I love this idea and I am so excited about giving gifts that will change lives this Christmas.
In Christ,
Dawn
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Christmas with purpose!
I am so excited to share with ya'll what's happening with Project HOPEFUL this Christmas. Much like World Vision or Compassion, we are offering a "Gifts with purpose" program. Uganda, Ethiopia, Guatemala & Ukraine are all focused. There are opportunities from malaria tablets to a doctors salary for a month.
I love this idea and I am so excited about giving gifts that will change lives this Christmas.
In Christ,
Dawn
I love this idea and I am so excited about giving gifts that will change lives this Christmas.
In Christ,
Dawn
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Fighting back the tears.....
As much as I love Uganda and truly do long to be there....life in Uganda is hard. Very hard. Days are long and the work is never done. Most families don't eat dinner until 8:30 - 9:00 at night and rest.....I don't know that there is a word for rest in Uganda.
One of our beautiful HOPE+ sisters has cancer. I met Sarah for the first time in January 2013. She is a precious woman with 4 beautiful children. She lost her husband to AIDS in 2005.
We got to see Sarah again in September when we visited her. She was very weak and we were told she had cancer.
But she still had the sweetest spirit about her.
Sarah had a hysterectomy 2 weeks ago. This was done at Mulago hospital in Kampala. I have never heard anything good about this hospital. Apparently, her brother and sister sold whatever possessions they could to come up with the funds to have the surgery. They didn't ask for help or funds.....they didn't even share that Sarah was having the surgery. I don't know why but I suspect it was because they didn't think there was anyone to help.
Today, my dear brother Richard spent the day at the hospital fighting to get Sarah the blood transfusion she has needed for 2 days. We have a good friend who is a nurse who just happens to be in Uganda and she went to meet Richard at the hospital to help assess the situation. Here is her message:
OK. Just left hospital. She does not have uterine cancer, she had cervical cancer. Typically surgery fixes cervical cancer depending on how severe it is. She had surgery 2 weeks ago, has severe anemia, and is just now getting transfusion. She is severely dehydrated. Doctor recommending she goes for radiation after transfusion, I think she cannot survive it.
I have never in my life seen such hell as where she is....and I have seen a lot.
BTW, doc also told them she has tb of bones...omg. Grrr.
My suggestion is to get her out of there. I have no idea what it will cost...several thousand dollars??
She will die here. No doubt about it. I think we need to consider quality of life at this point. Getting her out of mulago is first step.
Reality. Sometimes it's like a punch in the gut.
I believe, with everything I have that God is in control. I believe that Sarah will be healed...if not on earth....certainly in Heaven. And I also believe God's word and I know He has called me to love these women.
Lord willing, we will be moving Sarah to the International hospital in Kampala. This is the same hospital Gorret will be having her Goiter surgery at. It's a hospital with round the clock care.
I want for Sarah what I would want for any person I love....for her to be cared for, loved on and for her needs to be met until the day she meets our Lord Jesus.
Please pray for our brother Richard. He has given of himself so sacrificially. His actions breathe Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Please pray for Sarah's children. They will be alone and this will be a tremendous tragedy in their young lives.
If you feel the Lord leading to help with Sarah's care, please use the donate button below. All donations are tax deductible through Project HOPEFUL.
We have been so blessed to stand back and witness God's miracles and provision for Uganda. Although my heart breaks for her, I know HE loves her so much more than I could ever imagine and I look forward to the miracle He has already done in her life. He has saved her and she is the daughter of the King.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
One of our beautiful HOPE+ sisters has cancer. I met Sarah for the first time in January 2013. She is a precious woman with 4 beautiful children. She lost her husband to AIDS in 2005.
We got to see Sarah again in September when we visited her. She was very weak and we were told she had cancer.
Sarah had a hysterectomy 2 weeks ago. This was done at Mulago hospital in Kampala. I have never heard anything good about this hospital. Apparently, her brother and sister sold whatever possessions they could to come up with the funds to have the surgery. They didn't ask for help or funds.....they didn't even share that Sarah was having the surgery. I don't know why but I suspect it was because they didn't think there was anyone to help.
Today, my dear brother Richard spent the day at the hospital fighting to get Sarah the blood transfusion she has needed for 2 days. We have a good friend who is a nurse who just happens to be in Uganda and she went to meet Richard at the hospital to help assess the situation. Here is her message:
OK. Just left hospital. She does not have uterine cancer, she had cervical cancer. Typically surgery fixes cervical cancer depending on how severe it is. She had surgery 2 weeks ago, has severe anemia, and is just now getting transfusion. She is severely dehydrated. Doctor recommending she goes for radiation after transfusion, I think she cannot survive it.
I have never in my life seen such hell as where she is....and I have seen a lot.
BTW, doc also told them she has tb of bones...omg. Grrr.
My suggestion is to get her out of there. I have no idea what it will cost...several thousand dollars??
She will die here. No doubt about it. I think we need to consider quality of life at this point. Getting her out of mulago is first step.
Reality. Sometimes it's like a punch in the gut.
I believe, with everything I have that God is in control. I believe that Sarah will be healed...if not on earth....certainly in Heaven. And I also believe God's word and I know He has called me to love these women.
Lord willing, we will be moving Sarah to the International hospital in Kampala. This is the same hospital Gorret will be having her Goiter surgery at. It's a hospital with round the clock care.
I want for Sarah what I would want for any person I love....for her to be cared for, loved on and for her needs to be met until the day she meets our Lord Jesus.
Please pray for our brother Richard. He has given of himself so sacrificially. His actions breathe Romans 12:1 - Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Please pray for Sarah's children. They will be alone and this will be a tremendous tragedy in their young lives.
If you feel the Lord leading to help with Sarah's care, please use the donate button below. All donations are tax deductible through Project HOPEFUL.
We have been so blessed to stand back and witness God's miracles and provision for Uganda. Although my heart breaks for her, I know HE loves her so much more than I could ever imagine and I look forward to the miracle He has already done in her life. He has saved her and she is the daughter of the King.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Let the children come to me......
My expectations were low, I mean after all....it was a group of 6th to 8th graders. Once again, here I was with "little faith". You'd think I would have learned by now.
Sunday I was up with the Rise group of Grace Covenant church. I'd shared the previous week about the work of Sole Hope and we were collecting funds for shoes. I expected 20-30 kids to purchase shoes. To say my mind was blown when 54 pairs of shoes were purchased is an understatement.
Imagine how I felt when a precious 13 year old hand me $100. I asked her "how many pairs are you purchasing" and she responded "10". I asked her "Sweetie....is this money that you saved" and she said "yes". God bless that sweet child. Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. - Mark 10:14
To date, 86 pairs of shoes have been purchased! We are so excited about the response. We still have 214 pair of shoes that need to be purchased and I am NOT going to take the "little faith" road.....I'm going to choose the "great, big, huge faith road".
Please consider joining us and donating a pair of shoes. You can use the button below to donate. $9 is all it takes. Please add "shoes for Bibbo" in notes.
We have a number system in place and we are giving these prayer cards to those who donate. It is our hope to collect letters from the children who receive your shoes so that we can return them to you.
Oh...and one other little....no GREAT BIG HUGE PRAISE. The school these children attend? Bibbo school....the one funds were raised for in August? Ya, that one. Well....IT IS FINISHED!!! We will be sharing pictures SOON!!!
Please join me in thanking the Lord for the way He has provided for His children in Uganda.
In Christ,
Dawn
Sunday I was up with the Rise group of Grace Covenant church. I'd shared the previous week about the work of Sole Hope and we were collecting funds for shoes. I expected 20-30 kids to purchase shoes. To say my mind was blown when 54 pairs of shoes were purchased is an understatement.
Imagine how I felt when a precious 13 year old hand me $100. I asked her "how many pairs are you purchasing" and she responded "10". I asked her "Sweetie....is this money that you saved" and she said "yes". God bless that sweet child. Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. - Mark 10:14
Please consider joining us and donating a pair of shoes. You can use the button below to donate. $9 is all it takes. Please add "shoes for Bibbo" in notes.
We have a number system in place and we are giving these prayer cards to those who donate. It is our hope to collect letters from the children who receive your shoes so that we can return them to you.
Oh...and one other little....no GREAT BIG HUGE PRAISE. The school these children attend? Bibbo school....the one funds were raised for in August? Ya, that one. Well....IT IS FINISHED!!! We will be sharing pictures SOON!!!
Please join me in thanking the Lord for the way He has provided for His children in Uganda.
In Christ,
Dawn
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Bibbo shoe drive
We have officially launched our shoe drive for the children of Bibbo school. Today I had the privilege of sharing with the youth at our church about the plight of jiggers. Our youth pastor, feeling his own conviction on just how blessed he was, brought in all his shoes. This is just one side of the stage where his shoes were lined up.
.I was able to share with the kids about jiggers, the work Sole Hope is
doing in Uganda to help with jiggers and encourage them to get
involved. They asked a lot of questions and you could see the concern
on several of their faces. There were approximately 40 kids there today and if every child commits to a pair of shoes, 40 children in Bibbo will have shoes. But there are 300 children in Bibbo who need shoes so we need your help to get the word out there. Share this blog with folks you know. Tell them about what we are doing. We have some fun things we will be doing so you can give these as "These shoes were purchased in your honor for a child in Uganda" Christmas gifts. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a lot of money. But it will take a village here in Austin to provide shoes for all the children in Bibbo village.
.I was able to share with the kids about jiggers, the work Sole Hope is
doing in Uganda to help with jiggers and encourage them to get
involved. They asked a lot of questions and you could see the concern
on several of their faces. There were approximately 40 kids there today and if every child commits to a pair of shoes, 40 children in Bibbo will have shoes. But there are 300 children in Bibbo who need shoes so we need your help to get the word out there. Share this blog with folks you know. Tell them about what we are doing. We have some fun things we will be doing so you can give these as "These shoes were purchased in your honor for a child in Uganda" Christmas gifts. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a lot of money. But it will take a village here in Austin to provide shoes for all the children in Bibbo village.
If you are interested in purchasing shoes, please use this link and be sure to specify "shoes for Bibbo". The shoes cost $9 a pair. Remember, you aren't just purchasing shoes....you are preventing jiggers, providing education, employing Ugandans and most importantly....helping to share the love of Christ with those in need.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humblywith your God.
Micah 6:8
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humblywith your God.
Micah 6:8
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Shoes for the children of Bibbo
One of our days in Uganda was spent measuring the feet of children from Bibbo school in Uganda. Most of these children did not have shoes to protect their feet. Jiggers (sand fleas...NOT to be confused with chiggers) is a huge problem in Uganda. Sand fleas embed themselves in the feet of children, lay eggs and cause a long list of problems. Just days after we returned home from Uganda, this article was in a Ugandan newspaper:
This is such a tragedy since jiggers are completely preventable.
Over the years, I have been blessed to get to know the Collie family who founded Sole Hope. Their ministry not only does outreach missions to remove the jiggers from the feet of children, they provide training on how to prevent jiggers and provide them with shoes.
After seeing how many children were without shoes in Bibbo, we have decided to partner with Sole Hope and put shoes on the feet of 300 children.
What does it cost? $9 per child. That $9 doesn't just provide shoes for a child....it provides employment to local Ugandans. Sole Hope currently provides employment to 25 Ugandans.
Recently, our friends at Sole Hope came upon the worst jiggers they'd ever seen. You can read about it here. We had the pleasure of meeting these children and were so happy to see that their feet were healing beautifully! This would not have been the case had Sole Hope not been there to help.
So...how do you help? Simple. By using the button below to make a $9 donation to Sole Hope. When we travel to Uganda in January, we will be removing the jiggers from the feet of these children and delivering them their new shoes.
Over the years, I have been blessed to get to know the Collie family who founded Sole Hope. Their ministry not only does outreach missions to remove the jiggers from the feet of children, they provide training on how to prevent jiggers and provide them with shoes.
After seeing how many children were without shoes in Bibbo, we have decided to partner with Sole Hope and put shoes on the feet of 300 children.
What does it cost? $9 per child. That $9 doesn't just provide shoes for a child....it provides employment to local Ugandans. Sole Hope currently provides employment to 25 Ugandans.
Recently, our friends at Sole Hope came upon the worst jiggers they'd ever seen. You can read about it here. We had the pleasure of meeting these children and were so happy to see that their feet were healing beautifully! This would not have been the case had Sole Hope not been there to help.
So...how do you help? Simple. By using the button below to make a $9 donation to Sole Hope. When we travel to Uganda in January, we will be removing the jiggers from the feet of these children and delivering them their new shoes.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
We're back........
To say we had a "good trip" is an understatement. It was an amazing trip. AH-MAZING! I could spend hours sharing stories with you but I am going to try my best do do a short recap.
The first and probably most amazing experience was being able to watch Pastor Stephen receive the news that the church they have been trying to build for 4 years HAS BEEN FUNDED! Only God. This is the miracle we got to witness.
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Also while we were at the school, I visited with Gorrett. This is not the first time I've met her but this time I felt God nudging me to ask her about her condition. Gorrett has hypothyroidism. My daughter has hypothyroidism. We have the luxury of insurance and medication. Gorrett does not. The goiter in her throat has been growing since 2003. She sometimes stops breathing when she eats, she has difficulty swallowing and is losing weight and she is in constant pain. We made arrangements for her to visit the International hospital Kampala. For Gorrett to have labs run, surgery & hospital stay, it would cost $1720 dollars. We have committed to raising funds to help this precious woman. If you are interested in helping with Gorrett's surgery, you can use the donation link above and just indicate "Gorrett surgery".
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We had 36 women graduate from the HOPE+ sisterhood and it was a true celebration. We had 2 healthy HIV- babies born to their HIV+ mamas which is a HUGE praise.
We were taken care of and loved on by the beautiful people of Uganda in ways that humbled us and brought us to tears.
The first and probably most amazing experience was being able to watch Pastor Stephen receive the news that the church they have been trying to build for 4 years HAS BEEN FUNDED! Only God. This is the miracle we got to witness.
At the end of church, we arranged for the entire church to walk to the grounds where they have been building their church. John called Pastor Stephen and shared the news with him. I have never in my life seen such a celebration. There were no dry eyes.
We had the pleasure of visiting Bibbo school....the school Steve Sanchez and friends raised funds for. They are likely to finish the school in November!
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While we were there, we measured the feet of 100's of children as we prepare to raise funds for shoes for 300 children. We noticed several children had jiggers in their feet and we believe this shoe drive will be a tremendous blessing to them.
Also while we were at the school, I visited with Gorrett. This is not the first time I've met her but this time I felt God nudging me to ask her about her condition. Gorrett has hypothyroidism. My daughter has hypothyroidism. We have the luxury of insurance and medication. Gorrett does not. The goiter in her throat has been growing since 2003. She sometimes stops breathing when she eats, she has difficulty swallowing and is losing weight and she is in constant pain. We made arrangements for her to visit the International hospital Kampala. For Gorrett to have labs run, surgery & hospital stay, it would cost $1720 dollars. We have committed to raising funds to help this precious woman. If you are interested in helping with Gorrett's surgery, you can use the donation link above and just indicate "Gorrett surgery"..jpg)
We had 36 women graduate from the HOPE+ sisterhood and it was a true celebration. We had 2 healthy HIV- babies born to their HIV+ mamas which is a HUGE praise. 
We interviewed 23 new women to be part of the next HOPE+ sisterhood. Each and every one of them has an amazing story and we loved them all.
We were taken care of and loved on by the beautiful people of Uganda in ways that humbled us and brought us to tears.
If you would like to get any additional information on how to get involved in any of the projects mentioned, please email me us @ gendauganda@gmail.com
Enjoy these amazing videos of the children from Bibbo school and Gertrude, one of our HOPE+ sisters celebrating when we delivered beans to them.
In Christ,
Dawn
Friday, September 6, 2013
When you are brought to your knees....
Today was one of those days when you are brought to your knees....where you cry big, fat crocodile tears because you are overwhelmed by God's faithfulness.
We have entered a new season of life having 2 in elementary, 1 in middle school and 1 in high school. Trying to keep up with the new schedules, school folders, band, cross country and more sometimes has my head spinning. I often find myself worrying about how things will get done for our Uganda ministry. It takes me forever to respond to emails....I forget to "do" things...the list goes on.
But, God is faithful and even with my abundance of short comings....His will gets done.
Today we were blessed to pick up 10 boxes of school curriculum for Uganda. A gal from our church "just happened" to see a dumpster loaded with discarded curriculum. She contacted the school and asked if she could have it and they said yes! Interestingly enough....this was BEFORE any of the funds were raise for Bibbo school. Man I love how God does things. So today, I finally got around to getting over there. We were blown away by the material and I know it will be a tremendous blessing in Uganda.
Then I came home and got back to work. I heard a "ding" from my ipad and went into the other room to see what had popped up. My cell phone was sitting next to it charging (which is always on silent) and a text message popped up that said "Project HOPEFUL just received a $5000 donation for Uganda". My knees literally went weak. And then the tears fell. In the past month, we have received $6000 toward staff salaries. We need $15,000 for one year to employ all the staff at St. John medical clinic in Uganda. Since June, we have received $12,200 toward staff salaries! How awesome is our God?
A team of 6 of us will be leaving in 2 weeks for Uganda. We will visit Bibbo school, the medical clinic and our HOPE+ sisters. We will also meet with Sole HOPE to work out the details of the shoe project for the children at Bibbo school. We would love your prayers for safe travels, good health and most importantly that we follow the Lords leading in all that we do while we are there.
In Christ,
Dawn
We have entered a new season of life having 2 in elementary, 1 in middle school and 1 in high school. Trying to keep up with the new schedules, school folders, band, cross country and more sometimes has my head spinning. I often find myself worrying about how things will get done for our Uganda ministry. It takes me forever to respond to emails....I forget to "do" things...the list goes on.
But, God is faithful and even with my abundance of short comings....His will gets done.
Today we were blessed to pick up 10 boxes of school curriculum for Uganda. A gal from our church "just happened" to see a dumpster loaded with discarded curriculum. She contacted the school and asked if she could have it and they said yes! Interestingly enough....this was BEFORE any of the funds were raise for Bibbo school. Man I love how God does things. So today, I finally got around to getting over there. We were blown away by the material and I know it will be a tremendous blessing in Uganda.
Then I came home and got back to work. I heard a "ding" from my ipad and went into the other room to see what had popped up. My cell phone was sitting next to it charging (which is always on silent) and a text message popped up that said "Project HOPEFUL just received a $5000 donation for Uganda". My knees literally went weak. And then the tears fell. In the past month, we have received $6000 toward staff salaries. We need $15,000 for one year to employ all the staff at St. John medical clinic in Uganda. Since June, we have received $12,200 toward staff salaries! How awesome is our God?
A team of 6 of us will be leaving in 2 weeks for Uganda. We will visit Bibbo school, the medical clinic and our HOPE+ sisters. We will also meet with Sole HOPE to work out the details of the shoe project for the children at Bibbo school. We would love your prayers for safe travels, good health and most importantly that we follow the Lords leading in all that we do while we are there.
In Christ,
Dawn
Thursday, August 22, 2013
What He starts....He finishes
I hope the day never comes where I stop being surprised at the way God provides. What appears to be too big is NEVER too big for God. I can recall many times, laying on my bed literally feeling sick to my stomach telling Him why I couldn't do this, or couldn't do that. If only I knew that He wasn't asking me to do THIS or THAT, He just wanted obedience from me. Obedience to share the need. He would provide the way.
In July 2012, while adopting our son Joseph, we visited a rural school in Bibbo, Uganda. Because of extreme poverty, many young girls miss school during their cycles because they can't afford feminine products. My Mom started a sweet ministry of making washable sanitary products and we were delivering them to this school. I was told this was one of the neediest schools in the area. I was overwhelmed when I saw the school. The first picture is the principals office. They shared with me that it was a widow who was running the school. They were in the process of building a new school and her husband was killed. Fundraising stopped for the school but this precious woman of God pressed on and kept the school running.
Fast forward to April 2013 when a team of gentleman made their way to Uganda. Two of the men were Pastor Tom Sanchez and his brother Steve. Steve was extremely moved by the widow, Agnes who runs the school. He felt God pressing it on his heart to fundraise to complete the school Agnes and her husband started. Below is a photo of the uncompleted school.
On August 12th, I received an email from Steve and in the subject line it said "Celebrate". He shared with us that the fundraising was COMPLETE and he had just placed in the mail the funds needed to complete the Bibbo school project! How AWESOME is our God?
Something struck me as I looked at one of the pictures Steve sent. Do you see what I see in this picture?
The VERY first thing I saw when I looked at this picture was the children's feet. Most of them do not have shoes. In Uganda, there is a horrible problem with jiggers. It just so happens that I have dear friends who run a ministry called Sole Hope. And....It also just so happens that in January of this year....they
moved to Jinja which is about an hour away from this school. AND it just so happens I had the pleasure of introducing Dru (founders
husband) to Richard Kibirango in March 2012 when we both just happened
to be in Uganda at the same time. Even as I write this I am blown away
at the "God"incidences here. Sole Hope not only does jigger removal, but they are also are training Ugandans in the art of shoe making! They have provided shoes to children at Victors Christian school. Even as I write this I am blown away at the "God"incidences here.
Aren't these shoes adorable? So, what does it cost to construct a pair of shoes AND be able to employ Ugandan tailors to construct these awesome shoes? $9. Yup, just $9. You can probably see where this is going, can't you? Anxious to see what God does with this.
I believe God has plans for this little school in Bibbo. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1
Thank you for following along on this journey. If you want to know more about Genda Uganda, please drop us an email, we'd LOVE to hear from you!
In July 2012, while adopting our son Joseph, we visited a rural school in Bibbo, Uganda. Because of extreme poverty, many young girls miss school during their cycles because they can't afford feminine products. My Mom started a sweet ministry of making washable sanitary products and we were delivering them to this school. I was told this was one of the neediest schools in the area. I was overwhelmed when I saw the school. The first picture is the principals office. They shared with me that it was a widow who was running the school. They were in the process of building a new school and her husband was killed. Fundraising stopped for the school but this precious woman of God pressed on and kept the school running.
On August 12th, I received an email from Steve and in the subject line it said "Celebrate". He shared with us that the fundraising was COMPLETE and he had just placed in the mail the funds needed to complete the Bibbo school project! How AWESOME is our God?
Something struck me as I looked at one of the pictures Steve sent. Do you see what I see in this picture?
I believe God has plans for this little school in Bibbo. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1
Thank you for following along on this journey. If you want to know more about Genda Uganda, please drop us an email, we'd LOVE to hear from you!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Sweet encouragement
Friends....I had to share this with you because this is OUR (not our as in John and I but our as in ALL YA'LL'S :o) work together in the Lord and it beautiful to see. It is notes like this that God uses to encourage me and I hope it gives ALL of us the courage to press on. We know NOTHING about international ministry or non profits. We aren't strategic driven but we seek to be Spirit driven in all that God calls us to do. Our global outreach pastor recently said in a sermon "You can't replace faith with a ministry strategy". Boy, did I understand that! We just have our faith mixed with a desire to be obedient that stems from a life of making really bad choices before knowing Christ. Just this morning John was praying for "Genda Uganda" and his prayer was that the praise would go to God ALONE. What Maggie wrote (and I received AFTER we prayed) is EXACTLY what we are praying for. To GOD ALONE be the glory. You can click on the picture to enlarge.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Still in awe....
I'm continually amazed at what happens when we truly let go and let God have the wheel. It's humbling and so very inspiring. It's what fuels me in this ministry really. Without God, none of this would be happening. He is the Master craftsman and the tapestry He has woven simply wouldn't exist without His divine intervention.
In January while in Uganda, I found out my dear sister Maggie was pregnant. Maggie is a social worker at Victors Christian school and she is also one of our staff for the HOPE+ sisterhood. The clinic was not finished yet but I asked her where she would be giving birth. She said "Lord willing, right here". She was referring to the medical clinic.
I received an email on Friday from my brother Richard about an amazing opportunity to get some pressurized orthopedic beds. A ministry in Jinja received a container shipment of medical supplies but they had to pay a substantial amount in taxes to the government. They offered to give the clinic 5 beds if they would help pay the taxes. We needed $705. These beds would cost over $3000 easily if purchased from a medical supplier in Kampala. I prayed and I knew God was leading me to fundraise so I told Richard I would work on raising funds. In 2 days, the funds were raised and I had the privilege and honor...once again....to let my dear brother know that we had the funds!
I never know how and when God will show up and show off....be He always does.
2 of our HOPE+ mamas gave birth over the past few months and PRAISE BE TO GOD.....both babies are HIV negative!!! These mamas have been working hard creating their businesses. They are earning incomes which allows them to get adequate nutrition. They receive FREE medical care from the clinic and are counseled regularly on the importance of their meds. Did you know that when an HIV+ person takes their medication regularly and has adequate nutrition that their HIV levels can become undetectable which helps prevent transmission to their babies through birth and breast feeding? Just look at these beautiful faces!!!
Pastor Tom Sanchez' brother Stephen also visited Uganda in April. God put a school on his heart. A husband and wife were raising funds to build a school in a very rural area. Sadly, the husband died and his widow has not been able to complete the school. Stephen has been fundraising and has raised over $5000 to complete this school. How awesome is that?
John and I have been praying for some time now about what God has for us in Uganda. The biggest question we have been praying about is "should we start a non profit". God answered some pretty specific prayers through a good friend of ours who is an attorney. She accomplished...in a matter of days....what would have literally taken John and I a year (or more) to do. We are prayerfully taking this one day at a time and we are completely dependent on God for this to happen. If it is His will...it will happen in His perfect time. We are so thankful that Dr. Peter Hines (who traveled to Uganda with John in April) and our brother Richard have both agreed to be on the board.
Would you join us in praying? Every bit of this has to be of God and we only want to follow Him. Pray that Jesus is seen through the staff at the clinic. Pray for wisdom as decisions are made. Mostly pray for God to be glorified through everything that is done. Pray for financial provision. There is still approximately $8000 that needs to be raised for staff salaries and approximately $18,000 of medical equipment that is needed. If you feel the Lord leading you to partner with us in Genda Uganda or to help raise these funds, please send us an email and let's talk! All donations will be tax-deductible.
Thank you friends for all your continued love, prayer and support.
In Christ,
John & Dawn
In January while in Uganda, I found out my dear sister Maggie was pregnant. Maggie is a social worker at Victors Christian school and she is also one of our staff for the HOPE+ sisterhood. The clinic was not finished yet but I asked her where she would be giving birth. She said "Lord willing, right here". She was referring to the medical clinic.
In April, John was in Uganda for the grand opening celebration. The clinic was open for business but we still needed a lot of medical equipment. In June, we were blessed with donations for staff salaries, a gynecology bed and an ultrasound machine.
So, should I be even remotely surprised that beautiful Maggie was the first mama to give birth at the clinic just days after all the equipment arrived? No. Because God is so faithful.
I received an email on Friday from my brother Richard about an amazing opportunity to get some pressurized orthopedic beds. A ministry in Jinja received a container shipment of medical supplies but they had to pay a substantial amount in taxes to the government. They offered to give the clinic 5 beds if they would help pay the taxes. We needed $705. These beds would cost over $3000 easily if purchased from a medical supplier in Kampala. I prayed and I knew God was leading me to fundraise so I told Richard I would work on raising funds. In 2 days, the funds were raised and I had the privilege and honor...once again....to let my dear brother know that we had the funds!
I never know how and when God will show up and show off....be He always does.
2 of our HOPE+ mamas gave birth over the past few months and PRAISE BE TO GOD.....both babies are HIV negative!!! These mamas have been working hard creating their businesses. They are earning incomes which allows them to get adequate nutrition. They receive FREE medical care from the clinic and are counseled regularly on the importance of their meds. Did you know that when an HIV+ person takes their medication regularly and has adequate nutrition that their HIV levels can become undetectable which helps prevent transmission to their babies through birth and breast feeding? Just look at these beautiful faces!!!
John and I have been praying for some time now about what God has for us in Uganda. The biggest question we have been praying about is "should we start a non profit". God answered some pretty specific prayers through a good friend of ours who is an attorney. She accomplished...in a matter of days....what would have literally taken John and I a year (or more) to do. We are prayerfully taking this one day at a time and we are completely dependent on God for this to happen. If it is His will...it will happen in His perfect time. We are so thankful that Dr. Peter Hines (who traveled to Uganda with John in April) and our brother Richard have both agreed to be on the board.
Would you join us in praying? Every bit of this has to be of God and we only want to follow Him. Pray that Jesus is seen through the staff at the clinic. Pray for wisdom as decisions are made. Mostly pray for God to be glorified through everything that is done. Pray for financial provision. There is still approximately $8000 that needs to be raised for staff salaries and approximately $18,000 of medical equipment that is needed. If you feel the Lord leading you to partner with us in Genda Uganda or to help raise these funds, please send us an email and let's talk! All donations will be tax-deductible.
Thank you friends for all your continued love, prayer and support.
In Christ,
John & Dawn
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
God's provision.....
God continually knocks our socks off with the way He has provided for the needs in Mukono, Uganda. God has also shown us just how much HE is in control. There have been many nights when I have lost sleep trying to figure out how "I" was going to do this or how "We" were going to do that. What God has faithfully shown us is that all He needs is obedience. We don't really have to "Do" anything.
When Richard visited in May, I felt God pressing 2 things on my heart....staff salaries at the medical clinic and Ultrasound machine. Logically...it just made sense for the ultrasound machine because it would produce income for the clinic, but more than that, I felt a personal commitment to it. But, with school coming to an end, vacations, children at home, etc.....there simply wasn't time to work out the details. The only thing I could find the time to do was create the blog and share it. And that was all God needed from me.
This morning, I am happy to share with you that we have just about 1/2 of what we need for staff salaries for the year....$7400. PRAISE GOD! The Spirit is moving and I believe the full $15,000 will be raised.
But...that isn't all. I called Richard to share the news with him. He was so excited and could barely speak. We didn't speak about the ultrasound machine because honestly....I didn't feel like I had the bandwidth to do a fundraiser right now. Before we hung up, he told me they had a small...yet urgent need. 5 women in the community are due to deliver in the next month or so and they really need a gynecological bed. The cost is $350. Believing this was absolutely doable, I said we could raise the funds. I knew I could carve out the time to do a fundraiser for this small amount. I shared with Project HOPEFUL the need, asked if we could pull together a fundraiser and received a "YES! GO! GO! GO! So, we began posting on Facebook and the donations started coming in. But then a received an email that I was NOT expecting. In a nutshell, it said this:
THE ULTRASOUND MACHINE IS PAID FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Say WHAT?? I wasn't even working on that! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN???
Praise the Lord!!! I love it when God just shows up and shows off! Did the bed get paid for? Yes, of course it did....because He is faithful!
So, I had the honor of calling Richard back and it went something like this:
Me: "Richard....the bed is paid for!"
Richard: "Praise be to God Dawn, this is wonderful news"
Me: "Oh...and one other little thing. The ultrasound machine is also paid for"
Richard: "What? You are joking with me Dawn. Are you serious? I am falling off my chair. Praise be to God...Praise be to God!"
I have been completely humbled today. Seeing God's word lived out is something that will always bring me to my knees.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? - Matthew 6:26
There are still MANY needs in Mukono and much work to be done. We are making a commitment to keeping ya'll updated and will do so through the blog and email. We would love to continue to grow and build this ministry. If you have friend or family who have a heart for Africa ministries, please share Genda Uganda with them.
In Christ,
Dawn
When Richard visited in May, I felt God pressing 2 things on my heart....staff salaries at the medical clinic and Ultrasound machine. Logically...it just made sense for the ultrasound machine because it would produce income for the clinic, but more than that, I felt a personal commitment to it. But, with school coming to an end, vacations, children at home, etc.....there simply wasn't time to work out the details. The only thing I could find the time to do was create the blog and share it. And that was all God needed from me.
This morning, I am happy to share with you that we have just about 1/2 of what we need for staff salaries for the year....$7400. PRAISE GOD! The Spirit is moving and I believe the full $15,000 will be raised.
But...that isn't all. I called Richard to share the news with him. He was so excited and could barely speak. We didn't speak about the ultrasound machine because honestly....I didn't feel like I had the bandwidth to do a fundraiser right now. Before we hung up, he told me they had a small...yet urgent need. 5 women in the community are due to deliver in the next month or so and they really need a gynecological bed. The cost is $350. Believing this was absolutely doable, I said we could raise the funds. I knew I could carve out the time to do a fundraiser for this small amount. I shared with Project HOPEFUL the need, asked if we could pull together a fundraiser and received a "YES! GO! GO! GO! So, we began posting on Facebook and the donations started coming in. But then a received an email that I was NOT expecting. In a nutshell, it said this:
THE ULTRASOUND MACHINE IS PAID FOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Say WHAT?? I wasn't even working on that! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN???
Praise the Lord!!! I love it when God just shows up and shows off! Did the bed get paid for? Yes, of course it did....because He is faithful!
So, I had the honor of calling Richard back and it went something like this:
Me: "Richard....the bed is paid for!"
Richard: "Praise be to God Dawn, this is wonderful news"
Me: "Oh...and one other little thing. The ultrasound machine is also paid for"
Richard: "What? You are joking with me Dawn. Are you serious? I am falling off my chair. Praise be to God...Praise be to God!"
I have been completely humbled today. Seeing God's word lived out is something that will always bring me to my knees.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? - Matthew 6:26
There are still MANY needs in Mukono and much work to be done. We are making a commitment to keeping ya'll updated and will do so through the blog and email. We would love to continue to grow and build this ministry. If you have friend or family who have a heart for Africa ministries, please share Genda Uganda with them.
In Christ,
Dawn
Monday, June 17, 2013
$15,000....
$15,000 is a lot of money. It can purchase a car. It could be a down payment on a home. But, in Uganda....it can pay salaries for an entire medical staff for one year....multiple doctors, nurses and administrators. An entire year.
Through the generous people of Grace Covenant church, God raised up $40,000 to build St. John medical clinic in Mukono, Uganda. There is a detailed plan on sustainability, but that takes time. Until that happens (which we believe will take one year) God planted a seed for "staff sponsorships". We are so excited that Project HOPEFUL has said YES to partnering on this and all donations will be TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Please pray about this opportunity and if you feel led to partner on this, you can use the links below to sign up.
Through the generous people of Grace Covenant church, God raised up $40,000 to build St. John medical clinic in Mukono, Uganda. There is a detailed plan on sustainability, but that takes time. Until that happens (which we believe will take one year) God planted a seed for "staff sponsorships". We are so excited that Project HOPEFUL has said YES to partnering on this and all donations will be TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! Please pray about this opportunity and if you feel led to partner on this, you can use the links below to sign up.
How did we get here?
Thank you for visiting Genda Uganda! Genda means "Go" in Luganda. Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, set forth the purpose of every Christian with His command and commission, to "Go and make disciples..." in Matthew 28:19. The term "go" isn't limited to mission trips and far away lands, it is a lifestyle of discipleship regardless of location. We are called to make disciples at home in Austin, Tx just as equally as where ever the Lord sends us around the world; it just happens that He has sent us to Uganda to partner with Him and the local church in this ministry. So we joyfully "Genda Uganda" and see that every ministry that we do is centered on making disciples of Christ Jesus, whether by strengthening the church, supporting a medical clinic, or visiting and ministering to orphans and widows, it is all discipleship!
Before we do anything else, we thought it was really important to share, in a brief summary, how we got here.
* May 2nd, 2010 - While preparing to travel to Ethiopia for our 1st mission trip, we met a gentleman named Richard from Uganda. He saw the jewelry I was making to raise funds for the orphans in Ethiopia using paper beads and told me his father had a ministry where women made these beads.
* June 2010 - Receive email from Richard saying "when" you come to Uganda, you can stay in my fathers home to which I kindly reply, "I am not planning to come to Uganda as I am involved in Ethiopia ministries but thank you"
* January 2011 - Two women board a plane, travel across the world to go to a country they've never been to to stay at the home of people they've never met. Lives forever changed.
* February 2011 - God puts adoption on our heart
* July 15th 2011 - We say YES to adoption but immediately panic. Uganda requires an inquiry trip. How on earth would we afford to get there?
* July 22nd 2011 - Samaritans purse calls and asks if I would escort a mama and her baby who had heart surgery here in Austin home to Uganda....all expenses paid. You can read more details on that here.
* January 10th 2012 - find out about our son, Joseph
* March 2012 - Receive an email from Richard about building St. John medical clinic in Mukono
* April 2012 - travel back to Uganda to see grounds for clinic and hear plans. God puts widow sponsorship on my heart after meeting 24 HIV+ mamas
* May 2012 - Richard travels to US and God raises $40,000 in one week to build St. Johns medical clinic
* Memorial day 2012 - We receive court date to go get Joseph
* June 29th 2012 - We meet Joseph for the first time
* July 5th 2012 - Ground breaking ceremony for St. John's medical clinic
* August 8th 2012 - Receive embassy approval to take Joseph home
*August 13th 2012 - begin our journey home. As we head out we visit clinic one last time.
* January 9th 2013 - Travel to Uganda to launch the HOPE+ sisterhood Uganda with Project HOPEFUL. Within 2 weeks, God provides sisters for 36 HIV+ widows in Uganda!
* April 2013 - John travels to Uganda with a team consisting of Pastor Tom Sanchez, his brother Steve Sanchez, Dr. Peter Hines and our faithful brother from China, Patrick Smith. Collectively the team ministered through pastor and family conferences, assessing the current operations and attending the grand opening of St. John medical clinic in Mukono, along with touring Victor's Christian School and the True Vine Ministries operations throughout the rural areas of Mukono and handing out Proclaimers from Faith Come By Hearing ministries for the advancement of the Gospel.
Before we do anything else, we thought it was really important to share, in a brief summary, how we got here.
* May 2nd, 2010 - While preparing to travel to Ethiopia for our 1st mission trip, we met a gentleman named Richard from Uganda. He saw the jewelry I was making to raise funds for the orphans in Ethiopia using paper beads and told me his father had a ministry where women made these beads.
* June 2010 - Receive email from Richard saying "when" you come to Uganda, you can stay in my fathers home to which I kindly reply, "I am not planning to come to Uganda as I am involved in Ethiopia ministries but thank you"
* January 2011 - Two women board a plane, travel across the world to go to a country they've never been to to stay at the home of people they've never met. Lives forever changed.
* February 2011 - God puts adoption on our heart
* July 15th 2011 - We say YES to adoption but immediately panic. Uganda requires an inquiry trip. How on earth would we afford to get there?
* July 22nd 2011 - Samaritans purse calls and asks if I would escort a mama and her baby who had heart surgery here in Austin home to Uganda....all expenses paid. You can read more details on that here.
* January 10th 2012 - find out about our son, Joseph* March 2012 - Receive an email from Richard about building St. John medical clinic in Mukono
* April 2012 - travel back to Uganda to see grounds for clinic and hear plans. God puts widow sponsorship on my heart after meeting 24 HIV+ mamas
* May 2012 - Richard travels to US and God raises $40,000 in one week to build St. Johns medical clinic
* Memorial day 2012 - We receive court date to go get Joseph
* June 29th 2012 - We meet Joseph for the first time
* July 5th 2012 - Ground breaking ceremony for St. John's medical clinic
* August 8th 2012 - Receive embassy approval to take Joseph home
*August 13th 2012 - begin our journey home. As we head out we visit clinic one last time.
* January 9th 2013 - Travel to Uganda to launch the HOPE+ sisterhood Uganda with Project HOPEFUL. Within 2 weeks, God provides sisters for 36 HIV+ widows in Uganda!
* April 2013 - John travels to Uganda with a team consisting of Pastor Tom Sanchez, his brother Steve Sanchez, Dr. Peter Hines and our faithful brother from China, Patrick Smith. Collectively the team ministered through pastor and family conferences, assessing the current operations and attending the grand opening of St. John medical clinic in Mukono, along with touring Victor's Christian School and the True Vine Ministries operations throughout the rural areas of Mukono and handing out Proclaimers from Faith Come By Hearing ministries for the advancement of the Gospel.
* May 2013 - Richard travels to US again and God gives us the name for this ministry....Genda Uganda.
And the journey continues..........
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