Another mission team is prepping for a trip to Uganda this week!  Most of the team will leave this Wednesday, January 31st; three team members will leave on Saturday.  The team has been busy packing - both their own personal bags and the supplies that will be used during the trip.

A primary focus of the trip will be to deliver over 600 packets to sponsored students in five of our partner schools.  We will also be spending some time organizing games for the entire school and craft time with the women.  Something new - we are delivering hand-washing stations to the schools and helping teach the kids how important it is to wash their hands!

Follow the team on this blog and our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Pray for the team and their families as we get ready to leave in the coming week!

Some of the students in the Hearts & Hope sponsorship program have been receiving support for over 10 years now!  They may have started as they entered Primary 1 and are now in secondary or vocational school, or even university.

As more kids reach these advanced levels, Hearts & Hope is working hard to accommodate the needs of this age.  One recent addition to our program is an Advanced Student Conference, hosted by the Hearts & Hope staff in Uganda.

The first conference was held on January 5th at Nakabango Lutheran Primary School.  David Kulaba, the HH4U Advanced Sponsorship Coordinator, said "the conference was intended to bring together students in the program for interaction, understanding Hearts & Hope, understanding the Lutheran Church in Uganda, Education Counselling, and students' general counselling."  He reported that 156 students were invited, but attendance grew to over 200!  

The facilitators at the conference included: Rev. Charles Bameka, the bishop of the Lutheran Church in Uganda, the Jinja District Inspector of Schools, Mr. Eria Kisambira, Ms Deborah Nalukwago a professional Counselor, Nicholas Bateganya, Director of Operations for HH4U, and David.

David also reported that, after the presentations, the students agreed to form a body to keep the group together and coordinated. They elected a committee for coordination with mobilizers from each village.

Commenting on the conference later in the day,the LCU Bishop said it was a success and that he wished it it could be made an annual event.

We are thrilled with this inaugural effort and hope to make it an annual occurrence.  Many thanks to our staff and to those donors who support our education programs!

Many of you have followed the story of Bateganya Moses for some time now. He is a boy who lives in Butangala - where one of the Hearts & Hope partner schools is located.  

He was living with a large mass on his neck that was growing larger.  Eventually, it started to effect his breathing and eating.  He became a very sick little boy.

​Our staff in Uganda paid to get Moses on a list at a hospital where surgery could be performed to remove the mass.  The cost would be over $750 - a lot of money anywhere, but especially in Uganda.  Friends of Hearts & Hope, just like you, rose to the occasion and donated those funds, plus more, to cover the expenses.  

Moses entered the hospital in late September where he received a treatment to reduce the size of the mass.  This was going to be necessary before surgery could even be considered.  Moses stayed in the hospital while he received the treatments and they soon found the procedure was making permanent changes.  Eventually it was decided he might not need the major surgery after all; perhaps only a minor operation!  He remained in the hospital with his mother for over a month.  Thankfully, funds donated covered their expenses.

Moses was dismissed in early November and was told to return in 6 weeks for a check up.  Today, we received news that the mass is totally gone!  And not even a minor surgery will be required!  Prayers of thanksgiving for this precious child.  And many thanks to our staff in Uganda for their diligence in getting Moses appropriate care and for all of you who donated to our Major Medical Fund which allowed us to fund this treatment.  We are grateful!

Moses is now sponsored and will get to begin the new school year in Butangala very soon!