There are so many stories I can tell you about my years in Uganda.  The best ones are when the Lord used me to lead someone to the Lord.  Nothing makes me happier than to see someone accept Christ to live in their hearts and to make Him the Lord of their life.

This is what the work I do is all about with the children.  Watching them grow up and get educated, come to Jesus and really their whole lives changed, it is so exciting to see.  Nothing can compare to this other than the day when I actually get to be with Jesus face to face. 

We started a sponsorship for a three year old little boy named Trevor.  He is so cute with such big eyes and such a sweet manor about him.  He just comes up and wants to be hugged and feel loved.  He lives with his Grandparents and his mother.  His mother became pregnant and the father took off.  She was very young and could not manage to care for him hardly at all.  She has really tried, however, and I felt strong that this is a boy that we can make a difference through and in with the Spirit of our Lord.  Please pray for him as he grows to grow with Jesus.

Trevor had severe malnutrition as you can see in the picture below.  He has really suffered for someone so young.  Often going with no food at all, just as his mother does.  The Grandparents are old and do not work and have no income.  The gardens are their main source of food and they are small gardens.  This is often the case with the vulnerable children that we work with. 

 Trevor find things to play with but has not even one toy, as most of the kids in the village where I stay don't.  He had heard of Jesus through the Messianic Jew Church or Congregation that is in the area.  His mother found some work there helping out in their nursery school.  I sometimes wonder what goes through the minds of these little ones when they are sitting and staring as he is in this picture to the left.

I put his picture on the front of the brochure never knowing that someone would approach me and say that I want to sponsor this little one.  Is it a girl, I want a little girl and I want this one.  Well, he is a little boy but the woman said that she wanted to help him anyway even if he wasn't a little girl.  I was excited and went to work to get her the profile on him.

Trevor has now been sponsored for five months and already I can see a world of difference in his life.
He is now looking healthier and is beginning to show a lot more life in his face with a beautiful smile.  He is quite funny and very playful.  He likes Sunday school and church cause he has other kids to play with and often comes to me to sit on my lap.  He likes to learn the songs and sing them and clap his hands.

He still has some stomach from worm, but has been dewormed already twice and is beginning to look much better.  I believe he feels better too.

One of the things that children need as much as food is love.  They need the nurturing, love and care from a mother, and others around them.  Since the sponsorship program helps the child and the mother with food, and by paying for school, etc. (which he is not in school as yet), it takes a load off of the mother.  Not the responsibility, but a load.  She still has to look after him, raise him, watch him, etc.  It is good when the mother has an interest in knowing Jesus and make sit a lot easier to help a child. 

I want to tell you the story of another boy that we help that was much like Trevor when he was little.  His name was Sula.  Sula had a mother that was struggling.  The father had other wives and was not interested in her any longer or the child.  He had sent them to live in a mud hut and basically that was the end of it.  The boy had a lot of sickness because of the way they were living.  He kept having ear infections and actually lost part of his hearing.  The mother had no funds to take him to a doctor.  When we met Sula he was very sick and came to stay in my home for a month until he could get well.  We nourished him back with proper medicine and gave the mother a break for a month.  She had other children as well.  His ears, however, continued to give him problems for many years.  The mother totally left the father and went to live with her mother, Sula's Grandmother.  There she was able to take a little better care of Sula, but not much.  She said she could not have done it without the help of sponsorship in her life and Jesus.  Sula is now in his second year of high school at a good school (still sponsored) and one of the best students in the school.  He hears fine and is so thankful to God for the help he has had in his life.  He realizes that the Lord has been with him all the time, even when he was having such a hard and difficult time. 

God does make the difference, and he has given us the ability to do it.  We are his hands, we are his feet, we are the voice and we are the ones that must make the choice to make a difference in the life of a child - one child at a time.  It is the most wonderful and exciting thing to see as they grow up into loving, healthy, Christian leaders that I know are going to make a difference.

God bless you - Momma k

 

Scared

I remember the first time I came to Uganda and where I stayed.  There was a bat that lived in the ceiling and at night would come out and scare me half to death!  I had a small 3X6 bed and no net.  I had failed to find one when I was coming and ended up buying a small half size net that would at least cover my head!!  Then I heard stories about the witchdoctors and night dancers, and I had to go outside to use a bathroom and for bathing in an outhouse.  I would be afraid to go!  Not to mention the spiders in the outhouse that were always there!!!

Christine has always been like a young sister to me and she and I went to Kumi for an evangelistic crusade and hut to hut evangelizing.  We stayed in some kind of guest house with the Church of Uganda (Anglican) where again we had an outhouse - but it was far away.  At night we slept in a room with two small beds and no nets.  We had our half nets with us and covered our heads.  At night there were crickets all over the walls - plastered to the ceiling.  There was another couple in the room next to us (Bob & Sandy) who came from St. Louis and were working with us.  There were rats that would climb down our nets at night.  There were no screens or shutters on the windows and the door would not stay shut.  It was scarey.  One night Bob & Sandy came over and were scared half to death and asked Christine what it could be that was making the noise.  It turned out to be several rats and she was chasing them and throwing our shoes at them.  I told them we had them in our room too.  All of us did not sleep much that week!!  However, the Lord used us in spite of ourselves to witness to many people.

Another time when I was sleeping in my small room where I shared with a bat, there was strange noises outside.  I went to Christine's home and Harriet and Olive came to stay in the room with me.  They brought their mattresses over and stuff and slept there with me.  However, we did not sleep!  They began to tell me more stories about night dancers.  I had never in all my life heard of such things!  Then the noise I heard earlier came again and they both said it was night dancers.  That the witchdoctors and wizards were not happy to have me there cause I was sharing the gospel with everyone I met.  I did not stop and I prayed that night and then we all prayed together and the noise went away.  It scared me too much.

I feel strong that part of the mission God gave me here was to minister to the people, particularly the children, but even more, to give the gospel to all I meet.  So many people will say they are Christians when they have never accepted Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Then there are those who have accepted Him as Savior but never allowed Him to be the Lord of their lives.  Pray with me as we continue to give the gospel to so many people.

The witchdoctor that I have written about so often in my newsletters that is near the property has given his life to Christ and this is a real praise!  He comes to church now, ask for special prayers and is trying to mend his marriage with the mother of his children.  He is finding it rough as he has to find work now to replace the funds he was getting as a witchdoctor.  However, now a new witchdoctor has moved in down the street.  Work is never done!  Pray with us that the Lord will continue to breakdown strongholds and reach these people as well. 

 

Another Year to Serve our Lord!

 It is always wonderful to have the chance to serve for another year.  It is also good that the Lord has brought me back to be with my children in the ministry.  I give thanks to Him for all that takes place, good or bad, for I truly believe that all things work to the good of those who trust in Him, according to His good purpose (Romans 8:28).

I am not sure I mentioned that we have brought another little girl into the orphanage in the last few weeks.  Her name is Mary and she is 3 1/2 years old.  She is a very sweet little girl with big brown eyes and very dark skin.  She is so shy and quiet right now.  She seems to be liking it already and often comes up to me or one of the older kids to sit on their lap.

We received the rest of the funds for the girl's home to be completed in the next month and a half and we are so excited about this.  The six big girls in my home will live there.  One of them is Sarah and she is finished with her degree and working for HUM as a Social Worker.  She will be the in-charge of the home.  They are all wonderful girls.  We also have three older girls from Momma Phyllis home (The Platte Chanyon/Am Yeshua House).  The new homes has a name called the Orphan's House of Compassion.  All nine of the girls to live there are wonderful young ladies who love the Lord as their Savior and Lord.  Each of them is a good witness to others.  My little women that I always write about are the ones to live there. 

We also received funds from Orphan's Heart to build four classroons.  This is exciting and so promising to seeing God's plans come together.  We have dug a borehole now and are waiting for the man to come back and hook up the electric pump and begin pumping water into the houses.  Most of the time we do not have running water (about 95% of the time).  This was given to us by a church in Colorado and we have waited a long time for the man to come and dig the borehole.  He is also working on the second one for the school and offices on the other side of the property, and will serve the future medical clinic as well.  All the buildings we have right now are rented and temporary.

It seems that the Lord put the same vision in many of us to do almost the same plans - for the orphans in Uganda and all over Africa.  Knowing that he started this work is knowing that he is faithful and just to complete what he begins.

I am so excited that the witchdoctor near my home has finally come to Christ and has had a big bond fire to burn all the demonic things that were at his home for practicing witchcraft.  We give praise to the Lord for this.  Pray for him.  His name is Stephen.

God bless you all in the New Year and thank you for all that you do.

 

Home At Last!

I am always grateful and happy to come back to Uganda and be with my children, I miss them terribly when I am away from them.  I have such wonderful children from the youngest, Sabrina, to the oldest Sarah.



 Sabrina came to my home about two years ago.  She was living with her Aunt who is very sick with AIDS and TB, and I feared for Sabrina.  I did not want her to get TB.  Her mother also has TB and AIDS and abandoned her to the Aunt.  Neither one is really able to take care of her, so I felt strong I should her in.  She has blossomed so much in the few years.  She is now seven years old and so much fun.  She loves Tinkerbell movies and playing with dolls and her favorite color is pink.
In the picture here is is on my lap.  Not all my kids are in the picture, as some were gone to University.  In the back row is Violet, Mary, Christine (their Auntie), Katie, Sarah and in the front from left to right is Irene, Susan, Goma, Norah, Me and Sabrina, Ssemu, Israel and David.  The ones missing are Beatrice, Brenda, Charles, Henry, David, Kepher, Benjamin and Bumba.  Raising up the children for the Lord is very important to me and with lots of love and compassion that comes from Him.  I am thankful to be able to serve our Lord in such a wonderful way.
 

Mary Mary She is not contrary!

I have another little woman in my home named Mary.  She is such a beautiful young girl, and so full of life for the Lord, Jesus.  She loves to share the gospel with others and cares about everyone.

Mary came to live in the orphanage with me when she was 8 years old.  She had a very rough life as a young child.  She lost her father when she was four years old.  Her mother had left when she was very young for another man.  She did not see her again until she was older. 

She was growing in a home with her two older brothers.  They lived in a home that was made from sticks and mud and it was caving in from two sides.  The Grandfather and Uncles that live there brew liquor on a daily basis and sit around and drink it from long straws until they are totally drunk.  One time there was a two year old that they gave alchohol to until he fell over dead.  They were too drunk to realize what they were doing.

I knew this was no place for a child to grow up, especially a young girl with no mother or father around.  When the house was caving, I took her in with her two brothers.  Mary was very shy at first.  She was always happy to help out, however, in the kitchen or any where.  She likes making sugar cookies at Christmas time and enjoys learning to make new things.

Mary is a very bright young lady and has come to know Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior over the years.  She depends on Him for help in her life, and I believe she will be successful in God's eyes because of her love for Him and her fear of the Lord in a right way.  She often teaches the little ones in the orphanage.

Mary is in her 5th year of high school and actually about to finish it.  I believe she will one day work in a job where she can make a difference for the Lord.  She is only one of the many youth that we have seen changed through sponsorship, love, and most of all - the love of Christ.  Thank God for my beautiful little women of Africa.

 

Esther

We had a little girl in the ministry who was sponsored for several years.  She first got a sponsor when she was six years old.  Her parents were both dead and she lived with her Grandmother.  Her Grandmother was sickly and very poor but did the best she could.

The little girl was called Esther.  She had big beautiful eyes but they always looked sad to me.  She often got sick, usually malaria.  She was small for her age.  By the time she was seven we realized something was wrong to make her sick so much.  We had her tested first for AIDS, but she was okay, then many other things.  After months of trying to find out what was wrong, something we did not even suspect was wrong.  She had syphillis. 

We  began to wonder how she at the age of seven could possible have such a disease.  Was she the victim of sexual abuse from someone in the family?  It turned out that someone she shared a basin for bathing with was a carrier and this is how she got it. 

Esther always seemed to be trying her best to survive.  She got a bad case of malaria and was not strong enough to fight it.  She had to walk like a mile to get to the clinic for her injections and often would not go, even though it was on her way home from school.  She was afraid of injections so much.  The Grandmother was too sick to go with her.  Then the medical officer came and told us that she was not coming regularly for her injections, so we went to find out why and we found out she had passed away trying to walk home from the clinic.

It was a sad moment and to this day when we visit the Grandmother and other children in the home, I go to Esther's grave and cry.  I realize that she was very young and she seemed to love the Lord, Jesus, and believe that she is in a better place.

It is often that kids get sick and have to walk to the clinic, or even continue going to school.  They do not get a chance to rest in their culture.  We do not have a vehicle for the clinic to go and get them or to take them any where.   When there is an emergency then we are called and take them to Mbale town.

The next time your child gets sick, I pray you will pray for the children in Uganda who suffer so much, even in just getting to a clinic.  God bless you.
 

Read It and Laugh or Weep!

One of the little women in my life is very special and dear to my heart (they all are!).  However, I will not use her name since some of the kids in the ministry may read this and I want to protect her.  We will call her Lori.  When I first met Lori she was only five years old.  She was always dirty and running every where.  I am not sure in those days I ever saw her run!  She always smiled and no one could know what she was going through.

She always had jiggers in her feet, non stop digging out jiggers!  I always felt so sorry for her going through the digging out but it did not stop her from running and enjoying herself.  Lori always had torn clothes and it seemed that she only had about three outfits.  She didn't care either.  I always envied her attitude about life, and I never knew at that time what she was going through.

She came over to my house often just to get a bath.  She hated the first one I gave her but after that she started to make it a regular thing!!  I think she just liked being cared for!  I always hated putting the dirty clothes back on her after bathing.  Once I gave her some new clothes that I went and bought for her and she went home with them and I never saw her wear them again.  I asked her about it and she would just smile and not answer.  I then began to look into what was going on in her life.

She had lost her father to AIDS.  Her mother left her because she was so sick.  She stayed with the Grandmother on the father's side.  The Grandmother was always sick and she had a husband that was a step-grandfather to Lori.  The Grandmother made her work in the gardens, carry water, cook and do just about everything by herself.  Her Grandfather drank all the time.  He was most often drunk! 

When Lori got sick one time, and I could see the Grandmother was doing nothing to help her and she was going to die from malaria, I took her in and had her treated from my home.  She was happy to be in my home.  I made sure she got good meals, baths and clothes to wear.  She had a bed to sleep in too.  I really loved her so much, but then one day her Grandmother showed up to take her home.  This was after about one month.  She said she was old and sick and needed her at home.  I asked her if she was concerned about the young girl's welfare and life.  She just kept saying that she needed her to help at home. 

I later came to find out that the Grandfather was raping Lori nearly every night when he came back drunk.  She did not tell people anything or show it but she was going through hell on Earth.  I cried and cried wishing I had never allowed the Grandmother to take her back.  I finally got help from the government in getting her removed and put her in a foster home.  She was not raped there but still made to do a lot of work. 

Lori developed such a feeling of unworthiness and life is not worth living by the time she reached her teens.  One would never know she was the same child that ran every where and came for baths!  It took several years of help for Lori and alot of love to help her.  Most of all, however, it has taken the Holy Spirit to heal her.  When she came to Christ and gave her life to Him she changed so much.  She began to do well in school, have a little confidence in herself and not think bad of herself.

Today Lori is in University and I am excited to see how the Lord is working in her life.  I know she will be a real testimony to others who have gone through what she has.  God bless you my dear daughter and may our Lord lift you up even more and bless you so much, Mom K