Impact Uganda

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/

In June 2013 we are heading to Uganda for a two-week project working with Watoto Child Care Ministries. Uganda is a developing country that has been torn apart by civil war and the AIDS pandemic. Many of the children there have no shoes, no food, no education, no home ,no family. This means that these children must rely on the generosity of strangers for their daily meals, clothing and development. There are an estimated two million orphaned children in Uganda and nearly half of these children are orphaned as a result of AIDS.

During our two weeks in Uganda, we will be part of a team working to build a house (for eight kids and a house “mom”) or a school room. This facility will be built in the Watoto Village which serves as a “community-based” orphanage for Ugandan children. Watoto (which means “children” in Swahili) is a holistic care program that was initiated as a response to the overwhelming number of orphaned children as well as vulnerable women, in Africa. It is positioned to rescue an individual and raise them as a leader in their chosen sphere of life, so that they in turn will rebuild their nation. The Watoto model provides physical care, medical intervention (including HIV/AIDS treatment), education (formal and vocational), counseling and spiritual discipleship, and helps ensure emotional well-being.

We believe that one of the things God has called us to do is make an impact on our world, and we believe we can do that by helping serve the orphaned in Uganda, alongside Watoto. Would you be willing to be a part of this trip by offering encouragement, by praying for me and my team, and/or by offering financial support? This is your chance to make an impact as well.

This two-week trip will cost each team member approximately $4,500. Much of this money will go towards transportation and the cost of the building we will be constructing. We welcome any help you can provide. If you wish to show your support monetarily, donations should be made payable to Desert Springs Bible Church at 16215 N. Tatum blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85032. You can also make donations online by clicking here.

Thank you for your help and support in making an impact for Uganda!