Praises and Prayer Requests
Uganda
August 2011
We’re thankful for our partners who volunteer their time and expertise to help our children. Hannah Follet, a physician’s assistant, went with our nurses to check on the health of the children in our Village Partnership Program in Anai-Okii this summer. Pray for good health for all of our children.
We praise God that supplies for our primary school have arrived. Last month, we received fifteen large desks that can seat three children each.
Venture Teams have been doing construction projects, training teachers, and providing for our children in numerous ways this summer. Thank God for this!
Praise the Lord that COTN–Uganda Sponsorship Coordinator Hardson Ongura graduated from Uganda Christian University with a bachelor’s degree in community leadership and development.
July 2011
Praise God for providing a motorcycle for our staff to use when visiting children in our Village Partnership Program. This new mode of transportation will help our staff when traveling to villages on rough or nonexistent roads.
Some of our children in Uganda are suffering with the effects of malaria. Pray that God would heal them.
Praise God for our team of twelve Global Interns in Uganda! They are adjusting well to their new environment and caring for our children in many ways. Pray that God will continue to keep them safe and healthy and full of His spirit so they can continue to bless our children.
June 2011
Praise God that our COTN–Uganda staff have been able to visit several of the children in our Village Partnership Program and continue ministering to them and praying with their families.
Pray for our children in Uganda, that they would focus and study hard as they begin a new term in school.
Pray also for our children’s health, as some are battling cases of malaria.
Please pray for the political situation in Uganda. Protests continue as commodity prices keep rising.
May 2011
Praise God for a bountiful harvest of cassava and bananas last month. Our children gave a sack of the cassava to their church as a tithe. We trust God to continue providing for us as we remain faithful to Him.
Our children are beginning a new quarter in school this month. Pray they will be able to focus on their studies and earn good grades in their classes.
Please pray for peace and stability in Uganda. Recent economic woes have set off protests. Pray that our children and staff will be safe.
April 2011
The Center House in the Uganda Children's Village has been wired for electricity use with a generator so the children can study after dark.
Pray for the teachers and students in the COTN school as they strive to teach and learn with limited space and resources. We plan to keep expanding our school in the future!
Pray also for more sponsors for children in Uganda. The need is great in villages surrounding our ministry sites.
March 2011
Our Uganda Children’s Village recently received a Land Cruiser and a van, thanks to the generosity of you, our partners! Thank you!
COTN’s Primary School in Uganda has expanded beyond nursery school and grades 1 and 2, to serve primary grades 3, 4, and 5. Pray for the staff and teachers to be resourceful and patient as they work to provide excellent education for all of our children.
Our new COTN–International Uganda Liaison, Sylvia Taussig, and her husband Andy, finished a training mission to assist the in-country staff in February, and moved on to visit staff in Malawi this month. Pray for their safety and for continued peace in Uganda following the February elections.
February 2011
A recent Venture Team led by Emma Holmquist of San Diego, CA, spent a week in January leading our children through (Christmas) Vacation Bible Study on the topic of trusting God. Our Uganda Children’s Home children received certificates of completion and greatly enjoyed the five days of VBS.
The new school year began Jan 31st for COTN’s Primary School. Pray for the staff as they continue to make decisions about new students, new teachers and space to fit everyone.
January 2011
Prayers have been answered! The recent container sent to COTN–Uganda has arrived safe and sound, just in time for the children’s Christmas celebration! For the first time ever our children slept on real mattresses with pillows (many of whom had never even heard of them).
We praise God for bringing us a new COTN–International Uganda Liaison. Sylvia Taussig has served with COTN in Uganda as a consultant, and acted as a Global Intern Leader in 2010.
Please pray for social, educational, and spiritual transformation of the newly enrolled Village Partnership children. May God allow their hearts to accept His will for them.
December 2010
New Village Partnership Program Coordinator (VPP) in Uganda, Christopher Odongo, has been helping to register dozens of new children in Anai Okii. During the process he has also had the opportunity to witness to their families about the Lord. Five people have dedicated their lives to Christ. Such incidences of conversion through the presence of COTN is surely God’s plan to bring souls to his kingdom.
Please pray for exam scores, as students have just finished end-of-year exams. Also pray for more means of transportation for staff, so they can reach remote areas of Anai Okiii where more VPP children are located.
November 2010
This month, COTN–Uganda County Director James Okalo Ekwang is visiting Real Life Church in Valencia, California. Please pray for a safe and fruitful visit. Also pray for safety and success for a Venture Team visiting Uganda this month, who will meet the children and lead writing workshops while getting to know the children and helping them tell their stories.
We are thankful for the continued ministry of the JESUS film in Uganda, claiming many lives for Christ. In October, COTN–Uganda staff members showed the film to members of Anamwany Church, where ten members were baptized, five dedicated their children to the Lord, and at least 100 children in the neighboring school gave their lives to Christ.
October 2010
Our children in Uganda received an opportunity to speak about children’s rights on a local radio station. This occasion was the combined effort of the teens in our Uganda Children’s Village and interns from All Saints University. The broadcasts, though challenging for the listeners, have been received well, and will take place over the next two months.
We also give praise to God for the continued construction taking place in our Children’s Village. A new nursery school classroom now has walls and plaster. As the gazebo in the middle of the village nears completion, the children have prepared by planting grass around it and creating a pathway.
Please pray that our Village Partnership children live in harmony with their families, and that COTN continues to find ways to serve the most needy children.
September 2010
Praise God for the help He has sent this summer through the COTN Global Interns and numerous Venture teams. COTN–Uganda Country Director Reverend James Okallo Ekwang reports, “Every National staff was active and working with them as if it was one’s last time to serve the Lord.”
That service included a dedication to sharing the Word, which they accomplished via the JESUS film, which they brought to communities neighboring our Uganda Children’s Village. On August 14th, over seventy souls in the village of Kamindi dedicated their lives to Christ!
The interns and Venture teams, under the direction of COTN–USA Staff Member Andy Taussig, worked on several building projects during their stay. Please pray for the successful completion of the nursery school and gazebo in the Children’s Village to greet returning students, who are eager to learn.
August 2010
COTN Global Interns in Uganda are finding it easy to make connections with the children in our care. Alex Taussig, in Uganda for the second time, writes: “I just love my team. It is more glorious than I can say to live day in and day out in this incredible place with such a wonderful group of people. They are hilarious and refreshing and loving and God-fearing. It’s easy to believe that this kind of community is what God wants for all of us.
“One of my favorite things is to help give out breakfast each morning. The children in nursery class come in at ten each day for a bowl of porridge. After I help distribute, I love to sit with them as they eat and I marvel at their sweet smiles and chubby arms and legs, sticky from spilled porridge. In those moments time goes very slowly, and it seems like I have been here and will remain for an eternity.”
As our ministry in Uganda grows, so does our need for vehicles to transport our children. Please pray that we obtain reliable transportation to see to our childrens’ needs.
July 2010
Less than three months ago, Reverend James Okalo Ekwang, COTN–Uganda Country Director, and his staff welcomed twenty-four orphaned children into the Uganda Children’s Village in Lira.
Nine girls and fifteen boys, ages three to twelve years, have been given medical care, trauma counseling, nutritious food, a school to attend,and a loving environment with their house mother and new “brothers” and “sisters.” Rev. James shared Jesus’ message of love with them.
“According to my personal assessment, about 95% of them knew little or almost nothing at all about God,” noted Rev. James, “but now…all the new children in the home have learned their lessons about God, and are able to make a free and personal testimony about Him.”
Fifty children from Anai-Okii were also recently enrolled in COTN’s Village Partnership Program. They will be provided with educational opportunities as well as much needed resources.
June 2010
Pastor James Okalo, COTN–Uganda Country Director, counted his blessings as the new school at our Uganda Children’s Village opened on May 24 with over 75 students. There were new school supplies, furniture and teachers.
“It’s uncommon in Uganda to see new teachers get so committed… unsure of salaries,” Pastor James noted. “You need to see what is happening here!”
He asks that we continue praying for financial funding for the school as well as funds for a second classroom. “Nursery children study under trees as we wait for their classes to be constru
cted,” he notes.
Buluge Secondary Public School in Uganda invited COTN to show the JESUS film at their school, and 300 students gave their lives to Christ. Pastor James asks us to pray for their spiritual strength, adding, “God should help them stand until Christ comes.”
May 2010
Okalo, one of our volunteers in Uganda’s JESUS Film Ministry. Though her illness has slightly improved, Lydia remains at Amach Hospital in Lira, where she is receiving intensive medical treatment. Please continue to pray for her recovery.
At the same time, we ask that you rejoice with us in the blessings God has provided. The walls of our two-classroom school building are reaching ever higher, and the roof should be going on soon. We hope to transfer all of our children to this school within the next week. By doing so, we will decrease wear on our vehicles, increase availability of study time for our children, and save funds that would have been spent on outside schools.
Please lift up our staff and children in prayer as they face the daily struggles of life. Please ask for God’s grace and patience to fill our staff members so that they can continue to constantly demonstrate His love to these little ones. Many of our children come from traumatic backgrounds, and the transformation of their lives could be a long, emotionally painful process. Please pray that their hearts would be open to receive the comfort and love God will express through our staff.
April 2010
We take joy in the fact that our Ugandan children have such godly examples in the staff. Our staff members have committed themselves to fast and pray at the Children’s Village every Wednesday from morning until four o’clock in the evening. During this time, they pray for many concerns both in Uganda and in the COTN family worldwide.
Some of those prayers were answered just a few short weeks ago. On March 16, after months of preparation, twenty-eight Ugandan children entered our full-time care, bringing the total number of children to fifty-seven. Please join us in prayer that funding would come in to complete Phase II of the Village construction, which began with the laying of the foundation of the new school on March 26.
Please pray also for Lydia Okalo, one of our regular volunteers in the JESUS Film Ministry, who has been very ill for several weeks. At last report, she was hospitalized and receiving treatment, but her condition did not seem to be improving.
March 2010
All of our children have reported for their first-term studies with a fervent zeal for education! Three of our children—Vicky Oyela, Samuel Ekel, and Denis Omara—campaigned for leadership positions in their classes and were elected by their classmates. The spiritual life of our children has also improved, and they demonstrate their faith through devotions, as well as music, dance, and drama. Our Ugandan staff has recently been teaching the children to express themselves through these art forms, and they even had a guest teacher come to train the children in traditional forms of singing and drumming. We thank God for all of the growth in our children’s lives.
At the same time, we also request your fervent prayers for a number of issues. Our Ugandan staff is currently without an accountant, and we pray that this crucial position will be filled with a God-fearing, dedicated individual. The vehicles have become worn down by overuse and poor roads, particularly the one vehicle that is used to transport the children to and from school, so we are asking the Lord to provide a solution to this problem. Pray also for provision and blessing on the land as we seek to expand our ministry and develop an agricultural program.
February 2010
God is working to change even more lives through COTN’s ministry in Uganda. Our Village Partnership Program began in January in the village of Anai-Okii. Forty-four children have been registered in the program so far, and sixteen have been nominated to join the twenty-nine already in our full-time care. Please pray for God to bless us with more
staff members to care for these additional children.
The Children’s Village itself is a tremendous blessing. The children love playing on their new soccer field, and the new well supplies safe, clean water to the children and even the surrounding community. But keep praying for continuing development of the village, especially for a school. Seven teachers were recently transferred from the government-run school that our children currently attend, and there is concern that the quality of their education may decrease.
Pray also for transportation. The van currently in use is not large enough to carry all of the children in our program back and forth to school. With more children entering our care, the staff is praying for a bus and a new access road to the Children’s Village.
December 2009
Please pray for health in Uganda. Several of our children recently received medical treatment after contracting malaria, and they are well now. Even so, please join us in asking God to bring a full-time nurse for the Ministry Center who could be on call for night-time emergencies.
We rejoice with two of our staff families, who recently received the blessing of new babies. At the same time, our children rejoice to be divided into three house families where they can each receive more individual attention.
While personal attention and increased space are certainly blessings of the new Children’s Village, there are also some hardships. One of these is the increased difficulty of transportation. Our Uganda staff request prayer that God would fill the need for a bus, as the van they currently own cannot bring all of the children from the village in one trip.
November 2009
Construction of the first seven houses in our Children’s Village is complete, and the twenty-nine children already in our program have moved in! We rejoice in God’s goodness that these prayers have been answered. Phase II of the construction, which is already in progress, includes building a school facility, a feeding center, and a medical center. These resources will be used to minister to not only children in our program, but also children of nearby villages. Funding for this project is not yet complete, so we ask you to pray that this need would be met.
Since the homes are now complete, we are accepting new children into the program. We are also preparing to start our first Village Partnership in Uganda. Praise God for this exciting opportunity to reach even more children! Along with such a great opportunity, though, comes a great need: sponsors. We plan on adding over 100 new children, each one of whom will need a sponsor. Our Lord knows our needs, and He is faithful to provide for them. Please pray along with us that hearts would be touched by this need and that those He has called would respond generously to provide for each of these little ones.
October 2009
Many wonderful things are happening in Uganda. The Board faces a difficult decision in choosing between three excellent candidates for the Staff Accountant vacancy. Our Children’s Village nears completion, and we should be ready to bring in new children by the end of the month. Children in the current Home have been growing spiritually through daily Bible reading and prayer, and they exhibit zeal in their studies as they progress through the final term of their school year.
Please pray for wisdom and courage for our Uganda staff as they continue to be a light in spiritually dark places. Our staff’s evangelism and outreach ministry often carries them into neighboring districts, some of which are known for witchcraft. By the power of Christ, they have been victorious in several cases of spiritual warfare in the last month—including the healing of a young girl who had been unable to walk for the past year—and 345 people have come to know the Lord!
At the same time, the staff continues to aid in the mental and emotional healing of our children through one-on-one counseling sessions. Several of our children have been dealing with strong feelings of anger and insecurity, but they take comfort in the constant love and support of our staff members and the other children as they learn constructive anger management techniques. Praise God that He is working so powerfully through this ministry!
September 2009
We rejoice to see God’s awesome hand at work in the JESUS film project. Our staff has shown the film a total of sixteen times this summer, along with street evangelism and altar calls. The events have resulted in many salvations and several new church plantings!
Construction on the new Children’s Village provided a unique educational opportunity this summer. So many children had gathered to watch the construction that the Venture Teams began holding classes for them. We are so grateful for the love of learning demonstrated by these children, and we would love for you to join us in praying that it continues throughout the school year.
The Uganda staff has begun group counseling and education sessions with our adolescents about sexual purity, which they intend to hold twice a month. Pray that these sessions will have a significant impact on our adolescents and that they will choose to keep themselves pure.
August 2009
Sharon Alum has been with COTN for two years now. She lives in the Lira Children’s Home and aspires to someday be a nurse. She is always willing to help clean, cook, or do the laundry. Please pray for Sharon’s continued physical and spiritual growth as she still needs the encouragement of a sponsor.
Venture participant Connie Lander from Silverdale, Washington, accompanied by Wendy Brown, COTN's Education Director, led a team composed of teachers from Washington, Oregon, and California on a mission to spread the joy of reading to the children in Uganda. During a two-day seminar, the team taught locals and school officials how to teach and encourage the children in the villages to read daily. This work is important because the new village, including a school, is being built and will need a firm academic foundation to increase learning among the children. Praise God for all the work and progress being done in Uganda, for the teams and interns there, and the dedication from all the locals to keep educating the children of Uganda .
June 2009
Flood Church in San Diego, California, has a heart for Uganda and they partner with COTN on many of their ministry trips to that country. This summer, the church is sending four global interns, two global intern leaders and three teams! Praise God for a church full of servant hearts! “We believe in the work of COTN and how they are caring for the least of these,” says Adam Klekowski, the Global Impact pastor at Flood Church. “Their heart beats with ours and we’re just excited to partner with an organization that is saving lives in all senses of the word—especially in Uganda where the need is great.”
The global interns will focus on learning new skills in surrounding villages to get to know the community. They’ll mentor children and teens and help lead summer camps. Andy and Sylvia Taussig from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma will serve as team hosts as they focus on staff training while both Jonathan Riley and Jerusha Hoffman will spend the summer as counseling consultants. Join us in praying for the unity of the global interns and consultants—that God would mold them as He uses them for His work in Uganda.
Also pray for the teams that will be doing construction on our Uganda Children’s Village along with counseling, education and meeting medical needs. We praise God for such needs being met and for the servants He has provided!
May 2009
Construction workers in Lira have marked out the boundaries, dug trenches and are procuring materials for building the Children’s Village! The foundation is being laid right now! It is so exciting to see and hear about the actual beginning of construction! Pray with us that the remaining $12,000 still needed to finish Phase One comes in, and that construction goes smoothly.
Great news! Every one of the 29 children currently residing in our Lira Children’s Home are now fully sponsored! Thank you to the 87 people who are generously supporting these young ones who are eagerly awaiting the completion of the first homes in our Children’s Village!
May 2–10, we had the privilege of welcoming COTN–Uganda Country Director Pastor James Okalo in California. He spoke at FLOOD Church on May 3rd, and as a result twelve children were sponsored! On the 10th Real Life Church in Valencia listened to him speak. Join us in giving praise to God that Pastor James was able to make this trip and share with our family in California regarding our ministry in Uganda.
April 2009
Evangelism through the JESUS Film Ministry has been a great success! This ministry takes a film with the story of Jesus to surrounding communities and shows it in outdoor makeshift “theaters.” Following the film, COTN staff do an altar call to give people the opportunity to change their lives by accepting Jesus as their savior. The film is being shown in areas that have great need for the message of love and salvation, where the war hit hardest and where the churches are dead or dying. Pray for continued success, that people’s hearts are softened by this message and they are willing to accept Christ into their lives.
Fifteen-year-old Olivea Auma lives in our Children's Home in Lira. Her father died during a rebel attack in 2002 and her mother died in 2004, leaving her to raise her younger brother alone. She is responsible, obedient and honest and loves to help with kitchen work. Please join us in praying for healing for Olivea and her brother, Solomon Okello. Pray that Olivea grows to be a strong, compassionate woman whom God can use to help others.
March 2009
For the first time, God has blessed us with interns for the entire summer in Uganda! Flood Church in California is sending four interns and two intern leaders to minister to our children. They plan to mentor the children through small groups with Bible studies and games. They also plan to go out to the families in the villages to help with daily work so they can learn about the people and culture. Praise God for the interns’ willing hearts and pray that the experience is both inspiring and successful.
Please pray for Pastor James Okalo, our Country Coordinator in Uganda. In addition to overseeing our ministry in Uganda, James serves as the pastor for Truth Evangelistic Fountain Church. Pray for Pastor James as he helps manage the construction of our Uganda Children’s Village and prepares for interns and Venture Teams serving this summer. Pray that God would provide strength and good health as he balances many work responsibilities.
Thirteen-year-old Janet Adongo is in the third grade and joined the COTN family with her brothers two years ago. Janet comes from the village of Aberidwogo. Her father died in the Barloyo massacre in 2004, and soon afterwards her mother disappeared, leaving Janet in the care of her (then) fifteen-year-old brother, along with another brother. Janet is described as a wellbehaved, active and friendly girl who enjoys attending church. Pray for Janet and her brothers, that they may grow stronger in God every day and use their testimonies to show His grace and love.
February 2009
Praise God—COTN has received full funding for the first phase of our Children’s Village in Uganda! This will enable COTN to build seven children’s homes and a classroom block. Please pray for our national staff as they select a project manager to oversee the construction. Also, pray that construction can begin by March 1!
This month, pray for eight-year-old Sarah Ayugi, who lives in our children’s home in Lira. Sarah came into COTN care after her parents died and her grandmother could not take proper care of her and her brothers. Sarah has accepted Christ as her Savior and enjoys attending church—please pray that she will continue to walk in obedience to God and learn about Him by reading the Bible.
Please lift up staff member Edward Olara in your prayers. Edward serves as our director of spiritual empowerment in Uganda, leading worship and providing other opportunities for our children to grow in their walks with Christ. He is musically gifted and has also written short plays for our children to perform! Pray for Edward as he ministers to our children and takes on the new role of Venture Coordinator in Uganda.
This year, our children in Uganda began their Christmas celebration festivities by presenting Christmas songs at church and in the children’s home. They dressed for the occasion in “Sunday best” attire, with the girls wearing colorful skirts and dresses and the boys each wearing a suit and tie! In the songs of worship and celebration, the children played African musical instruments such as the adungu (a string instrument), okeme (thumb piano), xylophone, and a local flute made out of the bamboo tree. A special Christmas meal was also held.
Our children were also very excited to receive and display their new COTN T-shirts during a visit by “Daddy Chris.” (International President Chris Clark)
January 2009
Please pray for eight-year-old Prosasco, who lives in our Lira Children’s Home. Prosasco came into the care of COTN after his father died and his mother abandoned her children—leaving Prosasco’s fourteen-year-old sister to care for him and three siblings. Praise God—he is now in a safe and secure home! Pray that this young boy would put his faith and trust in God for his home life and his future.
Rose Luka is one of our staff counselors in Uganda. She spends her time counseling children in villages and the remnants of abandoned IDP camps in Northern Uganda, as well as the orphans in the COTN home. After Rose was widowed in 2005, she has allowed God to use her to bring hope to the lives of women and children who have also lost loved ones. Please pray that Rose would be encouraged and empowered to serve as the Lord leads her in counseling children.
Please pray that many would hear the gospel through the JESUS film ministry in Uganda this year. Last year many professed faith in Christ after witnessing the film. Pray that God would open doors to new villages and schools where the film can be shown this year.
COTN President Chris Clark recently visited our children in Uganda with a Vision Team from the United States. He said, “These kids were so excited today as we visited their home. Each proclaimed how well they have done in school this year. With faces a grin they reported, ‘I was promoted this year!’ Remember, these are the same kids that have not been to school in years! Yet today many are in the top of their class. I asked for the sibling groups to stand up, and as each stood I thought about the amazing work of God in their tiny lives,” shared Chris. Praise God!
December 2008
Leo Pi Arama Pi Nywale Alar (“Merry Christmas” in Lango)
“Christmas Greetings from COTN–Uganda! Our children in Uganda are appreciating you so much for al the support you have been sending through Children of the Nations. The children are happy to let you know that they have planned a number of activities for this year’s Christmas Day as well as New Year’s Day 2009.
Our children are looking forward to presenting Christmas songs both in church and at the center and playing some African musical instruments such as adungu (a string instrument), okeme (thumb piano), xylophone, and a local flute made out of the bamboo tree. The children will also have poems, drama, dance, and other playtimes to make the day colorful and joyous. The children are ready to go with prayers to thank God for the year 2008 as they begin the New Year 2009.
All in all, our precious children wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Hardson Ongura
COTN–Uganda Sponsorship Coordinator
November 2008
Hardson Ongura is our Sponsorship Coordinator in Uganda. He joined COTN in 2006 as a volunteer for the JESUS film ministry. Now, he is responsible for overseeing the child sponsorship program in Uganda, obtaining updates and photos. Please pray for Hardson as he balances work at COTN, his family, and attending school.
COTN staff are thankful that God has recently provided financial partners to support construction of a Children’s Village in Uganda! Land has already been purchased and cleared, and architectural plans have been completed. Now, COTN is moving forward with fundraising that will support construction of seven children’s homes and the first classroom block. When the Children’s Village is completed, COTN will launch a Village Partnership Program to reach out to the destitute children who live in the surrounding communities.
Please join us in praying for Monica, a twelve-year-old girl who lives in our children’s home in Uganda. During the war, Monica witnessed brutal violence that took the lives of her mother and sister. Since Monica came into the care of COTN in 2006, she has begun a healing process. She told one of our summer counseling interns, “When I used to think about my mother’s death my heart would pound, but now I feel at peace.” Praise God that Monica is now in a safe environment where she can continue to heal and grow!
September 2008
After many visiting teams and counselors from the USA this summer, our counseling ministry will continue under the leadership of national staff member Lucio Oruni. Lucio conducts trauma counseling in local schools and our children’s home. Please pray that God will open doors to many new schools this year. Also, please ask the Lord to strengthen Lucio as he counsels many who have undergone terrible trauma. Lucio said, “My favorite part of working for COTN is when we get visitors and I can get more training and share ideas to push me on with strength in counseling.”
Please join us in praying for Sharon Maya, one of our orphans in Uganda. Sharon enjoys school, and she is described by her caretakers as intelligent and friendly. Please pray that Sharon will seek the Lord’s guidance for her future and that she will be reassured of His deep love for her.
August 2008
We rejoice that the hearts of many children in Uganda were healed and encouraged through COTN trauma counseling and play therapy this summer. We also rejoice that many people who went on Venture Teams to Uganda were changed forever by meeting children there. Venture Team members from Flood Church in San Diego have committed to sponsor all of the unsponsored children in our orphan home. Praise God!
One of the boys in our children’s home is twelve-year-old Solomon Otema. After being orphaned at the age of seven, Solomon was originally cared for by his nine-year-old sister before coming into the COTN home. Losing his home and parents hurt Solomon’s ability to have confidence in himself and his future. However, since coming into COTN care, Solomon is known by his uncles and aunties for his outstanding academic performance and a passion for seeing positive change in Uganda. Please join us in praying for Solomon—that as he matures, God will continue to build his self-confidence and use his passion to make a difference in his country.
As our Venture Teams ministered in Uganda, they were encouraged by the faith of national staff member Jimmy Mao. Jimmy began volunteering for COTN as a driver with the JESUS film ministry shortly before he accepted Christ last year. Since then, Jimmy has become our Chief Driver in Uganda. He is responsible for all vehicles and the safety of visitors, staff, and children as they travel throughout the country. We are thankful for Jimmy’s service and ask for your prayers for his continued growth in Christ.
July 2008
We are thankful that two of our national staff, Lucio and Pastor James (Uganda Country Coordinator), have recovered from debilitating illnesses including typhoid and malaria.
International Counseling Director Sue Harrell and summer intern Michelle Bobich have been working in our orphan home in Lira and have participated in the emotional healing of eight of our children this summer. One of the girls, who is nine years old, shared for the first time about the sexual abuse she had gone through. Sue said, “Although we wept as she talked about the abuse, the Lord touched her little heart and what had been so painful for so long was healed. As we finished working she knelt, took my hand in hers, looked up in my eyes and said ‘Thank you.’ What an amazing experience to participate in these kinds of miracles!”
Praise God for the children’s version of the JESUS film that is arriving in Uganda this summer. We are also grateful for working vehicles that have enabled our teams and staff to get to the villages!
June 2008
We are thankful for the acquisition of some traditional African instruments for our children in full-time care in Uganda. The children are learning to worship God using these m
usical instruments and to perform in dance and drama. COTN staff recently conducted grief counseling in two nearby villages, Oyengolwedo and Obile. Please pray for strength and encouragement of the staff members, as they are often weighed down by the horrible, traumatic stories shared by the children.
Praise for the success and breakthroughs of the counseling. Alkello, a 13-year-old girl forced to murder, reported that her nightmares are now gone and she can finally sleep. Many others, after learning of Jesus’ forgiveness, have also been able to extend forgiveness to the rebels who tormented them.
The JESUS film continues to be a great ministry opportunity in Uganda. Recently, the film was shown in three schools and one rural village, which resulted in 299 children accepting Christ! Please pray the Lord will provide a sound system that can better facilitate outdoor showings of the film.
