Fundraising Event!

Hey fam!

We are so excited to share an incredible opportunity with you. Fundraising to travel with 12 people to a nation half way across the world is challenging, but 100% do-able. 

Summer of 2020 is going to be a busy one for DSBC. The church will be holding its annual Splash Camp, sending students to Summer Camp, as well as some of our students and young adults to Costa Rica and Uganda. It’s going to be a busy one and such a growing and joyful one. 

Both teams (Uganda and Costa Rica) have been asked how people can help. Here’s where part of the answer lies. We are hosting a church rummage sale/ garage sale, and we need your stuff. The stuff that has been lying in the garage destined for Goodwill for months, bring it on over. The stuff you needed the extra motivation to get rid of, here it is. We want it all. 

So what are the details? Look no further.

“Bring us your used furniture, toys, housewares, kitchenware, and other items in good condition. That 68′ Charger you’re not sure what to do with…we will take that too!

All proceeds will go to support DSBC ministry teams that are heading to Uganda and Costa Rica this summer, so come pick out a few new treasures March 7th.

To arrange drop off, email allison@dsbc.church” 

The sale will take place in the DSBC parking lot on March 7th from 8am to 2pm. DSBC address is: 16215 N Tatum Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85032. On the off chance there are items left over, they will be donated to Christian Family Care Thrift, which helps provide adoption, foster care and counseling services for families in our community. 

We are excited to see you all on Saturday and happy to help you clean out and make some fresh space in your homes. If you have further questions or comments, you can leave a comment on this post, or reach out to us on the connect page and we will help you in the right direction. More information can also be found on the DSBC website and facebook page. 

Thank you for partnering with us as missions teams!

Teacher to Teacher: Education Without Borders

The right to an education doesn’t seem like a far stretch for someone who has had the privilege of being provided a free education. Many of us reading, even the one writing, have been blessed with an education (quality debate aside) which was provided through 12th grade at little or no cost to our parents. It’s quite commonplace to see this happening in the United States and in many other developed countries. However, for many nations above and below the equator, also known as developing nations, this is not a common factor. Many children have never stepped foot into a classroom, seen a book, or have ever had the opportunity to do so. Uganda is not so different from many other periphery nations in their education success levels. The primary cause for concern in the nation is the limited access and resources for children of preschool to primary schooling age. On top of a lack of resources, there is an urgent need for educators. How can American teachers have an impact on the education system without moving to Uganda? This is where we’re heading. 

First off, I want to explain how this ties into the mission. In December of 2019, David and Abby from A Perfect Injustice (API) visited Desert Springs Bible Church, talking about their organization and the realities of conditions unbeknownst to many in the world. As they were speaking, they mentioned our team heading to Uganda in June 2020. When asked their biggest need for the team they had little hesitation in answering. Two callings-two groups of people came quickly to mind: teachers and videographers. We are so blessed and excited to be sending them not one, but two teachers in response to their prayers. Both of these teachers were committed to the trip before ever knowing their prayers. How God takes individual plans and fits them them into a greater purpose truly is a masterpiece. 

Secondly, these American teachers going to Uganda are not planning on changing the entire educational system of the nation. They are going as instruments to help train and bring support to the teachers who are already in place, ready to work with a primary school founded through API. The goal is to help bring fresh, simple, purposeful ideas and strategies which can be implemented upon the opening of the school, with few outside resources needed. Many teachers in the US are fortunate to have a classroom which is their own, complete with white boards, copier access, pencils, paper, projectors, any form of technology, and so on. Educators in Uganda have nothing of the sort. They are blessed if they have a building to teach in, paper to use themselves, let alone for a student, and desks for children to sit in. Technology is not even an option. The American educational system is imperfect and filled with flaws through and through. However, by worldly standards, teachers are qualified, doing their best to love children every day, and can be considered safe adults for children to trust. Uganda is the exact opposite in terms of qualifications, attendance for teachers, and children’s safety. 

Uganda is still very much  considered a Least Developed Country, and developing nation. It was only in 1997 that they introduced universal primary education (UPE), in which parents of children are still expected to pay for uniforms, stationary, and books. The average population of Uganda struggles to feed single family members, let alone put one or multiple children through school. The costs of UPE are non-sustainable for a majority of the nation. By the end of 7th grade, only 1/3 of children are still in school. Safety from their educational leaders is an even larger concern for children. It is not uncommon for teachers to sexually harass students, especially male teachers to female students. Violence from teachers dealing with children’s behavior is also commonly experienced. Children who are born disabled, orphaned, or at any other disadvantage have an even greater risk of never receiving an education or experiencing the above described. 

So how can we team together and help? Already, the teachers traveling have partnered with colleagues to brainstorm on the best approach. API has found local  teachers who are dedicated to their God-called craft and who desperately love to see children flourish. We can help by linking hands, admitting it will never be perfect, sharing the simplest resources, praying, and walking it together. During the two weeks in country, teachers will have a chance to learn about student trauma and needs, and how to interact with young children in play and through other mediums, going beyond the traditional lecture. Much of the work will be done in Swahili, the country’s native tongue, so resources and ideas will have to be translate-able. Bringing paper, pencils, strategies, and other basic necessities is the goal of the traveling teachers. The greatest goal is to help and walk with the local teachers in loving, caring for, and guiding students. The API school will be primary grades (1st-2nd) at the start, and will continue to grow as resources and time allow. All of the children in attendance will be sponsored. While the American teachers are available, they will be aiding in writing biographies for any of the children who might be attending, to help gain sponsorship. 

Education is about learning, but there is more than one way to be educated in the 21st century. Intelligence is not tied to scores on exams or essays. It is about survival, emotion, leadership, and life. Ugandan children deserve and have the right to an education, the same as any children from the USA, Europe, or any other nation. Their basic educational necessities are the same as any other nation’s. However, their education and learning will look different in the landscape of their own unique culture, language and needs. This isn’t a Uganda situation, it’s a global situation. It’s a global home thing. Ugandan children need the intelligence and education of taking up a craft or trade, learning how to farm, and how to speak English. These are just some of the primary needs being emphasized. API, alongside the focus of providing primary education, also offers life skills to women of surrounding villages and a trade-building course to young men whom they take in. They are preparing leaders who are going to transform their nation from the inside out. This is not a “White Savior” mission; this is about the leaders who are raised from the ground up with the support of their own country. The best part is, these children who were told they never had value have the same world-changing capability as any other child. 

Education has no borders. Teaching is a craft in which every person called to it is desperately needed, regardless of the nation of origin. These aren’t going to be American teachers and Ugandan teachers. They are simply educators coming together to grow, collaborate, and learn how to better love and build up future leaders. It’s pretty amazing how labels and social categories fall away when the family of Christ works together for the betterment of the Church. 

We ask that you continue to keep all teachers and students involved in prayer, especially the children who are going to be sponsored. Many of them come from backgrounds in which school is a dream never fulfilled, or where family members had traumatic experiences. We pray that the Lord use API and this project to open their minds and hearts not only to school, but to Him as well. 

If you are an educator or have experience and would like to share your ideas, supplies, or curriculum, please reach out through the connect page. This isn’t a small group effort, but rather a global team calling. 

Ready to Love Uganda in 2020

Hello Fam!

We would love to introduce you to the team going to Uganda in Summer of 2020. We wanted to share a little more about it, give some reasons behind why we are doing this thing, and invite you into the incredible blessing it has already been.

At the end of June, a team from Desert Springs Bible Church will be spending over 48 hours traveling to a country halfway across the globe to first love, and secondly serve. We will be spending 90% of our time in Kibaale, Uganda, which is a small remote village near the Western border of the nation. By Kibaalan standards, many of you reading this would rank in their top 10% in regards to socio-economics. You have a device to read this on, you most likely have a job, and are more educated than 90% of Uganda as a whole nation. Running water and electricity are not guarantees in the village but rather are a luxury experienced only every so often.

This is a whole team effort. DSBC is sending our team of 15 people (featured above) who are preparing our hearts to go and love the Ugandan people, right where they are. We are not going to solve the problems which ravage the nation. We are not going simply to build things and fix things. Going over to do that would be less effective- we’d send money instead. We are going down below the equator (not by far) to love on these people, and teach them that we have traveled to tell them that they are so special and loved. We are going to celebrate our humanity together and hopefully remind them they are not alone, they are worthy, and have dignity, three concepts which are receding in this world, instead of progressing. This trip isn’t about fixing, buying, or building. A check would do a better job than 15 humans. This trip is about love and empathy.

While we are down there, we are not going to just be walking around and hugging random children, while I’m sure it’s bound to happen sometimes. We will actually helping to create a literacy program, a library, and aiding in home visits for the children under the care of the organization A Perfect Injustice. This organization helps the village and greater area of Kampala in providing children with the necessary support when their families can no longer provide that care and have left them behind.

So why are we wanting to do this? Have you ever had something in your life in which you had to be a part of, say, or do? You can’t explain it. You understand that it doesn’t make sense, but you have to do it with all your being anyways? Yeah, it’s like that. For some, the only reason we are doing this trip is because of God sending us to love on these fellow brothers and sisters. 

Africans, Ugandans, people from outside the U.S are not less than, different (negatively), or remotely unlovable simply because they come from a nation still struggling to build from its historical roots. They are all humans, who have flesh and blood, who belong in the family. If the library doesn’t get finished, it will be okay and get done, whether it’s by our group, or another that follows. What matters to us is that a child understands that they are loved, regardless of the circumstances they sit in. To see a child smile, laugh a little, and remember that someone somewhere cares and loves their existence is worth traveling oceans for. Why? Because those children grow into adults who turn around and do the same thing for other children. There is instant impact, future impact, and eternal impact. We’re in this for the eternal game.

Loving children who run away from it, because it’s what they have learned to do in survival isn’t easy. Going to teach educators who are incredibly disadvantaged and under-supplied gets very real when we can be thankful for our school desks or even a free education system to all students, even in the midst of a broken U.S educational system. Knowing there will be children starving on every street we walk and not be able to help is heartbreaking. However, this is where Jesus, love, and resources have such significance. It’s not about someone remembering our names, it’s about the impact the community and locals will continue to have on each other because of Jesus.

This is no small feat to travel across the globe and do this. There are 15 members of this team traveling, bringing supplies and fundraising. We have talked to many who would love to travel and cannot. We have an option for you. Although you may not be able to bless our family in Africa with your physical presence, you can be a blessing through financially supporting those who can be there physically. If you would like to bless this team traveling, those in Uganda, and be a part of this, you can donate here. Financially donating is not the only way to be a part of this. We absolutely also need your prayers, as we continue to draw closer to going and while we are in the country through re-entry into the U.S. If you would like for us as a team to know of your prayers, you can add them in the comments, or send us an email and they will be shared with the team. We so greatly appreciate it. Going, giving and praying are all incredible blessings, and all are immensely needed. 

We are working on a blog to keep track of the team updates and keep in communication of all that will be going on while we are in country. Thank you for the continued prayers, financial gifts, and support as we continue to prepare and love Uganda.

Wait. You’re going where?

I have wanted to go to Africa for as long as I can remember.

I can’t tell you exactly when I had this revelation, but I know it started in my childhood and has been slowly stirring in me ever since.  Maybe it was when I was a little girl watching Sally Struthers beg for a dollar a day, as photos of malnourished African children flashed across my television screen.  Or, perhaps, it was growing up in the South, where stories of slavery hit so close to home.  In reality, it could’ve been something as simple as seeing Simba tromp through the African terrain in the Lion King.  I’m not sure.  All I know is that for decades, I’ve been drawn to this majestic country that, for me, is the definition of pain and triumph.

I went on my first mission trip in middle school, and a seed was planted within my heart.  We traveled from my home in Jackson, Miss., to a small, not-so-safe neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn.  The purpose of our trip was to repaint houses in the area that were long overdue for a new façade.  The houses were structurally sound, but we wanted to do something to lift this particular community’s spirits and a fresh coat of paint was our plan.  I had been scraping off old paint for about half a day when I noticed a little boy and a little girl playing together in the yard next door.  Something told me to stop what I was doing and go talk to them.  I spent the rest of the week, not scraping and painting like I was supposed to, but sitting with these kids, learning about them, singing songs and giving them the attention they deserved but couldn’t get at home.

On the last day of the trip when it was time for my group to leave, I cried as I hugged them both.  The little boy handed me a carefully folded, triangular-shaped piece of paper with my name written on the outside.  On the inside, scrawled in his sweet little boy handwriting, were the words “I love you”.

I still have that piece of paper.

I pull it out from time to time, and I’m reminded that instead of spending my time making the outside of those houses look better, God wanted to use me to impact those children on the inside.

I was meant to listen to the urging of the Spirit and show those babies how much Jesus loves us by loving on them and making them feel like they were important, too.

At this point, you might be asking yourself what in the world this has to do with me going to Africa.  Well, when I lived in Arizona and attended Desert Springs, I frequently went on mission trips to Mexico with a group from the church.  I’ve since moved back to Alabama and haven’t done any mission work since.  A few months ago I discovered that Desert Springs was traveling to Uganda, and a spark went off inside me.  I mentioned it to a few close friends and family members and began to pray about it.  Knowing how important this was to me and my spiritual growth, the enemy immediately set out to change my mind.  He whispered things like, “You don’t live in Arizona anymore, and there’s no way you’ll get that much time off work.”  And, “You hate asking people for money. Just let it go.”  He made the laundry list of trip preparations seem almost impossible.  But, I know my Jesus better than that.  If He who makes ALL things possible wants me in Africa, He’ll find a way to get me there.  He’s already provided for me in so many ways.  And I know that spending my time and energy focusing on getting to Uganda and letting even just one child know how important he is and how much Jesus loves him, it will be worth it.

I can’t wait.

-Ashley

Computer Skills Anyone?

This summer I’ll be joining an awesome group of people from Desert Springs Bible Church as we travel to Uganda, Africa. While we’re there, we’ll be building houses for an organization called Watoto Childcare Ministries. This ministry is one that was started as a response to the many children in Uganda who have been left poor and orphaned due to disease and war.

While I have been on missions trips before, most of them were in areas of Northeastern Europe. On those trips, I helped to run English camps for teens. Still, I’ve never been to Africa in any capacity, so I am extremely excited to travel to this part of the world and help impact it for Christ. And, while I know I’ve never been on a mission trip quite like this before, the background I do have with missions has shown me that I always end up leaving with some amazing experiences!

Besides the fact that it will take place in Africa, there is yet another reason why this mission trip will be different than any other mission trip I have ever been a part of. I’m happy to say that I am married to a wonderful woman, and we have one super awesome son! My family means the world to me, and this will be the first time I go overseas on a mission trip while being a husband, a father, and a man who works full time to provide for my family. Suffice to say, this definitely makes raising support a completely different and interesting task.

With this in mind, I’ll be utilizing my computer networking skills to raise the financial support I will need in order to go to Uganda this summer. I’ll be working hard and doing my best to generate business that will directly support the trip.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous to see if I can get any business to come my way… but the fund raising process of mission trips is always a faith raising process as well.

 

-Ryan J.

Gerard Butler (Kinda) Convinced Me to Go to Uganda.

I’ve heard a lot about the needs of the poor and marginalized across the globe. On a weekly basis, I read articles about millions of people dying of starvation, HIV/AIDs, war, malnutrition, and lack of water. The coffee shop I frequent displays ads about how I can help end world hunger.  Even Bono is telling me to be an agent of change.

For some reason, the message wasn’t sinking in.

I tuned it all out. Maybe because of the volume of messages or maybe it’s because there are so many needs. Or, perhaps, it was because I simply didn’t care enough to change my life and lifestyle in order to serve others. Looking back, I realize, though the statistics were overwhelming and the images were shocking, I never had a sense that we were talking about ACTUAL PEOPLE.  To me, it was all just images and statistics.

That is, (I’m a bit embarrassed to say) until I watched a movie with that dude from 300 (unfortunately, you may also remember him from P.S. I Love You). He starred in a movie called Machine Gun Preacher which graphically told the story of Sam Childres, a former drug-dealer who found Jesus and dedicated his life to ministering to child-soldiers in Africa during the reign of the LRA, which was lead by Joseph Kony.

While the film may not accurately portray the Gospel of Jesus in action, it DOES do a good job of showcasing the violence toward children in Africa and the general sense of indifference that many people in my culture show toward those in need.

In one particularly convicting scene (for this author anyway), the Childers character is in America, asking people for funds to help dying kids. During a conversation with local businessman, he asks for a $5,000 donation to purchase a generator that would be used to help more kids. The Childers character is met with the standard responses: “God bless ya” and ”I’d love to help but everyone around here is feeling the pinch.”

The next scene opens on the lush home of the business owner. Here, the businessman, margarita in hand, is surrounded by tables flowing with food, mixed drinks, and party favors. In the midst of this surplus, he hands Childers a check for $150, saying, “Here’s a little something for the kids.” Childress leaves in a rage, claiming that this man spent more money on salsa for his party than he did helping the children.

God used this scene to cut to my core. Immediately a question flashed through my mind,

“Do I invest more in salsa or people?”

I knew God was calling me to invest in others across the globe, but I didn’t know where. So I prayed and asked God how I could serve. Not long after, an opportunity came for me to join a team to serve with Watoto Childcare Ministries in Uganda. I knew right away that my question had been answered.

As odd as it seems, God used Gerard Butler to convince me to go to Uganda. And while I don’t think that my being in Uganda will change much of Uganda,

I know it will change much of me.

-Caleb C.

Two Little Shots

Kelly post-shot

Wow! That one hurt”,

was my half-joking/half-serious response when the nurse at my local doctor’s office stabbed a three inch needle into my right arm. A minute and a half later she moved on to the next arm, and I couldn’t help but blurt out, “GOODNESS! That hurt too!”

Okay, so I guess it’s pretty obvious that I’m a wimp when it comes to shots. But let’s be real, nobody LIKES shots… Or do they? After getting my first two immunizations in order to prepare for my upcoming mission trip to Africa, I spent the next few days complaining about my achy shoulders and insisting that my husband grab things off of shelves for me so that I wouldn’t have to move my arms. Then, after the complaining started to annoy even ME, I thought about why I was in pain and why these shots are a necessary part of my travel plans. It’s because I’m going to a place where things like meningococcal and polio are still prevalent. We’re not just talking about a common cold or flu virus here, these are diseases that can cause severe brain and spinal chord damage, paralysis, and death… And you know what? I could just walk into my doctor’s office and get a couple of shots to make sure I don’t ever have to feel the effects of these diseases. I didn’t even have to call ahead and make sure they had the vaccines on hand, they were just there, sitting in storage… And these are diseases that our country has had almost no cases of for years!

Now, imagine I was living in Africa, where these diseases are much more common. Further still, imagine I was an orphaned child living in that part of the world. Could I just walk into my local doctor’s office and ask for the polio vaccine? I won’t claim to know all of the ins and outs of the African medical system, but my guess is no, I don’t think I could. Unless it happens to be a year in which some wealthy people or companies have decided to sponsor a campaign to help immunize children in Africa, I think it’s safe to say that the little shots I complained about are pretty hard for an orphaned African child to come by.

Okay okay, what does this have to do with my upcoming mission trip? I’m not a doctor, nor am I trained in the medical field in any way, shape, or form (and with my distaste for needles, that’s likely a good thing). So, I think it’s pretty clear that I’m not going to Africa to give shots to small children. However, I am going to Africa to care for and support their orphaned children with the skills and abilities that I do have. My husband and I will be there building things with our own hands, visiting those in need and listening to their stories, and hopefully finding a way to bring some of those stories back with us. I think it’s clear why the Bible says,

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27

Because so far, all I’ve done is PLAN to visit those less fortunate than me, and it’s already changing my mindset.

I got two little shots, and I started thinking about things like disease and healthcare on more of a global scale, and started developing a heart that cares and prays for the widows and orphans that I’ve yet to meet. I can only imagine how God will start to change my heart and mind once I’ve actually taken the time to meet and visit with the widows and orphans that He so dearly loves.

 

– Kelley J.

Check out the Africa Love

The Ugandan town we will be serving  is called Kampala. While Watoto does a wonderful job ministering to children in the area, there is still a huge need. In fact, a few years ago, a young woman named Abby Tracy left moved from Phoenix, AZ to Kampala, Uganda to minister to kids and women in the slums of Kampala. As she set out on this great journey, she wrote these words:

So I leave on Monday for Africa and I am so excited, I am beginning to wonder how it is God is going to change me on this trip and the person I am going to be when I get back. It has so been on my heart lately to do something, to raise awareness, to stir the hearts of the people around me, to make a difference and I just know that this trip is going to so much better equip me to do this… I’m excited but I know that God is going to ask a lot of me and I pray that I will be up to the task.

With these words she began what is now a five year journey. Be sure to check out her online journal here: http://africa-love.livejournal.com/