Kennedy Bbosa has lived at Hope Children’s Home since it opened in June 2005.  Just today, I received a letter from him and was so struck by the simple things that have touched his life.  Below is the transcribed letter from Kennedy. (I corrected a few of his English words).

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

Dear Sponsors,

My name is Kenny Bbosa.  Thank you to feed me, because I was on road.  When I sleep on the road when I did not have something to eat.  And you help me now I eat, I drink, I sleep well.  Thank you for loving me.  Every day I pray for you.  And know that you pray for me.  Thank you to take in Didi’s (amusement park in Uganda), the zoo, and in Uganda mission. (These are some field trips we have taken all the Hope kids on).  I love you so much for caring for me.  I pray God to bless you so much, because now I looks well.  Because now I am handsome, but long ago I was not bathing.  I now have a good sponsors.  I pray almighty God to protect you in you country and you become rich people in Amercia.  And you become a minister in America and the president of America.  MAY GOD BLESS YOU SO MUCH.

WROTE BY KENNY BBOSA YOUR CHILD.

This letter was written by Eva Susan Nabunje.  She lives in the village with her family and currently attends our Primary School, Alpha Omega.  She is sponsored by some of our good friends.  Eva wrote this letter to their daughter Megan, who is 10 .  I love what Eva Susan writes:

Hi Megan, My name is Eva Susan Nabunje.  I am 7 years old girl.  I live in Gganda.  I love babies.  And I love net ball.  I love playing with babies and I have three.

I gave them names one is Sarah.  The second is Dorothy.  The third is called Peace.  Those are there names.

I have three sisters and two brothers.  These are there names.

1. Sarah 2. Maggie 3. Sylvia those are the girls and these are the boys 1. Mathew 2. Julious.

My favorite colour is red.  I love going to church.  I love singing in Sunday School and I love my pastor.

GOD BE WITH YOU

love

Evasusan Nabunje.

Yes I want to be friend. bye bye

Consider sponsoring a child today or give a donation.  You can help provide love and hope for the children in Uganda.  They are crying out for help and by working together we can bring help.  Click here to view some of the children in need of sponsors.

Working together to answer that cry!
Lori Salley
Show Mercy International
www.showmercy.org
541-791-3566

Christmas Envelope Giving
We have received many emails from child sponsors and other partners concerning the special Christmas 6×9 envelopes.  The deadline for the return of the envelopes was Monday, December 15th, but we are extending the deadline until December 31st! If you haven’t heard about this wonderful gift idea, now is your chance to get involved.

Barb Hoffman’s Santiam Christian High School class in Corvallis, Oregon really got involved in this gift giving opportunity and filled many many envelopes for the kids that attend our primary school.  (THANK YOU!) As you can see in the picture, some of them also took the time to decorate the outside of the envelopes!

Some of you have asked if there are still children that need a gift envelope and the answer is YES. Last summer we gathered 50 children from the village and served them a wonderful meal that included meat.  For some of these children, that was their first time to even have meat.  We now want to gather enough Christmas envelopes for those children as well.  For some, this will be their first Christmas gift ever!

On top of that, some of you have asked about giving gift envelopes to the widows in the village.  This is a wonderful idea and it would be such a blessing for those women.  Some gift ideas might be small lotions, fragrant soaps, inexpensive jewelry, scarves, socks, instant teas/coffee.

If you want to be a part of this exciting Christmas event, please pick up a 6×9 envelope and fill it full of small goodies.  Pencils, pens, small games, little books, coloring pages, photos, encouraging letters, toothbrushes and any other small toys are all great ideas.  (We don’t suggest sending chocolate).  Just drop it in the mail to Show Mercy International, PO Box 607, Albany, Oregon 97321 or drop it off at 633 Waverly Place, Albany, Oregon.  Our team will take the envelopes over in January for a late Christmas party.

Christmas Feast at Hope
We are also still planning to serve a Christmas meal to the children at Hope as well as the Alpha Omega Primary school children.  We have a team that is arriving right before Christmas to help serve this wondering dinner, so we will be sending out a post with pictures of that day!

If you would like to donate towards the Christmas dinner, please click here.  We still need $500 to reach our goal.  This will allow us to bring in 30 widows from the village as well as feed over 300 children and staff.

We want to say thank you to everyone who sent such nice notes about the passing of Grace!  We appreciate all of you.  Together we are making a huge difference in the lives of the children, orphans, widows and adults in Gganda Village Uganda.  Many children have been saved because of YOU!

Merry Christmas,
Mike and Lori Salley
and the SMI Team

Story Continued….
As Grace was hugging me and sobbing, he then began to tell us how thankful he was for Show Mercy.  I share a little bit of his story on our newest video (click here to view that video).  He told me that other visitors would come into his village, but would not stop only just wave and look at him from inside their cars.  He said to me that we were the first ones to stop…the first ones to take action and help.  He then began to go through a long list of all the things he was thankful for.  He was thankful for a bed, blankets, and a room.  He was thankful for meals every day, clean water, and clothes.  He was thankful for medicine, an education and best of all love.  As he was sharing all of this (at that time he could not speak English, so an interpreter was sharing with me and she was sobbing too!) he then said to me,” I have seen the rich children in Uganda and I had only dreamed that I would have a better life, but now I do.  I now know what it is like to be a Kings Kid.”

This last summer, I had one day to sit with Grace and talk. This time we didn’t need an interpreter, because Grace had learned English.  He was struggling to find the words to express his heart, but he pressed on and I could understand every word.  Again, he was pouring out his love to us and you for taking the time to stop and take action.  I didn’t know that would be my last time to see his precious face.  His face will be forever in my mind.  His love and thankful heart will forever be a reminder to me of why together, we are helping these little ones with life.

Thanksgiving has just passed, but it really should be a holiday we celebrate every day.  Grace lived a life of thanksgiving.  He was so thankful for everything we did and he didn’t take a bit of it for granted!

As Christmas quickly approaches, we succumb to the busyness of shopping for the perfect gifts.  I am reminded that sometimes the material gifts that I give each year don’t really do much other than fill my children and family’s closets and rooms with more stuff.  I don’t even remember what I received 5 years ago, but I can tell you in the last 37 years who has touched and changed my life!  Those gifts are the ones that stay with us forever.  This is what I want our Christmas to be about. Isn’t that why we celebrate Jesus’ birth?  After all, he gave the best gift of all, life.

I think we all ask ourselves the question,”How can I take action and make a difference for someone else?”  I would like to present a wonderful opportunity to make a life changing difference in people’s lives.  We have many children that still need that special someone in their life.  We may not be able to change all of their circumstances, but together, we can touch their heart and let them know that they are loved and do matter.  We can come alongside them and help them to pursue their dreams and desires.  Even though Grace is no longer with us, I know he is cheering us on to reach out to as many other children as we can and show them the same love and hope that we showed him.  We made his last years blessed!  Life is delicate and such a gift.   Consider giving the gift of hope and life this Christmas.  I promise you, you’ll be glad you did!

Click here to give a child in Uganda the gift of life!

Lori Salley
Show Mercy International
www.showmercy.org

Love is a Gift
I was reminded today just how delicate and precious life really is.  I don’t know why, but sometimes, it seems we can take every day for granted.  I am prompted to respond to needs, cultivate friendships, and give my time for neighbors, but I don’t.  I say to myself that I will do it another day.  This is not what I want to do that, but there always seems to be something that is pressing at that very moment.  I put off the things that are probably the most important.  I have decided to try to take action sooner rather than later, because as I was reminded, life is delicate and such a gift!

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I received news that one of our children at Hope Children’s home has passed away.  He had been in the hospital for an injury, when it was discovered that he had leukemia.  It is too long of a story to share here and now, but he is now in heaven with Jesus.  His name is Grace and he was a very special boy to me personally!

The very first time I went to Uganda, I met Grace.  He was in a church service and I asked him to come and sit on my lap.  He stole my heart from that moment.  After we built Hope Children’s Home, he was selected to come and live in the home.  I was so excited to be able to help him!  As I got to know him over the years, I really discovered what a precious and sweet boy he really was.  Every time we would go and visit, he was right there wanting to carry my bags and help in any way that he could.  He loved sports too!  He would always share his dreams with me when I would visit.  In his dreams, he was always fishing and casting out nets.  He told me with such confidence and glistening in his eye, that one day he would be a pastor and evangelist for Jesus.

As we were leaving Hope a few years back, Grace ran up to me and gave me a huge hug.  He began to < ![endif]–>sob and share with me all that had happened in his life before and after he had come to live at Hope.

Before Hope, he was living with his grandparents.  His father had died of AIDS and because it was his culture, he went to live with his dad’s parents.  His mother was fighting for custody of the kids, but it took a long time for her to win.  In the meantime, Grace had shared that he was made to be a slave.  He would wake in the early morning hours and begin working in a field.  He was expected to dig with his bare hands all day for food.  He wouldn’t get to partake of any of the food he might have harvested that day.  Grace slept at night on the hard mud floors and his clothes were rags.  He was not allowed to go to school either.  His life was so hard.  At that time he was only 7 years old.  Because he didn’t have shoes and was living in the dirt, he got bacteria and bugs in his skin.  He told me of how infected and sore his hands and feet were all the time.  He was in so much pain.  After his mother finally got custody of him, she was so poor that his life wasn’t much better.  He would be left at home for days or weeks without his mom.  She would travel to the city to try to find work. Grace didn’t share any of the tragedies that happened while he was alone, but I know those times were not good.  Finally, we were able to bring him into Hope.

The rest of the story is coming soon.

Lori Salley
Show Mercy International
www.showmercy.org