Heart for mission?

Loyce is a young girl who turned up on our doorstep, in need of financial support for her education. In East Africa, education is not free like it is in the UK. School fees vary from school to school, but there are always school fees in the equation in Uganda. Even the "free" government schools require fees to be paid. Loyce does still have both her parents alive, but they are no longer able to pay for her schooling as her father has been made unemployable due to the onset of blindness. We decided that we wanted to help Loyce, but we also believe that where possible, it is important to empower people to help themselves. So Loyce helped out with our laundry in exchange for her exam registration fees and her school fees. And in the time that we shared with Loyce, our friendship grew. "Aunty Jane and Uncle Alan" - we heard so many funny stories from her, shared our Saturdays with her, even teaching her how to make her school speech, which was necessary for her final English exam! And although we are no longer in Uganda, thanks to her brother's internet access, we remain in contact with Loyce, which is such a blessing!"

As you can see on our Justina Project page, Justina is very dear to our hearts. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of so many friends we were able to build her a new home when she was homeless, and she has almost an acre of land to farm, which provides food for both her and her family, and also, in time, enough to sell to sustain them in other ways. We spent quite alot of time with Justina while we were in Uganda, supporting her through a life-threatening sickness, and through the loss of her only granddaughter. She is a very resilient lady, who seeks God for everything, and her new home now provides a prayer and fellowship meeting place for many of her friends.

Shimon High School is a school for poor and needy students, which was just along the track from where we lived in Uganda. We volunteered our time there, in various ways, including providing ministry, and prayer counselling. We enjoyed joining in their weekly debate competition a couple of times, and just connecting with these young people whose lives are laced with hardship and tragedy.

Before we went to Uganda, we felt that part of what we do should be to give others the opportunity to come and see, and to work alongside us. So, James came! We didn't know James prior to his stay, as he is the husband of a former work colleague, but we hope that we welcomed into our home for the 17 days that he was with us. During his time he taught at Shimon High School, helped to paint Justina's house, and joined us in visiting some of the elderly ladies that we supported, as well as the primary school at Rwentobo. We took him to visit a very rural village where our friend John (our guard) comes from, and we were the first white folk to ever visit that village! James really embraced everything that we did, and loved everyone that he met. And they loved him!

We were introduced to Rosemary, and elderly lady who is lame and lives in two tiny rooms. She cares for her only surviving relative, her young granddaughter Forward. Rosemary sells charcoal to try and make a small income, and her food comes from the weekly market floor, where she picks up any dropped beans and vegetables. She had nothing with which to pay her rent, and so we knew we had to help her, as she was terrified of being made homeless. Through the generosity of a group of friends in Suffolk, she now has the security of her rent being paid for a very long time to come. We were also able to buy her a wooden arm chair, with cushions, as she only had an old car battery to sit on. This may not seem like much, but to her it makes alot of difference, as it is something that she would never be able to do for herself: as well as giving her much needed comfort for her disabled legs and hips, it brings the message of love and hope that we strive to share.

We met these beautiful widows when we were visiting in the Kengoma community. They each were so gracious, so humble, and had virtually nothing. Joy, in her late '90's didn't have a seat of any kind, not even an old car battery! And so we set to work again with our "furniture ministry" and were able to gift them the furniture that they would never have dreamt of owning. Such a small thing really, making so much difference to the physical comfort of these ladies in the latter years of their lives.

We have visited the slum at Gioto dumpsite, which is home to over 140 families, a number of times, each time just feeling overwhelmed by the desperation of the people that live there. We have been blessed by being able to take milk to the children in one of the schools there, as milk is too expensive for many who live here. We also were able to take along a significant amount of children's clothing to distribute, thanks to some very kind friends again back home in Suffolk. Such small things really, but again, the message of love and hope.