Through the Eyes of a Child

Previous Post from Monday, 16 December 2013

There is a certain Christmas song that seems a distant memory now; the lyrics are “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”  Oh it is not among the classics like “Hark the Herald Angels”, or “Jingle Bells” or even “Grandma got run over by a Reindeer.” However, it delivers a message of simplicity and a humbled desire for things we take for granted so often.

Recently the children’s ministry of a small church became partners with Give Hope Ministries. They contacted me and asked, what do the orphan children want for Christmas? So, I sent a message to our founder (Willy Ouma) posing this very question. Shortly a list came back associating each child to the gift of their choice.

There, in this list of requests from orphaned children living in a poverty stricken country like Uganda, was a request for…a pencil. A PENCIL?!

Oh there were toys and clothes and other such things, but a pencil? I was set back for a moment. I looked around and figured out that I did not have a pencil myself, I just don’t use them any more. Again I reviewed the list, but the Pencil stuck out in my mind because this child was given no limitations on his request. The Pencil just seemed so insignificant, even compared the other children’s requests.

Puzzled by the request now, I put down my smart phone, laid aside the tablet, printed the list from the computer, and set out to visit with the children at the small church that made the original request to share the results.

On the drive over, I began to think about my perception of Christmas gift requests: in the world of children caught up with the latest craze; the mega whatever; which everyone must have in order to function in society. And now we have a crisis, a child with nothing: no home; no sense of family; little food; difficulty finding clean water; and likely lacking someone who cares… and they are asking for a PENCIL! It makes me wonder if I am just too stuck on the things of this world.

Arriving, I place the list before the children at the church. They inform me the request made perfect sense, maybe a pencil was needed to write a letter to them, or after all the child is learning at the new school and might make some mistakes to erase or needed to express their gratitude about having found hope in Jesus. Maybe with a pencil he could make a bigger list. Or perhaps she just wanted to write a request for a meal.

In the eyes of the children, they could see through the eyes of the orphan child what I could not. The things of our world had not yet fully blotted out the need for the Pencil to these children.

Today we have the technical power to write our ideas, format, translate and send out thoughts in print around the world. Yet, even with all that power, it was a simple device like a pencil that penned the greatest words ever written, the word of GOD. Today, even with all our achievements, we could not have created such an enduring truth as the good news of Christ Jesus.

God GAVE by Jesus Christ his gift, we have been asked to give as well.

So in this time of focused thanks and giving, GIVE HOPE to the children at GIVE HOPE MINISTRIES. We have so much to learn from these children and we can be immensely blessed by our decision to give. Give as it purposes in your heart, as seen in a child’s eye, even if it is just a Pencil.

- Ray

Sustainability

Previous Post from Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Despite generally noble intentions, the western Church has largely underestimated the gravity and complexity of the situation in developing countries like Uganda and thus presented solutions of inappropriate simplicity. We have consistently over-focused on what we can do or what we can give with our resources. And we have consistently under-focused on what God can do with a life empowered by His hope and love. As a result we have become unknowing accomplices to systems of poverty in our attempts to overcome these very systems.

Jesus did not live out his ministry to the poor by feeling pity on them and throwing money. He didn’t minister by establishing a relationship of status-based superiority.

He lived with them.

He learned about the way that they hurt. He learned about the way they were broken. And He empowered them with his outpouring of love and truth which aligned directly with their need. Jesus conducted His ministry to the needy in solidarity with them. And I believe deeply that this attitude is exactly what He expects from us.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone needs to get on a plane tomorrow and fly to Africa. That would not be helpful. However, I do believe that we should invest considerable effort learning about a society at depth before deciding how best to help them.

In the case of Uganda, many (though not all) of the roots of their current state of oppression can be linked to their subservient relationship to the western world; a relationship which dates back over 500 years. From the transatlantic slave trade (1500s-1800s); to European Colonialism (1800s-1958); to American involvement in corrupt, post-colonial governments (1950s-1980s); to today’s crisis of dependence on Western donors; we have long been a major contributor to Uganda’s problems. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that any lasting improvement in the lives of Ugandans will come alongside a reduction in dependence on western involvement, and that includes the far-reaching hand of Christian charity.

Yes, it is good that we give to the poor. And yes, I believe it pleases the Lord that American Christians are finally awakening to their calling to serve as “a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat.”  But, it is key that we remain mindful of how our giving impacts the bigger picture.

As our ministry seeks to follow a sustainable model of development, we do so with a desire to address (on an extremely small scale) patterns of oppression enabled by the complex, broken nature of international sponsor/donor relations. We fundamentally believe that lessening Ugandan dependence on western donors is good for Ugandans. And, most importantly, we believe that Christ wants what is good for Ugandans!

So join us at Give Hope Ministries as we partner with Ugandan families to empower the orphans of Busia, Uganda through education, hope, and the love of Christ. Join us as we make a difference in the lives of children and communities with the use of an initial, upfront capital investment rather than an open-ended donation and the generations of baggage that goes alongside.

Let’s work together to show Christ’s love by empowering impoverished communities with hope and love. Let’s break away from ignorance and live in solidarity with those we have been called to serve. Let’s be a part of the solution.

Let’s Give Hope!

- Jacob

October Update

Previous Post from Sunday, 27 October 2013

Greetings from Give Hope Ministries here in Busia, Uganda! It is with great joy and pleasure that I update you here from the field as many exciting things have come to fruition since I last wrote to you.

We started constructing a new classroom block and we are done with its foundation, trusting God to begin building the walls soon. For now we can only envision the students God will bring to fill these classrooms with learning and with hope. You can keep up with the progress by visiting Give Hope Ministries’ facebook page.

Big news! I married the most beautiful woman, Autumn, on September 14th, here in Busia. This day was shared with around 500 of our family and friends where we laughed, danced, ate, and shared so many memories! The reception was held right here at Give Hope Ministries ground. It was truly an unforgettable day and I praise God as I enter into this new chapter of my life, with Autumn.

I am glad to share with you the generosity of the donated school supplies from two churches in Powell, Wyoming. These supplies were delivered here by Vicki who attends Light of Christ. We are forever grateful for the hearts and prayers of these two churches and a big thanks to Vicki for her time, talent, gifts, and love.

I want to share with you the current fundraising campaign for Give Hope Ministries. Autumn and her friend Christina set out to climb the tallest mountain in all of Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro found in Tanzania, in hopes to raise $7,000 for Give Hope Ministries. After six days they reached summit, Uhuru Peak, on September 30th finding themselves at almost 20,000 feet high. The task was arduous and they are still experiencing some frostbite but they believe the $3,357 they have raised, to date, is well worth it. We are grateful for Autumn & Christina and all the work they have put into this project, not to mention their strength and vigor and the people who have supported them to raise these funds! We know that the funds raised will prove to be a valuable asset here especially to these precious little ones at the orphanage school. This campaign closes in the next few days. If you would like to donate directly to this campaign please visit, www.igg.me/at/Kiliclimb.

Thursday, October 3rd, we held a board meeting via Skype keeping each other up to date and encouraging one another with good news.

This past Friday, October 4th, I had the privilege of getting the children out of the classroom and into the garden where we learned to plant vegetables. This will be a great learning experiment as we watch these vegetables grow and soon enjoy them! Here at Give Hope Ministries we believe in the importance of allowing the children to learn with their hands in all subjects.

Every Sunday we hold church service in one of the classrooms here at Give Hope Ministries. It’s a true joy to worship our Father with the children who attend school here as well as their caregivers. But yesterday’s church service here at Busia Community church was different! The praise and worship echoed far and wide as we all enjoyed the sound system and the new keyboard donated from our generous friends! Praise God! Today all the students and staff were blessed immensely as Pastor Stephen came and shared a message from the word of God. He shared from Daniel 1:3, 4 encouraging the students to excel and do well in school as their futures depend on it. Here we also believe in the value of sharing the gospel with these young ones.

You can see we have many exciting things happening here and I hope this letter has found you and yours well.

Blessings,

Willy Ouma