Who is going on trip #3?

1. Mark Barret (Bub) - pediatrician and leader for this trip
2. Monica Barret- mother of two daughters, artist
3. Jay Ferguson- Headmaster Grace Community School Tyler Tx
4. Ashley Ferguson- mother of three daughters, Director Marburger Farms
5. Doug Clark - head Pastor Grace Community Church Tyler Tx
6. Myles Cunningham- beloved 6th grade History teacher at Grace Community School Tyler Tx
7. Krisitin Laughlin- professional photographer Austin Tx

What are we going to be doing?

• We leave  Wednesday July 22
• We will hold a mass wedding for 13 couples at a local soccer stadium- opportunity for evangelism
• We will attend Pastor Emmy’s home church for a Sunday service
• Jay and Doug  will lead a 2 day pastor’s conference for 43 of Emmy’s pastors
• Mr C will teach the orphans and meet with the teachers
• Monica, Ashley and I will be in charge of orphan encouragement,  we now have nearly 220 of them to love on
• We will visit and get to preach at several of Pastor Emmy’s rural churches
• Kristin will capture all the action on film.  
• We return to DFW August 1st

A wedding?

Why would we be holding a wedding in Uganda?  Especially one for 13 couples? Well it is a very big blessing to have a wedding in Uganda. Most couples can not afford the dowry that is usually paid to the brides family.  So many couples don’t officially get married. Not to mention the costs of the wedding.  Big weddings just don’t happen and a group wedding has never happened in Mbarara.   

Here is a part of a recent email to me from Pastor Emmy that helps explain. 

Beloved,
Really you don’t know how much this wedding is becoming a great blessing to those who are going to Wed,for our Churches and all other Pentecostal denominations in this Area.Recently I have been having a meeting with Pastors from other Pentecostal denominations here in Mbarara Town.I invited them in this meeting to involve them to help us organizing this Wedding.They all were very happy for this first of it’s kind Mass Wedding in our Town.This is going to be the first Mass Wedding in our Town and District.We have ever heard some being done in Kampala Church but here this is is going to be the first.All People are looking forward to see how it is going to be done. Beloved those who are going to wed it is great because they are very happy for the blessing given to them.They were challenged because all along they have been afraid not knowing how to come out of this really.They have been afraid to wed because they are poor not having money for the Wedding.Until the Lord used me to challenge them to come out of this.I told them to wed officially is not all about making the expensive wedding but it is to do the right thin before God and people in the right time. 

Most of these couples would never have this chance to marry so they are incredibly excited.  Let me show you a few of the 12 Ugandan couples

This is Driver Emmy and Mary.  She is fully recovered from the malaria she experienced on our last trip.

Pastor John and Jane. 

Monica and I have decided after 19 years of marriage to renew our vows with these 12 couples. We want to affirm our faith to each other as we stand before God and our Ugandan family .  Pastor Emmy will be my best man, Sarah will be Monica’s matron of honor.

This is a picture of Monica , Emmy’s mom Shirley , Supermom Sarah and Emmy

What can you do to be a part of this trip?

Many people have asked us what can they do to join us on this trip.  We need lots of prayer support as always.  In addition I have listed some suggestions below for those of you wanting to bless these people.

$25   Teacher and staff  special snack for the lounge.  These teachers survive on $3-4 a day. Their income is always reserved for the most essentials to sustain life.  They are so grateful for a dependable job.  Their lounge is the most humble building I have ever conducted a meeting inside of.  But oh God is so present there.

$50  rice bag.  We can buy a 50 kilogram bag of rice for the orphans.  Over there as an orphan the diet is pourrige in the morning, and potates/bananas/beans for lunch and dinner if possible.   Can you imagine,  rice as a treat.  Usually two 50 kilogram bags will feed all the orphans.

$75  Hygiene items.  It will buy a ton of soap, toothbrushes, tooth paste, and petroleum jelly for many of the orphans.  They use petroleum jelly instead of lotion after baths because it is too expensive. The well is making a huge difference in hygiene for these children.

$100 will buy a special snack for every orphan.  What moved me the most in March of 2008 was watching each orphan graciously hold out his or her hand, take the snack and juice and savor each bite and sip.  Most had never seen a juice cup and many had no idea how to open it.  There was no fighting or asking for seconds, only gratefulness for what was provided.

$250 will support a rural Ugandan pastor for several months.    

Pastor Reuber and his beautiful wife Hallen

These pastors willingly serve the LORD with little or no pay. Running with the love of Jesus with great faith that God will provide for them and their families.  We have been so blessed to get to know so many of them.  One of our favorite things in the world to do is to sit in their homes and being offered a coca cola in their living rooms as a gift of their hospitality to us when this is a huge sacrifice.  They are truly so gifted at giving.  It’s a joy to give back to these wonderful servants of the LORD.   

$500 will give a much needed upgrade to the orphan’s kitchen.

We have the kitchen on site and it is a very busy room when cooking for 220 all day.  Chief cook Elsam and his staff do an amazing job providing nutritional meals for these children. Each meal takes hours to prepare and he sleeps only a few hours here and there.  These funds would help with pots, pans, cooking utensils and other vital equipment. 

$1000 would pay for the choir at Mbarara Parental Care School to record a CD and make copies that could be used to raise support here in America.

The children singing is one of the most remarkable memories we hold after visiting the school The joyful praises these children sing to God with all their hearts is a beautiful experience and is very healing to anyone who has the blessing of hearing.            

Remember all donations to Parental Care Ministries are 100% tax deductible. We officially received our non-profit status from the I.R.S. in April - Praise the LORD and thanks to Kent Kalb and Chuck Bauman for being our legal/accounting team.     

If you are supporting an orphan…. 

We will be accepting care packages to bring to them.   We would like to keep them relatively small ( 8.5 X 11 envelope) .   Suggestions would be a small note, family picture,  stickers, small candy, colors, pencil, pens, coloring book, small game book/journal etc.   We are trying to limit the toys to the bigger ones the children can all share.  Please contact Monica or I or you can mail them to our ministry address:  PCM ,  3610 River Oaks, Tyler Tx 75707

Another round of letters has been mailed several weeks ago from Pastor Emmy but they are somewhere between Uganda and the US. It is easy to write to them at:    Parental Care Ministries,    c/o your orphan name,  PO BOX 1690,  Mbarara UGANDA,  East Africa

We hope to take pictures with our professional photographer and some video for each family to see the love and joy you are providing these children. 

We are so grateful for your continuing prayer and support of God’s children in Uganda.