Helping with Hurdles

When we see a friend or loved one struggling to get over a hurdle, do you go to them and help?  How many times do we see a child suffering, a person or family starving or someone who has never been given a chance to show how worthy they are?  Many times, and it's not just in Africa, it's everywhere.

Edwin and I look back through the years and realize that everything has been in God's hands, but He has given us the privilege to help others in Uganda through many of you.  Raising the children, providing water and food in the community, mending the sick, helping the elderly and so much more.

We are the voice for these people and we want to express their thanks through these blogs.  Someone once told me that Satan roars in Africa while he whispers in North America.  It's true and the many ways you have helped them, we need you to know how grateful they are for all that help.

Thank you!

I'd like you to meet Precious, Edwin's fiance.  Because of the growth at Home of Angels in the past few years, they both have waited patiently for the right time to marry.  The decision was recently made for November 2018.  Just a few days ago tragedy struck Precious's family, as both her parents were in a head-on collision, resulting in death within a few hours of each other.   The only thing giving them strength now is knowing that they are with God and together.  

As you know, our new nursery school recently opened.  We have the baby class, top class, and a kindergarten for our Home of Angels children.  These are the uniforms that Edwin had chosen for them to wear and the smiles you see don't even match the smiles in the classroom while they are learning from Miss Aidha.

Our school teacher, Miss Aidha is in full control.  The children love her and are learning faster than they have ever learned before.  So much so, that when they finish each day and go for dinner, they would rather postpone the food to do their homework first.

The school latrine is finally completed.  Thank you, Stephanie, for raising the money for the sock pit, septic and latrine by baking and selling banana bread for 30 days.  We are still building your chairs and desks for the schoolrooms for 2019.  Thank you so much from all of us.

The entire wall around the compound has been painted and the roadway will be finished over the next year.  Edwin has been trying to help the most destitute in our community and he's proven that if you give someone a chance, they turn out to be a very dedicated worker.

Meet Cheeza, a perfect example.  Oh my goodness, if this isn't a miracle story, I don't know what could be.  Cheeza is a man from the slum dwellers.  He actually chopped wood for the distillery that made alcohol not far from us.  One day a barrel exploded and blew out his eye.  He drank from morning to night and was the laughing stock of the community.

Edwin found him and offered him a job to chop wood for one day.  He worked so hard, we decided to give him a chance and asked him to come daily to do menial jobs.  Long story short, Cheeza now picks up little rocks for 8 hours a day and loves it.  He says he has never been so happy, hasn't had any alcohol in months and bought his first clothes and shoes with the small money he saved.  The community is shocked by the change in this man.

Meet the new Cheeza.  I hardly recognized him.  He now wants to meet Jesus because he knows from listening to the kids and our staff, it was He that changed his life.  No-one else.

Besides homework for these little guys, the next best thing is splashing in the cold water on a hot day.

Hope and Desire, our two oldest girls are now going to school in Masaka, a town approximately 6 hours south of us.  Both girls were at home on my last trip and I was able to say goodbye to them as they left to start another term.  They were so excited, but I have to tell you, the little people were weeping.

We have a wonderful friend at "Helping Hands" named Doreen who sewed all these clothes for the children.  Each time you see a picture of the children, they seem to be smiling, but honestly, it's real.  They are just so grateful for everything in their new life.  Thanks, Doreen from everyone.

Meet a few of our new kids from the abandoned orphanage.  Joweli has already taken over a monkey given to another child and believe me, no one better take it from her.  That's hers now.  The two boys in the middle are David and Yahighya and of course our little Eddie on the end.

Learning the alphabet Ugandan style

Our heart's desire is to help our children at Home of Angels, but even if we only help one child to have a better life, and to come to know the love of Jesus, we will have become obedient to the Lord's will for our lives.  This is all God's work and we are witnesses to what He is doing.

Thanks for helping us.