This Christmas in Uganda was pure JOY!

Christmas in Uganda this year was something we will never forget.

For the kids in our program, it was a day centered on Jesus’s love for them, and because of that, a day all about them. Being called by name. Being celebrated. Laughing, dancing, opening gifts, and feeling so loved. You could see it on their faces. They felt seen.

Then we opened the Dream Center gates for a celebration for children not in our program. We planned for 300 kids to come. Over 700 showed up!!!!!

We shared gifts with children and families, meals together, music, worship, and so much laughter. And we shared the LOVE OF JESUS. For some of these children, it was the very first time they had ever heard His name.

For many of these families, Christmas doesn’t come with a table set or a meal planned. Food is uncertain. So this mattered more than most of us can imagine.

New shoes on tired feet. Stuffed animals held tight. Simple gifts that meant everything. For many, it was the first time they had EVER received a gift just for them.

And more than that, it was the feeling of being noticed, welcomed, and included.

No one was turned away. Everyone belonged.

Huge thank you to our incredible SMI team AND missions team in Uganda who poured their hearts into every detail and made this day unforgettable.

And to those who gave financially…who may not have been there in person…your generosity showed up. It showed up in the gifts, the meals, the joy, and the faces of these children and families. This day existed because you said yes.

It was loud. It was joyful. It was full of life.
And Jesus was celebrated and honored in a glorious way.
It was a Christmas these families will never forget.

Merry Christmas,

Mike and Lori Salley
Founders

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Grace's Story:

In 2004, when we began Show Mercy, we had no idea the depth and reach this journey would take. We simply said yes to helping 50 children. That’s it. No grand strategy. Just obedience.

And that’s when I met Grace—a quiet, wide-eyed little boy sitting in a church service. I invited him to sit on my lap, and from that moment on, he had a special place in my heart.

Grace’s story was painful. His father had died of AIDS, and by custom, he was sent to live with his grandparents. At just seven years old, Grace was forced to work in the fields from dawn to dusk, digging for food with his bare hands. He wasn’t allowed to go to school. He slept on the hard mud floor. His clothes were rags. He was in constant pain—his feet and hands raw and infected from living barefoot in the dirt.

When he was finally brought into our sponsorship program, everything changed.

A Heart Transformed

Grace was safe. He had a bed. A blanket. Shoes. Meals. Clean water. Medical care. An education. But more than all of that—he had love.He would run to carry my bags every time I visited. He started dreaming big, bold dreams. He told me with glistening eyes that one day he would be a pastor and evangelist for Jesus. And over and over again, he dreamed of fishing—casting nets—pulling in a catch.

One day, as he wept in my arms sharing the horrors of his early life, he suddenly lifted his head, smiled, and said something I will never forget:

“I now know what it means to be a King’s kid.”

Grace discovered who he truly was—not an orphan, not a slave—but a son of the King. That truth changed everything for him. And it became a cornerstone of this ministry’s calling.

The Final Goodbye

In 2008, we received the heartbreaking news that Grace had passed away. While being treated in the hospital for an injury, doctors discovered he had leukemia. It progressed quickly, and we didn’t even have time to say goodbye.

But then, something miraculous happened. My husband Mike had a dream. In it, Grace was sitting on Jesus’ lap—radiant, whole, joyful. He looked at Mike and said something like:

“Thank you… for showing me what a good Poppa is on the earth.”

He woke up in tears. It was as if Grace had come back one last time to say thank you—and to pass the baton.

Send your sponsored child a note!

Use this form to send a special note to your child in Uganda.
You can upload a few small photos as well.