Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Please look for new posting in the new year… lots going on and our programs are up and running… we need your help.  Please consider a donation of any size,   it all helps. Just go to our website www.hopeforanunreachedworld.com and go to pay pal and donate.

Blessings,

Donna

Big smile to the ladies of St. Pius X PCCW and Ladies of Grace! Looking forward to seeing what GOD will do.

Thanks to everyone who has helped in so many ways!

We had an event with Gulu Brands at Bless your Heart here in San Antonio.  It was wonderful… We were able to get the word out on what we are doing and it was a super event.  Thank you Rachel and Katie… your support of all is appreciated. Please visit Bless Your Heart in Alamo Heights and support Katie and Rachel! They are wonderful ladies and have a super cute boutique.

Sheer JOY!!!

Our June/July summer trip to Uganda has ended and I am back home in the USA… as always it is bittersweet.  I am happy to see my hubby, beautiful daughter and friends.  But it is also sad to leave behind my “adopted at heart” son, Moses, all of the other kids, all my family and friends in Africa.  This trip was really special.  Each time God blesses me with another trip; my heart is so filled with joy.

Where should I start?  Let’s start with JOY sheer Joy on so many faces!

We went back to the village in the bush that we visited in April earlier this year; we were able to show the movie as promised,
“The Life of Jesus”.  It was a grand affair, popcorn on an oven fire, (what’s a movie without popcorn!)  This was such a blessed event. Pastor Richard and the elders of the village were there. I only wish Susan and Sue could have been with us again to see all their faces… lives were changed. Glory be to God. Sheer JOY!

The classes have started in Gulu and are off to a good start.  The ladies are teaching, and I was able to be at several of the lessons.  The ladies are also learning about where they are in the world. The curriculum is wonderful and the ladies really love it.   There are lots of questions and funny, funny discussions about everything.  Personal hygiene is next along with community cleanliness.  So much fun and so many things are being accomplished.  Joy, Joy, Joy!

Ok, I have a question for you? What is 6’7” and has a smile and heart bigger then Texas and is from LA? Want the answer? Rick Fox.  Yes, Rick Fox… what a super guy.  You would say, “Donna you know Rick Fox?”  Well, now, I can say, “Yes, yes I do. And yes, he does have a heart of gold.  And yes, his smile will melt your heart.”   I am telling you God can do all things. Rick was there with a group called THARCE, a wonderful non-profit that my friend Judy founded.  THARCE is a program with the arts it helps war affected people through various forms of the arts.   Working together and supporting each other’s missions and programs is all a part of being God’s hands and feet.  H.O.P.E. works with all groups to accomplish as much as we can together, we are strong and two is always better than one, to bring God the glory.   On with the story, Rick was so gracious to help do a basket ball clinic at St. Jude’s for Club H.O.P.E. and really supported the Gulu Hawks inspiring them, coaching and just being a great guy. Spending time with the boys and girls… everyone was blessed.

          Faces of children realizing a dream come true. Our sports leadership program “Club H.O.P.E” with much effort from our wonderful friends in Dallas, Texas, and my dear friend Sandra, funds were raised to build a Basketball court at St. Jude’s orphanage.  The funds raised were also used to repair damages to the municipal basketball courts. FABULOUS!!!  A drive was done in Dallas and San Antonio to collect basketball shoes, slightly used and new, for the players, a big fat kiss to everyone in Dallas for all your efforts.  Love to you Sandra, Kena, Amery, Angela, Deeann and everyone.   A new drive to collect funds for shoes for the youth team at St. Jude’s will start in September in order to enable us to purchase basketball shoes for the team “St. Jude’s Hawks” at the orphanages.   All the work on the courts was done by the boys on the Gulu Hawks Basketball team with a little extra help to run the machinery to pack the court.  One orphanage/school down thousands to go! Our sports program is so wonderful and it is ready to move forward teaching leadership through sports, reaching the places that for so long have been UNREACHED!  Please pray with us that the funding will come in and this wonderful program will grow with leaps and bounds.

In addition to all the above, we were blessed to have two film makers and my friend Linda stay with us in Uganda this past summer. The Girls were there teaching a film class that was just wonderful and Linda was there helping H.O.P.E and THARCE.   Linda, Krystal and Shola were such a blessing to me and to everyone they came in contact with. This group will always have a home with us in Uganda and a special place in my heart.

So much more, helping with the disabled, new programs, working on the plans for the facility, meeting with all the proper people, meeting Betty a shining light in the Ugandan Parliament, this was truly a trip to be thankful for and sheer joy.

I look back on the summer and to the future ahead. I thank GOD for all the blessings and all the people I have meet in America,  Africa and all the groups of people from all over the world helping to make this world a better place and you know what? Sheer JOY on my FACE…

Until we talk again… Blessings!

Donna

In this past trip we were able to have a mission out-reach to one of the outlying villages about two hours north of Gulu.  Pastor Marten was kind enough to research the needs in the area and let us know who the neediest were.   Pastor Marten is the new pastor of Gulu Bible Church: he is a strong leader and a good man.  Our friend Pastor Chris is now back in Kampala and at GABA Church with Pastor Peter awaiting his next mission of planting a church and planting seeds.  I pray for all of them and all the men who have chosen to follow Christ  from all denominations. May they be richly blessed and have the favor of God all the days of their lives.

The village we went to was called –? I forgot the name I will have to record it later, I want to say it was Limento, but I know it started with an a.  It had one of the sweetest young pastors, a young man named Richard.  Let’s all remember Richard in our prayers; he has a lot of work ahead of him.  The village has so many youths of all age range. So many children.   Children without parents, children with only one parent, widows.   This village is full of people who can use any amount of help.  They have a handful of seniors who are some of the loveliest older people I have met.  When you simply look into their eyes, your heart melts.  You see their hearts and the compassion they have for all humanity, for Africa and the world.  The love they showed was amazing.  The total number of people there was not known.  Over three hundred and sixty women  registered for mosquito nets, and this does not count the men or the children.  All I know is that God blessed us and there were enough of his blessings to go to everyone.    I see how hard it is for the middle sector to cope with the invasion of us westerners coming in and assuming we can do everything better, faster, more efficiently etc. The truth of the matter is maybe we can, and it is simply because the west developed faster, that’s all. We in the west are blessed.  We should always remember it.  Give God the glory! Give him the praise he deserves.  We must share God’s love.  Be his hand and feet.   Simply share what God has given us.  Plant the seeds of kindness, compassion– BE GODS HANDS AND FEET AND GO INTO THE WORLD SHARENG HIS LOVE!
I wish I had the means to be able to send anyone who wanted to share God’s love. It is the best way to see God’s love in action and it would change anyone’s life in a positive way,  if they would just allow God to use them.  I am trusting God will give me such means.  I pray that if you wish to go, God will provide the means for you to join us and help.

Things are in place to move forward with our plans for the future and many projects.  We are working with a group in Jinga Africa and together with our group in Gulu we have about 2000 women and young girls wishing to enter the program.  Wow, we have our teachers in Gulu and are working on forming the groups in Jinga!  The classes in Gulu have already started.  The teachers are being trained in Jinga; things are happening!

I want to thank God for providing our friends Thrive and my dear friend Susan.   The curriculum she has written and the support she has given–H.O.P.E. is not short of a miracle and is so appreciated!  This was a piece of the puzzle that God revealed to me through another dear, dear friend Sue with Water for All.  Sue was a sweet dear Mom on this past trip and was always willing to do whatever needed to be done.  Her support is a blessing to me and to the project.  She is helping us with our much needed water issues and these words of thanks and gratitude are not enough.  There is strength in numbers and working with those God sends to you is a blessing that cannot be measured.  I dare not hold my breath in anticipation, but breath in the goodness and the love God has showed me, H.O.P.E. for an Unreached World.

It is so hard to believe that the years come and go so fast.  It is true what they say the older you get the faster it goes. However, I would not change much if given the chance.  I say not much; I wish I had made a few better choices.  But with God, it is all forgiven–praise GOD!  I know the things in my past shaped me into the person I am today.  I give the praise to God; he said it would not always  be easy, but he also said he would be there with us.  For you see we have free will.  I chose to have God carry me all the way. I can do nothing without him.

If God has placed something on your heart to do, do it. Pray and just do it.

I sit in my hostel in Africa now awaiting my flight.  It is always bitter sweet. Looking forward to seeing my family at home and leaving my family here in Africa.  I do know this, one day soon we will all be together.   This is something wonderful to look forward to.  Until that day, we will work together in the name of Jesus.

Blessings to all!

Donna

Blessings,

Donna

New Entry in January, God bless everyone and have a very Merry Christmas!
Donna

So we started this trip with the distribution of mosquito nets and small medical supplies.  Just look at the rest of the events and let’s see if you can figure out what piece of the puzzle comes next into play.

Our next outreach is at K Hospital in Luwero, Uganda.  K Hospital is a teaching hospital and they have a nursing school.  At this time they have 80 nurses and trainees and 3 doctors.  Yes, 3 Doctors and so many patients.   This is a donations funded hospital, it needs help and we are going to try and help in whatever way we can.  Through the donation of a wonderful family we were able to supply the hospital with much needed blood pressure cuffs and a mini Doppler.  When the dean of nurses saw the items we had brought for them, she started to cry.  She hugged me so hard and told me that they had been praying of these very items.  The ones they had were all worn out and it had been months since they had been working properly, they had been praying.   God is good.

Next stop Gulu; we rest at the compound then begin again.  This next outreach is for Club H.O.P.E. this is the program that we started in order to interact with the village children and teach them basic ideas and tools to help them have a more productive life. We teach them team sports and we do fun art activities with them and read stories and just love them.  Spending time with these children you learn that many of them do not have parents due to war and other tragic events.  They are cared for by loving older siblings or a grandmother.  Many times the person caring for them is not even a family member at all, but a loving person that has taken them in.  God tells us to take care of the widows and the orphans.  Our intention with this program is to let them know someone cares for them, loves them, and is praying for them.  We want nothing more than to encourage these children, and to get as many enrolled into school as possible.  It cost about $ 40.00 per child in the younger grades to get them into school. The older children it is a bit more. If you would like to help enroll a child in school, please read on our webpage where you can help.  We were able to have two Club H.O.P.E. events this past summer they were so much fun. Please pray for the children of Club H.O.P.E. when you think of them.

Wondering where the pieces of the puzzle come in you will just have to keep reading our blog for the next piece.

I have many more stories to tell and many exciting new programs that happened while in Africa…please read our upcoming post to learn more.

Blessings,

Donna