Continue reading for Patrick’s update, information about Caleb’s upcoming trip, current needs, and a sponsorship testimony.
If you sponsor a child please keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they experience the hope, joy, fear, uncertainties, and struggles that a new year of school brings.
An Update from Patrick
Happy New Year to all of you! We thank God, who has allowed us to reach 2018. This year we can see His grace upon us and all the people he has entrusted us to serve. RUHU would like to thank everyone that has supported us this last year and to those that have been with us since this work/ ministry started in 2007. We would like to thank those that God has brought to join us on this journey. Thank you for allowing God to use you to transform lives here in Uganda. We thank you!
On New Year’s Day we took our children to the beach at Lake Victoria. We thank God for your support to be able to do this. I can’t really express the extent of the gratitude our kids feel about the prayers and support you give to them. They are so thankful!
Unfortunately, this month we had many kids that were sick. Please pray for good health for all the kids and pray especially for those kids affected by illness this month. Also, there is an ongoing disease in Uganda called Hepatitis B. The government is now requiring everyone to be vaccinated and we were able to take all the children for immunizations against this disease.
This month we thank God for the provision that some of our kids were able to go back to school. Our children are really doing wonderful in school and it’s amazing to see how excited they are to learn…always wanting to go to school. This holiday we spent time with the kids talking about their goals and ambitions. Honestly, this holiday was amazing and we are looking forward to see what God has planned for them. These kids wouldn’t have these dreams if all of you had never said YES to helping. Thank you so very much for choosing to change their lives!
Many times people have come to us and said that the children we serve won’t ever be able do anything. They say that because of their living conditions at home they don’t have ability to study. People used to say, “How can you teach a child without food? These kids are coming to your school with empty stomachs. How can you teach a child when their family is mistreating them? That child will never study.” Thank God because he provided for these kids through our friends and volunteers. He provided through our partner Beautiful Response when we asked if they could provide a social worker who could follow up on the home life situations of these kids. Beautiful Response was able to find the funds and we now have 3 beautiful and hardworking social workers in our school and orphanage. This year the RUHU Primary school was in the top 5 best schools in our community of Nakuwadde! With joy we have seen parents, children, and staff shedding tears for the success of these kids in their national exams. Many of these kids would never have been in school or receiving a meal each day. With your great support we have been able to reach out to these kids in all aspects…spiritually, emotionally and physically. Thank you! We pray that God continues to work in your hearts to help us as we gear up to make more improvements in our school and serve these kids, and the community at large.
Love,
Patrick
A Sponsor’s Story – Submitted by Alyssa
In 2014 at the young age of 19 I took my first trip to the RUHU orphanage. I was young and I had an ache in my heart for something more. Since this time I have been back twice.
That night that I stepped off the plane and the hot Ugandan air surrounded my face. I had surges of emotions running through my body…excitement, trepidation (“oh, please be here to meet me Patrick”), victory (I made it all this way on my own!), thankfulness (“it was you God that got me here safely”). I wasn’t prepared for how completely my life was going to change that next day. Meeting all of the children was one of the greatest blessings I have ever experienced. It wasn’t long before I became “Auntie Alyssa”. It was all I could do to love and play with each child, for time goes quick. My greatest pleasure was doing devotions before bed with the children. Here were kids that had nothing. Most had been abandoned and have seen more in their young life than any child should. But it didn’t stop their joy! They would sing and dance, praising and thanking Jesus for another day of life. Seeing this I knew that if these kids can believe in God after all they have been through, then He is without a doubt surely real and our ever present help in trouble.
It took me until after my third trip to RUHU before I became a sponsor. I had already grown to love all the kids so the idea of picking just one was difficult. This is what led me to Alan. I wanted someone that might not stand out to other people, in fact he didn’t stand out and this is why he had no sponsors. In pictures he rarely smiled, but in person he had eyes full of wisdom. If you were lucky to spend enough time with him, you’d see his shy face turn to a loving smile. Sadly, about a year ago Alan unexpectedly passed away in an electrical accident. Even though it is still sad to think about RUHU missing a child, we do rejoice in knowing Alan is home with his heavenly Father. I then changed my sponsorship over to Miracle. When I met Miracle on my 1st trip, she was maybe 3 or 4 years old. It was so fun to see how she brought joy to all those around her. Little did I know this wouldn’t be the end of my sponsorship journey…
In the past weeks Patrick has shared pictures of many babies on Facebook that are in need of help. I always made a point of sharing it too, thinking someone else is meant to help, because I already do. But when Patrick sent an update again saying they hadn’t received any help I could feel God nudging me. Sharing posts wasn’t enough. God was calling me to more. I immediately texted Laura asking her to update my sponsorship to add baby Sarah. I knew this was what God wanted, so all I could say was “God will provide”.
If I’m honest, trusting that God will provide the money every month is the easy part. What is hard is trusting God in this time of waiting. I don’t know the next time God will send me back to Uganda, and that is HARD. I am trusting God in this time of waiting, knowing God is building my skills and talents so they can one day be used to the benefit of RUHU.
