Fall 2008

 

October: Medical Outreach in Uganda In October, a small medical team from the US went to work in Kampala along side several Ugandan doctors, nurses and volunteers.  The combined team spent 3 days in the slums of Namuwango and 4 days in Mpigi, a rural area just outside of Kampala where Heart of the Bride hopes to build a children’s home in the future. The medical team was able to provide basic medical care to more than 1,100 people and provide the necessary logistics and finances for 3 babies to receive continued medical care at two local hospitals. Some patients were in critical need.  Medical outreaches are unique in that many needs are instantly met; the one-on-one encounters with people, though short, are plentiful and very meaningful. The responses of those who came to seek medical attention were many. The people were overwhelmingly grateful for the care they received. It was a blessing to see those who came back several days in a row benefit from the silver dressings that were applied to their severely infected wounds and sores.  One lady, who said she was tired of going to the witch doctor, came to know Christ. and the little boy who was there every day playing in the field surrounding the medical tents, came to Christ as well. Others, who arrived too late to see a doctor, refused to go home until someone laid hands on them and prayed for them.  All in all, people were impacted spiritually as well as physically. The church at Namuwango reported an attendance three times larger than normal following the clinic.
September: New Home for Mary's Kids                                                                   Hirwa is a university student at Kampala International and part of a discipleship group led by HOB missionary, Kevin Ironside. Last year, Kevin led the group through the study “Experiencing God”.  The study teaches that “God is always at work around us, and we need to ask Him to reveal to us where He is working”.  During that study, Hirwa began asking God to reveal where He was at work around him.  A few weeks later, while on his morning run before classes, Hirwa noticed a group of children praying and singing near his residence.  He began watching them more each day to see who they were.  He observed them collecting water from the well and searching for firewood for their daily cooking.  He said that he could tell that the children were very poor but that they seemed to be happy and were always looking out for one another.  One day he decided to go to their house and find out more.  He discovered that they were all orphans and being cared for by one lady named Mary.  When he saw the rough conditions of their home, Hirwa realized that they really needed help.  God burdened him to begin helping her and the children. Mary became a Christian in 1994 and almost immediately, she became burdened for orphans.  She said that she would pray that God would provide for the many orphans in her community and asked if he would give her money to help them.  Then one day while praying, she felt that the Lord spoke in her spirit, “What are you waiting for”?  It had been two years, and she had done very little, while waiting for God’s provision.  She was serving as a schoolteacher and a head master in a school.   In 1996, she left her job and started a school for orphans.  She charged a minimal school fee, but those who could not pay came for free.  It was a huge financial sacrifice.   She felt the call to do what she could, and stepped out in faith and began to help orphans.   After a short time of running the school, orphan children came and babies were brought to her to care for on a full-time basis.  She began taking them into her home and doing what she could. Through all these years, Mary has been trusting God with no ongoing support.  All in all, 32 children are currently under Mary’s care. 17 stay with her, and the others stay at her church. In an effort to buy more food and pay bills, she has been subleasing her house to university students.  It was working fairly well but her landlady saw what she was doing and began raising her rent.  Mary then had to reduce the amount of space she was using for the children, so that she could sublease more rooms.  Eventually, all of the children were forced into one room (about 10 ft by 12 ft).  Some were sleeping in a small wooden hut, with leaking tin roof and dirt floors.  Hirwa introduced Heart of the Bride missionaries, Kevin and Pamela Ironside, to Mary and the kids. When the Ironsides discovered Mary, this was how the children were living.  Mary simply did not have enough resources to meet all the needs.      After months of a growing relationship and evidence of the purity of this ministry, Kevin was able move Mary and her kids to a wonderful new home adjacent to a church compound, clinic, and Christian school. God has heard their prayer and met their needs.   On moving day, Kevin was able to transport the children. They were so excited. He says, ‘they couldn’t stop hugging me.”  They had never seen their future home, so they were full of anticipation.  When they arrived at the house and pulled into the driveway, the entire van full of kids erupted into cheering and clapping.  They could not believe this was their new place. They did not fully realize how much better it was.  In their eyes, it was unbelievable.   Many people have participated in this "extreme home transition", but HOB was able to provide this new home and support because of the responsiveness of a contributing Christian business. For the next few months, all of their basic needs will be met. Now, many others will have the opportunity to participate in future of these beautiful children through contributions to the HOB Uganda ministry. God has been at work on their behalf, and we are so glad to be a part of his work.
September: Crisis Relief for Haiti Throughout recent months Haiti has been hard hit with hurricanes and flooding. For a country already in desperate poverty the blows have been devastating. The orphans that we care for have been protected from the full extent of the storms because they live in the Northwest region is mountainous. Nevertheless, food and resources are scarce thoughout the country, and even more so now.  In late 2007, Heart of the Bride shipped a 40 foot container filled with  nutritional food packets to Northern Haiti to provide for orphans and widows who are malnourished. Because of many delays and complications, the container was not finally released until August of 2008. As frustrated as we became with the delays, we were still amazed that the trucks transporting the food to our partners traveled safely through Gonaive just one day before the most recent floods destoyed the city. God is not always on our time table, but He is always on time. Today, hungry children are receiving nutritional meals because of HOB supporters. More Haiti News: The Christian Human Care School for orphan boys added a new class this fall, and doubled in size. These boys are growing and learning. They are also benefiting from the food shipment. Most of them were coming to school hungry. Now they have their daily bread. Urgent Need! The kids of Zabet will finally have a home. In a gathering of a few HOB supporters earlier this year, an offering was given to build a home for these 70 children. Incidentally, many of them lost their parents in a previous flood. The walls are up, But we need to send a team in January to build the trusses and give them a roof. The trip is still open, and we still need more workers. This investment of time and resources could be a great Christmas gift. Contact Karen vandeVoorde for more information: karenwithhob@yahoo.com.
Summer: HOB Short Term Teams Descend upon Africa All in all, close to 90 people participated in HOB short term trips in 2008. Multiple teams ministered in Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, and Haiti.  19 people from the Harrison family (pictured right) met for a family reunion to perform ministry together in Zambia.  Besides the Harrisons, team members from all over the U.S. ranging in age from grade schoolers to "Seniors" assisted our kids and partners in amazing ways.  Ministry included medical outreach, feeding programs, BIble clubs, street ministry, orphanage construction, building a missionary house, ministry to refugees, discipleship teaching, vocational training, changing diapers, and lots of loving on kids!