We had a wonderful and productive trip to Uganda in January of this year. We traveled and had a chance to visit Hope Children’s Home as well as Faith Children’s Home. We also were seeking to find some property to build two more children’s homes. We found two pieces of property, but only one was ready for us to build on, so we are happy to announce that we have begun the construction on a new home.

Abundant Life Children’s Center Underway

This new home will house approximately 100 orphans. It is located in the village of Sokolo about 25 miles from downtown Kampala. It is a very poor village with many orphaned children. There is only one fresh water well for nearly 20,000 people. The other water source is very dirty, a long distance away and dependent upon rain. During the dry season, this water dries up.
Progress on Abundant Life Center

This new home will be named, Abundant Life Children’s Center in memory of Henry Johnson of Florence, Oregon. We were overwhelmed when we returned from our trip to Uganda to find that a donation was made by many people in memory of Mr. Johnson for the children in the Kampala area. We were very saddened by the news that Mr. Johnson had passed away, but we know that his memory will live on through the children and people of Uganda for years to come. People will be moved to hear the story behind this home.

The Abundant Life Center is also the fruit of our fundraiser last year, The Great Northwest Challenge. We are excited to be able to build a home for twice as many children as compared to our last construction project, Hope Children’s Home. When we visited this village, we were excited to see that a government approved school was already in place and the one fresh water well is actually on the property where we are building. Because of these factors, the adjustment for these orphans moving into their new home will be much easier.

We are excited to be working with Pastors Daniel and Margaret Nkata. They own the property where the home is being built and they have big plans for their land.

Oregon Business Gets Involved

PizzAmore, located in Albany, Oregon, has really taken on the heart of Show Mercy. The operator, Aaron Leget and his team have been turning change from a tip jar into help for the children. He was able to gather enough funds to purchase 20 brand new soccer balls for the children at Hope Children’s Home as well as other homes in the area. We were able to take the balls with us on our last trip. Below is a picture of some of the kids with one of the balls. The children were so excited!

They have now set up a display in their establishment and are helping to raise money for the beds that will be used at Abundant Life Center! We are needing to purchase 100 beds and linens for the children at this new home. If you would like to purchase a bed, the cost is only $40.00 per bed. There are many children who will live in this home who will have never slept in a bed until this time. You can be the provider of that first bed! If you would like to donate a bed, click here.

We are excited to announce that we will be organizing the 2nd Annual Great Northwest Challenge. Last years event was a huge success. You can check our website out in the next month to find out the dates, times and more details. We will again be raising money for children at risk around the world! If you are interested in volunteering or know of a corporation that would like to participate in this great event, please email us.

CONGRATS TO KRKT’s Scott and Angie!

We were so thrilled to hear that Scott and Angie, morning radio personalities for KRKT, were nominated for an Academy of Country Music Award! They were nominated for best radio personalities in a small market. WOW! We are very proud of them. They were absolutely instrumental in helping us with the Great NW Challenge last year. Without their support, we would have never had such a wonderful and successful event. They have a heart for the poor that is demonstrated in more than words. Their support of Show Mercy has been demonstrated in action as well. Join with us to pray that they will win the award!!

Hope Children’s Home

Our visit to Hope Children’s Home in January was wonderful! The children were all smiles. We spent alot of time with the children and we played games (the Twister game is their new favorite), watched movies and even had "a sleep over". We normally stay in a hotel when we go on our trips since they are not set up to accommodate visitors, but we decided to set up a bed and mosquito net in the house, so we could tuck the kids in at night as well as see them in their morning routines.

We were thrilled to see all of the children working together to prepare for their day. Some of the children were in charge of going to get water down at a spring. Others helped to mop the floor of the house. Mopping as we know it in the USA is not quite the same for them. They get a bucket and cloth and wipe down a 2500 square foot house by hand. My back was aching just watching them work! Some of the children helped wash and hang up clothes. Imagine washing clothes everyday for 50 children. Others helped with breakfast by mashing the corn into a fine meal. They did this by "dancing" on top of the corn with their feet!

My favorite thing that morning was to watch the children climb the trees to gather branches in order to make a broom. They used the broom to sweep the yard. There is alot of dusty dirt there, so every morning they sweep up all the trash and debris that gathers from the previous day.

We also spent time going through the children’s clothes. Their clothes wear out very fast, so we sorted the ones that needed to be repaired and those that need to be discarded. Many of you were gracious enough to give us clothes to take for the kids. We almost had enough for everyone to get 2 outfits. They were so excited to have new clothes!

Orphans Get A Home

We have added 5 new children at Hope Children’s Home. When we originally opened the home, we had 54 children. Since that time, some of the children were able to go and live with a relative. Those children are still eating at the home as well as going to school free of charge.

In January, there were 5 empty beds, so we were excited knowing that we would be able to help 5 more orphans. Pastor Sanyu found the 5 new children and invited them to come live at the home. Their names are: Juliet, Peter, Stephen, Willy and another Stephen. The first four were totally orphaned and Peter was living on the streets. We have more information as well as pictures that we will be posting on the website shortly.

Upcoming Mission Trip

We are in the process of planning our next mission trip. We are scheduled to leave June 15th and will be returning June 29th. If you are interested in this trip, we might still be able to get you a spot, but you will need to let us know as soon as possible. The airline prices are increasing almost daily!

We currently have 19 people signed up to go, so we are very excited. We should be able to help serve in more areas with this number!

Thank you again for all of your support and prayers! We are truly making a difference by reaching out in love…one child at a time.