Hello Good Friends ,   I would like to update you on my travel plans for January 2014.  I will again be traveling to the Mustard Seed Babies Home in Hoima, Uganda to spend time with the children there. Many changes have been made as the children have gotten older and younger children have arrived. Since I was last there, 6 new infants have come. There are a total of 22 infants and toddlers. As for the older children, there are continued efforts to work to find them homes with remaining family as they are now over 18. This has been a difficult job. First the families have to be located. Many of the children came to the Babies Home as a result of their mother dying during childbirth. Their fathers were not able to care for a new infant as there were usually other older children at home. Now that the child is older and has been educated, the family is more capable of caring for the child. The family is supported through this transition as is the now young adult. I have had the pleasure of keeping closer contact with many of the older kids through Facebook and it is wonderful to hear how they are doing at school and with the transition back into their biological family. Not all transition smoothly by the majority do.

My work this visit will be with these older kids. We have found that Vacation Bible School is great for those under about 12 years old but the older kids were helping more than enjoying.  Last year we had other college kids from Kampala come to bring song and sharing to a 3 day event called Healing the Orphan’s Heart. It was full of discussion sessions on forgiveness and adapting to new situations such as found in their reunited families. We plan to continue this discussion and I and 4 other team members will be assisting with this. Some of the college students will also be returning to bring their musical talents to pull the 3 days together.

Last, I have a new adventure planned with this trip. 8 of us are extending our stay in Africa and traveling to Rwanda. We will be going to some of the other organizations sponsored by Mustard Seed Projects.  We will be visiting Sonrise School, a boarding school sponsored by the Anglican Church of Rwanda that has been successfully educating children for 20 years. We will be working with Pastor Deo, a local minister who works with children of the streets who find their food and lively hood in the dumps around Kigali. Street Children and Youth Ministry, Pastor Deo’s organization, considers transformation, reconciliation, and crime prevention to be key components of Rwanda’s restoration in the aftermath of the genocide. He emphasizes all 3 aspects in the intervention in the lives of young people who determine the future of their nation. Lastly we will be traveling to northern Rwanda to visit an Anglican Bishop and his wife, staying in their home and visiting their small orphanage that they have recently opened. You know me, new adventures and new needs always excite me.

There are several things you can do to help again this year.  Of course please join me in praying for this mission. We have 15 people traveling from Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Mississippi and California. Most have traveled with Mission of Hope before and at least 2 are new but are family members of those going. The prayer support is just so necessary. Please pray for God’s direction as we prepare both the plan for Vacation Bible School for the younger kids and Healing to the Orphan Heart program for the older. The theme for VBS this year is Moses and the miracles God worked through him. Pray during our Mission, January 8, 2014 to January 24,2014.  Pray for the kids, especially the older kids as we are assisting most to join us at the Babies Home but some will be with their families and may have a difficult time getting to us. We are working to raise funding for travel for them also. With the travel to Rwanda and visiting these new ministries, I would like to be able to support them someway financially. Any monies I receive from you will go toward these efforts.

If you would like to read more about all these ministries and the Mustard Seed Project, check out their website www.mustardseedproject.org.  It is a small organization but doing lots of good.

Now to the money talk. I have been blessed this past year with a system to raise my personal travel money. I have been teaching a chair exercise class at our church and the ladies have been sending donations each month to our Church Mission Fund. This has allowed me to pay for my airline ticket and some of the expenses for staying in Uganda. I recently found out that the efforts to raise money to take for discretionary spending while in country has been limited. The members of the mission team who have done this in the past have not been well this past year and not been able to work toward fundraising. You have all been generous in the past and I am very grateful for that. If you are still able and would like to help, any money I raise will be going to assisting with the projects we have planned while in country. On my last trip I had some discretionary funds and was able to help with a child’s tuition to complete nursing school, purchase school supplies for children at the Babies Home who do not have personal sponsors and fund some repairs that had not been made because of lack of funds at the Babies Home. Of course I was able to take several of the kids into town to shop. I cannot go to Africa and not shoe shop, it is so much fun. Being able to take the cash with me and see it put to use most times before I leave assures me that middle man costs are not there. I am asking that you consider funding this project again.

Please make checks out to St. James Episcopal Church and note on the check Mission Fund. You can send the checks to

St. James Episcopal Church

2050 Bert Kouns

Shreveport, LA 71118.

The church is also supporting this effort with 2 breakfasts where parishioners donate and I cook. I have help in the cooking so the meal is really good. My goal is to take $2500 with me.   

My plan is to update this blog each day I am in country but that is dependent on Internet connection and time. If you would like to get the info by e-mail, please send me your e-mail in a message to the blog or ask to friend me on Facebook as I will be posting there too.

Thanks again for the support and love shown as I travel on these adventures, it would not be possible without your love.