Mercy Link Foundation Africa

Dear Partner

Greetings and hoping the LORD has kept you well and helped you prosper in all your endeavors as He has done with us here. It’s with great pleasure that I bring to you yet this report. I pray this finds you in good health and wealth.

We thank and bless the good Lord especially for this first quarter that has been so fruitful especially in line with the different community activities including the trainings, evangelism and discipleship programs. We have witnessed over 180 of the trainees graduate through the programs, thousands of scripture placement materials including bibles, gospel tracts/booklets distributed and over 15,000 reached with the gospel and thousands coming to the saving knowledge of Christ. We bless the Lord. The month of march 2021 has been an exceptional month for us as well. We have witnessed more trainees graduate this month, over 60 master trainers trained in the communities and four new training programs begun in the districts. A total of 185 trainees were recruited into the programs. I pray that as you read through this report, you will find pleasure in the ministry results attained this month.

Mercy Link has been working on situation exploration on children with disability in Uganda, and particularly in Kampala as a case study. Through the study, we have been identifying areas with highest concertation of PWD and the causes, services available for PWD, the local and national actors and policy in Uganda-Kampala regarding PWD. The exploration has helped us identify a number of people with disabilities that we have and continue to reach out to in partnership with the local authorities and local community actors regarding PWD. It has been a conscious decision to start with families from Kampala and then spread outside the district to help us establish a baseline for future reference, study and comparisons as regards the challenges and impact of the program in the nation.  A total of 47 persons with disabilities were reached out to in three communities of Mengo, Lungujja and Kyengera in the Kampala city area. The activities conducted through the three outreaches three outreaches included Inclusive Education, Inclusive Education and Inclusive Education.

PWD and especially Children with disabilities are mainly kept at home, due to a lack of opportunities to go elsewhere, a lack of means to give them proper support, and basically also a lack of acceptance. We believe affordable care of acceptable quality should be provided to all people regardless of gender (men and women), age, race, ethnicity, and place of residence.  More attention should be given to those groups of the people that have more problems to access care specifically PWD. For disabled children it is very important to be stimulated and supported in their development at a very early age, as it is at an early age that children are still strongly developing and have the capacity to learn many new things (both mentally and physically). Unfortunately for many of these children, this opportunity has not been availed due to the ignorance of the parents regarding this need and the facilities available providing these services.

There is a wide gap that little intervention programs have been executed to change the life style and in order to make positive changes in educational, health, social and economic status of PWD. As an organization, we are working in partnership with these facilities to carry out welfare activities for this target groups. Over 45 PWD especially children and 40 parents are beneficiaries of these programs.

PRAYER REQUEST

Pray with us for

1. The next program’s in the districts of Masaka (South western Uganda), Kampala (Central Uganda), and Iganga (eastern Uganda)
2. Continue praying for the currently running programs and families with PWD reached in the communities.
3. Commit our teams and coordinators on ground in prayer as they strive to ensure that this program affects and transforms the lives of this vulnerable target group.

We are grateful for your continued support for the programs around Uganda. It’s because of Partners like you that we are able to accomplish all that we are doing. Your support and encouragement always grant us the courage and determination to keep keeping on in the midst of the different challenges. We are truly grateful.

May the almighty God bless you abundantly

Hello beloved,

Greetings. I hope and pray that all is well.

The post covid-19 era has come with new trends and challenges calling for new measures to reach and affect communities. Many fellowships were started and continue to get planted during and after the lockdown. The closure of churches during the pandemic caused a stall in church attendance and ministry activities throughout the country. Despite of the fact that the government has loosened restrictions on public gatherings, many believers have resorted to staying home on Sundays and carrying home with the home fellowships to which they have become accustomed through the lockdown. This trend has therefore called on new measures on how to reach, disciple and sustain such fellowships and keep them accountable to the mother church. There seems to be a shifting mindset from the church building mindset to a more dynamic home church and kingdom mindset.

As ministry through the church planter and children’s ministry programs, we are keenly with our master trainers to adopt to the change and develop a much appropriate curriculum to fit and solve the new challenges the church is facing through the post Covid era.

EVANGELICAL AND DISCIPLESHIP PROGRAM

“I began with 20 children after attending the training program on how to run community bible clubs, in just one month the numbers have doubled to over 40. I am currently in need of more material and an assistant at the bible club. The need to reach children in the communities is much greater than I anticipated.” Says Ronald a children’s facilitator from the Masaka region.

Through the community bible club programs that have been actively working in the community through the lockdown, we register a total 785 ne contacts with 411 salvations recorded. A total of 7 new bible clubs were started in the communities with a total of 317 children actively involved in the club activities.

A total of 3,122 adults and 1522 children were reached with the gospel through the different church planter programs in the communities with 1795 salvations were recorded during the encounters.

Through our scripture portion distribution program, we distributed a total of 132 full bibles and 213 new testament bibles. We also distributed 3100 tracts and 1100 children’s literature. A total of 56 churches received children’s curriculums including Kampala community church, Joint forces for Christ Luzira, Pillars of destiny church Masindi, Kiburara Gospel Church, Gosma church Masaka and Miracle alter church Kawempe.

The youth leadership development program

We have been actively involved in reaching youths and teenagers in communities as a means to help develop the leadership potential in them using the bile as a measure to explore and instill leadership traits in the teenagers and youths. In the month of February, a total of 130 youths were incorporated in the program and have begun being impacted through the program.  By the end of this program, teenagers are usually able to Identify the qualities of a good leader, recognize ways Jesus exemplified being a servant leader, Evaluate themselves and their personal growth as leaders, practice leadership and develop their skills.

THE DISABILITY MINISTRY PROGRAM

In the month of February 2021 we engaged a total of 30 parents through our weekly spiritual and music therapy programs at Mukisa foundation one of our partnering grass root organization working with children with disabilities. Part of the key activities undertaken through this program was counseling, motivation/entrepreneur talks and life skill trainings geared towards building the Parents capacity on handling children with disabilities. The program has seen at least 6 of the parents surrender their lives to Christ. From the program, we are raising potential candidates for the skills training program to minimize dependability on handouts and aid. The inclusive development program aims at

1. Enabling needy parents of sponsored children to move into income generating ventures such as knitting, making crafts, mending, tailoring or rearing livestock to improve on incomes to be able to support their children and families.
2. Provide Sheltered workshops, production materials for skilled cripples and deaf who would complete formal vocational school training to promote self-employment.
3. Assist Vocational and Technical departments to start small scale industries through practical training to make incomes for the schools to ensure independence and sustainability.

We believe the answer to the brokenness of the disabled in Uganda comes only from Jesus Christ through the church and so the church has a great role to play in changing the negative attitudes and beliefs of families and communities towards people living with special needs through empowerment and exemplary living by creating equal opportunities rather than sympathy and palliative care. Through this empowerment, we believe the church then can become effective agents of change and transformation in the given communities.

PRAYER REQUESTS AND WAY FORWARD.

As we embark on the ministry programs to the PWD, please pray for

1. The outreaches slated for the month of march 2021
2. Continue praying for the families already reached. Pray for Gods cover and protection for the PWD in the families. Also pray for their caretakers.
3. Pray for our church planter and children’s ministry programs slated for March 2021. Pray for both our master trainers and children’s workers in the communities. Also pray for the new programs they are starting in the communities.
4. Continue praying for peace and stability in the country. Pray that there will be total peace and the post-election instabilities will cease.

We can’t help but thank the Lord for His great favor. This of course could not have happened without the prayers and support of a partner like you. As we celebrate yet this great achievement, we would also like to take this privilege to thank you for the encouragement and great support you have given us through all our programs.

My prayer is that the Lord will increase you as He increases us right here.

Yours in Service

Hello Beloved Partner,

Glad tidings in the mighty name of Jesus; I am privileged to once again reach out and connect with you at this awesome moment when we all look into the year with anticipation eager to engage and embrace the new opportunities opening before us. I am truly excited because such opportunities have not ceased to come knocking at our doors even as I write to you now.  Surely this year is proving to be unique with new ministry doors opening with each evangelistic and humanitarian step we take. We already have 10 districts lined up for us to reach and replicate our programs into from the North, South, West, East and not forgetting the central where we are rapidly replicating these programs.

I am greatly move by what God is already doing and for this reason would like to share some of these experiences/testimonies.

In January 2021, we engaged two communities through the PWD outreach program. The two communities included Luzira Prison community and Kawempe division. Our major focus during the two outreaches was awareness and Community based rehabilitation. A total of 6 families with PWD were reached during the outreach program. Of the six families visited all had cases of children born with disability. Almost all of the children carried a case of cerebral palsy with the oldest being 27 years and the youngest 1-year-old.

The PWD especially children face enormous economic, political, and social barriers that have an adverse impact on their physical, social and intellectual development and wellbeing. Many of them do not have access to the most basic needs such as health services and education; experience multiple deprivations even within their family and are invisible in the national policy agenda. This is due to the fact that some people still considers disability as inability and hence, kept away from the public. About 80% of children with disabilities in Uganda are not getting education because of their disability. For this reason, the disabled just make 0.2 % of the work force despite of the income tax makes a provision of tax incentives for employers of 5% or more people with disabilities.

PRAISE REPORT

This month through our evangelistic, humanitarian and relief outreach programs to PWD in the communities, we encountered Precious a 12-year-old cerebral palsy victim who lives with both her parents in Kampala. Besides the cerebral palsy, she also suffers from multiple disabilities including scoliosis, hip dislocation among others. Because of this, she can’t sit, walk, or do what most children of her age can do. Fortunately, she has the privilege of staying with both parents.

“The community is cruel towards people with disabilities. They have a perception that such children as precious are a result of a sacrifice. We have suffered the repercussion of having precious. Sometimes I have felt like running and leaving her but I thank God I have always endured because now I am beginning to see the goodness of God” Christine said.

Such persecutions and belief systems are wide spread across the country and not just limited to the communities but also the church and religious beliefs. At the time of our outreach, we collaborated with one of the churches in the prison community

Negative attitudes towards PWD remains a big challenge in the different communities of Uganda. This has been largely attributed to factors including ignorance, poverty, cultural beliefs and customs. For this reason, sensitization of the communities remains a great contributing factor in raising support, promoting inclusion and averting negative attitudes towards PWD.

PRAYER REQUESTS

In line with this, our prayer requests are therefore

·         The upcoming outreach programs to people with disabilities related to acid burns and attacks. Also for our outreach in the eastern part of the country.
·         Pray for the different stakeholders especially the community leaders and the church to embrace the program and have a positive attitude towards PWD
·         Pray for all the communities and families we have reached out to.
·         For the children and youth workers in the respective locations to prosper in all their ministry activities
·         For more souls to be won even as we reach new communities.

We are grateful for the awesome and great things the Lord is doing in our midst and all this is possible because of your support that has enabled us to reach and touch these communities and PWD. We can’t explain how much this means to us but one thing we know for sure is that the Good Lord is surely proud of you. We pray that even as he has been good to us through you, his goodness will never cease to manifest in your life as it has been in ours.

Blessings

Robert

Greetings beloved,

Calvary greetings in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray all is well and that the good Lord has kept you all joyful through the Holiday season. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021. All has been great back here and the good Lord has kept us in perfect peace and health through the holiday season.

THE YEAR 2020 IN SUMMARY

African countries including Uganda reported the first cases of COVID-19 early march and the numbers have kept on increasing. The government set a number of measures including curfews, a temporary lockdown covering the closure of business entities, churches, schools and abolishing of gatherings of more than 5 people. Despite of all this, the lockdown didn’t totally hinder us from reaching out to our lovely champions in the communities especially the pastors, church planters and children’s workers whose ministries had been disrupted by the virus and measures taken to curb it. Through encouragement and support through the trying times, our beloved trainees, coordinators and volunteers on ground continued to engage the communities through door to door evangelistic and humanitarian outreaches yielding a great deal of ministry results through the year. Below is a summary of our outreach results this year 2020.

	Ministry/Activity	Total
The Church Planter Program
Total Number of Church Planters Trained in 2020 Total Number of Church Planters Graduated in 2020 Total Number of Master Trainers Trained in 2020 Total Number of Master Trainers Graduated in 2020 Total Number Currently undergoing Training Total Number of Prayer Groups (Cells) Begun in 2020 Total Number of New Members Joining Prayer Groups/Cells in 2020 Total Number of Churches Planted in 2020		240 90 20 20 150                           113 1022 17
The Raising Hope Children’s Ministry Program
Total Number of Children Workers Trained Total Number of Children Workers Completing Trainings Total Number of Children Master Trainers recruited Total Number of Children Master Trainers Completing Trainings Total Number of Children Bible Clubs Started Total Number of New Children Who Attended Bible Clubs Average Number of Children Attending the Bible Clubs		300 200 20 20 52 2617 1655
Evangelism CP & RH Programs
Total Number of Adults Reached Total Number of Adults receiving Christ Total Number of Children Reached Total Number of Children receiving Christ Total Number of New Believers Baptized Total number of Tracts and Booklets distributed		37642 14056 23419 9316 1343 35,500
Scripture Placement Program
Total Number of Full Bibles Distributed Total Number of New Testament Bibles Distributed Total Number of “That I May Know Him” Booklets Distributed Number of Raising Hope Booklets Distributed Training Manuals Distributed Lesson Guides Distributed		1330 5172 2748 7129 320 320

THE DISABILITY MINISTRY

One major area that Lord has blessed us in has been in the area of reaching out to People with disabilities. As of the month of December 2020, we launched our long awaited programs to the PWD focusing on the key areas of Disability Service, Inclusive Education and Inclusive Development establishing extensive disability programs and strengthening the already existing disability program, engaging in community sensitization campaigns on breaking the myths and beliefs on disability and teaching the right attitudes towards handicapped or physically challenged people and establishing entrepreneurship programs targeting PWD in the communities so as to promote job creation and self-sustainability. We have so far reached a total of 6 families with people with disabilities and through 8 of the children at Kampala school of the handicapped where we have served for over 20 years, we have already secured access to 8 communities in and outside Kampala city and eight churches in these communities that are opening up as centers to bring together families with PWD but also serve as centers to equip and sensitize communities on Disability in these areas.

CHRISTMAS WITH COMMUNITY CHILDREN

“God blessed us with the resources and so we could not avoid doing something for the children. It was necessary for us to bring a message of hope to the children in the midst of the doom and gloom around them and we were so privileged to see them happy and blessed when shared the joy of Christmas with them” said Magumba Samuel of Iganga district Eastern Uganda.

Christmas season in the time past has been one season when the message of the birth of Christ is shared to children in the communities. This over the years has been done in the bible clubs through Christmas parties, outreaches, home visits, Christmas plays and Jesus films in the communities. However, due to the Corona Virus restrictions, this has not been the case. However, despite of these challenges, some of the bible clubs have been in position to reach but also organize small parties for their children in their communities. Through these outreaches and parties, a total of 3,722 children were reached with the gospel with 1322 salvations recorded.

PRAYER REQUESTS.

As you pray with us, please stand with us in prayer for

·         Pray for the nation of Uganda. We set for presidential elections on 14^th January 2021. Pray for a peaceful election and harmony even after the elections.

·         Pray for Our ministry programs for 2021. Pray for financial provision, success and new doors in new communities. 

·         Lift our Community workers and volunteers unto the Lord praying for their safety and cover through the new year.

Allow me end with a vote of thanks for sticking with us and supporting us through the year 2020 characterized with uncertainty and global distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. On behalf of the entire team and beneficiaries of our ministry programs, we wish to express our heart filled appreciation and gratitude for your generous support towards the ministry programs in Uganda in year 2020. Your incredible support has made a positive difference in the lives of people and communities throughout the country. We shall forever remain grateful for your sacrifices through this season.

We bless the Lord for you.

Sincerely

 

Hello beloved,

Calvary greetings. We hope the good Lord has kept you well through this last quarter of the year. We are so grateful for how far he has brought us and the great things he has helped us accomplish through the trying times courtesy of faithful partners like you. We are truly grateful.

The month of November has been a great month for us characterized with trainings, ministry outreaches, launching of new programs inspired by challenges brought by the pandemic, baptisms ad new church plants.

THE CHURCH PLANTERS TRAINING

“One great lesson this training has taught me especially in this fourth module is that my leadership role is not only limited to my church plant but also in my dealings with the church plants round my community. This has helped me understand the value of seeing the church as a unified body and not just as separate entities serving one God. Helping church planters and pastors have this mindset would be an effectual door way to unity among the churches something I am going to work on as I grow the church” said Muhanguzi Thomas a church planter from Mbarara.

This month, a total of 90 church planters were trained through three church planter’s trainings conducted in the districts of Bwera, Mbarara and Luwero. The three trainings were focused on leadership development under the fourth module church planters program. The topics covered under this module therefore include Spiritual gifts, Self-control, how to invite leaders, How to identify leaders, Qualities of leaders, How to delegate, Secession plan, Mentoring, Self-Control, Servant hood, Integrity, Character and Family and personal life (Timothy 3).

As the church planters were commissioned to go forth and implement the different lessons learned, they were encouraged to go and lay a firm foundation based on righteousness and cautioned to act with integrity especially in the three areas of their lives as church planters, their dealings with other churches and last but not least their relationship to the church plant.

MINISTRY RESULTS

A total of 3 new church plants were recorded this month in the districts of Gulu, Luuka and Bugiri through our coordinators in the districts. 133 believers were baptized. A total of 3,453 people were reached with the gospel with 1,521 salvations recorded. 213 bibles were distributed through the outreaches.

The children’s ministry program recorded 1,322 salvations from 3,112 children reached win the communities. 2,100 children’s booklets were distributed with 4 community bible clubs formed in the communities. A total of 43 parents were commissioned to start community bible clubs in their localities as a measure to reach and disciple the unchurches community children. 

PRAYER REQUESTS

Our prayer requests this month areas follows

1.      Continue to pray for our church and children’s workers in the communities across the country. Pray for courage and provision as they labor through the trying times.
2.      Pray for the new programs in the communities established especially by the trained master trainers and alumni of the programs. The trainings are mostly self-sustainable and require a lot of patience and hard work. 
3.      Thirdly pray for peace and stability in the country through this election period. There have been massive killings of over 60 people from live bullets and arrests in the last two weeks.

We are grateful once again for this opportunity to serve in and with you and your generous contributions towards the activities of the ministry. You enable us build and help bring transformation in the communities and lives of individuals. May the Good Lord bless and increase you

Yours in Service

Robert Sebunya – Team Leader

Hello Beloved,

Glad tidings in the mighty name of Jesus; I am privileged to once again reach out and connect with you at this awesome moment when we all look into the last part of the year with great anticipation eager to engage and embrace the new opportunities opening before us.

I am grateful for what God is already doing and for this reason I would like to share some of these experiences/testimonies even as we look ahead to the end of the month praying that you will be encouraged and moved to believe for even greater opportunities to embrace.

PRAISE STORY

In October, we encountered Muwanguzi Jimmy a boda boda rider in Mengo community who commutes passengers in the Kampala central business area. At the time of the encounter, he was on phone talking with an evangelist back home about a believer the evangelist had led to Christ who needed a bible. Unfortunately, at the time of the call, the rider whom we later came to learn is a lead evangelist at his church had no money to purchase a new bible. Muwanguzi is a youth worker/evangelist at Lubamba Gospel Messengers church in Buikwe district. He travels 54kms every weekend from Kampala to minister at his church and community in Buikwe district. After listening to his story, we provided a bible and some 30 my bible reading booklets for discipleship purposes. We also offered a consignment of over 1,000 booklets to distribute during their evangelistic campaigns in their community.

“I am so grateful to God for this divine appointment. I can’t explain how grateful I am for this miraculous offer and gift to me this morning. Surely, its God and He has divinely answered our prayers and provided more than we asked.” Said the enthusiastic Jimmy.

CHILDRENS COMMUNITY OUTREACHES

There are many distinct groups of children and youth who need ministry to address their spiritual needs, but also need the attention of missiologists to help develop effective mission strategies.

This month through our community outreach to children, we reached a total of 962 children, 296 of these were through house to house outreaches. A consignment of 200 children’s tracts were distributed through the outreach. 365 of the children reached surrendered their lives to Christ. A number of the new converts were adopted into the Children’s community bible clubs. A Children’s Community bible club ministry is not just established for the purpose of reaching children but as part of the process of entering and impacting the community. Upon establishment of the community bible clubs,

1.      The children use what they have learned to reach out to their family, friends, and neighbors.
2.      They also work on community projects.
3.      The families become interested in learning more, and form parents’ groups to learn empowerment teachings, Adult Literacy Program and other projects.
4.      This helps to transform their community.

PRAYER REQUESTS

Please continue to pray with us for the following;

·         For our upcoming outreach programs in Eastern and Nothern Uganda

·         For new openings in the communities

We thank God for all that He has enabled us to do and believe that greater things are yet to happen in the midst of these devastated communities and peoples. We particularly thank God for your support towards this cause and enabling the gospel reach to the people in the communities.

May the Good Lord Bless you

Dear Partner

Greetings once again in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ; I hope the LORD has kept you well and helped you prosper in all your endeavors as He has done with us here. It’s with great pleasure that I bring to you yet this report. I pray this finds you in good health and wealth.

This month has been exceptional with the Lord blessing us with opportunities in different communities and helping us strengthen the ties we have already established with different communities, friends and partners before the lockdown. The month begun with the lifting of the ban on all religious gatherings. For the first time in months, people met in churches for prayer meetings which came as a relief to our church planters in the communities who had the opportunity to meet their congregations. This also gave our house churches established during the lockdown as a result of the evangelistic programs to be birthed into churches a great encouragement to community workers.

OUTREACH AND SCRIPTURE PLACEMENT PROGRAM

We also observed an increase in our evangelistic outreach programs in the communities. With the opening of the churches, there has been more organised outreach programs in the communities including evangelism, humanitarian outreaches and community empowerment programs. As a result of the programs, there has been a high demand for Christian literature such as tracts and bibles in local languages in the communities by the new believers especially after evangelistic outreaches. For this reason, we are launching a campaign for support towards the cause of purchasing bibles for the new believers in the communities. We ae open to any support I this area.

Despite of the restrictions into prison facilities due to the outbreak, we have been able to send approximately 5,000 Christian booklets and 100 bibles to the prisons. Engaged in support the prisons with sanitary items like soap, sanitizers and other sanitary items to help them observe the Standard Operating procedures during the lockdown this month.

PRAISE REPORT

Communities have quickly become like many unreached people groups around the world. Because of the lockdown, many previously church going children had lost touch with their Sunday schools thus losing their little understanding of who God is or the price that Jesus paid for them on the cross. But through this whole dilemma, our conviction over the years that children’s bibles clubs are a necessity and paramount in reaching and discipling the children in communities has become a reality. We have observed growth in knowledge and understanding of the word of God through the community bible clubs which remained operational at home levels.  Our children’s community champions continued to reach and disciple the children around their homes.

Ssali Robert is a children worker from Kawempe worship center church. He has been faithfully serving with the ministry for the last three years. In September 2020, we invited Robert to attend a children’s ministry training at his church our first training after the lockdown. The decision to recommend Robert paid off so well in that in his first month of training he had already established a community bible club in his community.

“Prior to the training I hoped churches would open soon so that the children would be adopted back to the church system. All my focus was on the Sunday school program. The concept of the bible club was foreign to me. But the training brought so much revelation concerning who I am as a teacher and what my role is in the church and in the community. The fact that it was said that I was responsible for the children living around me was an awakening call that drove me to establish the children’s bible club.” He says

Robert says there has been a tremendous increase in the number of the club attendees. The numbers have grown from 5 to 25 in the last two weeks. He attributes this increase to the quality child friendly environment and spiritual growth of the children especially after having introduced the Raising hope curriculum. This has not only attracted the attention of the children but also parents in the neighbourhood such that parents are beginning to recommend other parents to bring their children to the club as a measure to riding them from watching too much TV and loitering around during this time of the lockdown. The contribution of the children in recruiting other at the club has been another great factor.

We are steadily standing with him and collaborating with his pastor in ensuring that this program continues running as a model program in his community for the benefit of the community and the churches around to emulate.

WAY FORWARD                         

We are set to continue building the different programs established this year. Among the strategies to be undertaken include

1.      Leadership Develop in communities and Prisons: We are relaunching our leadership development campaigns in the communities and prisons to develop leaders who will affect and transform their around the country.
2.      The Disability Ministry: We are set to boost the disability ministry we undertake through the “Hidden Children” program through advocacy and outreach programs.
3.      Community outreaches: we are still committed to our outreach programs in communities including evangelism and discipleship programs, nutrition’s support programs and empowerment programs.

CHALLENGES

We are faced with a number of challenges in these undertaking among which include;

1.      Christian Literature: This has still been a great challenge in as far as our ministry programs are concerned. We are in great need of Bible, Tracts, and more booklets for evangelism.

PRAYER REQUEST

 Please continue to pray with us for

·         The set programs in the months of OCTOBER NOVEMEBER and DECEMBER 2020

Partners like you are the life blood for the mission work here and it’s because of your prayers, support and encouragement that we have had the courage and determination to keep keeping on. May Jesus therefore fill you with blessings and increase you in every area of your life. 

Sincerely yours,

Robert Sebunya

Dear beloved Friend and Partner,

I greet you all in the mighty name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Our ministry outreach this last quarter has had a number of challenges registered prompted by the COVid-19 pandemic. A number of our training and outreach programs had been put on halt due to the lockdown and social distancing restrictions hindering the successful implementation of the programs. However, despite of this, we have registered great achievements especially in the last three months of the quarter. Most of our training programs have picked up, evangelistic results increased, scripture placement programs growing and above all home churches growing in number on a weekly basis as more communities are reached thanks to the new strategies employed in reaching and discipling the masses.

THE GOSPEL TRACT PROJECT.

A tract is a short, simple presentation of the gospel message, printed in convenient pocket size, designed for easy distribution and use. We have so far developed eight tracts in both English and Luganda the local language. This has become a very effective means of reaching and evangelizing communities. Many people have been led to Christ in this way. This month alone a total of 4221 adults were reached with the gospel with the hike in the number attributed to the use of gospel tracts given to individuals on streets, arcades and homes. After the distributions, the key opportunity employed is follow-up via phone calls or home visits to the homes of the prospect which has yielded a great fruit.

Shifra (not real names) is a mother of three living in the outskirts of Kampala city. Shifra was born and raised in a Christian and converted to Islam eloping to her Muslim boyfriend. She got an opportunity to hear the gospel after receiving a tract from Allen on of our ministry workers who was engaged in a follow-up outreach in the community we had previously visited. After reading the tract, Allen engaged Shifra in discussing the content of the gospel tract she had read which ended into the gospel being re-shared and Shifra recommitting her life to Christ. A few days after her conversion, Allen has taken on the task on discipling and mentoring her into a mature believer. Like Shifra, many other people’s lives in the communities are being turned around through the gospel tract ministry.

PRAYER REQUESTS

As you pray for the ministry, please endeavor to

• Pray for the ministry workers on ground. Pray that they will get ways of implementing the programs despite of the challenges on ground.
• Pray for the nation specifically targeting the threat of the wide spread of the Corona virus across the country. Pray for the central region which is hard hit. Also pray for peace through the elections.

Partners like you are the life blood for the mission work here and it’s because of your prayers, support and encouragement that we have had the courage and determination to keep keeping on. We are therefore grateful to God for you and the support you have given us that has kept us going and reaching different children and youth in the communities.

May Jesus therefore fill your barns with blessings and increase you in every area of your life. 

Robert Sebunya

DIRECTOR

 Greetings Partner

 It’s with great pleasure that I bring to you this brief report. As a team, are grateful for all that you do and have done to ensure our wellbeing through your generous donations, prayers, counsel and support. We have always prayed for you for wealth, wellbeing and success in all that you do.

 MISSION TO RURAL COMMUNITIES

The rural communities have been the backbone of our ministry where many of our ministry activities are actively running. Through our mission outreach to rural communities, we have had the privilege to be part of the community transformation outreach programs in the five regions of Uganda namely, northern, eastern, southern, western and central Uganda. 

Through these community outreaches, we have engaged community church leaders in leader’s seminars. These seminars have attracted church leaders from the community ranging from Pastors, children and youth leaders and other ministry leaders. Through these seminars, we engaged the leaders on a discipleship course encompassing areas as Effective Ministry, bearing Fruit, Living as a Disciple Maker, The Heart of a Disciple Maker, Living as the Church and How to Study the Bible just to mention a few.

As a result of the skills attained through the trainings, the community leaders have been effective in reaching, evangelizing and disciplining their communities throughout the Lockdown through humanitarian outreaches, door to door evangelism, health outreaches and home cell fellowships.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

People with disabilities are among the most neglected groups in the policy domain as well as in the private sphere. The majority of these children face enormous economic, political, and social barriers that have an adverse impact on their physical, social and intellectual development and wellbeing. Many of them do not have access to the most basic needs such as FOOD, health services and education;

This program has been running in Kampala in conjunction with different organizations, schools and churches that have taken on the initiative to reach out to these children. Currently one of our key areas of emphasis is securing nutritional support for physically handicapped. We have a number of people in need of food in the different communities in the east and central Uganda. We have taken on the initiative to advocate for nutritional support from friends and well-wishers for mobility for these disadvantaged and support working towards creating a better life for them.

THE NUTRITIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT

Kampala and the central region, which dominate urban centers, comprise almost 30 percent of Uganda’s 38 million people, according to the 2016 national household survey. Both fear of Covid-19, and adjusting to the lockdown imposed since 31 March 2020, have radically changed every day social lives across Uganda, as in many other countries. Most of Uganda’s urban dwelling slum residents are a hand-to-mouth lot. Literally, they live off their ability to make it to town centers every day to do manual work. A slight disruption in this routine since the instillation of the lockdown measures has led to these families going hungry at home.

The lockdown has left many parents without jobs. With food stocks running low, many families have been forced to reduce the frequency and size of meals, until the August- December harvest season. Unfortunately, the countries grappling with rising coronavirus cases leading to the institution of strict virus infection control measures that in some cases have interfered with agricultural production. For this reason, the country is bracing for a severe food shortage over the next four months. The food shortages prediction announced by Uganda’s state minister for relief and disaster preparedness is set to escalate between November this year and March 2021.

WHAT NEED DOES THIS PROJECT MEET?

·         This project is developed to address the short-term needs of the population affected by the COVid-19 pandemic with a long-term strategy of strengthening the capacity of the local churches and partnering grass root structures to continue holistic humanitarian outreaches and people development through awareness.

 ·         We are specifically formulating a model of response that takes into account our organizational capacity and mandate as well as the capacity of our local partner including local churches, our church planter, children ministry workers, grass root ministries and individuals operating in the urban slum and poor communities of Uganda

 ·         We seek to focus our response to groups that are most vulnerable and in geographic regions where we believe we can make a difference and have a legitimate responsibility and financial capacity to respond.

 Project activities planned for Nutritional Support Program:

 1.     Purchase and distribution of nutritional food support for the mentioned people groups.

 2.     Guidance and counseling for the groups affected by the food shortage in the slum communities and prison facilities

 3.     Evangelism for the people groups visited during the follow-up programs.

 PRAYER REQUESTS

 Pray for

•  Partners to stand with us for this programs. We are advocating for partnerships to support the nutritional program to reach the PWD, slum families, acid victims and children incasirated with their mothers in prisons.
• Pray for our ministry programs this month especially in communities through evangelism and humanitarian outreaches.

We thank God for the generous contribution of our partners towards the success of the program financially and through prayer. As you realize all these programs require finances without which, we may not fully accomplish that that we ought to do. Please do pray with us for even more partners that we may be in position to reach even more communities.

May the good Lord continue to bless and increase you.

Yours faithfully

Robert Sebunya – Team Leader

Dear partner,

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray and hope all is well. All is great back here and the good Lord has kept and sustained us well through this time of rest and travail.     

The month of June has been a much lighter month for us with a few of the set restrictions loosened. After a couple of months, we saw a few businesses opening up, transport allowed to operate but with minimal numbers, some border districts with no COVID infections opened, work places given the mandate to operate and most of all commuters and cyclists given the freedom to move. Despite of this great change, worship places, gatherings of more than 5 people have still been restricted still hindering our community training programs. However, there is great hope that in the next national address this is going to be done. 

Community Reports

“The communities are very receptive of the Gospel. The only challenge is you can’t meet them in masses as we previously did. Today it’s the door to door evangelism that works. But the beautiful thing about it is there are higher opportunities to evangelize the whole family at once.” Pr. Ronald our coordinator form Kamuli district in eastern Uganda says.

This month from the community reports gathered from a total of 6 districts, 2,132 people were reached in the communities with the gospel in the month of June. Of the total reached 633 salvation were recorded through the different evangelistic programs undertaken. The 633 new converts are currently under follow-up.

Through our children’s ministry programs in the communities, a total of 1,625 children were reached with the gospel. 421 surrendered their lives to Christ. This was a great achievement being that the children’s workers encounter the children through the one on one outreaches approach. 

Statistics show that 85% of people who come to Christ do so before the age of 18. That likelihood drops to 4 percent for teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18, and ticks back up to 6 percent for adults older than 18. Facts like this justify the need to reach and develop leaders with a potential to reach children but also train other eligible men and women to reach more children especially in the unreached communities before they develop into adults where their likelihood to surrender their lives to Christ trickles to 6%.

Scripture placement

This month, a total of 4,521 tracts were distributed through the evangelistic programs in the districts. 53 full bibles and 165 NT bibles were also distributed. 233 children’s booklets were given to especially the new converts for study.

With these openings also come the need for resources specifically Christian literature. Much of these have been the request for bibles especially Luganda Bibles. Being that most of these ministry activities take place in remote areas where English is not a common language, Luganda becomes the common unifying language making the Luganda literature more resourceful.

Praise Report

“You people, I appreciate God for your equipment over our lives both for children’s and church planter’s ministry because I have always been thinking about how COVID  19 invaded us. But I thank God that at least you people have done your part. And it’s us to put in practice what you taught us. Thank you teachers for teaching us. …the Bible says in” ECCLESIASTES 3:1 “To everything there is season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.” So thank you very much to sacrifice your time, money and energy to equip us. May The Almighty God richly bless you, your families and all generations to come.” Pr. Kasaga Agnes

Pr. Kasaga Agnes is our church planter and children’s ministry alumni. She currently serves as a master trainer in both fields in the ministry. She has gone through all odds to establish a fully operational church in Kawempe community using a community children’s bible club program she established after attending the church planter and the children’s ministry training programs two years ago. Today, she is supporting and pastoring her community. As the church planters start to embrace the new normal and apply the skills attained through the trainings on how to effectively reach and disciple their communities, testimonies are continuously flowing in from the communities.

Prayer Request.

As you pray, pray from the following perspectives

1. Pray for the community programs including the church planter and children’s ministry programs. Also for the youth empowerment programs. Pray that they will find root and relevance in this time when they are needed.
2. Pray for the nation of Uganda against the prevailing cases of Corona Virus in the country. Pray for healing and restoration.
3. Pray for the leadership of Uganda. The country is preparing fir elections early next year. Pray for godly and righteous leadership in the different leadership sectors. Also pray for wisdom and guidance committees and different stakeholders in the upcoming elections.
4. Let’s pray for families in the country.

We are grateful for the support and generous contributions towards these programs. We pray that he continues to support provide for all your individual, ministry and family needs.

God mightily Bless You