with your help we are changing lives

I’ve been wanting to share our story for so long thru video. But…whew, hard life seems to disrupt daily in God’s providential plan. So.. I think I’ll start sharing something.
Last December God opened the door for a beautiful three acre property with 8 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a beautiful working plantation with every sort of food we need, and manicured lawns that people always ask “do you do weddings here?”
Well… the bridal shop is one of the micro businesses we will use to help support the work here. What I had to realize is it’s not as easy as I thought.
When I came to this foreign land, everything was foreign. I liken it to our spiritual rebirth, or being a baby. When you are born again, or a newborn, you start as a baby and mature as you grow up.
That goes both ways. I’m in a foreign land, where even communication can be directly opposite of what I know. To those I minister to, it’s just as new.
Our mission is sustainability. It’s not for me to start businesses and run them here. Its not to give a hand out but a hand up. It’s to train and empower local people to run and sustain their businesses and for us to sustain the work here.
A bridal shop and guest house are midterm goals and I’m confident God will provide when he will provide.
What is truly amazing, and how God led me to that realization, is how he is providing in our garden. People know how to farm here. We have some wonderful ladies that have stepped up and are learning to manage a large plantation. They already know how to farm. I’m learning Ugandan agriculture from them and we are learning Farming God’s Way together. I’m working with others teaching them the business side. In less than two months they have that almost mastered. We are empowering our mamas thru projects, as the Lord leads.
The garden is our current project, and for the past month and a half the garden is sustaining itself. It pays two of our ladies every week to garden. When our mamas come they get reduced rates on fruit and veggies they sell. When they bring a customer they get paid every time that customer comes back. One or two people will help each customer harvest and then they also get paid, according to how much is sold.
Two of our ladies made extra income by bringing customers and helping them harvest what they buy. It’s a way of adding to their income as they invest a little time.
It’s so exciting to see how God is helping each of us learn how to serve one another cross-culturally.
We now have clean water, thanks to you all, so we are hoping that will be the next project, since that is also a big need here.
We will continue to move forward on the bridal shop and guest house. Things are moving forward there but slower because they are bigger projects and the training takes longer. We will get there by God’s Grace and in his time.
On the sanitary pad project, three ladies learned sewing well, two received sewing machines. One is using ours. They are all earning some income from sewing. .
My desire is still to go into schools with the pads and share on human dignity, the Gospel and pass them out, but it’s for me to train others and not to do it myself so that is a midterm goal.
The lady on the right in the photo is our best customer, Joy. (Permission granted to post on all our photos we share) She’s with her daughter. We give her great prices and she is now praying God will give her a permanent place to set up a stand. She now walks and sells. Pray God will bless her in business.
Thank you so much for all your support. With your help we are changing lives here.
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