Hello USA.  Look who is back in the states.  Pastor Emmy.  Last night he spoke at the Tyler Transformation Crusade. He brought the fire from Uganda.  It was awesome. Those that were there heard some stories of the Father’s love in action. Thanks PCM Board member  ”Chuckles” Bauman for your behind the scenes work with this crusade.  You still have two more chances to be a part of the crusade; tonight and tomorrow night at Rose Stadium at 6pm.

It’s been a busy week  already with stops in California for the Christian Orphan Alliance Summit VIII at Rick Warren’s church. Emmy got to share his book “So Much More” with Rick Warren and receive encouragement. At one point after giving Emmy a hug, Rick said, “Look Emmy……..that is you in this book.”  We learned that we are already doing much of  his PEACE plan.  P is plant churches (52 so far), Equip the local leaders (our next pastor conference is this summer thanks to Mr Ja), A is for assist the poor (you don’t have to spend much time with Emmy to see him do this one), and E is for educate the children (our 7th PCM school opened this year, now we have 1200+ students).  This year we shall add a C to our PEAE to make PEACE as we Care for the sick with our very first PCM medical clinic at Kyasenya.  More on this excitement very soon.

While we were there we met longtime PCM sponsors Greg and Alissa Melton. It is such an amazing beautiful campus.

The second night at the conference Emmy got to hear Francis Chan speak.  First thing out of his mouth was this…..”look to the right, look to the left, look behind you and look in front of you. This week none of these people is going to call you crazy.  They are just like you!!! ”  Oh how we needed to hear that!!!  Sometimes it gets lonely doing what we do on this side of the big pond. The more we go, the deeper our love for our children, pastors and people becomes. It’s a love affair with a family that grows with each visit. I can’t believe we are ready for PCM Trip #20 next month. Incredible.  Thank you Jesus.  Thank you for all of you that have gone. You aren’t crazy either  by the way……..;o)

While in California, we met this man.

Most of you probably don’t know him, but I think someday you will.  He runs a program that takes children of all races and faiths and brings them together, gives them instruments that they earn and keep,  and in the process can share the Word of God with them.  He came to us after hearing about our ministry and wants to start a program where we bring instruments to our children in Uganda.  WAHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!  I can’t wait to see these kids learn.  You will be seeing more of this man named Duff.

We made a quick trip back to Texas so Emmy could be here: Community Christian Fellowship in Lindale Texas.

Thanks to our friends Patrick and Janet Butler for introducing us to this Spirit filled bunch of amazing Believers. You have blessed us with your prayers, your words of encouragement and your gifts.  ”You really overdid it with love” said Pastor Emmy. We can’t wait to host a team from your church in Uganda.

While here, Pastor Emmy has been introduced to various groups of people doing work for the ministry. The first sprung into action just a few weeks ago, outside the Tyler Azalea Trail.

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Here is where Heidi Brandt, Ellen Ferguson, Lucy Nickel and Kate Holbrook set up a lemonade stand and raised enough money in one day to provide over 2000 meals for our PCM children.  ”Wow, Wow” said Pastor Emmy.  They even attracted a local policeman who sent a dispatch to his fellow officers on duty to come see what these children were doing for the children of PCM.

Next up would be these two young ladies.

Avery Nutt and Hannah Burks.  Not only would they do a lemonade stand, but also they would  wash cars and sell some duct tape wallets.  Can you imagine.  Who in the neighborhood could resist.The result:  enough to feed  our entire PCM Ibanda school for nearly two weeks. That is amazing girls.  Thank you for your efforts.

All this activity has really encouraged our friend Emmy.  He is growing a much bigger family here in the US with every passing day.  Two more new friends are Zac and Cody.

They met Deuce last month when he presented the ministry to the youth at First Baptist Church in Bullard. So inspired to act, they started a lawn business.  Today after Emmy’s visit to their church on May 8, we found out they are using some of that blessing to sponsor Stuart from our PCM Sanga school.  And that is not all.  They are hoping to raise enough this summer mowing lawns to pay for a trip to Uganda this January. Incredible.  Thank you for showing us how to work and how to give Zac and Cody.  We are inspired by you both and your love for the Lord.

Back in Uganda, the school break has been no break at all for Supermom. What’s new to the world’s hardest working woman?

She has taken our first ever corn harvest from the farm to the corn storage building

, a gift from our newlywed friends Ryan and Kori.

Instead of wedding presents, they had friends and family donate for this building and our temporary kitchen. We have been waiting to take the corns from the storage building,  bag them, and take them to the mill for grinding.

Elsam, our favorite head cook from Mbarara joined her this week. The result would amaze us for sure.  70 bags each weighing 100 kilograms (220pounds).

That is enough to pay for all of our corn flour needs for all of our schools for many months.  It is our biggest food expense each month.  Not any more.  Wow………wow ………wow.  Thanks to PCM Board member Daniel Wallace for the inspiration for this photo from Rwemikoma.

If that wasn’t enough, Supermom has spent much of her free time right back in the same place.  A few months ago, she and many others planted our second bean crop.  Today, this is the result.

He is surely providing on our 12 acre farm.

Deut 28 says:

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.”

After weeding the entire farm,  Supermom will be present for some of our summer PCM teams to share in the harvest of these beans.

Emmy is getting excited for Carry a Jerry, our first ever PCM 5K May 19th.

Some have asked him if he will be ready to run with Epa and Kiconco.  His response is always the same………”I am ready.”

Surely I know he is.  He has carried more jerrys in the month of january when he was 8 than we will ever dream of carrying. Won’t you join us for the race?  You can run without a jerry,  run with a team of others and your jerry, or just walk with your family and  a jerry.  You will never look at that water coming out of the tap the same again. Trust me.  Get more information and register here.

The VBS team had a chance to go to our Ibanda school earlier this week while the rest of the team was leading the teachers’ conference.  I rode up front next to Driver Emmy that day so that I could visit with him.  He is always the one I miss the most when I leave Uganda.

I could listen to him talk all day.  He is a gifted storyteller and I told him this morning that I wanted to hear one of his stories.  He thought about what to tell me and decided to tell me about the first time he left the village that he grew up in.  At first I thought he meant when he was a child, but then I realized that the first time he left was when he was 19 years old.  When he headed to Mbarara that very first time, he had 2400 Ugandan shillings with him, which is a little less than $1.  He didn’t have a job waiting for him or a place to stay, but he was stepping out in faith.  He told me his story in detail from the time he left his village until now, and I was so blessed to hear it.  It brings tears to my eyes even now as I think back to it.  It is an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness and His plans for Emmy, even from the time he was born.  There are so many times in our lives that we can look back and think, “This is what God was preparing me for back then when I learned how to do this…or when I went through that…or when this certain thing happened to me.”

Before Emmy ever knew he would be Driver Emmy for PCM, way back when he was in the village, he learned how to drive his uncle’s car.  He later had driving training after coming to Mbarara, but God was preparing him even in the village for the job He would give him at PCM.  I have heard people who come on trips to Uganda say that they always wondered what the big deal about the drivers was, but now that they’ve been here, they understand.

The PCM drivers have servant hearts bigger than I have ever known.  They are waiting at the airport when you arrive and never leave you until you’re getting on the plane to go home.  They are funny, smart, and encouraging, but they can tell you a story about their pasts that will bring you to tears for them.  Thank you, Jesus, for using all of Driver Emmy’s past experiences to mold him into the husband, father, friend, and driver that he is today.  To God be the glory!

After telling me his story all the way to Ibanda, we arrived there and he jumped right into helping us.

The rest of the team did too and we had a wonderful time with the beautiful children and staff at Ibanda.  The days were similar to some of the other days we spent there, so I thought I’d let the pictures tell the story this time.

The sky was amazing that day and the visit was even better.  We’re signing off now as Team 19 heads home from a trip we will never forget.  Thank you for coming along with us!

Today we said goodbye to all of our friends who work at the hotel in Mbarara and headed to our sixth school of the trip, Sanga.  This school used to be called Minekye (which means yellow banana in Lugandan), named after the village where it is located, but because the school is serving the entire Sanga district, the name was changed.

Because the school is on top of a hill, we could see the children waiting for us from a long distance away.

They were so excited and so were we!  They greeted us with a wonderful welcome song,

then we headed behind the church to start our activities.  The children at Sanga loved Alfred, just like all of the other children (and adults!) have here.

The children also did some coloring, or “shading” as they call it.  They are so meticulous with it and enjoy it so much.  I am always impressed by their attention to detail!

One of my favorite things today was seeing the children do recreation with God’s AMAZING creation behind them.  Wow!  The entire country is beautiful, but the prettiest view I’ve seen here is at this school.

Michele and I continued to take the pictures we needed for getting all of the children sponsored.  When we saw Watson, we had to show him something.  We told him he is famous in America!  He smiled just like he had in the photo for the poster!  What a sweet boy!

If you haven’t heard about our Carry a Jerry for PCM 5k,

you can find out all about it here:

While all of this was going on outside and in the classrooms, Pastor Dale was doing a pastors’ conference inside the beautiful church at Sanga.  Many pastors and their wives came from all over Sanga district to hear from him today.  They were very encouraged and thankful that he had come.

Kay also got to meet her child, Alice, today.  They were so sweet together!

Alice is the sister of Naboth, one of our sponsorship coordinators here in Uganda.

Before this trip, some sweet 6^th grade girls from Grace Community School in Tyler sewed and sewed and sewed for our Ugandan girls.

We had the privilege of giving out the dresses today at Sanga.  The dresses are so cute, and each one has a heart pocket that had a little note tucked inside to the girl who received the dress.  They loved them so much, and Supermom said they will really enjoy wearing them to church on Sundays.

With all of the joy you see on the faces of the children here, you would never know that they are lacking anything.

But as Michele and I walked around with Supermom for a quick tour, we realized that this school actually has many needs.  The bathrooms are desperately in need of replacing, and the Ugandan government is coming down on them because of this.

They have begun the process of digging the pits for the bathrooms, but the rest must be completed quickly in order to comply with the government standards.

The church building is beautiful,

but the rest of the structures surrounding it are temporary.  There is a need for permanent classrooms and a real kitchen.  Right now there is a food program for the 240 children at Sanga, but all of the meals are cooked here.

I asked Supermom what would happen if they didn’t have a P4 classroom built before next year when the P3 students would be moving up, and she just said, “We will pray.”  I have no doubt that classroom will be there before it is needed.  She is a woman of great faith.

She also can predict the rain–because it is rainy season, we had to leave quickly and get back to the main road before the rain started.  Supermom always knows exactly what time it will start raining here, and she is always right.  Keep in mind they don’t have weather apps on their phones or anything!  Pastor Emmy kept telling me that if we didn’t get down the hill before the rain started, we would be spending the night there.  That didn’t sound too bad to me, but I wasn’t sure what the rest of the team would think!  We said our goodbyes and made it down before the rain started so everything was fine.  We had to laugh as we pulled away and saw Headmaster Hope with a chicken in her arms!

We made our way from there to Masaka, a town located on the main road from Entebbe to Mbarara.  We had a special treat waiting for us tonight!  We usually eat dinner at the hotel here, but tonight we had the privilege of meeting some friends at a wonderful restaurant here that is run by Danish missionaries.  Our friends are new missionaries to Uganda with 4 precious children and we enjoyed getting to know all of them.  I can’t wait to hear how God uses them here in Uganda!

The restaurant was also an oasis after a long day of traveling.  We will definitely be going back there!

Hey everyone!  It’s Christie again.  Today the team went one way and I went another.  While the rest of the team experienced this…

…I pretended that I lived here and that my husband and kids were just down the road in our little African hut.  Instead of traveling around in the Miracle Van or the Land Cruiser, I rode around in a taxi.

At one point we saw one of our PCM kids walking on the road, and we picked him up.  I loved riding in the back of the taxi with him!

I spent most of the day at the Mbarara school.  I did some work, but I also visited with the teachers and staff.  I gave them their teacher gifts which they LOVED!

I tried to imagine what my life would be like if I had been born here and lived my entire life in Mbarara or one of the surrounding villages.  I thought about going home every night to no TV, no computer, no phone apps, no running water, and maybe no electricity.  I have to admit that I am much too dependent on those things now (especially the technology), but the thought of living without them is appealing to me (just ask Justin—I talk about this all the time at home).  The simple life is something I crave.  Although I think it is difficult for us as Americans to simplify in the midst of our crazy schedules and overwhelming busyness, I think we have much to learn from our Ugandan friends.  I also think we have much to think about as sponsors of PCM kids.  When we give them a toy, is it a good thing or is it just raising their awareness about what must be out there that they don’t have?

There must be a balance, and I think we have to strive for that balance, both in our own lives and in the lives of these precious Ugandan children.  I know one thing though…the children love the letters you send them.  If you sponsor a child, please take the time to write a letter to encourage them.  I can’t tell you how many times your children here ask me, “Has my sponsor had her baby yet?”  or “Is my sponsor well now?”  or “Do you know how my sponsors are doing?”  They really do love you and want to know all about you.  It encourages them so much to know that someone on the other side of the world is praying for them.

After spending much of the day in Mbarara, we headed over in our taxi to Katyazo.

The teachers and students there received new PCM shirts and looked very smart in them, as they say here in Uganda.

Then I spent some time showing the children how I memorize scripture with my friend, Cindy.  Gloria was pretending like she was Cindy so we all had a laugh about that.

I challenged them to memorize scripture together and encourage each other as they work on it.  I was so proud that some of them stood up and recited some of the scripture they had already memorized!

After that, the kids colored while we sat on the porch

and admired the beautiful view and enjoyed the breeze.

The team arrived back to Katyazo after the safari and we gathered everyone together.  Before they got there, Emmy had given me a tour of the school building.  One thing he showed me was their science classroom.  We talked about how we were still praying for provision for the science lab that we need at Katyazo for our secondary students, but he showed me what they had collected in the meantime.  I was impressed with their setup!

In order for our secondary school to be recognized by the government, it must have a science lab that meets their code.  Here is a drawing of what is needed:

A building like this was not in our original plans for our secondary school, so we have not been able to fund it.  Because of all the specifications, this building is going to cost $40,000 which is more than any of the buildings we have constructed so far. We have found a group in Kampala that builds these exact labs to specifications, we just haven’t had the funds.

This building is our biggest  project for this year 2012, and one that seemed unattainable at the present time.  Fortunately, God does not see things through our eyes!  Once the team had arrived from the safari, I gathered everyone together and gave them some very big news.  Yesterday a family from the US gave the entire amount needed ($40,000) to construct the science lab!  Hallelujah! What a glorious Creator we serve. Emmy and Supermom and all the children were ecstatic.  The most joy though was found on the faces of the teachers as they had been praying for this building for some time.

We all spent some time as a group praising Jesus for this amazing provision. Thank you Jesus.  Pastor Emmy says construction will start immediately and the teams that visit this summer may be surprised to see what they shall find.

It was hard to leave them after that, but we loaded back up in MV2 after saying our goodbyes and headed to Mbarara for more worship and more goodbyes.  Traci felt God leading her to sponsor Ronald, this precious, sweet, funny boy.

I think I hugged every one of them and then I had to pry my team away…literally!  It was a long day for the team but a very special one that they won’t soon forget.

Hey, it’s Jennifer.  We’ve had an amazing journey so far on our trip to Uganda.  I am honored to be a part of such a special ministry that is clearly God ordained.  We are constantly amazed at how wonderfully pure the children of PCM are.  They clearly love God with their whole being, and seeing them worship is one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had.

Last night we hosted movie night at Mbarara as a special treat for the children there.  The two children traveling with us from Green Acres, Anna and Cam, played a big part planning this night, and it turned out to be a great success.  The children of Mbarara greeted us with a welcome song, and then immediately shared a time of praise and worship with us.  After that we popped popcorn, passed out candy (or “sweeties” as the locals call it) and gave the kids sodas to have while watching Winnie the Pooh on a big screen outside under the stars.  I know it was a treat for the kids of Mbarara, but it was a wonderful treat for us to see these precious kids have a night of fun.

Today we traveled to Rwemikoma which was something Cam (my son who’s traveling with me) and I have been looking forward to for a long time.  We were able to meet our child Patrick that our family sponsors.  I was a little apprehensive about meeting him as communication doesn’t always come easy, but once we saw him it came so naturally to all of us.  He is a precious child that I am honored to sponsor.  We spent time praying with him, playing with him, and loving on him.  We were only there for part of the day, but I already miss him!

The Wilts (Kirk, Amy and Anna) were also able to meet their sponsored child, and again it was a huge blessing to see this family share gifts and love with their precious child.  (I call her “theirs” because you truly feel like family to one another once you write for so long and develop these special relationships).

Michele also met her second sponsored child, Muzaphra.  He was precious and stayed by her side all day!

Of course, during our trip to Rwemikoma we held our normal VBS for the kids that we have been doing at each of the schools.  There are over 290 kids at Rwemikoma, and even with this large number VBS went great.  One of my favorite parts of the day was during play time when we taught the kids the chicken dance.  I’ve discovered that language isn’t a barrier when it comes to motions and dancing.  We had a blast interacting with the kids this way, and I think you’ll see by the smiles on their faces that they enjoyed it too.

Another wonderful blessing that happened today was when Kirk Wilt was playing with the kids.  He noticed that whenever he asked the kids a question they would respond by saying “good.”  After asking them several times if they wanted to play kick ball or soccer, he didn’t know what else to ask so he said to them “God is good” and to his amazement the kids responded “all the time.”  Astonished he responded back “all the time”, and the kids responded with “God is good.”  Isn’t it wonderful to know that this is a universal saying, and understood by even these sweet children who are just beginning to learn English!

As most of you know PCM and its sponsors often treat the kids with letters and packages from the states, but on this trip we also “gifted” the teachers and staff at each school location.  Today I got to be a part of giving the staff of Rwemikoma teacher packets that included notebooks, note cards, and pens.  It’s amazing how thankful and blessed they were by such a small offering that we often take for granted.  Thank you to Stacie Tandy for putting together these teacher gifts for ALL of the PCM Uganda staff!

When leaving today one of the things that really surprised me was two new classrooms that are at this location.  I wasn’t surprised by the buildings themselves as much as I was surprised to learn that these buildings were built by the parents of the children who attend this school.  I love that PCM and their partners are helping communities that truly want to grow their children both in education and spiritually.

As I close this post, I want to share something that has made a huge impression on me and Cam.  We are truly in awe of how well behaved, thankful, and spiritually deep the children of PCM are.  Last night I asked Cam what was the best part of our trip so far.  He replied with “seeing these kids worship with such meaning.”  I had been in awe of this since we arrived at our first school, but for my eleven year old to see it only confirmed how pure and precious their love of Jesus is.  I think this is in large part to the wonderful leadership that God has provided through Pastor Emmy and his wife, Sarah, or Supermom as most of you know her.  God has given them a heart for these children to know and love Christ and it is evident in everything these kids do.  I am honored to be a small, small part of such a wonderful ministry.  As the kids of PCM say, God is good!  He is so good!

Hey, it’s Kay.  Dana, Traci, Lisa, and I spent two days leading a Sunday school teacher conference at Mbarara Katete Pentecostal Church.  We were joined by Pastor Charles, Everett our interpreter, and 66 Sunday School teachers from all around Uganda.  Several languages were spoken and several denominations were represented with the common goal of teaching and leading children to Jesus.

During the months prior to our trip, we (with the help of Ms. Lanette, GABC Children’s Minister) prepared a backpack loaded with supplies for each of the teachers that would attend the conference.  The curriculum only required a ball, bean bag, Books of the Bible cards, and A,B, C cards to help in presenting the gospel to children.  The teachers were excited when they received their backpacks and learned how to use them.

The teachers eagerly volunteered to participate in Bible games, memory verse games, and Bible drill games.  Drama was one of the favorite activities.  I wish we could have presented Oscars to a few of them.

Learning was a two-way street—we learned from each other as they taught us new games to teach children about Jesus.

One of my favorite activies was the sewing of the bean bags.  Since the teachers would need bean bags to do some of the activities we were teaching them, we thought we would make the bean bags at the conference.  Then if they needed a new bean bag later, they would know how to make one.  Donna Youngblood, a K4 teacher at Grace Community School in Tyler, sewed 3 sides of the bean bags.  We then filled the bags with beans at the conference and the teachers sewed the final side.  They took great pride in their work and seemed to enjoy the process.  We did pray that we had enough beans and God seemed to multiply them just like he did with the loaves and fishes.  We used every bean—had no extras—we only had enough to fill all the bags for those there.  God is so good!

We really enjoyed getting to know Evard our translator.  He had no formal education and he learned English by comparing his English Bible to his Ugandan Bible.  He worked with his pastor who taught him how to speak English.  God has given him a talent with languages.  He speaks English, 2 languages of Uganda, and Swahili!  He was able to follow four fast-talking Texas women with southern accents without a problem!  He was a blessing and I can’t express how much he helped us each day!  Pray for Evard as he seeks direction in his life.  We all think he should be a pastor but he is waiting to see what God has planned for him.

For many this was the first time to visit with fellow Christians.  Pastor Charles encouraged them to practice what they had learned, “Even though they are from different churches, when they practice as a group you grow God’s kingdom.”  We will be praying for these teachers and they will be praying for us.  Hand in hand we will all work together to lead the children to Jesus.  We all agree that the children are the future and through them the world can be changed.

Today our team split up into two groups which they will be in for the next couple of days.  So, you get the privilege of hearing experiences from two perspectives: Michele Potts and Lisa Love.  Enjoy!

Hey everyone, this is Michele.  Today has been a day I have been looking forward to for what seems like forever!  I got to see with my own eyes the wonderful school at Kyasenya, where I am the Child Sponsorship Coordinator.  We were greeted with the precious children singing to us and then it was hugs for everyone.  It is such a humbling experience to see these happy children. They have next to nothing, but you would never know that by the smiles on their faces and the pure JOY of Jesus in their hearts.  As I was watching them sing, it was almost overwhelming when my eyes came across one of the children I sponsor, Claire.  She came over and stood by me for the rest of the song and it was all smiles for the both of us for the rest of the day.  It was such an amazing experience to finally meet her.

Claire

We had a lot to get accomplished today so we got busy pretty quickly.  Pastor Dale was doing a pastor conference at the Kyasenya Church where over 20 pastors and their wives came from a 30 mile radius to study the word of God.  The VBS team had several stations set up. We had one group coloring, some watching Alfred the puppet and others playing all kinds of outdoor games.  I am not sure who had more fun the kids or the adults???

Behind the scenes, well actually behind the building,  Christie and I took photos of all the children and  filled out information forms for those who needed them so we can get them all updated on the website so YOU can find one to sponsor.  How can you not want to sponsor one of these precious faces?

Next it was off to get in line for a pair of shoes for each of the children.

I want to say a special thank you to all of my Sunday School class at Emory Baptist Church and also my other friends and family for making this happen.  When I set out to raise money for shoes at my school because of a problem with jiggers (female sand fleas that bury themselves under the skin in the feet and ankles of the children and cause bad infections), I never imagined I would get the response I did.  So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU…you went over and above.  They were all very thankful and I learned even here in Uganda the little girls like to play dress up (:

Speaking of jiggers, we also learned about the medical clinic that will hopefully open this year at the Kyasenya school site.  There are many school children and other community members whose lives will be changed with the opening of this clinic.  Since there is not a clinic nearby, the children just live with wounds like these.

The foundation is already being prepared as you can see in these pictures.  We are excited that the children of Green Acres Baptist Church are going to help raise the money for the medical clinic at their VBS this year.  Here are just two of our Green Acres children with Pastor Emmy!

We are praying with our Ugandan friends that God will provide for this life-changing clinic to be completed quickly!

While we were down by the site for the clinic one of the elderly ladies from the church came up and just latched on and hugged each of us tightly.  She did not want to let go, but she had to make her way to the next person.  She did not speak English except for the words “thank you” and “I love you” and it was one of the most heart wrenching things I have been a part of today.  There were several of us in tears including the elderly lady, but she just wanted to show her appreciation to us for helping all the children in the community to get an education and for taking such great care of them.  So with tears in my eyes I snapped these shots.

The kids then all enjoyed getting to open packets from either their sponsors or some of the wonderful volunteers we have here at PCM who made numerous extra packets so each and every child could open one today.

Another thing on the project list for this school is clean water.  (you can see our full project list here)

Recently a geologist visited Kyasenya and Sanga schools to see if it would be possible to put in wells.  Unfortunately, neither school is in a good place to drill for water.  So, our hope is to put a water harvesting system in place very soon.  This system will collect rain water, then they will use a filtration system to produce lots of clean water for all of the precious children!

I have many dreams for this school that I look forward to watching God fulfill!

Love,

Michele

Hey it’s Lisa.

This afternoon, the teaching team had the opportunity to visit the Mbarara school.  We found the children playing and doing chores at the end of their day.  They greeted us with big smiles and hugs as they showed us around the school.

Pastor Charles and Gaston, the headteacher, gave us a tour of the campus.  We saw the new kitchen which is almost complete, as well as the church which is under construction.

When we returned, the children had gathered to worship before supper.  They sang, danced and praised.

Their sweet, earnest faces were upturned to the Lord in praise and gratitude.

What a humbling experience to see their appreciation for their American friends; yet we were the ones truly blessed.  After their nightly worship, the children lined up by age for supper.

We got the privilege of helping serve a simple meal of mush and beans.

It was great to see the children’s smiles as we called each by name, thanks to their new nametags they just received!  Their dependence on God was evident in their patience and gratitude.  To serve them was a fun and joyful end to an eventful day!

It’s rainy season here in Uganda!  I never knew exactly when rainy season was, but Driver Emmy told us today that it just started recently and will last until early June.

We heard the rain as soon as we woke up this morning and wondered how it would affect our day, but we were up for anything!  Soon I received a message from Pastor Emmy that they would be later than they had told us because church was not starting at the regular time.  When it rains, the people can’t make it to church because they walk there.  The rain was really coming down so Pastor Emmy wanted to wait until people were able to get to church before they came to get us.  Some of the team decided to go back to their rooms and rest, while the other team members stayed in the lobby.  The wifi wasn’t working so we actually TALKED to each other!  It was such a good time of fellowship and laughter.

Anna and Cam are teaching the Ugandan kiddos how to do string tricks.  Since we’re helping them, a lot of the team members have learned too.  (Apparently you can watch how-to videos on You Tube if you want to learn too!)  We were having so much fun that we attracted some new friends.  It was fun spending time with some of the other hotel guests.

After awhile Pastor Emmy and our drivers showed up to pick us up.  Alfred came out to meet Pastor Emmy and Driver Emmy, and he was a big hit!  Alfred had the whole hotel lobby laughing!

It was still raining pretty hard but many of the church members had made their way to the school for church services, so we loaded up and headed over there.  The congregation and Mbarara school children were spread out into 3 different classrooms to worship out of the rain.

Even though the Mbarara church is the flagship church for the ministry and the area, they still do not have a building for their church.  Every Saturday, they “build” their church out of sticks and tarps which makes a very nice open air place of worship.  However, when it rains they have no place to meet all together.

Our friends at PCM UK have started a multipurpose building that will serve as the new church.  So far they have raised $36,000 of the $70,000 needed to complete this much needed addition.  Please pray for them as they continue to give sacrificially for this important church.  Here you see the church about halfway completed.

We went to the classroom where the main church was meeting first, then we split up to do activities with the children.  Somehow we got all muddy while the Ugandans, doing the same activities as us, were perfectly clean!  We don’t know how they manage that!

Church was amazing as always.

I wish the entire team would have been able to stay for the whole service, but the children needed us, and we certainly didn’t mind that!  While Pastor Dale and some of the other team members stayed in the service, the rest of the team had the children busy in the other classrooms.  In one room we were doing string tricks and handing out new nametags, and in the other room Beverly and Alfred were leading the children in worship and teaching them Bible stories.  After a while, we switched rooms so that all of the children had a chance to do all of the activities.

Church let out around 4 pm, and the rain had finally stopped!  We hopped back in the vehicles and headed over to Katyazo.  What an amazing blessing it was just to be there in that place with those precious children.  Being there and seeing all that it has become is literally standing in the center of thousands of answered prayers.

Before the Katyazo school opened, there was a church that met very near there.  Pastor Emmy explained tonight that now that same church and the students at the Katyazo school are worshiping together on Sundays in one of the Katyazo classrooms.  The church members had stayed for our arrival so we all worshiped together this evening.

Who knew Pastor Emmy plays drums too?!  He is a man of many talents.

This is a picture of Victor singing.  He has an amazing voice that he totally devoted to Jesus tonight with his beautiful singing.  Supermom told Michele his story.  She said that Victor used to be a Muslim.  When he converted to Christianity, his family disowned him and he had nowhere to go.  He came to Supermom looking for a job.  He worked on the Katyazo banana plantation for 8 months and was a very hard worker.  Supermom told him to go back to his family to see what they would say.  Unfortunately, they rejected him again.  Supermom had seen that he was doing a great job and that he was growing in the Lord, so she promoted him.  He is now the patron of the boy’s dorm at Katyazo.  What an amazing young man to have living with our Katyazo boys!

Pastor Dale spoke a short encouraging message to the church and the students.  Our team and the Ugandan people have already been blessed so much by his presence on the trip.

When he finished, we went outside for some fun!  We played crazy games and had many laughs together!

One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing children meet their sponsors.  Lisa sponsors Rorine at our Katyazo school, and it was sweet to see them meet and get to know each other.

It means SO much to the children when they get to meet their sponsors. The hug Rorine gave Lisa when we arrived at Katyazo spoke volumes about her love for Lisa and her family.  It was a special time that I know they will both remember forever.

It began to get late and none of us wanted to leave…

…so Dana fixed that by saying she wanted to sponsor this sweet boy Gerald.  Then we just had to stay so that she could spend more time with him!

Gerald’s father abandoned his family long ago and his mother died last year.  He is so thankful to be at our Katyazo school and receiving the love of Supermom and Superdad and all of the other PCM family.  And his smile was priceless when he heard that Dana was his new sponsor!  It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

DC

When I look at this picture, it’s hard to believe it was taken this morning!  It’s been a long day but a great day.

If you look closely you’ll see that it’s not just Team 19 in this picture, but 4 of our favorite Ugandans too:  Pastor Emmy, Driver Emmy, One by One (also named Emmy of course), and Jude.  We were blessed to spend time with them today as we traveled from Entebbe (where the Ugandan airport is) to Mbarara.

One really exciting thing for everyone today is that we got to break in Miracle Van #2!  What a blessing this vehicle is to the ministry here in Uganda.  We had a great trip in it and are so thankful for the donor who made it possible.  It’s not just benefitting the teams that come though—it will be used every single day for years to come!

We also saw some wildlife today.  Pretty exciting for our first full day in Uganda!

Those are HUGE bird nests.  Pastor Emmy says there is no English translation for the kind of bird that makes those nests.  I’ve seen the bird and I’m kind of glad we don’t have them in America!

After our fun-filled drive to Mbarara, we checked into our hotel, changed clothes, and headed to a Ugandan wedding.

The wedding was for James, our PCM welding instructor, and Betty.  [Side note:  When a student isn’t doing well in their studies, there are vocational classes they can take instead, like sewing or welding.  I love this about PCM because it is so practical and the students love it too—instead of feeling like they are failing, they are exceling at something they enjoy and learning a trade that will provide an income for them!]  So James the welding instructor got married today, and when we got there we realized the wedding had already happened earlier in the day.  This was no surprise since these types of celebrations in Uganda last all day.

The reception was still in full swing when we arrived and they lead us to a place of honor in the front two rows.  We had a very entertaining MC to keep the celebration going while we waited for the bride and groom to arrive.  This is a blurry picture of him because he never stayed still.

At one point he asked if any of the Americans would like to sing.  Thank goodness we have a singer in the group!  Beverly got up and sang a beautiful version of Amazing Grace.

After more singing and dancing, the bride and groom arrived.  They were stunning in their happiness!

We loved watching them as they served each other

and then walked around serving their guests.

Dale prayed a blessing over the newly married couple.  I loved hearing him pray that they would continue to serve Jesus together every day for the rest of their lives.  I believe that James and Betty will do just that!

The entire evening was a blessing to be a part of.  It was a night filled with worship, celebration, and fellowship.

We were all sleepy after our day of traveling, but everyone agreed it was something they wouldn’t have wanted to miss!  I told them if they enjoyed that, just wait until church tomorrow…

Until next time,

DC

P.S.  I had to share this one last picture from the wedding—notice the FIREWORKS on the cake!

It’s that time again—another team is heading to Uganda!  Here are the people who make up Team 19.

THE SPONSORSHIP COORDINATORS: Christie Hayes ( I’m also known in Uganda as “Double Check” or DC for short) and Michele Potts.

The two of us look at pictures of the kids in Uganda every single day and feel like every one of them is ours.  This is my third trip and Michele’s first.  Michele is our Kyasenya sponsorship coordinator and I can’t wait to experience Uganda with her.  She is such a blessing to PCM and to the Kyasenya children!

THE TEACHERS: Dana Hymer, Kay Green, Lisa Love, and Traci Taylor.

These wonderful women are traveling the many hours to Uganda to do children’s Sunday School teacher training.  There are members from many village churches all over Uganda traveling to Mbarara to attend the training conference they are giving.

THE VBS TEAM: Amy Wilt, Anna Wilt, and Jennifer Grigsby.

While Michele and I are taking pictures of all of the kiddos, the VBS team will have them worshiping, playing, crafting and having fun while they learn about Jesus!

THE MEN: Kirk Wilt, Cam Grigsby, Shane Ferguson, and Dale Pond.

These guys are going to be carrying a LOT of luggage!  But they also will be helping with VBS activities, visiting with our PCM pastors, and loving on kids.

THE VENTRILOQUIST: Beverly Smith and Alfred.

Obviously these 2 will be a hit with the children!  Alfred has lots of Bible stories and music ready for the children, and I can’t wait to see their reactions!

___

Although we each have a specific thing we think we’re going to Uganda to accomplish, we know that God plans our steps.  The truth is, the simple fellowship that we share with our Ugandan family will probably be the most life-changing part of the entire trip, for them maybe but especially for us.  Because thankfully, you can’t go to Uganda and come back the same.

I believe with all my heart that the PCM children are the promising future of Uganda.  I know it when I look in Gloria’s eyes and when I pray with Raban, when I see Annah dancing at Rwemikoma, and when the children flood down the hill at Sanga.  So if visiting them and hugging them will encourage them to continue to live for Jesus and love Him with all of their hearts, then that is what we’ll do.  And with your help we will feed and clothe and educate them, so that they can focus all of their lives on the purpose God has called them to.

The night before we left I watched this video again.  It’s a good reminder of why we’re doing what we’re doing, on Trip 19 and at Parental Care Ministries in general.  If you’ve never seen it or it’s been awhile, it’s worth the 3 minutes.

The Power of One

I hope you’ll read the blogs so that you can be with us on this journey.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.

DC