be Part of the Core That Holds It All Together
Your partnership doesn’t just meet needs, it builds the foundation that allows missionaries, pastors, and entire communities to thrive.
