Today began with a fresh load of bricks and a ready team! After yet another hearty breakfast of “rolexes” we got into the work. Chris & Aydan have done a great job of setting out the footings for the 4th house with a bit of help from locals and Adam & Matt together with some local guys have started laying bricks on the 3rd house! It's fantastic to see the house taking shape in just a few courses! The girls finished organizing the tool and equipment shed (how many of us guys would let girls do that to our sheds at home!!), and now we can see what we've got and how many of them! This afternoon the girls spent time fitting out the children with 'new' clothes out of the container. The excitement in the kids was full on! Robert is back and we were able to do many preparation type things both on the site and in town today too. Tonight we had a team get together and we're all so full of excitement and faith for the coming weeks. Tomorrow we'll be off to church with the children then have a lazy afternoon in town.,
We appreciate all your prayers and support. Please keep praying that God will use us and grow us as we serve Him here!!

We made it!!!

After about 30 odd hours of travel we arrived in Uganda!
We were settled into our accommodation at YWAM and spent a few hours catching our breath and setting up our rooms.
The first night was spent visiting the kids at Village of Hope and having dinner with them... our first African dinner!! the children had been waiting all day to see us and were so excited. We played with them till we ran out of steam (pretty quickly!) then went off to see if we could get some well deserved rest.
Bright and early Friday morning we got to the building site to survey the job ahead. Of course we could only do the work with our stomachs filled with "rolexes". These are delicious african chappatis with egg, tomato, cpsicum and onion rolled into a filling roll. Those and a cup of coffee or tea helps to get going. (if slowly at first due to the larger stomach!) The girls set about attacking the storage shed and documenting all the tools, equipment and supplies. A battle was had with the remains of dead rats and the result of thir lives in the shed! The boys got started with setting out the 4th slab and preparing the 3rd slab for bricks. This went on till lunch. After another hearty meal at YWAM we went into town to check out the sights and smells of Jinja. A few hours of discovery and checking it out was completed at the Source Cafe for a great coffee or fresh juice. Then back to YWAM. Robert arrived back this evening from Nairobi witht he bitumen, so we'll look forward toa full day of work tomorrow...
The team are doing well and are all in great spirits. We are comfortable and keeping healthy. We are having a great time with the children and are excited for what God has for us over the next few weeks....
Please keep us in your prayers for health, safety and protection.....
Till next time...

It's less than 2 days now till we leave as a team for Jinja! The excitement level is high. We were prayed over and commissioned by our church yesterday, and it's so great to know that we have prayer covering! For those of you that follow the blog we'd like to ask you to continue to pray for us during our time, for the team coming after us and of course for the children, mothers and our wonderful staff (Robert and Ivan). Our prayer is that we will have a productive and fruitful time whilst we are there and the God would use us..... Next post.... from Uganda!!!

June Uganda team

This is the team that is coming in just over 2 weeks!! We are all looking forward to seeing all the children and both of the mothers. We look forward to being able to contribute to the building work and the children's lives. Please pray for us in our last minute preparations and for our journey to being in Uganda. Pray for safe travel and a sickness free time in Uganda too.

the village

recently we got additions to the village of hope! the number of animals is growing..these goat kids are cross breeds...the kids are always around them.


paul holding another kid,shes been so playing at the site,u have to watch her lest she eats all the spinach(thats her favorite) from the vegetable gardens:)
pray that we get a very big piece of land for a farm and growing more vegetables and food for the village, its possible!!!


these are lovely sisters Ida Svenson from mombasa kenya and Emily Klitzsch,they are visiting ywam and they have been with us for 2 weeks,they will be leaving on friday, they have been assisting kids in their home work!!! they have been a great blessing to village of hope. keep them in your prayers!!

Eli's farewell

its been one week since miss Eli left for Austria..she had been with us since february!! during this time we saw a big change in the perfomance of our kids! she had been a great blessing to village of hope. The kids greatly miss her.
we greatly thank God for bringing us closer to YWAM(youth with a mission),it has been a great blessing to our children and we hope this healthy relationship will grow!!

Here are some pics of the last dinner we had with her!!!
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here Eli was sharing the gifts with the kids plus a special message for each child!


mama lois watches as fiona puts a necklace round eli's neck...


mama agnes adds another necklace onto eli


here she was sharing a meal with the kids.

Hello!
My name is Elli, I’m from Austria (don’t mix it up with Australia – we don’t even have kangaroos in Austria ;-) ) and I’ve been working in Village of Hope for 3 months now.
I’m doing different things with the kids but the main focus is to help them with their homework and teach them, so that they can catch up with their fellow students at school in areas in which they are a bit behind. Besides I’m telling them bible stories, we play games together and have a lot of fun.
For me it is amazing to see how much the children have already improved in the short time I have been there. As Mama Lois keeps on saying, it’s just by God’s grace =). You can really see how God is working in each one of the kids and how he keeps on changing them – in their behavior as well as in their studies. When I first came to Village of Hope, they struggled with letters, number s and with English. By now they know all the letters, they even can write words, they know the numbers and can do easy sums and their English is improving every day. For me it’s a real pleasure to work with the children because they are, although not always easy ;-) just lovely and I really love all of them.

Teaching numbers


playing a game with memory cards

Ivan asked me, if I could take pictures from each one of the children and post them together with just a few sentences. So I thought I just start with the younger ones who are attending preschool at the moment:

Rose Namutamba

Rose is usually quiet but she can be very talkative as well. She has a lot of love to give and therefore she makes friends easily and she has a lot of friends at preschool. Concerning school and housework she is sometimes a bit slow but she picks up the things you are trying to teach when you help her a bit. When she is older she wants to become a teacher.

Shamina Kirife

She is just a lovely girl. When she smiles at you, your heart seems to melt and you can’t resist her big shining eyes. She is also very open minded and obedient and very intelligent – she is able to do some of the exercises I’m doing with the older ones and sometimes even tells them what they have to do ;-)

Ibra Kyaluzi

Ibra is very playful, he loves playing with toys and he loves talking – especially about teammembers who have been to Village of Hope =) That also shows that his memory is very good and he is quick at learning new things anyway. Ibra is joyful, kind and somehow the spirit of Village of Hope – as long as he is happy the other kids are happy as well =)



Then the P1-students:

Samuel Mafabi

He is the oldest of the boys and a natural leader. He directs the others but also takes care of them and tries to help the little ones and protects them. Sam is very lively and talkative but at the same time obedient and hard working. He loves work – especially working together with the teams which are coming and he often mobilizes the other children to work. He wants to be a pilot when he is older.

John Mwange

John is very playful and he loves books and reading. He is very loving and kind and shares what he has with others. Over the little ones he is protective and he tries to help them whenever he can. At the beginning he struggled a bit at school but now he has improved a lot and has caught up with the others - in some areas he is even ahead of them. John wants to be a pilot as well when he is grown up.

Deric Watumu

At first he was very reserved and quiet but now he has improved and is socializing – he talks when he is given the opportunity but he also listens when you speak. Deric is very polite and tries not to offend anybody. Besides he has a strong desire to learn new things and to get to know everything.

Paul Mukisa

Paul is a very active boy in everything he is doing – no matter if that concerns work or his studies. He likes work – especially building but he also enjoys studying and he is among the best students in his class. Paul is very organized and clean, he is intelligent and a fast learner and at the same time very playful. Like Sam Paul has many leadership skills and the others listen to him.

Rachel Latifa

Rachel is a very strong willed girl – she knows what she wants and she wants to get it. Sometimes Rachel can be quite tough but she is lovely and she wants lot of love. She enjoys drawing and writing and just everything that has something to do with paper work and also at dancing she is really talented. Later on she wants to be a teacher.

Sharon Asimwe

Sharon is most of the time quiet but respected in her quietness. That’s because she has a strong will she knows what she wants and you better don’t mess with her ;-) At the same time she is longing for love and attention and she can be very kind. Sharon is very observing and attentive and therefore promising in class.

Doreen Isege

She is a quiet girl and therefore good at listening and very obedient. Doreen is also very optimistic and is always smiling. She longs for attention and wants loads of love from everybody.

Debora Nakate

Debora is very playful, she is very friendly though sometimes a bit possessive. She knows how to dance and has a desire to learn new things and is longing for affirmation. Though Debora is a bit slow in learning, she has improved a lot and maybe she can fulfill her dream to become a doctor =)

Amuge Grace

Grace is a strong willed and sometimes tough girl but she loves her friends – is good at making friends and also at keeping them. Besides she always tells the truth and she wouldn’t lie to you. When she is older she wants to become a teacher.


And now to the older students:

Brenda Atwooki

She is an open girl with a good and big smile, she is very friendly and loves others. Besides she is very respectful, obedient, reliable and always available if you need help. Brenda is a great dancer and she loves books and studying. That’s why she wants to be a teacher later on.

Fiona Kyakaya

Fiona is a promising singer and dancer for she loves music, is bold and doesn’t fear people. Fiona is like Brenda very open, friendly, obedient and takes care of the rest of the kids. She wants to be a nurse when she is grown up.

Jane Nandudu

Jane is a natural leader, she takes care of all the kids, she is teaching them and telling them to what to do and what not to do. She is also very friendly and hard working and she has a desire to work.

Winnie Namale

Winnie is carrying, sensitive and obedient and though she has a hot temper, she is very relationship oriented and good at communication. For the younger ones she is a good example for she is good helper and likes to work.



Last but not least the mothers told me about their experiences at Village of Hope:

Mama Lois and Mama Agnes

Mama Agnes: When I first came here, I felt everything was too hard and I just didn’t see any future because the kids were just fighting and crying and arguing and shouting every day. I got tired of them and developed anger inside of me. I went before God and said, “I can’t take it anymore!” but God told me “I am with you, I will never leave you, I saw potential in you, that’s why I brought you here and I know you can make it!”. This brought relief to me and then I started loving the children with all of my heart and to discipline them.
By that time things also started improving and the kids began to change – especially the boys and all of a sudden I loved these boys so much even when they were still sometimes fighting. Now I know my being here is not mine but is God’s and I trust him – he is going ahead of me and he brings happiness to my heart.

Mama Lois: In everything it is God who works. At the beginning the Children were not easy, they didn’t have any guidelines in the dysfunctional families where they came from, but God’s word can change and shape children. The kids started loving God’s word and it started changing them. By now there is a great improvement in behavior, Village of Hope became a family in which the children think about each other, they mix up, the crying is a lot less and they are more obedient. The Kids know that Village of Hope is the place where they belong to and they developed a close relationship to us mothers.
At first it was not easy for some of the kids for the were on their own just like mothers and fathers and suddenly they were put into a family structure again but thank God, they start trusting one another and everything is just by God’s grace.


Ok that was a lot of information for now – I hoped it helped you to get to know each one of these great kids a bit more.

You can pray for each one of them that God just keeps on changing them and forming them so that they can be the person he intended them to be. You can also pray for their studies , that they pick up the things the teachers are teaching at school and especially that they get to know English more and more.

We all send you greetings and hope you are doing fine. Thank you for everything!