Mercy Uganda

We dedicate this page to stories from, and about our dear friends in Uganda.  We hope you will be inspired, touched, and moved by the stories we share with you

 SAVED TO SERVE Ministries

Abdu Sekemanya.....a friend of Mercy Uganda.

 Abdu....once a Muslim, now a child of God with a heart and passion for the children in Uganda.  Abdu started a ministry called Saved To Serve, which reaches out to street children and provides a safe environment for them, offering football (soccer), dance, and a list of other things to help them.  Most importantly, this is his door to sharing the love of Christ with the precious youth with whom he works.  Saved to Serve is a young ministry, is an NGO, and Abdu is not currently receiving any funds from any source.  He works at a Christian radio station and uses the money he earns to help these children. His is a tremendous faith in God.  His is a deep love for God and the children.  Mercy Uganda is privileged to know Abdu.  We hope to be more involved with him and with the children that he ministers to. Please pray for Abdu and Saved to Serve Ministries. 

If you would like more information about Saved to Serve you may contact Abdu at:

savedtoserveministriesuganda@gmail.com

 Below are pictures of some of the girls in a recent Saved to Serve football tournament...

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This is Bethel House, the orphanage where Enock lived.  It is tucked safely behind iron fencing for the protection of the children.

ENOCK'S STORY.....

Though we do not have a picture of Enock to share with you, we want to share his story via this letter sent by our dear friend Rev Dr. Kefa Sempangi.  We pray that your heart will be touched by Enock's story......

Laura,
One of our children at the orphanage died last week 7th Nov and was buried yesterday.There was a huge gathering for burial. Enock Sebanga born 1988 became a national concern in 2000 through the media and was a among the first children to attract government intervention .Sebanga was almost starved to death by his own parents at Kalerwerwe in Kampala.
  
During Sebanga’s brutal torture his left collar bone was broken and exposed to the surface.It was restored to normal position at Mulago Hospital in 2000.It is two and a half years that Doctors at Mengo Hospital found out that this bone had generated cancer in Sebanga’s body-Leukemia.
  
In 2000 Sebanga’s parents stood trial and were charged and sentenced in the courts of law. From the beginning of 2009 Sebanga had been undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the Kampala international Hospital, until about a month ago when his blood count could no longer contain the tough chemo treatment. Sebanga was terminally ill and given 28 days to live, the exact time he died.
He died a born again strong Christian.
  
Yours in Christ.
  Rev. Dr . Kefa Sempangi 

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 This is a picture of George (man on the right) with pastor Bob Hayes (center), and a young man who attended one of the open air crusades that were coordinated by George.

George's Testimony...

Below is a very short version of the testimony my friend George Yawe shared with me during my last trip to Uganda. He is the gentleman who coordinated our visit to Kalangaalo in September, and who also coordinated the open air crusade there.

 George grew up in Kalangaalo. His family, like the others there, were extremely poor and he did not have access to an education. When George was about 12 years old a couple came to the village and offered to take him and provide shelter, food, and an education. His parents wanted more for George than what they could offer so they agreed. The couple ended up being witch doctors who severely abused, beat, bound, and burned George over the course of 2-3 years, finally leaving him for dead after a final burning of his legs over a fire. George was picked up and put in a hospital for several months. No one, not even his family knew where he was. He was not a Christian at the time, but missionaries came to the hospital and shared Christ with him. He accepted the Lord, and his first prayer was that his family could find him. This all happened around Christmas, how awesome.....his mother showed up at the hospital. George asked her how she found him and she said that someone in the village (Kalangaalo) had found a letter addressed to her on the ground, brought it to her and read it....it told her where to find George. He asked her where the letter was, and she said that no one has been able to find it since. George said that God wrote that letter and dropped it from heaven into Kalangaalo. The very first miracle God gave him. Years later George was asked to share his story on the radio in Uganda. The witch doctor couple was listening and called in. They wanted to contact George, not to continue the pain they had caused years before, but to let him know that they, too, had become Christians! Never think that a person's heart is too hard for God to change it. Never think that your life has been so bad that God cannot change it. George's testimony shows God's power in so many ways.....
his experience is what has led him back to Kalangaalo to help others.

 Alex Mugisha and his lovely wife Irene, with their son Alpha.

Alex and Irene are a beautiful and precious couple, and dear friends of ours.  They love the Lord and serve Him with a joy and passion that inspires!  To see this picture, you would never imagine the suffering they have experienced.  I want to share a little about them because their story is one of faith in the midst of suffering, and hope when to feel no hope would be easy.

This past year Alex was able to work in a job through a contract with the U.S.  This job took him to Iraq.  His wife Irene was pregnant with their little girl.  She was born last fall and Alex could not be there for the birth.  They found out that little Omega, their daughter's name, had a hole in her heart, a condition that, in the U.S. could be corrected.  They tried to find help but could find none.  Omega became increasingly weak, and died in December at 3 months of age.  Alex was not able to be there when she passed away.....he had not been able to see or hold his little girl....he never got to meet her.  The thing about Alex and Irene is this, they trust the Lord and their faith has not waivered.  They continue to seek ways to serve Him and honor Him in their lives.  Irene has been to University and had hopes of pursuing a Law Degree.  They just simply cannot afford it.  It would only cost about $1,500.00 a year for her.  What an impact she would make in her country as a Christian attorney.  We are praying for her, that God will raise up support for her to go to Law School.  Recently Alex became extremely ill.  We found out he had kidney stones that he could not pass.  He needed surgery.  They could not afford it.  He suffered and became increasingly more sick and infection was setting in.  Money came in and we sent it.  Alex is now recovering and waiting for a call from the company he had been to Iraq with.....they are preparing to send him to Afghanistan.  Alex and Irene have been such a blessing and support to Mercy Uganda. They have gone far above and beyond to help this ministry grow and to protect and help our ministry liaison, Lauren.  Please pray for Alex and Irene.  They are a treasure to us, they are true servants of the Lord.  

Alex and Irene are a special part of Mercy Uganda and the work God has called us to do there.  We thank God for them!

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Akim Sekadde Sewava and his wife Patience

Akim and Patience each have testimonies that we want to share with you.  This precious couple desires to be used by God in ministry work, and Mercy Uganda is looking forward to their part in this ministry.

Patience was a sponsored child, much like what Mercy Uganda is doing to help with the educational needs of children there....this is her testimony:

Patience:  "I thank God for the sponsorship programs that come up in Uganda.  Because of sponsorship programs I was able to go to school.  After my high school, I was put into another program for University students.  My sponsor paid my tuition, and room and board.  May God bless all the people who have a vision for the children of Uganda.  I got my first sponsor when I was in Grade 9. I got my second sponsor when I was about to enter Makarere University and she paid my tuition for three years.  I was able to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Social Sciences.  I majored in psychology and minored in social administration. "

Patience is now seeking how God can use her to help others.....she is a blessing!

Akim's story is like so many in Uganda....living in orphanages, struggling for hope and a future. His story is below:

Akim: "I am a Ugandan by nationality and was born into a Muslim family.  My mother was a member of a Presbyterian church in Uganda. My father had 10 wives and 45 children.  None of us could regularly attend school due to lack of money and so many children.  My mother left my father and took me, and my sisters and brothers who were born to her and took us to her church so we could eat.  I became saved at that church.  I was a former Muslim but now I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior in 1992. During my childhood, when my mother left my father, she became the first warden of the first orphanage in Uganda.  It was called Africa Foundation, founded by Kefa Sempangi in the 1970's.  That orphanage still exists in the Mukono District near Ntenjeru.  I lived in that orphanage with my mother and siblings so I could get an education.  My mother also made uniforms and clothes for the children at the orphanage, serving as a tailor part time to help provide for us.   Through the efforts of my mother, who passed away in 2007, and the help of Christians throughout my life, helping me with my education, I was able to graduate from Makerere Business School in 2003 with a diploma in Business Administration."

Akim is excited to help Mercy Uganda and we look forward to opportunities for him in the near future to work with us as we minister to women and children in Uganda.

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