Raining Hope Uganda

Uganda Children – Update #3
(I am having various team members write the updates for the ISP website. I wanted to share their perspective of what they are experiencing! These two are written by Bradyn & Jeannette!)

Hey everybody! I’m loving it here in Uganda! Our hotel is great and the staff here is awesome. One of the coolest things for me has been going to devotions with the hotel staff. The devotions have brought me to tears more than once. On the first day of devotions we sang the song, “Here I Am to Worship.” During the song, God completely blew my mind. I realized that God has brought me here to Uganda to worship with my African brothers & sisters & to declare that He is my God. It was such an incredible moment.
After devotions on our first full day, the team did some prep work for the VBS we will be doing next week. We also went to lunch in town and did some shopping. It was cool to see what main street in town is like.
In the afternoon we finally went to the children’s home for the first time! The love & joy that fills that place is indescribable. It took a few minutes for the kids to warm up to us. But once they did we all had a ton of fun. There was lots of dancing, singing, laughter & squealing involved. The kids of the home are so beautiful & joyful. Playing with them has blessed me immensely.
Our second full day was another great day. We got to start the day off again at staff devotions. Again, it was absolutely incredible. The way that they simply speak the truth, straight from the Word of God, touches your heart like nothing else can. In the afternoon we got to go back to the home. It’s such an awesome feeling to just love on those kids. They took us out to the front lawn and taught us some of their games. I’m sure it was hilarious watching us try to figure out what we were suppose to be doing. It was so much fun.
Another highlight to our second day at the home was being able to watch the kids receive new clothes. Our team brought several pieces of luggage stuffed with clothes for these kids. Being able to watch as they received their new clothes was such a blessing for the team.
Our first two full days were packed full of activities & emotions. They were amazing days. Being here in Uganda is even better than anything I could have imagined. I have been so blessed and have learned so much already.

I love Uganda.
Bradyn Brown

Uganda Children Update #4
I think I can speak for the whole team when I say it has been an honor & joy to serve here in Uganda!
We started the day by visiting “The Source of the Nile!” They had many small shops set up and we had so much fun buying gifts as we walked down to the Nile River. We stood by the Source of the Nile and Eydie read an article to us about our Lord being the Source of eternal life. Being at the spot where the underground springs break through the earth and the Nile was awesome!
After taking many photos, we went to lunch. We ate at a quaint café in Jinja called “Ozzie’s.” We met a family while eating there that had moved from Washington State to a remote village two hours outside of town. They told us the people speak no English there. They absolutely love ministering here and we can all see why!
After lunch we went to the home to spend time with the children. We all had so much fun. I think the kid’s favorite thing today was learning the “Macarena!” We all took turns dancing but we all laughed the hardest when Henry (a young boy from the home) was teaching me some of his moves!
Today was Mother’s Day and my “Golden Day!” Each team member will have a day where they are showered with love, encouragement, cards from the team, and a few yummy treats from home. So even though I was away from my three children, I want to thank you for letting me borrow your precious daughters. They brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion today. Each of you parents has so much to be proud of! They have each been a blessing to Eydie & me!
This morning we attended Calvary Chapel Jinja. We sang worship songs that we all knew. The sound of all our voices blended together to worship our King was truly beautiful. The pastor spoke from Romans 13:1-7. He is from Uganda but he preached in English. His accent was so thick, at times I thought he may have switched back to Luganda (local language).
I think the highlight for all of us today was giving each child at the home their very own Bible! They were so excited! We broke the children into groups according to age and began to teach them how to study God’s Word! Many of them went to get newspaper to cover their new gift. We are going to continue to do Bible studies with them over the new two weeks.
Our day concluded with dinner at the Sunset Hotel. This was a special treat. The food was very good. I had my first diet coke in a week! It was a perfect end to my “Golden Day!”
Thank you for all of your prayers! We are all healthy & full of joy!

Jeannette Russell