The end of the year is upon us!
There is a definite rhythm to things in Uganda. One of the important ways
we have to adapt our own pace of life somewhat so that we can walk alongside
others in relationships.
We enjoy the fact that in the month of December activities tend to slow down. Schools close early in the month, and students are typically on holiday for five to six weeks. Many people have extended vacation time from work and so they travel back to their home areas.
There is no cold (not even cool) weather, which we actually miss sometimes; but there are no traffic jams from Christmas shopping either, which is fine with us.
That being said, there have been some exciting things happening here at the end of the year. On December 10 to 12 we hosted the annual Youth Conference for Churches of Christ. There were about 300 in attendance and 7 baptisms!
Mbale Church of Christ will also host the yearly Women's Conference in early January and we anticipate 250 to 300 ladies coming for it also.
Opportunities for End of Year Giving
We know that there are many opportunities to donate to various charities at this time of year and we wanted to make you aware of two projects that we are directly involved with here that we believe are very worthwhile if you feel so inclined to give to.
The first opportunity for giving is to help add on to an elderly church member's home. Francis Kato has been a part of Mbale Church of Christ for over 10 years.
Two of his adult children have died, leaving him and his wife to raise the grandchildren. There are 11 people currently sharing their one-bedroom house.
We hope to assist them in adding a bedroom for the boys and one for the girls onto the back of his home. We would also like to get his one toilet functioning again and to add another full bath with a shower so they can all have a private place to bathe.
MCC took up a special collection earlier this year to purchase materials to begin the work. to cpmplete the job we have an estimate of $1500 for adding one bedroom and bathroom. an additional $1000 would be needed for the second room.
The second opportunity for giving is for the improvement of our Sunday school facility. For many years the children's bible classes have met in a multipurpose covered verandah/storage area that is open to the weather.
The way it is now, the older kids just sit on the walls and benches are set up for the smaller kids. The open floor plan works well for the older ones, but toddlers tend to wander out with no walls or doors to keep them in. We have been able to make this work in the past, but we now have about 60 children attending and are limited by our current setup.
The SEW ministry is self-funded and thankfully they are in the process of constructing a separate building. This will free up the majority of this space to be just for the children.
Our goal is to enclose this area so that it can be functional, clean and secure. Then we will set it up as proper classroom space for the children of MCC. We estimate the cost to be $5000 to enclose this.
If you feel led to give a tax deductible donation, please send your check to : Fredericksburg Church of Christ, PO Box 657, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. On memo line please write: Uganda-Sunday School or Uganda-Kato. Please feel free to send us a private message via our FaceBook pages or email if you have any questions.
There is a definite rhythm to things in Uganda. One of the important ways
we have to adapt our own pace of life somewhat so that we can walk alongside
others in relationships.
We enjoy the fact that in the month of December activities tend to slow down. Schools close early in the month, and students are typically on holiday for five to six weeks. Many people have extended vacation time from work and so they travel back to their home areas.
 |
| Motorcycles or Boda bodas are the 'taxis' of East Africa and entire families ride on them |
There is no cold (not even cool) weather, which we actually miss sometimes; but there are no traffic jams from Christmas shopping either, which is fine with us.
That being said, there have been some exciting things happening here at the end of the year. On December 10 to 12 we hosted the annual Youth Conference for Churches of Christ. There were about 300 in attendance and 7 baptisms!
 |
| Youth Conference in Mbale |
Mbale Church of Christ will also host the yearly Women's Conference in early January and we anticipate 250 to 300 ladies coming for it also.
Opportunities for End of Year Giving
We know that there are many opportunities to donate to various charities at this time of year and we wanted to make you aware of two projects that we are directly involved with here that we believe are very worthwhile if you feel so inclined to give to.
The first opportunity for giving is to help add on to an elderly church member's home. Francis Kato has been a part of Mbale Church of Christ for over 10 years.
Two of his adult children have died, leaving him and his wife to raise the grandchildren. There are 11 people currently sharing their one-bedroom house.
We hope to assist them in adding a bedroom for the boys and one for the girls onto the back of his home. We would also like to get his one toilet functioning again and to add another full bath with a shower so they can all have a private place to bathe.
 |
| House plans as it is |
 |
| House with the bedrooms and bath added |
MCC took up a special collection earlier this year to purchase materials to begin the work. to cpmplete the job we have an estimate of $1500 for adding one bedroom and bathroom. an additional $1000 would be needed for the second room.
The second opportunity for giving is for the improvement of our Sunday school facility. For many years the children's bible classes have met in a multipurpose covered verandah/storage area that is open to the weather.
 |
| Verandah where bible classes are held |
The way it is now, the older kids just sit on the walls and benches are set up for the smaller kids. The open floor plan works well for the older ones, but toddlers tend to wander out with no walls or doors to keep them in. We have been able to make this work in the past, but we now have about 60 children attending and are limited by our current setup.
 |
| Verandah /storage area as it is |
The SEW ministry is self-funded and thankfully they are in the process of constructing a separate building. This will free up the majority of this space to be just for the children.
Our goal is to enclose this area so that it can be functional, clean and secure. Then we will set it up as proper classroom space for the children of MCC. We estimate the cost to be $5000 to enclose this.
 |
| Classroom / storage area now enclosed and lockable |
If you feel led to give a tax deductible donation, please send your check to : Fredericksburg Church of Christ, PO Box 657, Fredericksburg, VA 22404. On memo line please write: Uganda-Sunday School or Uganda-Kato. Please feel free to send us a private message via our FaceBook pages or email if you have any questions.
May God bless you in 2016!!
