School Launch

Previous Post from Tuesday, 14 May 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

Give Hope Ministries is humbled to announce that on March 10th 2013, we officially opened doors to Proverbs Junior Academy. This term we have over 60 kids enrolled and we will be adding more kids next term. Additionally, we have been blessed to complete construction of the classrooms and are nearing completion of the doors, windows, and interior paintwork. This semester, there are several orphans attending the school. As we learn the process of documentation of new orphans and begin the construction of home units, more will be admitted.

Two women from Pennsylvania visited the school recently to help train and provide resources for our teachers. They also spent some time with the students and brought a number of school supplies. We are so grateful to our volunteers!

We currently have seven teachers on staff: Joseph Wandera (head teacher), Betty Ajiambo, Robert, Linda, Dorothy, Grace and Hellen. We also have a wonderful cook, Madam Juliet who provides breakfast and lunch for the students. Please pray for our staff.

In April, I had the opportunity to visit the homes of several children and spoke with their caregivers on the value of education. I also visited a Muslim family who were very excited about the school and supportive of their child’s education. I was very surprised and thankful that they have allowed all their three children to study with us even though they know we are teaching their kids about Christ. This interaction was such a great encouragement to the team and to me.

After school we are playing soccer with the youth at the orphanage school as one way of reaching out to them with the gospel. The kids love it!

Additionally, please pray about an exciting development that is still in its early stages. We are beginning conversations with the World Vision office in Busia about what it would look like to partner with them in a variety of areas.

We have finished exams for this first term and will be on school break until classes resume on May 20th. Thank you for your continued prayers and support as we move forward with plans to expand the school and begin work on the housing complexes for the orphans.

Many blessings and lots of love from Busia, Uganda.
Willy Ouma

A Year of Blessings

Previous Post from Friday, 08 February 2013

Hello friends and family,

It’s always a great pleasure to update you with what the Lord is doing in our pursuit of Him. God has been very gracious to us at Give Hope Ministries, as we have been seeking Him to meet the needs of the children we are serving in the orphanage school in Busia, Uganda. As the new year begins, we thank God for His faithfulness and grace as He journeyed with me from Minnesota to Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, back to Colorado, and on to Wyoming. I have been continually blessed on this trip to be surrounded by great men and women of faith and generosity.

One of the many gifts we are celebrating right now is that Give Hope Ministries was granted Tax Exempt status from the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), on November 21, 2012. This means contributions made after this date are deductible on your 2012 US Tax returns!

During my time in Minnesota and Idaho, I had the opportunity to share the message of Give Hope Ministries with brothers and sisters at several churches. Then, in Oklahoma, I got to take a long car ride with my host who is a great man of God. Listening to his thoughts about the Kingdom was incredibly encouraging to me. In Colorado, I had the opportunity to ski for the first time with my host family and enjoyed God's beauty in a new way. In Santa Fe I was even able to meet with some of my classmates from Moody Bible Institute. It brought such joy as we laughed and reminded each other about the goodness of the Lord. This season has been refreshing to my soul.

Throughout the Christmas season, as we were remembering our Saviour's birth and exchanging gifts, Give Hope Ministries was continually blessed by the generosity of our donors. God has kept on surprising us with His amazing grace here at Give Hope Ministries as we have been seeking Him and working to reach out to the needy kids.

God continues to be very gracious to us through the overwhelming gifts of friendship that we enjoy with you our partners. He meets all our needs according to His riches in glory! We deeply thank you once again for your prayers and donations, for that is what has sustained us as a ministry and we continue to depend on your support.

In Christ,

Willy

Give Hope Ministries Update

Previous Post from Monday, 03 December 2012

Hello everyone!

The fundraising campaign for Give Hope Ministries is in full swing, and we have many blessings to share with you!

It has been so refreshing to meet with many Godly men and women all across the country. At each location I visit, I have been blessed beyond words by the people there. I am realizing that I have family all over the world!

While in California, I was revitalized by my host family’s generosity and by the church community. It was a wonderful start to the trip, and the church there provided my soul with much needed refreshment.

I was able to meet with several people that helped with the business side of the ministry. Then, as a surprise, a friend from Ohio surprised me and flew out to meet me in San Diego! We spent wonderful time together and he was a great encouragement to me. As we were returning from the beach one day, my host told me that I had an opportunity to meet with someone from the nearby Hispanic church to share the vision of Give Hope Ministries. We went directly there and I talked with the pastor of the church. He then asked me to share God’s word and our ministry’s vision to the congregation that same evening. I was still in my swim trunks! But God reminded me that we must be ready to share in season and out, so I spoke to the brethren what God laid on my heart. I shared about the orphanage and school campus we are building in Busia, and immediately afterwards the congregation decided to take an offering and become a church partner with Give Hope Ministries! Thank you Jesus!

From California I flew to Wisconsin, and I really enjoyed staying with the family there — they have such beautiful hearts! My host spoke to all her friends about what we are doing in Uganda and we visited many churches. On one visit, I went with her to visit a prison. While there, I met a man named Cesar and told him about the work God is doing in Busia, Uganda. He was very interested in our story and committed to donating. I was so humbled — a prisoner of six years wanted to partner with Give Hope Ministries! This really captured my spirit and God is using it to challenge my heart as I continue raising support for GHM. It is such a blessing to see God working in peoples’ lives!

I was able to spend a weekend in Chicago visiting friends from college, and it was great encouragement for me. The following week, an open house meeting was planned to speak with those interested in partnering with us. God is providing people that want to get involved in all kinds of different ways. Two amazing young men even want to teach at our campus! As we continue raising funds for the completion of the building project, God continues to support and guide the vision that he has given to me.

I am thrilled by peoples’ eagerness to make a difference in the lives of little ones in Busia, Uganda. If you would like to partner with us, please visit our giving page.

Thank you for praying with us!

Blessings,

Willy