Answered Prayer

I think this is the happiest day of my life! Ok...when I got married and had my children..that was pretty good too. Jesus answered our prayers!!!! OUR BAGS ARE HERE!!!! Just in time for the tournament...Our God is an awesome God...I prayed hard for a miracle and everyone else prayed and he answered! So, I praise him in the good and when there is bad also. Never stop praising him! We woke this morning and Robert and Sarah (my sister) called the airport in Entebbe and all the bags had come in last night. Our plan was for the whole group to go to Fountain, but plans changed. Robert, my dad and Todd drove to Entebbe to pick up the luggage. When they got there, sure enough it was all our bags. The man opened our luggage and said that we need to pay taxes on the tournament shirts. Todd was having none of that and said no...we will not pay. Why do we have to pay taxes on these shirts and not on all the other luggage? The man said those are personal items...Todd said well then these t-shirts are my personal shirts as well. Their is a lot of coruption in Uganda and the man would have just pocketed the money if we paid it. I think they had a stand off and Todd was not budging. So the man said fine...You just go. I could not believe my Todd did that. My dad said he just sat back and said nothing and let Todd handle it. So all of us have our personal bags...I saw a note from Miriam that meds were coming for Pastor with the Newport team. I saw him take his diabetes shot this evening. Thank-you so much for loving him and wanting to help him. The rest of us traveled to Fountain. Oh my goodness...so much has changed. So much growth is happening. Sarah Sityo and Boscoe (the financial director for the school) gave us a tour. They now have a fence all the way around the school with 2 gates so they can control who comes and goes. It is better security. They have 2 "gate keepers" that are there all the time. Robert said it was a big adjustment for all the teachers because now when they come to school they also have to be checked, their bags checked, for safety of the students. With the auction monies that were raised by the community last year, they added on to the Highschool. They now have a building for Senior 4. Next year they want to add senior 5 and last senior 6. Then students can go to Fountain for their entire education. They have new buildings going in for the primary grades. The new kitchen is already too small for the number of students. The plan is to knock out one of the walls and add more and bigger cooking areas. Right now they are cooking in two shifts. I had never been in the kitchen when they were actually preparing the meal...(posho, beans and rice) It is scorching hot in there and the cooks are just dripping sweat. They also have to have big muscles because they are stirring such large pots of food. I am thankful they are there and feeding all the amazing children! We were greeted by many of the younger classes who ran out of their classrooms to greet us. Which surprised their teachers...so they had to round them up. This is not a normal accurance, they are very well behaved. Only when the Mzungus come that everyone goes mulalu:)(crazy).
Sarah cries at the drop of a hat. She can't even wave out the van window without tearing up. We went back to the Sityos house for lunch and then Martha, both Sarahs , Boscoe and I went to go shopping in town for the supplies for Sarah's stockpile and for outreach in the bush that we will be doing. We bought many things...writing books, pens, pencils, toilet paper, sanitary pads (for girls), soap, toothpaste, rice, beans, sugar, and flour for posho. We went back to the house and when we got there the suitcases were there! We ate dinner to the music of Chane Matoon and Becca Klimper...(see, you are here:) Then we sat and shared conversation with Robert and Sarah about how they met and how Fountain of Hope got started. Those of you curious...come next year...they can tell it again! Marilyn and Mo did not go on the shopping trip with us. They continued to sew up the fish we filled with beans. We also helped before we all had dinner. What a great day! I raise my Fanta in the air...and say Thank-you Lord...and now I will go to bed with a smile on my face.   Oh, one more thing...I got to see Peter and Sera today in town when we were shopping...that was a wonderful surprise. The preparations for the tournament have already begun and will continue tomorrow. The tournament is on Sat. and the whole community is excited. Blessings on your day!

Beth

Day of rest

Hi....it's Beth again. Today was a good day. We took it slow today. I think every one of us were able to take a much needed nap. We have not heard about our 6 lost suitcases. It's actually 3 of us that do not have our personal bags....Mo's did not arrive either. Please pray for my dad. He has pain in his feet and he only brought a few days of his meds in his carry on, the rest are in his lost bag. His diabetes meds are in the lost bag as well. I know that Jesus is taking care of all of us, and it will be okay in the end. The sports tournament is on Sat. and we only have enough shirts for 5 teams. WE NEED THOSE BAGS!!! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY! Today started out with no running water...we thought we would not be able to get a shower today. That was bad news...I looked a fright and Sarah and Todd could not stop laughing about it. But, our most gracious hosts brought in water and filled the tank and everyone was able to take a shower...a freezing cold shower...but it felt wonderful!!! We then had a great breakfast...they made french toast (which they didn't know that is what we called it) They said we have bread with eggs...so now it is known as Ugandan toast. They also had bread with peanut butter or jam, sausage...not sure what kind, mango-passion fruit juice and bananas. They feed us well here. After breakfast we went into town and bought some items needed at Pastor and Sarah's home and also beans to fill the fish that we will be giving out to the children when we tell the story of Peter and fisherman. We ate lunch in town at a cafe called the Source and then came home and that is when everyone took a nap. Sarah and I went through the suitcases we did have and organized them into groups...tournament stuff, sponsorship gifts, medical supplies, school supplies, gifts etc.  We then had a wonderful dinner of  chapati bread and beans, yams, potatoes, fried chicken and watermelon. After dinner we sat in the living room and filled the fish with beans and had wonderful conversation with Pastor Robert, Sarah, Sarah's sister and brother...Irene and Israel. They are such gentle and kind people with lots of questions. They love the Lord so, so much! Sarah learned much about Israel's schooling. Israel is in highschool...level 4. He has 2 more levels before he graduates. They study very hard and education is so important to them. He wants to be a pastor someday too. While we were sitting there our driver from our last 2 trips walked in....PETER! We were so happy to see him. Todd and I are very close to him, he is family and he told Todd, if you would have been here for my wedding, you would have been my best man. We love him so much! Vicki Gamble...he was so appreciative of all the gifts you sent for his family. Everyone was fascinated by the dog you bought for his daughter, Precious. They could not believe that it could actually say her name. It got passed around a lot.  Their next child is due in September. Well, that was our day today. We are very excited to wake in the morning...We will be going to Fountain of Hope! We will also be making a list of things we need to buy for the school....Sarah and Robert always have children coming to them and saying we don't have paper or pencil or toilet paper, soap...it could be anything. So our goal is to have a stock of the basic neccessities to be given out as needed. Hopefully we can keep it replenished. I will make sure that I add some pictures to the next blog. It's 11:45pm so I better get to bed. God be with all of you! Goodnight...or Good Morning for you.

Beth

We Are Here!

Hello.....it's Beth, and I am going to attempt our (and my) first blog. As you read in the title....we are finally here. I have lost all sense of time...but am told it is Tuesday evening on the 19th of June. We have had quite the journey so far....I will bring you all up to speed, forgive any typos as I am exhausted. We started out in Spokane with what we thought was 21 suitcases...but in fact there were 23, don't ask....it still stumps our fearless leader.  We got to Seattle....good , short flight. When we got there, my dad had to go out to the Emerites counter to get our boarding passes and vouchers for the hotel stay in Dubai. We thought we had plenty of time....but I think we were in some kind of warp speed time continueum...because by the end we were racing to get to our already boarding plane. So my dad goes out....and said he would call us all if he needed us. Of course he did..,.they needed to see all our faces and passports...big , duh moment I think. So, we leave Todd with all our carry on bags so we could have an easier time getting through security again. Sarah and I got our stuff first....as we were standing in the loooong line to get through security...which by the way...we were supposed to be boarding in 30 minutes....here comes my mom....by herself mind you (if you know my mother and I, you would know we both have a debilitating disease called...Don'teverleavemealoneIhavenosenseofdirectionandwillgetlostitis!) It worried Sarah and I, but knew we needed to get through so we could relieve Todd to get his boarding pass. Oh, another part of the story is that Mo and Todd did not have hotel vouchers for when we got to Dubai...we were going to wing it and do a covert, smuggling of them into the hotel if necessary...I am only kidding:) So , Sarah ended up having to go back out with Todd because he had no idea where he was going...it has hit the third generation people....he is young so intervention might help. I am left with an enormous amount of carry on luggage and a little stress looking at the clock and realizing the amount of time we don't have. Everyone finally gets through security, and we realize that Nonie is lost.....LOST...we can not find her. She decided not to take her cell phone with her..so we left Sarah behind, just in case mom shows up. The rest of us get racing to the gate since it was boarding. Mind you there was a lot of praying going on, dad thought he was going to have to stay behind if she was no where to be found. And wouldn't you know it, that little trooper found her way to the gate...I am so proud of her! Sarah got there in time too and we were headed to Dubai. (on a side note to my sister, Becca...I know I said I was going to call you from Seattle...but as you can see, there was no time..I love you:) The flight to Dubai was 14 hours or so. I am going to ask for some prayers for myself and you might find it kinda funny....please pray for my backside! I have been having problems sitting for long periods of time because my tailbone hurts terribly! Right now it is pretty bad...but I am coping. We got to Dubai all of us kind of punchy by now. We found our way through the beautiful Dubai airport and found our way to the bus counter to go get to our hotel. We let the gal know that 2 of our people didn't have hotel vouchers and she said it would be $115 dollars each to stay. My dad about swallowed his tongue, but we trusted that God was going to get us through this one too...he got us to the plane on time....He helped my mom find the right gate...He could do this too. We got to the hotel and it ended up that Mo and Todd were able to stay in the rooms with us. Hallaloo! We had our boarding passes for the next flight so it was going to be a breeze in the morning. I think our room was only able to sleep for 3 hours....we got to the airport on time, ate a little breakfast, and then went to go through security. None of our boarding passes worked, so we had to get new ones. Got new boarding passes, got through security and Sarah couldn't find her money pouch. It had her ID, all her money and her Visa card. She had left it on the chair that she had sat in while waiting for dad to get all the passes. A nice gentleman...ok, a stern gentleman led her back out to see if it was still there. A little girl was sitting in Sarah's seat and was on Sarah's money pouch! Yeah, God!!! We got to Entebbe, Uganda, very exhausted from lack of sleep and found out that 6 of our suitcases didn't make it....I am running out of battery, so long story short....yeah right!...pray that we get the bags. It had soccer tournament t-shirts. My personal bag, my dad's personal bag etc....I need to sign off. I am excited to see what God has in store for us tomorrow.  

Beth

I just want to say that I am so thankful to God that we have this opportunity to share His love with so many people here in Ethiopia, who are so much less fortunate than we are. I think the main thing that has stood out to me the most so far, is the way that the Christians here are so much more thankful, and express their joy than most people in America.


Today we awoke to some kind of parade or something outside of our hotel and all through the streets, and I was later informed that it was a parade of mourning, probably signifying the death of someone of some kind of significance. The culture here is so shockingly different. There was also a chorus of barking dogs, probably strays, that joined the parade, and also the daily call to prayer, before the sun was even out. We met for breakfast and had a team meeting, praying and planning for the day, and the VBS that will be taking place the rest of this week. 


After a delicious breakfast, we again loaded into the van, that is super shady and scares me a little bit, and traveled the cobblestone roads from Addis into Burayu, where we met with the pastor of the Full Gospel Church of Burayu in a local coffee shop. The macchiatos that we drank were by far the best tasting coffee I have ever had. 


We walked down the street a ways, and Pastor Emmanuel led us into the church building, and led all ten of us up onto the stage, where they had seats waiting for us. Dale introduced our team to the whole church. I was so overcome with emotion when the choir stood up and led the church in worship. I was thinking so much today about how awesome it is that even though I have no idea what these people are saying, by their body language, tone, and expression you know they are filled with the holy spirit. We worship the same God here in Africa as we do back in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, it is just in a much much different way. Different language, different culture, different continent, the same HUGE amazing and all powerful God! I started crying tears of pure joy when I leaned over to Samuel, one of the church leaders and asked him what the people were singing. He told me that they were singing about how they will never forget all that God has has done for them, but they thank Him because he has done so much, and He is so good. Wow! They are having church inside a building that has been built with sheets of metal for walls, and a tarp for a roof. Why am I not as thankful as them? I have so much more. I guess the church really is the body of believers and not the building. Cool! I started crying another round of tears of joy when at the end of the church service, they had an altar call, and five people came up and dedicated their lives to Christ for the first time. I had no idea what they were praying, but I did know that I am going to see those beautiful men and women again someday in the kingdom of heaven! Praise God.


One of our big goals this week is going to be to connect the kids who are sponsored through GGI to their sponsor back at home. Today we gathered as many of those children together as we could, and took pictures with them so that we can show their sponsor how they are progressing. It was such a blessing for me to get to spend more time with the little boy I sponsor, Fraol, and meet his beautiful mother. What an honor! We played with the kids, taught them how to high five, and Audrey led them in a new song to them, head shoulders knees and toes! It was precious. They are such a blessing. We got to visit four of the homes of sponsored children today, hoping to find out how we can meet specific needs, and bless them in the most helpful way. We have found that a lot of them need beds and mattresses, because a lot of them sleep on the dirt floor. Pray that we will be able to find good deals on beds and bedding so we can get them up off the ground, out of the dirt, and away from all the critters that love to crawl all over them. One thing about todays home visits that stood out to me most, was a sign that I saw hanging on one of the mud walls. I asked one of the school officials to translate it for me, and it said, "We thank God because he is good to us". They are so thankful and so full of joy, that it leads me to tears on a constant basis. 


We prepared tonight for VBS tomorrow, and shared a lot of good laughs over dinner tonight. Please be praying that we will have a spirit of flexibility as we go into this week with a plan, but not knowing exactly what is in store. We have already seen that things are very subject to change here in Ethiopia. Pray that we will have the energy to keep loving these kids as much as they need. I have already found it to be very rewarding and awesome, but it takes a lot out of me. It has not been easy for me to put mind over matter. I look at the places they live and how dirty their faces are, and the flies literally in their eyes, and have a hard time not crying. So I have... A lot! Next week should be the first week in the new church building for the Full Gospel Church of Burayu, so be praying that that gets completed on time. Also, please pray that the Lord will make an impact on these children's hearts this week as we tell them about God's plan for their life, how much He loves them, and how they can spend eternity with Him! I pray that I will be a vessel that God will use in whatever way He needs me. I hope He stretches me, and grows me in ways that I could have never expected. I am seeing that already.


To God be all the glory! Good night or Good morning :)
~ Jill and the GGI team

Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands
Deuteronomy 7:9

After almost three days of traveling, our team of ten people made it to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia safe and sound with the exception of some lost luggage. This morning (Saturday) we were able to set out and begin to explore the city of Burayu and meet many of the people we will be serving with this next week. 

As we loaded up into one of the most sketchy vans I've ever been into, our driver merged onto   a main road filled with crazy drivers, people walking straight through it and people's livestock taking up way too much space in the middle of the road! I instantly pulled out my camera and slowly but surely began to fall in love with the people, the culture and this beautiful place. The buildings are made from anything to metal roofing material, to dried mud and straw mixed together to make walls. many of the people sit in the side of the road with their merchandise spread out for people to purchase. I loved seeing the small produce stands with the bananas hanging from the roof. The colors are just beautiful here...the people don't really match their clothes like we would, instead they just wear an array of bright colors all together. 

As we continued on our bumpy and crazy van ride, I had my head out the window and couldn't stop smiling. I'm one of the few white people in the city, so all of us are easily spotted by the locals. I waved and smiled at them and got shocked looks, big grins, waves or raised eyebrows as we passed by! After awhile of driving I waved to some small boys and they were so excited they ran up to the van shouting to us. A member of our team, Carol, immediately let out a shout of joy and called the boys over, speaking their names and saying "I love you, I love you" over and over. She knew these boys from the GGI school when she lived here two years ago. We had finally arrived at the school! This is the moment I was so anxious for...I would finally get to smother these precious children with hugs, kisses and "I love you's". We walked into the courtyard and were immediately greeted with big brown eyes and happy smiles from dozens of children. They poured into the main room and greeted us with the polite handshakes they have been taught to. I shook their hands, but quickly taught them I preferred big hugs and kisses. As the smiling kids poured in I was just overcome with tears and couldn't stop them from flowing! I was so utterly joyful because God had brought us all to these beautiful children...many who do not have parents to show them this kind of affection. We spent some more time at the school but soon left to walk down the street to go to our next stop. I was heartbroken as one little girl named Chaltou had gotten attached to me and started crying when we told her we had to leave. She followed us all the way to the street and would not let go! She stole my heart. 

For the next few hours we walked all through the city and had the honor of visiting Pastor Emmanuel's home and drinking coffee with his family. Bonus: it was also some of the best coffee I've ever had. We got to see the rest of the GGI school and visit the new church building that the Full Gospel Church of Burayu has been working on for over a year. What a blessing that it's almost complete! Tomorrow's Sunday service will be the last time they are in their old building. 

As much as I love seeing the city, meeting the different people and trying the different food,  everywhere we go I seek out the children. They are where my heart completely is! Although I only know about four words in their Ethiopian language, I've learned how true it is that a smile means the same in every language. God is so good and allowed us to meet many many precious children today. We hugged, kissed and held them and smiled to let them know they are loved. This is the first day in our adventure, but I already think it's been one of the most blessed days of my life. I thought it would take me awhile to adjust here, but I feel such an overwhelming peace about being here. I absolutely know that this is exactly where God wants me and the rest of my team right now, and that's why this feels so normal and so right. I am overcome with the type of joy that only comes from resting in the Lord's strength. And it is such a blessing to know the rest of my team is experiencing the same peace, joy and comfort as well. Praise God!

Some specific prayer requests would be for a member of our team, Betrese, who is not feeling well tonight. Her stomach and head are upsetting her. She is one of our main translators, so not only do we need her language skills, but also her sweet and encouraging spirit with us tomorrow! Also pray for wisdom for Dale and Roy as they attempt to open up better communication with the GGI school board in Burayu. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and support, this blessed trip would not have been possible without your loving encouragement. I am so excited to see how God will be moving tomorrow!!

Under the protection of the Almighty God,

Audrey and the GGI team

                                                  The GGI sponsored kids waiting for lunch

                                          Betrese translating for me and my sponsored girl Lydia

                                                      Coffee at Pastor Emmanuel's house

                                                                    The new church building

                                                                                       Oops

Isaiah 1:17 says "Learn to do right! Seek justice, Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."

God is speaking to His people in this verse, plainly telling us what our lives should be about. As God-lovers, no matter what place we are at in our life, we are to be about these things. I believe the reason we remain on this earth even after receiving Christ, is so that we can be the literal hands and feet of Jesus Christ, sharing His love to the people He loves. And those are often the unloved people of our world; the widows, orphans, oppressed and unjust. 

As modern day Christians, the word "worship" is often misinterpreted or misused. The Apostle Paul clearly describes true worship in Romans 12:1-2... 

      

         “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God to present 

          your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is 

          your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this 

          world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you 

          may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable, 

          or well pleasing and perfect.”

We often view worship as the time allotted during a church service to sing praise songs. But worship is not a specific time during the week, rather a way of living. True worship is finding ways to incorporate loving people unconditionally into our everyday life. It is following and obeying the commands that the Lord has revealed in His Word. It is meditating on the Word throughout the day, so that our minds will be renewed. Because this is what is good, pleasing and acceptable in the eyes of the Lord. 

Because we believe these things so plainly seen in the Bible, on June 6th a group of ten individuals will set out on a missions trip to Burayu Ethiopia. We are working through Grace Giving International with the purpose of bringing glory to God. Eight of us will be working at the GGI Academy in Burayu to put on a Vacation Bible School for over 400 children. Our theme for the week is "God has a plan for you". We want Jeremiah 29:11 to become a reality for each child there, and for each one to embrace it personally through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Although planning, teaching and communicating a VBS for 400 children who do not speak our language seems like a daunting task, it is nothing compared to our mighty God. We will have five different translators helping us teach the Bible lessons that week which is such a blessing. We are so excited for this opportunity, and we are honored to be able to tell these precious children there is a God that loves them more in a moment than any other lovers could in a lifetime. 

If you would like to pray for our team, it would be greatly appreciated. This trip will not be successful unless it is soaked in prayer. Some things to be praying for are...

- For God to be preparing the hearts of everyone we come in contact with so that they are ready to receive His truth. 

- Safety! We are traveling to a third world country and there are obvious safety issues that we could come in contact with. 

- A spirit of flexibility for everyone on the team. Although we are planning how we would like the trip to go, a lot of the time God has something different in mind. We want to take everything in stride and realize it's part of God's sovereign plan. 

- That we would not miss any opportunity to share the gospel. Whether it's on our flight, in the airport, hotel, village, marketplace, restaurant or someone's home, we want to take advantage of every opportunity that the Lord places in front of us. Carpe Diem. 

- Most importantly, that this trip would bring God glory and win hearts for His kingdom. 

Thank you for your prayers and support, we are so excited to see how God is working in Ethiopia! If you would like to read about what God is doing during our trip, we will be putting up posts and pictures while we are there, when we able. 

Under the protection of a Mighty God,

~ Audrey and the GGI team

Uganda Year in Review

Uganda Year in Review

Another year has quickly come and gone! 2011 was a year of triumph, growth, struggles, and successes for GGI and the team in Uganda. Progress both physically, financially, and spiritually continued to confirm God's blessing on our work while opening doors for more work to be done. As we prepare to celebrate our Savior's birth on Christmas, I'd like to share the highlights of 2011 as well as our vision for 2012. Everything that has been accomplished is because of generous giving from child sponsors, churches, individual gifts, and corporate donations. I am truly grateful for the financial, prayer, and physical support everyone has given in 2011 and say "thank you" for everything you've accomplished.

I want to first share and request prayers for Pastor Robert and Sarah during the holiday season. Pastor Robert's mother just passed away and he is going in for his fifth cancer treatment today. With 8 or so students living with them over the holidays and the loss of his mother, we ask that you pray for comfort and strength for them.

2011 Outreach Highlights

- Opened our 4th church with former Fountain of Hope teacher Godfrey as the new Pastor. Pastor Godfrey oversees the new church in the village of Ndolwa, 2 ½ hours away from Bukeeka, and is excited about sharing the word of God. A bicycle was also gifted to Pastor Godfrey to assist with his local transportation needs.

- Baptized hundreds of new Christian believers including 162 people from the Bukeeka area in a mass baptism in the Nile River in June.

- Raised the needed money for Pastor Robert's cancer treatment. So far the treatment is working.

- Built a new house for a single grandmother raising two grandchildren while living in a falling down mud hut.

- Assisted in building a new house for a family living in old mud huts which leaked water whenever it rained.

- Provided sponsor gifts to hundreds of sponsored children. With living conditions very basic, most of the children and families received items such as mattresses, blankets, shoes, shoe polish, socks, school composition books, soap, and food items such as rice and beans.

- Provide numerous gifts to widows and needing families through Sarah's Widow's Mite efforts. Sarah, Pastor Robert's wife, provides assistance to families and those in need while sharing God's love.

- Provided funding for Elisha's first year of college education. Elisha is a son of a witch doctor and is one of Bukeeka's first believers from Pastor Robert's church. Since accepting Christ years ago, Elisha has become a youth leader in the church and finished his high school education. His father attempted to blackmail him by offering to pay for his college if he came and continued on the family business of working for the spirits and becoming a witch doctor. Elisha walked away from his father's offer and instead prayed for a solution to his desire to attend college.

- Successfully held the 2nd annual Fountain of Hope Sports Tournament with eight district wide primary schools attending and hundreds of students and families partaking in the event.

2011 Building the Infrastructure Highlights

- Completion of Fountain of Hope's new boarding house where close to 100 students live during the school year. The boarding house includes separate boys and girls quarters, private courtyards, private bathing stalls, new toilets, and water catchment tanks for collecting rain water for washing.

- Completion of Fountain of Hope's new kitchen funded by Lutheran Women's Mission League. The kitchen includes two storage rooms and four energy efficient built-in stoves saving 50% in wood burning costs.

- Installed solar power and lights for the boarding house, toilets, kitchen, and general outside security.

- Construction of a new Fountain of Hope High School building for 8th and 9th grade classes and the completion of the first school year. The high school has generated additional participation by the local community and allowed many students the chance to continue their education beyond 7th grade.

Every year I'm amazed at how the Lord continues to use Fountain of Hope School, Pastor Robert, and the growing church in Bukeeka to help people and share God's love both spiritually and physically. In 2012, we place our hope and faith in God as we share with you our vision for the ministry.

2012 Vision for Outreach

- Start a child and widow sponsorship program in Ndolwa to support the new church and share God's love with the community. This sponsorship program is aimed at helping those in need no matter their age and showing the community what it means to live out the Christian faith through helping others. While traditional sponsorships focus on children, there are numerous widows and others desperately in need that this program will assist. Our goal is to find 10 sponsors willing to contribute $20 a month. To date we have signed up 3 sponsors.

- Purchase land for the Wabiyinja church - our 2nd church planted. The church has been meeting on borrowed land and has the potential to explode in attendance and outreach efforts once we establish a permanent home. Additionally, the land will be farmed to support a outreach food project to assist those unable to raise or purchase enough food for their families. Cost of land $9,000. Raised so far $3,000.

- Increase Bukeeka's child sponsorship program to 300 children. The sponsorship program in Bukeeka provides the foundation for not only the Fountain of Hope School but also our ability to reach out to the community and share God's love. For each child sponsored, the school receives tuition thus helping it serve the 850 children as well as changes the sponsored child and family's life forever. Current number of children sponsored is 204.

2012 Vision for Infrastructure

- Build permanent school classrooms for Fountain of Hope Junior School. In order to maintain our favorable status with the Uganda government and secure official certification for our school and remain open we must construct brick classrooms that meet building codes. This effort is the largest capital fund raising initiative we've ever attempted. The cost to build seven classrooms, a teacher's room, and an administrative room all with solar power is $145,000. Raised so far $41,000.

- Build a new Bukeeka Church and Multi-Purpose building. The growing Bukeeka Church continues to meet in Fountain of Hope's wooden classrooms. A larger permanent building will give the church a place to call home as well as provide a community multi-purpose building for adult education, community events, film showings, and the required assembly and testing hall for the school. Cost including solar power is $40,000. Raise so far $2,500.

- Build a new church for Wabiyinja. Currently meeting in a pole barn style building (ie cheap) they are positioned in an area full of potential believers. We wish to establish a permanent church for them to assist in growing and sharing God's word throughout the countryside. Cost to build their church and provide solar power $38,000. Raise so far $0.

- Lastly, we continue to purchase books for the Fountain of Hope Junior School to meet government requirements and ensure the teachers have the necessary tools to teach their students. Based on current prices and exchange rates the total cost remaining to finish purchasing the books is $8,000. Raised so far $0.

While it seems that the list is a never ending request for money, we are committed to changing people's lives and sharing God's love with them in relevant and meaningful ways. The building of an infrastructure not only allows the ministry to continue to operate but also contributes to a longer term vision for transforming Bukeeka into a center of Christian education and outreach. The new school classrooms, multi-purpose church building, and boarding houses will provide a meeting place for pastor training, adult training, evangelist training, Christian retreats and seminars. As always we pray for the Lord's direction and wisdom in all we do and ask for your prayers as well. He has led us successfully this far and we're confident He'll continue leading us where He wants us to be.

Blessings, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

John Kimsey, GGI