We Saw The Whole Process

From Stephanie Brown (Vision Trip Leader) in Uganda

The GO Project Vision Trip to Uganda is just about over. We are on the airplane returning to our homes, assured that the 263 children we visited in children’s homes and villages supported by The Global Orphan Project are also sleeping well tonight in their homes.

We visited seven sites where GO Project has partnered with local churches, and we saw the whole process – the early stages of the Management Committee in Rukore and their local church grappling with the vision of local church-based, sustainable orphan care. This is a big step of faith for them, since they are struggling to care for all their orphans as it is, and now they will be caring for even more! But, their hearts are big and they know their God is even bigger. Then we saw all the way to fully functioning children’s villages in Kabale and Kyotera. (Children in Kabale with their House Mama, right.) Well, almost fully functioning – they are on the journey to sustainability by growing much of their own food and through the work of the Sewing Centers.

In Gulu, the homes are currently under construction and they hope the children will be welcomed to their new home in mid-January. In Rukore, the land is still just a field. (See the land and our team, right.) But, by faith, they believe children will be living there by the beginning of the new school year in February. And, from what we saw, we believe they will be there!

In Lira, The Father’s House was officially launched after caring for children for more than a year. In February, they plan to welcome thirty-six more children after three more homes are constructed between now and then.

This was truly a “vision” trip – we saw the vision! The vision of local churches stepping up to the Biblical mandate to care for widows and orphans. We met Guardians of the children, the pastors and Bishop of the children, lay leaders from the local churches, some of their school teachers and Headmasters, and even local government officials! While these children are really true orphans, suffering at the end of the line, they also do not live in a vacuum. They are part of a wider community, and the local churches we spent time with in Uganda have worked hard to mobilize the local church and wider communities to embrace the children as their own. When we asked them, “Whose children are they?” They responded, “They’re OUR children.”

And, that’s the vision. We saw it. We felt it. We got it. Thank you GO Africa team for a great vision trip.