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Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus. I recently returned from the mother of all mission trips to Uganda. With my
husband, John,
our
children and their friends we were a group of 2
0
thanks to my daughter
Kristen
who requested a return trip to Uganda as a present for graduating university. It was truly a gift for us all.
U.S. Board members Pastor Keith Duff, Tana Tatnall and I traveled to Uganda early to install a new Uganda Board of Directors. The previous members were mostly original board members from 2004 and we honor them for their service. The new members are dedicated to working with the U.S. board in making infrastructure and policy decisions that will benefit Ugandan kids and communities for years to come.
One of the new members
grew up in the ministry.
In Rubanda we
laid a foundation stone in loving memory of James Finn
for a new children
'
s center building. In Kayanja we dedicated a new boys
'
dormitory at Mary Cox Primary School. I am happy to report our schools are full and mostly self-sustaining.
We visited all six care points of the ministry and I can tell you that the 975 children in our program are thriving. They are happy and learning and growing, e
s
pecially in their love of the Lord. Children everywhere asked us about their spo
n
sors whom they love and pray for every day. I cannot offer enough praise and thanks for the staff, guardians and administrators working in Uganda. The children they are mentoring are truly the leaders of tomorrow.
Thank you
for supporting this work; it is so worth it.
Peggy Walding, Chairman, Juna Amagara USA
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Evangelical Training
for Teachers
In January, Pastor Steve Waggoner, a member of the U.S. Board, led a conference in Mbarara called, "Multiplying Disciplemaking Friendships," to encourage and equip Juna Amagara staff, teachers, and student leaders to help each other find and follow Jesus . Over four days with 230 in attendance it was a powerful time of team-building and practical faith reinforcement.
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Teachers and Lay Leaders at Conference
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The event served as the launch of a ministry-wide discipleship initiative that will permeate all work from schools to clinics to community development. Students and staff were taught the habit of journalling on the assigned passages of Scripture daily. They then gather weekly in small discipleship groups where members share what God is showing them in His Word. They pray for one another and keep each other accountable.
Isaac Kamuntu, one of the first 14 children at Juna Amagara, now holding a university degree in English literature and on staff at Juna Amagara, is leading the implementation of the plan in Uganda. Recently, two visiting mission teams from the U.S. were trained to reinforce the disciple-making principles that were taught at the conference.
Please pray with us that God's Word will continue to bring people to faith and have it drive their daily lives, all to His glory.
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Eliezer Graduates
in Sweden
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| Eliezer Ahumuza |
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We are excited to report beloved Juna Amagara social worker Eliezer Ahumuza has graduated with a Master
'
s Degree in International Social Work from Gothenborg University in Sweden. Nearly three years ago, Eli found an opportunity for further study on-line and persevered through an intensive application process. In the end, he was offered a scholarship which included housing and a stipend. He relocated to Sweden and studied for more than two years away from Uganda. He has been offered an internship for the next five months which will delay his going home. But apparently Eliezer was able to communicate with friends and family in Uganda because he is also now engaged to be married on December 27, 2019 to the beautiful Apophia. Hearty congratulations to this affable, bright young man who cares deeply for people in need.
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Godfrey Dutki
Answers New Calling
Godfrey Dutki, longtime Director of Discipleship and Evangelism for Juna Amagara, has been called to start a new urban ministry that will bring the love of God to pe
o
ple in the capital city of Kampala. Godfrey joined Juna Amagara Ministries in 2008 to manage missionary travel in Uganda. We wish him every success in his new cal
l
ing and thank him for his service to Juna Amagara.
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Visiting Mission Teams
a Huge Blessing
2019 has already been an incredible year for mission teams with staff and students eagerly awaiting the arrival of visitors. Many children are eager to meet their sponsors for the first time. Each team experience is different; all bless the mini
s
try.
In February, our church partner Carolinas Cornerstone Church at Ft. Mill, SC sent a team of eight led by Mary Haynes and Meaghan Yates on their annual pilgrimage to Kayanja Vi
l
lage. With their focus on Mary Cox Memorial Primary School, the church has deve
l
oped deep, lasting relationships with parents, teachers and students there.
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With Dr. Godfrey in Rubanda |
Peggy's team of 20, mentioned earlier, visited in May from Illinois and Wisconsin. Six team members joined the medical staff of HEAL Medical Center for a first-of-its-kind medical outreach to our new care point at Joy Center. For many there, this was the first time they had ever seen a doctor.
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| Medical Outreach at Joy Center |
By God
'
s grace, we received many medical donations for the event, enough to fill the shelves at the HEAL Medical Center after the ou
t
reach. Other team members played soccer and netball with students at our different centers, using donated soccer balls, uniforms and cleats. Donations of school su
p
plies were gratefully received by Headmaster Caleb at our Mbarara center. Three team members became sponsors for the first time, and many others were ecstatic to spend time once again with their spo
n
sored children.
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Two of VBC's 136 sponsord kids |
An eight-person team from Village Bible Church in Aurora, IL led by Kate Duff visi
t
ed in June, just in time to join the graduation of 22 young people from ABIDE. With136 children sponsored in their church, the VBC team spends much time co
n
necting sponsors with kids, mostly in Kishanje Village. Along the way, the teams a
p
preciated our staff and guardians, sho
w
ing them the love of the Lord.
Visitors from the U.S. are highly welcome to Uganda. If you would like to consider leading a team or joi
n
ing a team in 2020, please email us at [email protected].
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Coming Soon:
WATCH YOUR MAILBOX - for an appeal to help raise funds for a new dormitory at New Times Primary School in Mbarara. We have built three dorms in two years; this should be the last one for years to come.
SAVE THE DATE- Our 16th annual Celebration Banquet and Fundraiser is scheduled for March 14, 2020 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. We had a packed house in 2019 and we'd love to see you there.
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Mzee
Lee
Retires from
U.S. board
After more than 15 years of service, Founding Board Member Lee Mulder has decided to retire from the U.S. Board of Directors.
"
It has been an unexpected pleasure and an absolute privilege to have been an integral part in building such an impactful ministry,
"
he said at the 15th annual Celebration Banquet held in Wheaton, IL, where he was recognized for his service and dedication.
Mulder says, "
I was part of a team from the First Presbyterian Church of Glen Ellyn IL who accompanied a Ugandan man named Ben Tumuheirwe when he invited us to come to his home in 2004. We saw poverty, suffering children, victims of AIDS, coffin makers by the side of the road. But we also saw a beautiful country with people rich in hospitality, family and community. In tiny rural churches we heard angelic choirs accompanied only by a drum. We found people craving prayer and living by faith alone. A simple slide presentation when we returned caused people to write checks, our first donations. Ben directed his nephew Herbert to begin ministry
-
find the neediest children, house them, care for them, send them to school. Returning to Uganda in June 2004 we saw the miracle of Juna Amagara for 14 kids who became known as The Pioneers. We came home to the U.S., eager to build a ministry.
"
I have been to Uganda more than 20 times,
"
Mulder said.
"...
and have come to love the place and the people as my second home and family. Newborns I have held are now through primary school. The 14 pioneers are through university, some married, all employed, several working for Juna Amagara. At first I was called
Mzee
,
a respected elder. Now people call me
Shwenkuru
, Grandpa, because they regard me as a local person with over 1,000 grandchildren who can speak in dialect and, at age 73, dance in the
Rukiga
style. At a recent primary school graduation, I realized hundreds of children there were not born when we started the ministry. The faces are all so beautiful, the eyes hopeful, the smiles radiant. These ones can envision a productive future because they have seen the Pioneers and others who have gone before to build successful lives guided by the ministry. We are grateful for the dedicated all-Ugandan staff of Juna Amagara
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teachers, social workers, administrators, pastors and drivers
...
nearly 120 of them now who love these children by their work every day.
"In its 15 years of life, the ministry has transitioned from a start-up idea to a well-established organization, both in the U.S and in Uganda, rated highly by charity databases and government overseers alike. And Christ is still at the center of it all.
"
I have been the communications guy, taking photos and making videos, telling the stories, producing the websites, newsletters and brochures and flyers. This is my spiritual gift and it has been lavished with joy on Juna Amagara.
"
Though I am no longer on the board, I will always be Shwenkuru and am not leaving Juna Amagara behind. There are too many things left to do. There are too many people I must see again. I will continue writing, speaking and participating with the ministry and will lead teams to Uganda at least once a year for as long as I am able.
"God has answered countless thousands of prayers through this ministry. It is just plain fun to see how many complex prayer threads come together to make a school, a building, a life, based only on faith. It is beyond joy to see a sponsored child meet their sponsor from the U.S. for the first time. This is God
'
s love. And with it we are forever changed. Juna Amagara is but one of some 900 NGO
'
s in Uganda. I pray they can all be as astoundingly impactful as this ministry.
"
Readers may be interested in Mulder's book
They Call Me Mzee: One Man’s Safari into Brightest Africa
released in 2011, available on Amazon and Kindle.
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Contact Us
Juna Amagara
Ministries
Post Office Box 2384
Glen Ellyn, Illinois 60138-2384
Phone: 318-686-7491
www.amagara.org
[email protected]
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