Back from Uganda (only physically!)Â
Cheri found a friend and lost her heart in Myaliiro!
   I’m so excited to fill you in on my trip! Thank you ALL for your financial support and prayers. This trip was a huge blessing to me in many ways. Brett kept saying “you are in your element†and boy was I!!  From the very beginning of our trip we experienced God’s provision and attention to every little needed detail. It was life changing to personally see Him work in such real ways.
    In our first week, we focused on the children in HEED’s Full-care program. These kids came from a remote village called Myaliiro (about 7 miles from the main road on a very narrow, pot holed dirt trail of a road!) about 70 miles from the city. This village has no clean water or electricity and the people live well below poverty level in mostly mud or brick huts. Folks walk miles to carry water home from a dirty pond. I was shocked at what I saw, but also impressed with how people do the best they can in all circumstances. Most of the adults are in the area are illiterate and live a subsistence existence. Before HEED began working in the village, schooling options were almost non-existent. With generosity from God’s people, they began a village school in 2007. Right now, their school buildings look like shacks with 50 kids/ classroom. Through God’s amazing grace HEED has purchased 8 acres of land for a permanent school campus and are trusting God for the funds to begin building this summer! HEED started by supporting a few kids through sponsorship, but after spending time in the village, it was clear that there was an endless number of needy children who couldn’t all be taken out of the village. The school has already grown to 225 children and the village has galvanized its support with its own PTA Organization!! There are 7 teachers for all these kids, and I can see that the school is a beacon of hope to the entire village.
 Now back to the 21 Full-care kids in the city…..
     These children were once the neediest and most vulnerable in the village, but with full sponsorship are provided a quality Christian boarding school education (highly esteemed in Uganda), medical and dental care, clothing, shoes, and all the necessities to grow and become all that God intended them to be. It was touching to really get to know the kids, teachers, headmaster and the school nurse, who do so much in the lives of these kids with shockingly few resources.
    Our first day, kids at the boarding school treated us to an authentic African instrument dance and inspiring singing. I did some medical training, and had created a portable first aid kit for the school and it was put to almost immediate use. I saw my bandaids on knees the very next day! They needed everything I brought and more… We also brought a few soccer balls/ jump ropes and had fun enjoying them with the kids. There are 600 happy kids at the school, but there is almost no playground equipment to entertain them.
    It was heartwarming to see the full-care kids warmly welcome “Maama Julie†who has cared for the children through HEED since 2005. I learned about their life stories and where they have come from. As you can imagine I fell in love with each one…
Teopista, Miriam, Janet, Winnie, Jovia, Stella Oliva, Agenes, Hannah, Simon, Henry, Gideon, Joshua, Kamukauma (Kam for short), Benjamin, William, Boy Jake, Justus, Owen and Jackson. Most have no parents or they are vulnerable because of overwhelming poverty. But with HEED’s intervention, they now have a chance. I absolutely loved the time I spent with these kids—my mommy heart was on overload. Julie sees a remarkable the difference in them from when they came into the program until now. The kids eagerly eat thin porridge for breakfast and rice and beans for lunch and dinner every day, but at least they never have to worry IF they will eat. Schooling is such a privilege that they all work so hard. Several of the children were running for school election positions and are considered leaders in the school. Most were years behind when they came to HEED-they have come a long way in such a short time! The potential for these kids is so exciting.
