Sponsorships and Cows

Sponsorships and Cows......what do they have in common?
Well, a creative sponsor recently went the extra mile and wanted to provide for the only living parent of one of her sponsored children....so she bought a cow. The cow was only $70.00 and will provide a way for this child's mother to begin again....to be able to provide for her daughter, herself, and perhaps even her own village. Shortly after this purchase was made, another sponsor, being inspired by what this gift could potentially do, has purchased2 more cows for 2 other families.
Now, cows are not the only thing going on in the creativity department for sponsorships through Mercy Uganda.....we also have sewing machines being purchased for ladies in Kyamagemule, the remote village where the well will be drilled this summer. The sewing machine project started out as a way for ladies to make washable feminine items, and is now developing into a technical program, where more sewing machines will be provided over time, and an entire training program will be set up. This will help the ladies to help their families and the entire village. The need for seamstresses is always there, especially in areas such as this where access to goods and services is difficult at best.
It is interesting how child sponsorships tend to grow legs and feet and take off into wonderful new opportunities for children, families, schools, and villages. Child sponsorships are opening doors for a recent secondary school graduate to attend a Christian nursing school in Kampala, and this fall, by God's grace, a sponsor will come forward to help one of our very bright, and highly motivated young women attend law school....she has already been accepted and scored at the top of the program, becoming first pick for enrollment. The child sponsorship relationships has also led to the building of a Ugandan pastor's home in Rwengoma (Fort Portal) in September. We have also been brought face to face with a dying child, and God used that sponsorship visit to find the baby and save his life......so you see, cows, roofs, houses, nursing school, law school, sewing machines, and so much more, all seem to flow from what God is doing through the child sponsorship program. We love the way He weaves such beautiful tapestries!!
(The pictures above are: Julius, the baby found during a sponsorship visit, sewing machines, the pastor's home in Rwengoma before it was destroyed in a recent storm, a home with no roof in Karamoja, cows)

Thank you!

This is Laura, Field Program Director for Mercy Uganda.....I want to thank our sponsors for what you are doing in the lives of the precious children in Uganda! We have 30 children from 4 different schools sponsored. Nine of those children have recently come from one of the most impoverished areas of Uganda.....Karamoja. In the past 3 months we have had 3 different sponsors come forward to sponsor multiple children. A dear family in Georgia is sponsoring 3 children. A precious woman from Virginia, whom I have never met,but would love to, has recently begun sponsoring 4 children from Karamoja, bought a cow for a family, and is sponsoring our dear Lydia for nursing school at a Christian college in Kampala.....our newest sponsors are sponsoring the 2 young children of the pastor of the small and very poor church there.....the husband in this sponsorship duo, grew up as the child of a pastor, so was especially drawn to this little family. The pastor of the church in Karamoja had been given the opportunity of a stable position in a different place, but gave it all up to return to the place he had been able to leave as an orphan so many years ago. This couple was inspired by the cow purchase and are also buying 2 cows to help Karamoja....and helping replace the roofs of thatch homes recently destroyed by storms in the area......I could go on, but I am hoping and praying that these dear sponsors will share their stories in more detail for you.....I know you will be inspired and encouraged by each story. I can't wait to start reading your personal testimonies, and how God led you to this work!! God bless each one of you deeply!!

An Introduction

Mercy Uganda is a young Christian Non-profit Organization whose goal is to reach out to women, children, and their communities in the beautiful nation of Uganda. Our focus is on community development, health-care, and education. Through serving people and helping to meet their physical needs, we hope to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the one and only solution to their spiritual need.

Hello everyone. This is Lauren Walker writing. I'm one of Mercy Uganda's ministry liaisons, an American living and working in the Pearl of Africa and based in the Kampala-Entebbe area. Among other things, my job includes getting regular updates on students and those with medical needs that Mercy Uganda has found sponsors for. Mercy Uganda has another blog, www.mercyuganda.blogspot.com, where you can read stories about all that's going on in the ministry. We also give regular updates on our Facebook group and our Myspace page (www.myspace.com/mercyuganda).

Recently, though, one of our child sponsors in the United States suggested that we set up a blog specifically having to do with the children we are helping to attend school. Moreover, it should be the sponsors themselves who share with others how God is working in this ministry. The individuals who give to these children--give their money, give their prayers--are an integral part of the work Mercy Uganda is trying to accomplish. We know that their motivation to help these children is the love of Christ. God sent Christ as our Savior, Luke 1 says, because of His "tender mercy." And for those of us who have been shown mercy, it is our duty to do the same for others. Our child sponsors have chosen to show mercy to others by working with our organization, for which we are so grateful.

Here it is, then. I'll be posting updates here regularly, but this is not my blog. This blog belongs to the people who send these children to school. I look forward to reading what they have to share.