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!

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

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.

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!!!

 

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

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

$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.

Sponsorship options

option 1 : $50.00 USD - monthly option 2 : $100.00 USD - monthly option 3 : $150.00 USD - monthly option 4 : $200.00 USD - monthly option 5 : $250.00 USD - monthly

Already, we are hearing reports of people giving their lives to Christ as they receive care at the clinic.  Faith comes through hearing donated Proclaimers which the clinic plays throughout the day.  This is so exciting!  We look forward to seeing all that God has planned in Uganda.

Blessings!!

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.

* May 2013 - Richard travels to US again and God gives us the name for this ministry....Genda Uganda.

And the journey continues..........