The pond

  It's Friday and I am asking you to pray for Suubi Teen MOPS in Uganda. It's been an exciting week at the Suubi center. Some major infrastructure has been going in. It makes the center look so much more polished and finished. For many months there was a giant hole dug for a future pond. The soil was used to make bricks. They began to transfer the giant hole into a pond. It's primarily a place to capture water to water the trees. But we went the extra mile. It's not just a hole lined with plastic. It's a concrete pond that will be landscaped. It might eventually be a place to grow fish. That's another source of food for the women and kids at the center. And it will be a beautiful place to hang out. I think we underestimate the importance of beautiful things. Our women and kids are escaping poverty. Having a center that is not just functional but also beautiful has healing power. It creates value and worth in the people. We took the effort to landscape the environment. We think they are worth the effort. They feel a good kind of pride. The bricks are being used to create 25 giant raised garden beds. The brick formula wasn't quite right. I didn't trust the bricks to be used in buildings. You would never want faulty bricks to fall on anyone. So we could not use the bricks to build walls. But covered with concrete, they still make great raised garden beds. And the garden beds help to define the walkways. They will add a good structure to the garden. And a raised garden bed can be filled with a great mixture of soil and compost. So the plants in these containers should thrive. I can not wait to see how they will look over time. We also had a foundation built under our water tank. It's a 10,000-liter tank. It's very heavy when it's full. The tank requires a good foundation or it runs the risk of breaking. This was important for safety.

I also began advocating for a child sponsorship family for Eli. He is the 12-year-old son of a secretary at a Catholic church in Kampala. Her husband left them 3 years ago. She struggles to feed all 3 of her kids. She called Sylvia this week in despair. I have a waiting list of 50 kids in need of additional sponsorship. We are overwhelmed. And her 3 children were added to the list. But I felt the 12-year-old needed to return to school as soon as possible. If we found even a year's worth of sponsorship for him it would give this mom some hope. She even considered abandoning the kids. That's how distressed she has been. To pay school fees for one boy might hold this family together. A small amount of money can help prevent a giant amount of grief. Eli is still in need of sponsorship. His name means high or lifted up. We need people who can help lift Eli and our other kids up. I have 50 kids who need additional sponsorship. I especially need sponsorship for 10 older kids who may have a sponsorship family but need additional support because costs have doubled. We need 2100 euros more to send these older kids back to school in September. That's just the additional costs for one term. If your dream doesn't scare you, you are dreaming too small. I have to be honest...I am terrified. But we have to try. I have to at least try to help them receive an education. But without help...it's impossible.
Would you please pray? Pray for wisdom and provision. Pray for opportunities and creativity. Pray for protection and health and safety. God is the one who gives us dreams. He must have the answers to all our questions and all our needs.
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