Joyful. Patient. Faithful.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  ~Romans 12:12-15

Joyful.  Patient.  Faithful.  This passage strikes me as the perfect picture of what it means to stand firm in the midst of life’s circumstances; rooted in hope and prayer, bound together in harmony, rejoicing and mourning as needed.  Our hope is active and living, just as we believe that our God is active and living.  When confronted with the great needs and brokenness in our lives and communities, prayer is the anchor to that hope.  We invite you to join us in prayer for the work of AOET.  Here are a few current needs:

• A team of 15 from Mid America Nazarene Universityarrived in Uganda yesterday.  They will be working with the families in the Children’s Village and the teachers in our schools.  Pray for strong relationships to be built, wisdom for the counselors, encouragement for the staff, and fun for the kids participating in the VBS.

• Jaja, Margaret Kakaire, underwent eye surgery in Kenya this week and is still there in recovery.  Pray for her quick healing, as well as her large family that will be missing her during this time

• Child Sponsorship Manager, Kelly Cudney, departs for Uganda and Kenya next Tuesday.  She will be spending time with the Child Welfare staff, leading a team from Santiam Christian School, and connecting with many of our sponsored children.  Pray for strength and joy as she connects with the staff and children she has been working so hard to support in her role in child sponsorship.

• It is estimated that there are over 15 million AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa.  The numbers are staggering, but remind us of the individual children we are working to support: Mercy, Rita, Andrew, Patricia, Davis, Zahara.  Pray for their comfort, protection, provision, and education.  Pray they would feel loved and see a hope for their future.

Our Growing Child Sponsorship Program

Kelly hammin' it up in UgandaKelly Cudney joined our staff as Child Sponsorship Manager last September and quickly became everyone’s “fave.”  She is often heard giggling on the phone with a sponsor who calls to update their information, celebrating over another child receiving a sponsor, or even sharing a holiday medley on her accordion.  She brings a joy to this work that is evident in all that she does, as sponsor advocate Paul Phillips says, she has brought efficiency, responsiveness, immediate feedback, patience, enthusiasm, and a bit of fun.  That is no small feat when you are trying to keep straight 850 children and sponsors.  Kelly’s response to the growing program is that while it is more details to keep straight – it is also more HOPE becoming a reality for children in Uganda and Kenya.

On May 15^th Kelly heads to Africa for two months, planning to spend most of her time working with our staff; deepening relationships, meeting many of our sponsored children, and dreaming together of how to enhance our sponsorship program.  You can be sure to expect great updates from Africa over the next few months! 

Sponsor Summer Baird visiting her Natasha

One of the greatest challenges is maintaining a personal relationship between sponsored children and their sponsors as the numbers continue to grow.  We have service teams visit children while they are in Africa, volunteers who consistently help out with the data entry details, as well as offering the opportunity for sponsors to join a team and meet their child in person.  We can’t emphasize enough how valuable and important the relationship is to the sponsored child.  Andrea Dowell recently wrote from Kenya: It is so powerful to be here and see what a connection these kids have to their sponsors.  They have pictures of the families of the sponsors, talk about the children in the family that they write to; they treasure the letters they get from their sponsor. 

But it is not just our sponsored children who are benefiting from the sponsorship relationship.  Staff member Cherie Rainwater says, I love seeing how sponsorship not only changes the life of a child in Africa, but also changes the life of the sponsor.  When you recognize your own wealth and realize you have an opportunity to share it in a way that makes a very tangible difference in someone else’s life, it humbles you and transforms your heart.  The beauty of child sponsorship is that while it may begin as a simple transaction, it has the ability to become a deep and meaningful relationship that has a lasting impact in both the sponsored child and the sponsor.  We want to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our sponsors and the incredible generosity and commitment they show to the children of Africa!

A Chosen Adventure

Miriam & Tinah

Everyone loves pizza!

We've been planning a Chosen tour in the US for the past six months; with plans to cross the entire country visiting 10 regions, performing in over 120 churches and schools, and driving over 5,000 miles.  On the other side of the preparation we've had seven kids learning (and writing!) new songs, months of working to get passports for the children, and a lot of anticipation for a tour which we hope will fund the construction of a much needed dormitory at our primary school.  

Milly & MercyWe were finally able to secure an appointment at the embassy for 7am on March 15th, meaning we would need to leave Bugembe at 4am.  The children decided to stay at the clinic the night before, and Miriam (who is 11) consulted me on the plans for her group.  "I am going to polish all of their shoes, take them for a haircut, and we have new uniforms.  I'll get them up at 3am and make sure they have washed and are looking very smart!"  When I showed up at four o'clock in the morning I could see the group huddled together in the darkness, and they were in fact looking very smart.  

Mercy & JeniferWe all piled into the van, and set off for Kampala.  Not one mile down the road a terrible sound started clanking in the engine- we had broken the fan belt, which is apparently not a necessity in the cool early morning hours.  Upon reaching the embassy we found out that the passport photos were the wrong size so a photo shop had to be located, and a worker called to kindly come and open up for us.  We then waited all day for our turn to be interviewed while the kids nervously practiced their answers for the consular.  I told Jenifer if she just smiled her beautiful smile she should be fine.  Each of the kids walked in nervous and came out full of smiles.  With great animation they told how they had confidently given their answers to the questions.  Those who had been before boasted about all the pizza they had eaten and friends they had made.

MosesWhen all was said and done we were informed that the group could no longer come on a visitor visa, but would need to apply for a special performer visa.  We sadly piled in the van and made the long drive home.  When we reached the clinic Mercy climbed out of the van and turned to me and asked, "So, did we not get the visas?"  When the reality of a postponement sank in the kids were disappointed, but we discovered that pizza could be found in Jinja and their excitement came back as they thought of how much fun it will be to see the US in the fall.  The children are continuing to prepare, working hard to finish their school work early, and we look forward to the tour beginning in September!

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