Boy in Mbulamuti

This boy was sitting in our group of 50 sponsorship candidates in Mbulamuti on Tuesday.  He wouldn't smile for the camera, but his face lit up when I showed him a picture of himself.

Note the bottle of water in his hands. This is an all too common sight.

Todd

Tuesday Night in Uganda

Wow - no Internet access is a quick reminder of how much I love to use it - even in Uganda! This is Julie, the lone female influence on the trip - and what a trip it has been!

Having been here 9 times before, I knew not to try to predict all of the wonderful things that would touch my heart and trip #10 is no different. The people we have met every day are joyful, loving, Christ-filled reminders of how great our God is.

Nakabango, the village we have partnered with for 6 years through my church, was where we spent all of Sunday. Getting to see 100+ of the kids we sponsor there is always a thrill. They are absolutely precious! The school is thriving and we had some extremely productive meetings late that day.

Monday and Tuesday were spent in Kamuli and Mbulamuti, with a quick visit to Butungala. What a heartbreaking difference in a village that doesn't have a partnering congregation - sicker, dirtier kids - but what a joy to be able strengthen our relationships with those people. Leaving them was hard but we got to give them some good news about new sponsorships for some of their kids and a congregation ready to partner with

Wish I could post some of the pictures I got to take today. Just so many beautiful faces. It was fun to watch Andy, Todd, and Curt interact with the kids; a lot of them don't have many males influences in their lives so receiving attention from those three was priceless.
We continue to hand out bag after bag of candy, bracelets, pencils, t-shirts, and lots and lots of hugs! So blessed to be able to incorporate meetings for Hearts and Hope as we deepen relationships with these wonderful people. Hope to update again tomorrow evening!

T-Shirt in Mbulamuti

Had a wonderful Monday and Tuesday in Mbulamuti & Kamuli.  Julie will post more details, but compare & contrast these 2 photos.







From Messiah in Weldon Springs to Mbulamuti in Uganda. 

I think I know where this shirt will get the most use.

Todd

Off the Bus

We're heading to 2 more remote village today - Mbulamuti and Kamuli.
Saturday and Sunday were amazing when we visited Mafubira and Nakabango - where Messiah Lutheran has been partnering with the village for 6 years.   It's amazing to see the transformation that has occurred there and Hearts & Hope was created to replicate that success for other villages.

Mbulamuti is the first new village to have a partnership through Hearts & Hope and Waters Edge in Allen, Texas is excited about the possibilities.

As we travel to stay at this more remote village overnight, we don't expect to be able to connect to the internet, so for updates be sure to check our Facebook and twitter pages.  Since these updates are based on text messages,  they are short but hopefully they are informative.

Facebook.com/heartsandhope
Twitther.com/HH4Uganda

Off to another adventure!

Todd

Time to Get Off the Bus

Up bright and early and excited for our plans this week.  Can't believe that 9 months ago I was here in Uganda for the first time and had just participared in a morning devotion that was themed "Get Off the Bus" (and engage in service).

And now I sit in the same hotel lobby preparing to get off the bus and start a new chapter in Uganda.  A lot of planning and work since that day and things are starting to move quickly.

Not sure of exactly what the week has in store for us, but one thing I do know is that we will be blessed by those we meet throughout the week and that we will be in a better position to help in this great cause.

Todd

Change of plans!

It turns out that our main website blog isn't accessible from Uganda.  So, we'll be using this blog instead.  As mentioned in other communications, our ability to post will be limited to the internet connectivity that we get, but our Facebook and Twitter pages should contain short text updates from the field.

Facebook - facebook.com/heartsandhope
Twitter - twitter.com/hh4uganda

Note:  anything posted to one of the above will appear on the other.

However, as you can tell, flexibility is a requirement!

Todd