Well, today will be the last day of what was for me and the rest of the team, a life changing experience in Uganda. We have had our "ups" and "downs", but mostly "ups". We have seen some of the worst situations of abuse and poverty that you can imagine. However, we have also seen so many children that we met in those extreme situations get new homes, provision and hope. I was concerned about how we would provide for all of the kids that I kept saying "yes" to each day; kids who, through tear and fear filled faces, told me in detail about the abuse they were experiencing every day. They were hopeless. I just knew I couldn’t say "no" to them. Surely someone would care and respond to our calls for assistance. You did respond and we are now going to be able to support these children monthly!  As a matter of fact, there are only around 15 or so kids remaining to be sponsored from this most recent trip. There are now over 2 million orphans just in Uganda, but we have saved some of them! By the way, the newspaper here just printed that the population of Uganda is now 31 million people! Close to 3 million people live in Kampala, about as much as live in the entire state of Oregon. Uganda and Oregon are approximately the same size in land mass. Just a bit of trivia for you.:)

I was also concerned about where we would house all of these kids since our new project on the 20 acres is just beginning and our home is now packed with kids. A thought came to be about the possibility of renting a place until our permanent facilities are financed and built. I asked Pastor Prossy about this and she pointed to a brand new home with six rooms that has just been built. The rent on this home will be less than $100 per month! Wow! We are going to be able to provide a new home to 36 kids who will fit in this home for around $1000 per year. I doubt you will ever find an investment even close to that type of return; rescuing 36 kids for less than $30 per YEAR! The photo of the house is on the left. On the right you can see Hope Children’s Home in the very near distance. We will be hiring additional staff, bringing our paid staff to around 20! God is good. He told me to take them in and that he would provide. I of course, never doubted:)

There are so many testimonies, but I will have to tell more of them later. As we head out today, please pray for our traveling safety as well as the adjustments that come as you enter back in the American life and church. Things are different and sometimes the transition is also challenging.

Thanks again for reading these updates. I hope they encouraged you and inspired you. Thanks also for your response in helping us fulfill the ministry that God has given for us to do. He is so in this project that it is unbelievable. What a privilege to be able to reach out in love, one child at a time! Maybe you can join us on the next trip! Throw away all of your preconceptions and see your life and perspective be changed forever!

Mike Salley
Show Mercy International
PO Box 607
Albany, Oregon  97321
www.showmercy.org

Today started off with a bang; literally. One of our team bought the children and the church 4 large drums and a wooden, hand made xylophone. We found out later that the church had given away their only drum to a new church to help them get started. Now they had four. That is God’s economy in action! The kids worshipped and danced around with our team for what seemed like hours, banging and singing and dancing. They are so grateful for everything that they have.

Later, some of the team began to care for a couple of new young kids that have recently come into the home. Their feet were filled with "jiggers", some type of insect that embeds themselves in the feet of the kids, mostly under their toe nails. She was covered with them. Unfortunately, the only way to get them out is with needles and razor blades. If you don’t get all of them out, they will continue to grow. Oh my, I couldn’t even watch as these kids were being cared for. The jiggers were finally removed and her feet soaked, and treated with ointment. They have been so neglected they are covered in sores, and have insects living on their bodies. Again, dogs are not treated this way in America.

The team continued to pour out love on your children today. They are so in need of love and attention and they have been getting it the past several weeks. It am so touched  by the response that we have seen recently of children being sponsored. To see a 16 year old girl sponsoring two children reminds me of a time when a 10 year old girl came up to me at church one day with a zip lock bag full of coins. She had been working doing chores all week to help raise money to help a child. She had also gone around her neighborhood and collected a total of $22! I am just moved by the generosity that we have experienced by so many. Trust me when I tell you that your partnership with us is changing lives in a very dramtic way. We are all witnessing first hand kids who were hopeless being filled with joy and excitement for their future. We have come a long way and helped a lot of kids, but we have a long way to go.

We also continued to interview more children today. Word has spread around the community that we are taking in abused children. I couldn’t say no to these kids. How can I? Would Jesus turn anyone away? How can I? I heard more stories of slavery, abuse, beatings, hatred, and basically children thrown away like trash. It is heartbreaking to see a kid 10 years old who has lost both of his parents, never been to school a day in his life, being kept as a slave working in the village, not being given the very food that he is cooking for other kids and adults, being beaten every day and with no hope. Tears flow down his face as he tells us his situation just hoping that someone will help him escape a life of torture and misery. I say "hoping" and not "praying" because his first knowledge of Jesus is when I told him that we were sent by Him for the very purpose of getting him out of this situation. His eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face.

Some of the kids absolutely lose control as they tell us about how their parents have died, chased them away or dumped them in a village where they know nobody. I just can’t say no and I’m not supposed to. Sorry Brian and Susan, our new Uganda Missions Directors! We just gave you more work to do in Uganda:)

We sat down today and looked through out notes at all of the children that we have interviewed since we arrived in early June. I knew that we had taken quite a few into the home, but I was a bit shocked to find out that our home has increased from 53 kids to 84 in only a few weeks. Well, we are totally out of room. The kids understand that some of them will have to share beds and sleep on the floor for now, but God knows and He is good. We will keep taking them in and rescuing the ones that are brought to us. We have land to build on and will be beginning that project soon. In the mean time we will be looking for a place to rent to temporarily house the additional children that will not fit it Hope.

Thanks again for your support! THEY really appreciate it! I hope these reports aren’t downers to you. They are stories of lives being turned around. Their testimonies are hard to hear, but the good news is that more lives have been changed today and I am sure more will be changed again tomorrow. What an incredible honor to be a part of this entire process! Join us in Uganda on a short or long term trip and see your life changed forever!

Mike

Show Mercy International
PO Box 607
Albany, Oregon  97321
www.showmercy.org
541-905-0791

It is Saturday evening after another incredible day. Yeah, I know, I say that every day is incredible, but they really are. However, I am struggling trying to decide what to write today. So much is happening but what do you really want to hear about? Do you want to hear the fun, exciting days that we have or do you want to hear the truth about the reality of what the additional kids that we had to rescue the past few days have been through? I don’t want to ruin your day and I don’t want to make light of what is such a serious situation. So I find myself at a loss of direction. Tonight the team is writing some statements about how their lives are being changed so we will see what is on their hearts.

Some of the Things I Could Write About Today:

• The fun story of how our bus driver pulled over on the side of the road to tell me that it was my turn to drive in Uganda; and that I actually did it!
• The story of how our team came up with a banana ministry, buying bunches of bananas and handing them out all over the village.
• The story of how we rescued 5 more children yesterday, all of which were being beaten and three of which were siblings being placed on the highway in traffic by their crazy mother, in hopes that they would be run over.
• The story of Robert telling us with tears flowing down his face about how he struggled to find food to feed his 4 siblings that  were completely abandoned almost a year ago.
• The story of how our first fresh water well is progressing.
• The story of how the team is really serving the staff at Hope Children’s Home.
• The story about Mercy, one of our kids and how her two older sisters around 13 and 14 had become prostitutes while her and her twin sister were locked in a house by their father in order to starve them. We then heard how her twin died in that situation and how Mercy had to lie next to her dead sister until someone smelled the death and rescued her and brought her to us very sick.
• The story of how we met our neighbors at the new 20 acres of land.
• The story of every member of our team that was at Hope was crying their eyes out today.
• The story of how child after child after child stood up today and poured out their hearts and tears to us, telling us stories of their life before coming to Hope and the testimony of their life after you helped rescue them. However, if I actually told you the stories, they would certainly ruin your day.
• The story of how we are expanding our home to provide for the two dozen more children that we have taken in recently.

Well, that would only scratch the surface of the past couple of days. However, to sum it up, the team that we have been spending time with is doing a fantastic job. They are serving, loving, caring, praying and ministering to your kids. I would also like to say that so many lives have been changed and are being changed every day in both the kids and the team and that it is truly amazing. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Mike

The team just arrived back from another incredible day at Hope Children’s Home. Five more children were rescued today and brought into Hope Children’s Home. To say we have outgrown the home would be an understatement. The good news is that each and every one is already sponsored! When the team arrived back at the hotel, they each shared with tears in their eyes the incredible things that they had experienced today. Each person shared about the heartache that they saw and also the lives that they are seeing changed. Tears were flowing as the team shared. Not only are kid’s lives being changed, but their lives are being changed as well. They have come here not as tourists, but as vessels of love.

When it was Brynne Sapp’s turn to share about the part of the day that touched her the most, she said something very simple, yet very profound. She said she liked looking at the eyes of Grace, one of the kids in the home. She took this photo that I wanted to share with you. Then, I felt that it was a picture of the progression of our ministry with Show Mercy International in Uganda.

When we first begin to travel to Uganda, we would see the mass of children running to our vans. We would see 100’s of kids running around, but they were just the faces of many. As time has progressed, we have gotten to know these children much better. We know their names, we know their stories. This trip, we have gotten to know even more about them as individuals. We are not just looking at the "thousands" or "millions" who need help. We have gotten to know "the one". Today, Brynne took another step and began to notice the individual characteristics of the children at Hope. She recognized that each child is a unique individual. That is the way God sees us. We are all unique. He knows our eyes. He knows how many hairs are on our head. He knows everything about us.

When you stop and consider "the one" and really dig into their lives you feel true compassion for each of these kids.

Mike