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It's Never Too Late to Give

Early in the morning, on Saturday before Easter Sunday, hundreds of people arrived at Suubi Community Church hoping they would be counted among those fortunate enough to receive an Easter meal package.

A meal of meat and rice with bread is a treat for most of these families, an extravagance they only enjoy at Easter and Christmas if they are fortunate. With an increase in the cost of goods this year, we prayed we would raise enough money to cover the same number of meals we distributed last Easter. Remembering that the number of people who show up increases each year, we pray we will have enough!

While our staff finished organizing the meal baskets, people gathered inside the church as others crowded outside along the veranda. Pastor David shared the Gospel, thanked God for His provision, and prayed for the community.

Although many people show up on this day simply hoping to receive the gift of food, our goal is to make sure they know that Jesus is the real Gift… the true Bread of Life.

Glory Be! when the alter call was made, seven visitors accepted Christ as Savior!! Hallelujah!

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As church was dismissed, the people lined up to be given a meal. Our students and widows are the primary beneficiaries, we serve them first. We also put aside meals to deliver to the elderly people who can not walk to Suubi. Once our widows and school children’s families receive their baskets, we serve the rest of the people.

This year, I was able to be part of the distribution and was blessed to watch as the crowd dispersed and joyfully headed out the gate. Happy Easter and Thank You So Much were said over and over again as they exited the property. There was such joy and praise to the Lord! It was wonderful!!

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As the last of the crowd went out, we noticed there were quite a few people lingering at the church empty handed, obviously disappointed. This is the very scenario that we prayed would not happen! Can you imagine having to send these poor people away without anything to take home?! I am so grateful I was present this year to witness how God showed up for them.

Realizing these people were about to walk away without a meal, I was immediately reminded of some last minute donations we received right as I was leaving the US for this trip. After a quick calculation, I ran over to our staff and let them know that we had extra money for more meals! How good is our God!?!! He knew these people would show up on this day. He knew that we would need those “last minute donations” to feed these people!

God is SOOO GOOD!!

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We had everyone (about 50 people) who had not received a meal gather in the church. Our wonderful staff immediately got busy making phone calls and organizing deliveries to be made quickly. Within an hour, we had the money sorted out, the goods purchased, and we were able to send everyone left waiting home with a meal! We all kept praising God for this "miracle" as the people called it! It was beautiful!

Thank YOU for donating and making this possible!!

It was amazing to witness God lovingly provide for so many people through your generosity!

Here's something to remember... when we feel compelled to give, even if it's seemingly "too late", we need to GIVE! God always goes before us! If those last minute donations would not have been made, we would not have been able to provide food for the ones who were about to go home empty handed -- a miracle!

THANK YOU to those who gave and hoped it wasn't too late — because it wasn’t! Hallelujah!

Hope Restored

2020 was a year full of hardship and struggle for the people in our village. During the country wide shutdown, they were unable to travel to the city for work and found themselves without the means to purchase food. Gardens became depleted more quickly due to children who were usually in school being home and neighbors sharing with neighbors. The situation was dire. BUT…

Praise God! Our donors and sponsors faithful support enabled our staff to purchase and distribute food multiple times during the shutdown. Our yearly Easter and Christmas meals were doubled and additional food was given to the most vulnerable and needy people.

Thank YOU for restoring hope in our village! You have saved lives and brought many smiles to these beautiful faces!

A Life Changed - Jajaa Sarah

Jajaa Sarah is somewhere between 80 and 90 years of age. She’s originally from Sudan, but moved to Uganda many years ago with her husband. When he passed away, although she remained living in the house they stayed in together; she was left to fend for herself and her children.

Our faithful Bernah translating Jajaa Sarah’s story

Our faithful Bernah translating Jajaa Sarah’s story

Sarah bore 13 children. 10 of her children have passed away. When we met her in March, both of her surviving daughters were suffering with health issues and she was struggling to take care of her daughter, Alice, who was recovering from a stroke.

Sarah’s late husband intended to provide for his children after his death by leaving separate plots of land for his daughters and sons. Sadly, at the beginning of this year, Sarah’s only living son began selling off the sister’s land; including the dilapidated house that Sarah was living in. There were no plans made to find Sarah another place to live. Unfortunately, this is a common scenario in Uganda; the elderly are often left in dire circumstances with no help.

The house Sarah is staying in with her sick daughter and grandchildren.

The house Sarah is staying in with her sick daughter and grandchildren.

I do not understand the ways of this world. I cannot fathom a son abandoning a mother and leaving her homeless. This whole situation is heartbreaking.

This sweet woman is so faithful. Even when she is unable to walk to the church, she sends her tithe by some other means. She lovingly takes care of her daughters, her grandchildren, and even her great grandchildren. She is the sweetest soul.

When we learned of Sarah’s plight, we shared her story with our supporters and asked for donations to build her a two room house and a latrine where she could live out her days in peace.

We are praising the Lord for our generous supporters and quick response!

We were able to complete the construction of her new home and purchase a bed frame so that she no longer sleeps on the floor. She was so happy to have a “real bed” in her new home! With the help of some of our secondary students and Sarah’s grandchildren, a garden has been planted in front of her house which makes life much easier.

During our visit, Sarah sang praises to the Lord for His faithfulness and provision! (see video on IG @thesuubiproject). The love and joy felt within this home are tangible. This is not a common scene in the village. Many Jajaa’s (grandmothers) are mistreated by family members and there is not the special bond we witnessed between Sarah, her grand daughter Ruth, and her great grandchildren. It was such a special occasion and we thank the Lord for allowing us to be His hands and feet in serving this family.

Thank YOU for making it possible for us to continue changing lives for Christ in Uganda! ALL glory to God!

A Life Changed - Proscovia

We first met Proscovia as we delivered Easter Meals in March 2016.

She was so frail, she could barely walk. She broke our hearts.

She lived in a tiny room behind a neighbor's house. Her hands and feet were full of jiggers, so it was a challenge for her to do anything for herself. It was so dirty inside her tiny house, she would not let anyone inside to help her. Thankfully, a few of the neighbor children fetched water for her; but sadly she had no other help. She was alone.

To our dismay, her neighbor would not help her. It is very common in Uganda for elderly people to be neglected since they are viewed as a burden.

We decided to investigate a little more to find out if she had family or friends that would be willing to look after her. In the meantime, we were able to remove the jiggers from her hands and feet and provide her with some food and clothing.

Removing the jiggers was a painful process and we knew they would be a problem again if  her living environment did not change. 

After doing some investigating, we discovered that she had no family or friends willing to look after her. We knew God had brought her to our attention for a reason because even though her family had forgotten her, He had not.

We visited Proscovia again in October to deliver a mattress and some food supplies and discovered her jiggers had returned with a vengeance. We also found out the latrine she was using had collapsed and her living conditions had worsened.

After our visit, we discussed several options to help her; leaving her in the current situation was not an option. We agreed that we needed to move her closer to Suubi where we could look after her, but that would require us renting a place for her and setting up a new house. Rent and provisions would be a monthly expense, so we decided we needed to find someone to sponsor her.

Praise Jesus! We hadn't finished the discussion when a sweet friend stepped up to be her sponsor.

Within a week of our discussion, Proscovia was settled into a new house with the needed provisions and her jiggers had been removed once more.

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We had the pleasure of visiting Proscovia this past February in her new home and we were amazed at how well she was doing. She had gained weight and her strength had increased. She was walking again and determined to work in the garden at Suubi!

As we sat in her home and visited with her, she sang worship songs and praised the Lord, thanking Him for remembering her. Her life is a sweet testimony of God's unfailing love.

Proscovia's life has been changed and it is wonderful to behold!

We thank the Lord for all He is doing in the community He has placed us in and we praise His wonderful Name for allowing us to be a part of it all!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
His love endures forever.

... to Him who alone does great wonders.
His love endures forever.”

Hope Restored - Samuel's Story

We recently found Samuel at home in excruciating pain.

He had been hit by a motorcycle taxi while he was walking along the road in our village. The impact threw him several feet and broke his leg in two places. 

When the accident first happened, he traveled 40km to get to the hospital in Kampala. Sadly, once they learned he did not have enough money for treatment, they removed him from the bed and left him waiting in the hall for several days. Realizing they were not going to help him, Samuel decided that he would prefer to suffer at his home in the village instead of staying at the hospital without food nor a place to sleep.

A little more than three weeks had past when we found out about Samuel's condition. As we visited him at home, he told us about the accident and his attempt to get treatment. He also told us how he had pushed the bone back inside his wound on multiple occasions since any pressure on that leg would cause it to pop out. He told us that he had lost all hope of receiving medical treatment and was waiting for his leg to get "bad enough" before he had someone cut it off with a machete. 

His suffering was extreme.

We prayed with him and told him we would help him. The original estimate of treatment was approximately $250 and praise God! we were able to raise that amount fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, when we took Samuel back to the hospital for treatment, they refused to treat him because he had "left on his own" the first time. Once again we had to take him back to the village without being treated. The pain of moving so much at such long distances was intense. His hope faded even more.

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The following day, we loaded Samuel into our vehicle again for the long drive to the city. We found a hospital that would treat him, but they weren't able to admit him right away and asked us to come back in three days.

An additional challenge was that the cost of surgery and care at the new hospital was going to be $1,400 instead of $250. They actually specialize in orthopedic issues and that was great news for Samuel, but that amount was quite an increase from the original estimate! We encouraged Samuel and told him we would ask God to provide for him. Our hearts ached for the torment moving him caused, but once again we took him back to the village. 

At this point, we had less than three days to raise the money needed for Samuel to be admitted to the hospital and receive the medical care he so desperately needed. We put out a prayer request asking for donations for Samuel's surgery -- trusting God to provide. 

Praise the Lord! In His perfect faithfulness, through His people, God provided all that was needed for Samuel's surgery!

Surgery was a success and Samuel was released from the hospital five days after his operation with instructions to return in several weeks for a checkup.

For a month he endured great pain, but within a day of his surgery, Samuel's pain was gone. For the first time in his life, he praised God.

Samuel's hope was restored.

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Samuel returned to the village on a Friday. The following Sunday, he arrived at church and stood before the congregation to thank all those that made his surgery possible.

He witnessed the love of Jesus through the generosity of strangers. It truly baffled and touched him in a profound way. As he finished his thanksgiving speech, he told our Pastor that he wanted to confess Jesus as Savior. <<insert Happy Dance!>>

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Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

Samuel's hope has been restored and his life is changed for eternity! 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who donated and prayed for Samuel's surgery and salvation. Your generosity and support truly makes a difference in the lives of those we minister too.

Please continue praying for Samuel's leg to heal perfectly and for him to regain strength, but most importantly pray that he will grow in the knowledge of the Lord and walk with Him all the days of his life. 

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13