Just Missing!

Yesterday my two little big boys went to school.  They are Goma Victor Hines and Israel Mayatsa Hines (they took the last name on their own!).  They are wonderful young boys of 13 years of age, soon to be 14.  They have been growing together since they were babies.  Goma was the youngest I ever took in to stay in my home.  He was 10 1/2 months old when he started staying with me and 1 1/2 years old when he started to live with me.  Yes, I potty trained and all - though his young mother did help a lot with some of this before she left.

Israel was always there but came to live with us when he was three years old.  He was attached to Goma so much and they are still like real brothers.  They both accepted Christ when they were nine years of age and having been growing in the Lord ever since that time.  They read their Bibles that I bought them for Christmas one year.  All of my kids have a Bible, it is an important gift to all (God's Word).  Goma and Israel love football and games.  They enjoy bringing the other children together with them in the village at the orphanage compound and playing football and do this often during their holidays.  They are always visiting with me, mom, and enjoy spending time with me and I enjoy spending time with them too. 

On the left is a picture of very many of my kids, though they were not all there in this picture.  In the front is on the floor with me from left to right - Susan, Ssemu (in front) Norah, around me is Sabrina, Peace (in front) and Mary, and in front again is young David, then next to me is Momma Phyllis with Edith in red and in pink next to her is Annette.  The behind row is Sylvia, Rachel, Sarah, Irene, Christine, Israel, Goma, Elvis and big Ssemu.
Missing are Charles, big Mary, big David, the two Violets, Katie, Alpha, Benjamin, Henry and Kepher.

The two boys are to the right at the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda.  They enjoy a boat ride on the Nile.  Most of the kids that are in the ministry have visited the Source at one time or another, as it is on our list for special rewards for AWANA Clubs.  We do not have the pins, and etc. to give, so we do field trips as a gift to a class for those who do well on scripture memory, etc.

The school is coming along and the building is set to open up on the 19th of May, we hope this weekend to move in the furniture.  The painting is almost finished, and the toilets are being tiled as I write this blog.

Genesis is going to give all the kids in the ministry a good foundation, as spoken of earlier, and all our newly sponsored kids will go there.  We are still trying to raise another $8,000 to finish the school for things that have not been covered, mostly the electricity, insulation of the roofing, etc. Otherwise, water is there, a temporary kitchen is still in process of being built but more funds are needed included in the $8,000.  All the praise and glory and honor goes back to the Lord.  God bless you, Katherine

 

Much has happened since I last had a chance to blog.  Some good and some not so good.  I buried my father in Belleville, Illinois.  He was 87 years of age.

We started in August the building of the primary school for Genesis Nursery/Primary School.  With the Lord's help we will start with little ones and raise them up with a good foundation in the Lord and the Word of God.

 This is the first building of six for the classrooms.  There is also a toilet building going up with flush toilets!!  We are excited and thankful to our partners who have done so much to see that this is happening (Orphans Heart).  The school currently has 108 students.  We are currently having a middle class (nursery), a top class (nursery), first grade, second grade and third grade.  The curriculum we got from another organization that has been a great help to us, Rafiki Foundation.  This curriculum has the word of God all through it from the time they are little to the time they get through the 7th grade.  All primary schools in Uganda go through the third grade when they are a complete primary school.  We hope to register our school this year with the government so that by the 7th grade all students are able to take the Uganda National Education exam that is required before they can go to high school.  Pray for the school to be one of the best for the glory of God.

I want to tell you about a little girl in our ministry named Desire Mercy.  She is a very sweet little girl that has grown in a home that is so difficult.  Her mother has left her father very many times because he was continuing in witchcraft for so long and doing horrible things. 

Desire Mercy has been coming to the AWANA Clubs since she could walk with her half brother, Zebaloni.  She is a good student at Genesis Primary School.  She went home when she was three years old and told her father that he needed to get saved.  That he needed to stop all this evil stuff he does or he won't go to Heaven.  That he needed to ask Jesus into his heart. 
I went to her home many times and shared with her father and he told me this story in tears as he said that he feared that he would be killed by the demons if he gave his life to Christ.  I told him he had to believe and to know that our Lord is mightier than any of the demons or Satan himself.  He had a hard time believing this.  Last year he gave his life to Christ and had a big bonfire to burn all the evil stuff that he used in his witchcraft.  Now he is growing mangos and trying to make a living.
Desire is here with a doll that one of her sponsors made for her for Christmas as a gift.

Continue praying for the children, especially those in situations like Desire was in.  God bless you so much. 

TIA

Africa is often known as the "dark continent."  Not because of the color of the people, but because of the problems they face.  I can only speak for Uganda, however, as I am not familiar with the other countries.

When I think of the word "Dark," I think of night, I think of evil, I think of the Devil, I think of all wrongdoing.  Everyone has their own ideas of the what dark is.  At night there are many things that go on that do not go on in the day, things that are just evil. 

Witchcraft is a real problem all over the world, but particularly in Uganda and Africa.  Evil things are done.  I have really come to hate what the witchdoctors do.  Most of them have AIDS, as they often take sex as payment for what they do.  Performing evil deeds, that is what they do, in the name of Satan.  I do not fear them, as I know God is with me and protects me.  I often go to their homes to share the gospel and pray for them.  I have seen a few of them give their lives to Christ, and it is not easy for them, as the demons always come back to taunt them and ridicule them. 
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I like to think that the ministry is a light in all this darkness.  Serving the children and people of the community of Kamonkoli to the glory of God.  Raising up the children to be healthy, strong Christian adults that make a difference for their community and country to the glory of God.  This is why we started a primary school.  We call it Genesis Nursery/Primary School, because it is their beginning and the foundation in their lives.  I know that the children get a lot of influence from their homes as they sleep there, etc., but to really influence them you need more than just AWANA Club and Sunday School.  More than youth Bible studies that come later in their lives.  In school they spend a lot of time - five days a week - eight hours a day.  This is where they can be influenced.  The Muslims have been doing this for a long time, why not the Christians.  We have a curriculum that puts God in everything and builds a strong foundation in Christ from the time they are little.

The children in my home have devotions every night, short, but keeps them in the word at least once in a day and time to pray together before having dinner.  I have watched most of my children grow into the kind of adults that make one very happy and give God glory.  My daughter, Mary Nanyonga, recently finished her last year of high school and did very well.  We are praying that she will get a scholarship to Makerere University, which would allow us to use her sponsorship for her boarding and feeding, and other needs (books, etc.).  I ask you to pray with her. 

More than just finishing high school with good grades, she loves Jesus.  Mary has been working with us in the office and helping with many different things.  She is hard working and always willing to help out.  She is quiet and does not get involved in any gossip.  She desires to give God glory.  She is one of my little women of Africa.  Next week she turns 20 on the 18th of this month, April.  I give thanks to God for her each and every day.  I have put a picture of Mary from Christmas day in 2013.  It is wonderful to be bright and pretty at the same time. 
This year I taught her how to make cakes and read recipes.  She learns very fast and does an excellent job because she follows the recipes.
Mary came to live with me when she was 8 years of age.  She had gone through a lot.  She had two older brothers.  Her mother abandoned her when she was a baby and she did not remember her much.  Her father died and left her with her Grandfather and her two half brothers, whose mother and father are dead.
She was bitten by a dog when she was 7 years old that we thought had rabies, and she had to go through many injections for this.  She overcame her fear of dogs, even still!  We have two dogs and she does okay with them (Buster and Bella).  The house that she and her brothers was living in collapsed so they came to stay with me.  The Grandfather and the Uncles that lived in the home were brewing a liquor every day, kind of like what we call moonshine.  It was not a good place for a young girl to grow up.  I went to the courts and got a care order to keep her in the orphanage, as well as her two brothers.  In 2010, her brother, Bonafice, who was 21 at the time, died in a motorcycle accident.  It was really hard for Mary and Charles (the other brother).  Her brother, Charles, is studying to be a Dentist at Kampala International University and like Mary, is very bright and loves the Lord.

The picture here on the left shows all my girls in the orphanage.  The back row is my little women now and Mary is there, and the front row shows the young girls coming up.
I am proud and excited about all of my girls.  In the back row is Brenda Nakku, Violet Namisi, Mary Nanyonga, Alpha Namuyanja, Iryn Nagaga, Sarah Sabano, Catherine Amuroni.  In the front row is Sylvia Mugole, Annette Kayendeke, Norah Kaidu, Sabrina Musenero, Rachel Mudondo, Edith Biniki, Peace Namaja, and in the very front is Mary Naula and in the middle in front of Mary Nanyonga is Susan Nabirye.  Missing from the picture is Beatrice Namuzungu, who was not at home.  Below is a picture of some of my sons, they were not all around for the picture.

Not all the boys are pictures here and men.  From left to right is Israel Mayasa Hines, David Kirya Lunguba, Elvis Tenywa, Ssemu Innocent, Charles Ongabba, Ssemu Isabirye and Goma Victor Hines.  Missing from this picture is David Kisembo, Henry Olipotto, Benjamin Wytayabi, Keifer Tukkei, Julius Bumba and Nelson Duchu.

Elvis, Ssemu, Goma and Israel are all still in high school.  David Kisembo and Ssemu Innocent are in primary school,  David Kirya Lunguba finished at Makerere University in Information Systems and Computer Science and is currently looking for a job.   Charles mentioned above is studying to be a Dentist at Kampala International Unversity in Mbarara.  Henry is studying Project Management at Uganda Christian Unversity.  Benjamin is studying to be a doctor at Makerere University.  Keifer is studying to be a Lab Technician at Medicare Institute.  Julius finished in Business Administration from Nkumba Unversity and currently works with an organization that is affiliated with the UN out of Dubai.  Nelson finished with Business Administration from Makerere University and went on to do 1 1/2 years of Bible and is currently pastoring a church of around 75 members in Mbale, with plans to continue his Bible studies.
 

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.