Why Sponsor a Child?

What a blessing to be able to be here in Uganda and help to be an advocate for children of Uganda. My heart has really been touched on this trip because we have really been involved in tdiggin deep and really finding out their stories. It has also a privilege to see the difference that you as supporters of Show Mercy International are making in the lives of so many. Just ask those who have come with us and seen first hand the miraculous changes in the children that have been removed from dangerous situations. It is humbling to see the response of so many who have helped us do so much over the past few weeks.

I keep adding more kids to our Website that need sponsorship each day. (By the way, all of the kids on this page and more, still need sponsors.You can click on their photo to find out more information about them and other kids.) All of their stories are a bit different, but contain some important similarities. Most of them have been orphaned or abandoned by their parents or caretakers. Most of them have been abused physically, emotionally and sometimes sexually. They are so excited to go to school each day and learn, but the sad reality is that most of them have to go home to people who basically treat them with less respect than we would treat our animals. While that is true, God is also setting them free one child at a time! The great thing is that he wants to use you and me to play a part in that process. What an honor.

When you sponsor a child, a couple of things can happen. First, if the child is in a dangerous situation with abuse or abandonment, we are doing our best to take them out of those situations and move them into our children’s home. We are currently remodeling the home to provide another room for between 12 and 15 more kids. We even ordered 12 more beds for these kids yesterday. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending upon how you look at it, we have already offered to add more than that amount of kids to the home already. I can’t seem to say no; not that I am supposed to. These kids will receive a place to sleep in safety, a blanket, three meals per day, a free school uniforms, clothing, medical care if needed and free education. That is what your $35/month helps us to provide.

The other thing that can happen is if the child is not being abused, but are living in a situation where they just are not being cared for properly due to extreme poverty, we will provide them with free schooling, two meals per day, medical care if needed, and recently due to your support, free uniforms as well!

As most of you are aware, we will soon begin building our "Village of Hope" on 20 acres that we have purchased that will provide homes for many of these children that we basically don’t have room to add to the home at this time. When we are able to complete that project, we will begin taking in many more children away from the abusive situations that they are in. God has and will continue to bless this ministry so I am confident that we will be more than able to provide care to hundreds more children in the near future.

Thanks again for your support and prayers! Trust me when I tell you that you are making an impact that is literally affecting hundreds of kids and over a million people in Uganda through radio and television that we have had the opportuntity to participate in. I encourage you to come with us on a trip to Uganda, not to tour the country and our ministry, but to be a "hands on" expression of love to a child. It means more to them than you can imagine. I think it is safe to say that everyone who has come with us and focused on the mission has been changed forever in some way or another. 

Mike

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

The new team is here and in full gear. They are already doing a great job of serving and having a great time as you can see from the photo on the left. We made a decision to do whatever we could to serve and help the local village and that includes using and paying for the local transportation, the Boda Bodas. It actually has helped already in the attitudes of the people towards us. As they see us reaching out to them, they smile and begin to appreciate our presence in their village even more.

Some of the team also found a way to serve by sorting through mounds of red beans, removing the husks and stones that are included in the large sacks. They did this for a long time and really helped the kitchen staff. They are doing a great job of finding ways to serve the people of Uganda already!

While we are certainly having a great time already, the reality still exists that we are serving and need to serve a people with many, many needs. We spent a lot of time today once again interviewing some of the kids that are attending the school we are providing, but not living in the homes. Their stories are heart breaking. Thanks so much to those of you who have linked with us to help these kids. We are so blessed by your responses. Many children’s lives are being changed by your kindness and generosity. The kids are thrilled that their prayers are being answered. One kid we interviewed today is called Douglas Dan. Oh my, you have to read his story on the Sponsor a child page. When you find him on our Website with the other kids who have

been listed, you will see that he has had a very rough life. I have included a photo of him and his feet which are filled with "jiggers", insects that embed themselves into the kids feet and under their toes. He is now available for sponsorship. As soon as he is sponsored, we will be bringing him into the home to be cared for.

We have now ordered another 12 beds, mattresses, blankets and mosquito nets to accommodate more kids in the home. We are moving our storage room and converting it into a new bed room. If you want to sponsor Douglas or look at other kids needing sponsorship, you can click here to be directed to the kids who are listed. You can also contact us at Show Mercy International, PO Box 607, Albany, Oregon  97321. 541-905-0791, info@shomercy.org.

Thanks again for your support and prayers. They are making a huge difference!

Mike

I am completely amazed at the work of these guys digging this well by hand. I mean, they have only done it for 4 days and they have dug over 55 feet down at about 5 feet or more diameter; bucket by bucket by bucket. I can only barely see the guy at the bottom when the sun is directly overhead. It is DEEP! Today, the soil was getting moist and they told me that they were near to water. When we left today, they had hit the water table! Now, they will begin building a brick wall from the bottom up and then dig another 8 feet or so under the water. What an amazing thing to watch. They let me crank the "bucket" up one time. It was very tiring, probably because when I finally got to see the bucket arising from the hole, the man digging was also on the bucket! Wow! They tell me that it will be completed before we leave so hopefully I will be able to send a photo of it in action before heading back to the US. If you would like to be a part of helping to provide funds to dig this or any other well, we would appreciate your partnership. You can visit our Website at www.showmercy.org to make a tax deductible donation online with a credit card or you can mail a check to:

Show Mercy International
PO Box 607
Albany, Oregon  97321

I know that these wells that we are digging will play a major role in us reaching the people of the villages that we are working in. It is more than just clean water. It is showing care and love to the people in these communities. God bless and thank for your prayers and support. Please help us spread the word about Show Mercy International and the work we are doing. I know there are many others who have a heart to do the same or similar things and we would love to come along side and partner with them and help them fulfill their desires as well as the mission of Show Mercy.

Mike

Uniforms for Everyone!

I am very happy to announce that the uniforms were all completed and given to the kids today. You wouldn’t believe the smiles and excitement that we saw when they saw these new school uniforms. They cheered with joy! Thanks to everyone who played a part in this project. It truly meant a lot to both the kids and the parents of the kids that we cared enough about them to help make them look "smart" as they say in Uganda.

I have included a group photo here of the kids that I had to take standing on the bus because the crowd was so great. Ever try and organize a group of almost 200 small kids, most of whom don’t speak much English, to take a photo. Wow! What a challenge. Some of the smaller kids got tired and walked off before we got the photo, but I think you will get the idea! God bless you for being a part of showing love to some kids who have experienced so little of it in their lives. We are posting more children today that need sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these children, please click here to find out more about what your sponsorship will provide as well as being able to view and read the stories about the kids that are needing sponsors. 

The 24 students and teachers from Santiam headed out today at around 5:45am. I know that they would not want me to send this post out, but I felt like I needed to. This team was absolutely fantastic! Today is a day of rest for me while I prepare for another team to arrive tonight at 10:00pm! Please pray for strength for me and the new team that is arriving. There is still much to do. Saying that, here is just a taste of

They spent a lot of time building great relationships with our kids, loving on them and helping to heal their hearts. They made bricks, scrubbed floors, made cabinets, donated school supplies, washed clothes, gave cases for the kids to store their stuff in, donated clothes for every kid in hope, came prepared with letters and a photo for every kids in our home, helped rescue abandoned kids living in terrible conditions, performed dramas that ministered to many people, shared with many people, prayed for the sick in hospitals, sang songs, took the kids to the zoo, got interviewed on a Uganda television station, did crafts with the kids, taught them how to line dance to Rascal Flatts, bought Bibles for those who wanted them, visited the village offering encouragement to the local people, lead many people to Jesus, showed the Jesus film to a village, repaired a pot hole ridden road,  got baptized in the Nile River, visited prisoners and probably much more that I can’t even remember. That is all great, but the amazing thing is that they did all of this with love, a heart of service, integrity and joy. I never heard a complaint and they were always willing to do anything that they could to partner with us to fulfill the ministry of Show Mercy International. So, Webale Nyo, Webale Nyo, Webale Nyo!

 Mike