Amagara News | Spring 2018
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A Greeting from Peggy Walding
Mudslide Victims Gain New Hope with JAM
Sponsors Provide Record Donations for Christmas Gifts
Dormitory Success!
South Carolina Team Revisits Mary Cox Primary School
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Greetings!
Wishing you warm greetings during this Easter and Spring season of new life!
It is with a mix of sadness and gratitude that the Board of Directors announces that we have retired Rev. Dr. Ben Tumuheirwe from the position of Executive Director of Juna Amagara Ministries. We are forever grateful to Dr. Ben for the ministry he founded in 2004, with the help of friends in America, to take in vulnerable children in Uganda and raise them up to be well-educated Christian leaders who will change the nation for the better. Starting with 14 children, the ministry has grown to more than 850 children in five communities. Dr. Ben leaves behind a financially strong organization to carry out his legacy for many years to come. His presence, his charisma and his passion for saving the children will be missed. Please join us in wishing Dr. Ben success in his future endeavors and in welcoming Dr. Herbert Ainamani, who has been appointed to the position of Managing Director. Dr. Herbert will continue his excellent administration of ministry operations in Uganda, as he has done for many years.
I want to take this opportunity to thank each of you for being a part of cultivating the lives of the children and am excited to share how God continues to grow the ministry. Many of you cared enough to write letters to children and even traveled to visit them in Uganda. In fact, there were a record number of visitors in 2017 and we believe that will be surpassed in 2018. We also saw record breaking numbers for our projects fully funded - from funds raised to help disaster victims to our neighbors in Kishanje village, to a record number of donations for Christmas gifts, to providing a new dormitory for the boys at Kishanje High, to new buildings at Mary Cox Primary School, to medical equipment for HEAL Medical Center.
Together, with your help and support, we can see even greater things happen in 2018! Our goals are bold. We can reach even more children. See even more college graduates and more disciples from ABIDE. We can continue to improve the facilities and have better-equipped classrooms.
You can help children in Uganda reach their God-given potential. Join us - pray, visit, give generously. May God richly bless you in this coming year.
Gratefully,
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Peggy Walding
Chairman, Juna Amagara USA
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Mudslide Victims Gain New Hope with JAM Support
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Rainy season can be a fearsome part of life for Ugandans.
It was a terrifying night in July when relentless rains loosened the entire side of a mountain. Houses, gardens, livestock and people were flooded into a gully. Loss of life is always a cause for grief, but especially so for us when the victims include relatives of children in the Juna Amagara program. These were our neighbors suffering from disaster. Our Ugandan brothers and sisters.
An appeal was made to Juna Amagara donors to send funds for relief. You – our partners in the Ugandan mission field – responded. Because of your generosity, we were able to send over $9,000.00. Aid from the ministry was completely unexpected by the victims. These people, you see, are accustomed to feeling forgotten.
But God remembers His children. And so must we. This is one of the callings of Juna Amagara. By October, the impassable roads were being cleared. Lives began to settle and hearts to hope, because their prayers were heard… By Juna Amagara, and by you. The victims were completely overwhelmed with gratitude!
The rainy season will come once again but the love and faithfulness of God is ever-present.
To those who donated, those who prayed and those who cared, we are grateful. You saved not just a few lives, but entire families and communities. Thank you!
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Sponsors Provide Record Donations for Christmas Gifts
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850 children in five Juna Amagara care point centers experienced a blessed Christmas this year.
In a joyous outpouring of generosity and caring, sponsors of Juna Amagara children and other donors surpassed last year’s donations for Christmas gifts by fifty percent! These funds ensured that there was a Christmas party at each of the five communities where Juna Amagara has a care point and a gift for every child in the program.
For many, this was the first gift they have received in their lives. What a powerful celebration of our Savior’s birth as the ultimate gift from God. By the way, social workers at each location might have had the most fun of anyone this year – searching for just the right gifts which they knew would elicit squeals of joy on Christmas day!
We have been asked over the years why we do not allow people to simply purchase gifts in the U.S. and send them over. In the earliest days, that was possible because missionaries traveling over may have had room in an extra suitcase. But now, with 850 children in the program, Santa would need a cargo jet to carry the freight. Moreover, items purchased in the U.S. aren’t always appropriate for a child in Uganda. Toys requiring batteries, or tied to pop culture, or clothing that does not fit… these and more could do more harm than good. The mail service in Uganda is often unreliable. So, we ask for funds in order that items may be purchased that are appropriate for the local culture and beneficial to the child. We want to especially thank those of you who are not child sponsors and still donated funds.
Because of your generosity, children without sponsors or those whose sponsors were unable to send funds also received gifts. The joy of Christmas leaves a lasting impression… on our children but also on staff, guardians and the communities in which we serve. Praise the Lord; this was a good one, a grateful Merry Christmas to all.
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Your support for Juna Amagara is building into the lives of Ugandan youth – Literally!
Construction on the new dormitory for boys at Kinshanje Highlands High School is well underway. Upon completion, 100 waiting young men will call these rooms their new home. At capacity, the dorm can hold up to 150 and frees up two classrooms which are currently being used to house the boys.
We knew that this was a tremendous project. And we knew that God would provide. But we stand in humbled amazement at how quickly you made it happen. We expected that it would take two years for the necessary funds to be acquired. Instead – due to YOUR generosity – all funds were raised in TWO WEEKS.
Praise be to God! More than just a building and the raising up of four walls, we are building into hearts and raising up a new generation for God’s Kingdom in Uganda.
Thank you for your part in this great work.
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South Carolina Team Revisits Mary Cox Primary School
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There can be no doubt that Carolinas Cornerstone Church of Ft. Mill, South Carolina, is committed to Kayanja Village!
During a recent trip there, the team, which now includes members of four churches, preached, taught Bible studies, played games with more than 60 children sponsored by church members and distributed books and supplies. The team raised funds in advance of the trip to buy shoes and socks for every child at the care point. Once in Kayanja, visitors washed the feet of children, treated minor cuts and abrasions and prayed with each child.
Equally as impactful was a medical outreach coordinated with Nurse Brenda Ninsiima and the Juna Amagara HEAL Clinic team. In one day, the team saw 96 patients, offering medical treatment for scabies, small wounds, medicine for various conditions, dental work, vaccinations and OBGYN exams. For many people in Kibaale District, this is the first time they may have visited a doctor.
The time in Kayanja was short but it was powerful. Thanks to Mary Haynes (seen right, with Moureen Amooti), Meghan Yates, Dave Kunde and the entire team for their great planning and hard work. Thanks to Alan, Moureen and Albas for hosting.
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Thank you for your continued support of Juna Amagara Ministries.
May God bless your life for caring about vulnerable children!
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