How very true is this scripture! "God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does GREAT things that we cannot comprehend." Job 37:5. He can make the noise of thunder and the brightness of lightening with just one word. He can make the sea rage and then bring it to a peaceful calm. He can do all things both big and small, and we will never be able to comprehend the greatness of His mighty power and workings. Every single day God is moving here in Uganda. Every single day HE does GREAT things that no man could ever do! Every single day HE breaks chains, moves mountains, and creates a new way for the lost, the hopeless, and the broken. Every day HE heals. Every day HE restores. Every day HE does GREAT things! Not me, not you, not a ministry or a church. It's God. 100% of the time, it's GOD!
So let me tell you about the many ways God is moving here, in Uganda, since my last update. Grab your favorite drink and get comfortable, there's a whirlwind happening right now.
-Thomas and his team completed another Following Jesus class on one of the islands. They had over 30 pastors/ministers in attendance and many other church members present, as well. Thomas is doing an amazing job leading up this program and has an excellent team working with him. Our goal is to do a complete class about every 2-3 months, always going to the most recent places we've done evangelism as a team. We want to teach and train the pastors of these places, so they are teaching the new believers and even current believers in their congregation, total truth. We alternate between going to the islands and remote villages and always try to gather every pastor that will come from the surrounding areas. God is doing amazing things through Thomas and this program, here in Uganda! Each of the classes we've completed have given reports that they are continuing the teaching to their churches and villages and their churches are growing and thriving! THIS is what it's all about! Praise God!
-3 of the boys in our program have started a pastoral training program in a village about 1 hour from us. It's through an organization called Breaking Ground Ministries and they do intensive training 1 week a month for 12 months for current pastors or those who want to be pastors but don't have the education to go to a formal seminary. I've heard nothing but amazing things from these boys and the leaders of that ministry, and I love hearing the boys teach at our bible studies. When their training is complete, after 1 year, they have the possibility of planting a church through this ministry and all of them have the dream of doing that. We praise God for these teachings and programs that are equipping the young men we work with, who once were looked at as hopeless and unworthy. Without God we have nothing, and now these guys have so much hope and passion to spread the good news of what God has done and is doing in their lives. Praise Him!
-Not only do we have some boys in seminary, we have 4 boys, consistently (but sometimes even 6-8) who go out into a village, each Sunday after church, to do evangelism. The village they go to is an area that is considered the "slums"by most. This is where the rougher people are; the thieves, the alcoholics, the druggies, the prostitutes. It's where a lot of the street kids hang out, because they have easy access to drugs and alcohol here. But these boys have taken their faith and are preaching to their community. It's not something we made them do, it's not something anyone specifically told them to do. They simply understood the great commission which was taught to them, which tells us as followers of Jesus Christ to go out and make disciples of all nations. THIS is what it's all about. We came here to teach these guys truth and love. We came to teach them about Jesus and his love for them. We came to make disciples who make disciples, and it's so beautiful to see this happening first hand. I think I mentioned this last time, but Thomas and I no longer do much teaching at bible study either. We always have different boys teaching, and we guide them along the way. It's so cool to see God working in them! Praise God!
-Since the last update, the boys in primary and secondary school have finished their first term, had holiday, and just went back last week. Here in Uganda, school is year-round, with 2-3 week holiday breaks at the end of each 3 month term. We had an interesting experience, to say the least, toward the end of last term. When the students are completing milestone grades (much like 8th grade to go into high school, or senior year of high school in preparation for university) they have to take a big government test. Well, in order to take said test they have to provide a birth certificate and a national ID from a parent, and are not allowed to take the test otherwise. When you're working with street kids, you don't have access to these things the majority of the time. (And, honestly, most Ugandan's don't get birth certificates) Some of the kids we work with do have parents that are still near, they've just chosen to run away or their parents have kicked them out of the house, but most are either far from where "home" is, or they don't have parents anymore period. Well, I can't just put these boys in school and not let them sit for this test that is required to move up to the next level, so we did what we had to do....we got birth certificates made. Did it seem sketchy, absolutely. But, I now officially have my name listed as mother on birth certificates for some of my boys, legit stamped and legalized by the government office. And all I had to do was pay the equivalent of about $3.42 USD. Things blow my mind here sometimes! But the boys will now be sitting for their test this term, and they're all registered and ready. Praise God for these little provisions that help the boys succeed.
-I also had my own little hospital adventure about a month ago. I'm not one for hospitals or doctors, for myself, but it was an act of desperation for sure. I've had migraines since I was young, which have progressed through the years. Usually a mix of migraine medication with a quiet, cool, dark room will help them, but occasionally nothing helps and I'm miserable for days. Several times in America I've had to go to my neurologist or where I worked (one perk to always working healthcare), to get a migraine cocktail infusion if it's lasted more than 4 days with no relief. It's simply magnesium with a couple of other medications mixed in saline and given over 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes more if it's not working. Day 4 of a killer migraine here had me beyond miserable and nothing was touching it- and you can't find a cool, dark, quiet room anywhere. I even tried a massage (best massage I've ever had and only $13), but it didn't work. So I ended up calling the doctor I work with, having to adjust some of the medications because they don't have some of the ones I use here, and after 2 hours of infusion I was finally migraine free. Praise God for the sweet people he's given me who work with me and for me in this Ugandan journey!
-April 12th was recognized here in Uganda as the International Day of the Street Child. I found out about this about a week prior to the event, however it ended up being a huge event. They hadn't done anything special, since Covid, on this day, so I had no clue it was even a thing. There was a marching band, a parade, dance offs, games, food, and just time for fellowship with all of the projects, here in Jinja, and the children we serve. I was so proud of our boys that day. Many of them didn't get breakfast because they were helping to set up the tents and chairs at Mayor's gardens, but didn't have outbursts or inappropriate actions. They helped take away fuel and other drugs from some of the other children during the event, helped control the parade line, helped serve food at lunch, and even cleaned up the area when everything was over. There's a major lack of camaraderie within the street child projects here, to say the least, but witnessing how well these guys, the older guys, just went with the flow and did things without being told, was a beautiful, proud mama moment to witness. I'm so proud of the young men that most of these guys are becoming. It's only by the grace of God that they're changing and growing though. Not anything I'm doing, not anything Thomas is doing, not anything Mary is doing, it's only GOD! Praise HIM!
-We had another team from our church come to Uganda, the last week in April, and it was amazing! It's always a lot to plan and prepare for, but the fruit that comes from the teams being here is always completely worth it. This group had attack after attack of spiritual warfare before they even got to Uganda. It was one thing after another and I know that at moments they probably felt defeated. But they came, and they fought on their knees, and God moved mountains. We hosted a marriage conference for about 40 couples at the local church where Thomas and Mary attend, which was much needed and much appreciated. There were 20 people on the island who gave their lives to Christ and another 12 in the village the team evangelized in. Praise GOD for new believers! Many others had questions and expressed interest, so we just continue praying that seeds were planted and more will come to know the Lord soon! While the team was here we split in half for boys bible study (we have so many boys at the project now that it's very crowded and can't hold many more extra bodies). I did bible study the first day, while the team was on the island, then each of the following 2 days we had teams present. This time we had 3 different boys teaching each day! Another proud mama moment! All of the boys were all at different levels of understanding and teaching, but I am so proud of them for trying and stepping out in faith. It just brings me to tears to see these boys growing in their faith and in their journey with Christ! A couple of the team members got to step out of their comfort zones, too, by cutting the heads off and prepping the chickens we were eating for lunch. It's a right of passage with the boys for sure! Over all, we had very well rounded and productive bible study days. All of the boys in the project also got new shoes while the team was here. They walk all over Jinja town and surrounding villages all day every day, so about every 2-4 months their shoes wear out and have holes in the soles. They either work for a new pair when their shoes are ruined, or we do special treat days like this so their feet are protected (there's lots of nails, glass, and other things to cut their feet laying around). The last time we bought shoes was at Christmas, so they have lasted a while this time. As usual, one of the big events we do while a team is here, is to have a large street child gathering. This is where I send some of the boys out to let all of the street kids know they can come to the football field to play games, hear the Gospel, and have a meal, all strict rules of the project out the window, for this one day only. I do wound care there, along with anyone on the team who is willing to learn how to do basic wound care or has knowledge of wound care. This time we saw some gnarly wounds. Nothing really makes me skittish or squeamish, so it never bothers me, but I use the wounds as an opportunity to invite them to bible studies for wound care, bible study, and a meal, and pray over them that they see Jesus in those moments and keep coming even after the wound is healed. We had 8 new boys start to come to bible study the week after the team, just because of their wounds. Each time we gather all of the street kids, we generally feed about 250, this time was no exception. Each time we've gathered like this since I've been living here, the boys in the project blow me away more and more. It's always chaos for sure, I've said that before. You gather 250 children, add in the fact they're street children with no rules, no boundaries, no structure, and it's nuts. We have children from all walks of street-hood at these events, many on drugs, many on alcohol or huffing fuel, many stealing from others, and some just being belligerent and bothersome to others. But, each time we gather, the boys in the project are stepping up more and more. They now see how God can work if they give up those things, and they take them away from the other kids, they burn the fuel the kids are huffing, they organize the boys for bible study and keep them calm and attentive, pretty well actually. The boys in the project are amazing at helping keep the food line in order and help me make sure someone isn't coming through a second time before others have got a first meal. It's chaos for sure, but each time its more controlled chaos than the last time! I'm so thankful for the heart these boys have for teaching others that there's something more. They clean, they help, they are different. The teams get to see the drastic difference in the children during this day, and it's always a beautiful faithful reminder from God of what all he's doing here. The week after the team left I got a phone call on one of the usual bible study days, "Auntie! There are 65 new boys at the gate wanting to come in! What do we do??" So here's the deal....we have a small house with only a little outdoor, unshaded, space that we rent for the project right now. We have dreams of land and a bigger place to meet, but we've not been able to see that dream come true yet. Currently we are working with about 150 boys. Some come consistently, some come inconsistently, but we have that many on our roster that pop in and out. Thomas and I had to make a decision to close the gates for newcomers, right now, to focus on quality not quantity essentially. We need to be sure we're intentionally pouring into the 150 we already have and raising them up to be Godly men. As they graduate programs or skills training we can replace their position with new boys. It was heartbreaking to have to turn some away, but we made sure that they know they are always welcome to come for medical care, to church, or to our large gathering days every 3 months. I just still can't believe that a little over a year ago this all started with 10 boys and now we have so many wanting to come learn more about Christ and wanting to change. Most of the projects here stop working with children at 13, but at that age many of them are still stubborn and prideful and don't see the harm in what's going on. Most of my boys are 15+ and have been on the streets for 10-13 years. We're not giving up on the new ones, we're just going to focus on the current ones and let them help disciple others they encounter along the way, until we can add more/expand. Praise GOD for the amazing work He is doing here!
-After the team left, I had to get the boys ready for second term and back to school. This is always a lot of work, going around town to get the boarding requirements, pay school fees at different banks, and just get them ready for 3 months away. Everything went pretty smooth until we were leaving Jinja, and my car exploded. So I ended up spending about 5 hours on the side of the road waiting on the mechanic, finding the issue, waiting on parts, and getting it fixed. Our cars here are old, but tough. Uganda roads make things loose and shift easily, but luckily I have a great mechanic, who's training my right hand man, Joel, so they always come to me and take good care of me! Since it was so late we had to push the boys going back to school to the next day, but we officially have them all back in boarding school and learning! Praise God for those of you who help us send these guys back to school!
-Another interesting Uganda adventure that happened that week involved Thomas and Mary's neighbor and her son. I got a phone call from Mary after dropping off the boys at school, that she was in the hospital with her neighbor's 8 year old son and he was very sick. Jowally was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease in December, after nearly a month of testing and hospital stays. He was in severe pain, low blood counts, basically every textbook symptom of SCD, but it took them a while to realize what it was. Mary called me to say that Jowally needed blood, but there was no blood at the children's hospital he was at or the one he was previously at. She informed me that here in Uganda, if a hospital doesn't have blood, it's the responsibility of the parent/family to locate blood for the patient. This blows my mind! When I got to the hospital to see him and find out the whole story, I walked into a ward with about 25 other children packed in one room, many of whom were also suffering from Sickle Cell Crisis and needing blood. Mary informed me that they witnessed another child die earlier that morning because he wasn't able to get blood. How sad and broken is this system! I checked Jowally's labs and saw that they hadn't even been retested since the previous day, and at that time his blood levels were extremely low. After talking to the doctor's, who also informed me that it's the family responsibility to find blood, I started calling every hospital I knew and even reached out to some other missionaries for contacts/ ideas. I even offered to donate my own blood, we are the same type, but at this hospital they wouldn't do emergent testing/transfer, where some hospitals will. In the midst of calling everywhere I remembered a sweet sister I met at Thanksgiving who is a part of a ministry in a village about 1.5 hours from us. One call to them and we finally found blood! So me, Mary, Jowally and his mama loaded up in my car for a long ride to the village. This facility was ready for us and such a blessing to us and my sweet friend. Prior to this encounter, I had met Jowally and his mama one time, so I didn't know them very well. Thomas and Mary had often tried to talk to her about Jesus, but she was never interested in being saved and born again. My prayers through this whole encounter were that Jowally's little body was healed and comforted, and that mama saw Jesus and surrendered to him. On Sunday, after he had been in the new hospital for 4 days, I got a text from my friend that said mama had given her life to Christ! PRAISE GOD!!!! Mama saw Jesus working on her baby, working for her baby, in the hearts and actions of the hospital staff and all around her because of this situation, and she knew she only needed 1 thing. We were able to pick up my little friend this week on Monday and he was smiling ear to ear and so joyful. He felt great and was so happy to be going home to his little brother. I'm just in awe every day when I look back on the experiences God has given me my entire life. The medical experience, the passion to help and advocate, the so called "random" situations I've been in, that are proving useful now. God is GOOD all the time! And He does GREAT things I can't comprehend! It's humbling to be a part of His story here in Uganda for sure.
-After the lack of blood, and seeing how the blood bank actually works here, I vowed to find a place to donate as often as I could. In America I used to donate all the time, until I started going out of the country so often and they wouldn't let me. I'm not sure why I've never thought about it here before, but I sure won't forget it now! I talked to several people in hospitals and clinics, but they all gave the same story, "there's not a lot of drives, or advertising for them, you just have to ask hospitals if you can donate". Well, God helped me with that situation and as I was riding through town on a Boda Wednesday, I saw a Uganda Blood Transfusion Services donation tent on Main Street, where 1 person was giving blood. I had Bandy, my boda guy, pull over and drop me off. I still wasn't sure if their requirements were different, but they were so desperate for blood, the only true requirements were weight and hemoglobin levels. So, there I sat, on the side of Main Street, under a tent, in Jinja, and gave my first of many blood donations, for my little buddy. Things are always an experience here. Giving blood on the side of the road, definitely an experience. But one that many people here need to do. Blood shortage is big everywhere, but even more-so here. People don't want to give for many reasons, here, I've learned. Typically, because they don't get anything out of it, because they have to search for their own blood if they do need it, because they have to pay a lot of money if they need blood, and some other corrupt reasons. Corruption can alter such a life changing need, but it's what these people deal with daily. But I challenge you to give blood where you are. One simple quick task can save a life. Be the change, be the example. If you can donate, then do. Praise God for the little things I'm learning about this culture that are a struggle for them, and the abilities and health God has given me to do things like this for these beautiful people of Uganda.
-God is doing amazing things here and he's so gracious to show me the fruits every day. Lives are changing, hearts are being mended, chains are being broken, and God gets all the glory! He's doing GREAT things here, that I'll never be able to fully comprehend! It's beautiful, it's amazing, and it's overwhelmingly humbling to even be a small part of his plans here. I thank Him and praise Him for his goodness and mercies every day.
-Here are a few of our current prayer requests/needs:
*We have a new Ugandan lady who will hopefully start training to help us in the ministry, this month, with a trial run in June, for each of us to see if she's a good fit. I met her through a lady at church and she feeds some of the street kids and does Bible studies with them on Thursdays anyway, so she already knows the issues we deal with and how to handle to boys. She's joined us for the 2 large street kid gatherings we've done recently and we are praying that she will be a good fit for our program. We have been in prayer for a while for more help, specifically Ugandans, and I just ask that you be in prayer for all of us to be open and honest in the process of possibly adding a new member to our team. All along I've felt the need to look for and pray for local help. This ministry is not meant to be the project of the white ones, it's meant to train locals to do the work of their country, for their people. Our job should always be to work ourselves out of a job, right?
*I am heading back to the States for a couple of weeks in June. This is always a big task to prepare for and plan for from the ministry side of things. Not only will I be gone for almost 3 weeks, Thomas will have a team from his Church here, almost the exact amount of time, that he will have to work with. It's a lot to put on him, which is why Joy, the lady above, will be helping us out during that time, we pray. So my prayer for all of them is smooth transitions and obedient boys as well as rest for Thomas and Mary with juggling so many things for 3 weeks.
*We need sponsors. I don't like asking for money, but money makes our ministry run, so I have to suffocate that prideful feeling because it's not for me anyway, and anyone who's visited here can tell you that. Yes I have all of our basic needs provided for by my home church, and I have a handful of faithful monthly sponsors for extras, and even a few specific sponsors for specific boys, but it's time that we take the next step. I've been here over a year, and many of the boys are ready for their next step of schooling/apprenticeships, but all of that costs money. With the last team we had we were able to get 6 new rooms for 12 boys! Praise God for that! School fees/requirements range from $200-300 USD every 3 months (you pay per term) and technical training is usually around $571 for 2 years (about $285 up front and the remainder at 6 months). But even if you can only donate $5/month, it all adds up and helps us continue this program and ministry that God has blessed us with. It helps the boys see that they are cared for and worth more than people here tell them. It gives them hope and a future that they won't have the opportunity to have otherwise. I'm very strict about how they earn these things and they've been through the wringer to get to the stage of earning these things. We want to teach them about Jesus, help them to see their worth in Jesus, get them off drugs, and then teach them how to function in society in a positive light. It all starts with Jesus, and it all ends with Jesus. But we need faithful servants pouring into their change as well.
---Here are different ways you can donate. We appreciate you!
1. Tax deductible through my church donation link: bit.ly/ugandaecc
2. Zelle, which most banks have, with my email address thens1213@gmail.com
3. Venmo, @Tara-Henson-1 (last 4 of my cell is 3565 if it asks)
4. PayPal, @TaraHenson
God bless you my friends. God is doing amazing things and we always are so very grateful your prayers and support!
