Hard to Let Jen Go

It is a few days remaining before Jennifer Kost; a US volunteer with JOAC leaves, Jen is staying for roughly not more than seven days. Today is her last day at St Agnes Primary School where she has also been volunteering; next week will see her go to Rwanda with a couple of other JOAC staff for a four day trip, then come to JOAC home for a night before leaving for New Hope, Kampala, then Entebbe Airport for Chicago.

It’s hard to tell how many hearts will be torn by her departure, but it will be an overwhelming number. Jen is going to leave a big vacuum in the heart of everyone that has seen her all- day gentle smile, and experienced her bubbly presence. Her impact on the young and old within the JOAC home and around the community can hardly go unnoticed.

Jen`s ministry has impacted mostly the girls, she has been teaching from her favorite book ‘Living in Love with Jesus’. Her sharing from the book has had several girls give their lives to Christ and vow to start an intimate walk with him. Some of the girls have had to open up their hearts for healing, through sharing their hard experiences in life, like sexual harassment from the people they least expected. Jen`s ministry has won her trust from several girls. At one point Shiba, one of the JOAC beneficiaries wrote Jen a letter describing how she had been abused by her own Mum, Jen talked to her and she got better. Moreen another girl staying at the JOAC home let Uncle David and Jen hear her story of her Uncle occasionally forcing her into sex and threatening to kill her if she dare told anyone about his sexual advances on her, after a series of Jen`s teachings. After Jen`s teachings, Ruth another girl who hardly smiled and often locked up her emotions let out the other side of her, a very intelligent bubbly girl!

More beautiful things have been done through Jen`s ministry, one vital thing is her initiative to start the Joy of A Child church, through her idea that we start a church here at the home, Jen`s idea turned out to be God`s, David had for a while thought of starting a kids church but he did not know when and how. But  one Sunday morning when everyone was prepared to go to a church far away from home, Jen suggested, “why don’t we have church here?” everyone became positively receptive of the idea, the kids were marveled, soon they would be program leaders, worship leaders, and some preachers in the church. The church is slowly growing and has survived three weeks now. Jen has ultimately been the preacher in most of the Sunday services.

She has been a blessing to everyone in the JOAC ministry and it is very hard to let her go.  We pray that God will bless her for the very good work she has offered to this ministry.

Blog written by: Joseph

Hope in the Midst of Uganda’s Sky Rocketing Prices

The inflation rate in Uganda has gone very high prompting the prices of various items to go way higher than they have ever gone in the new millennium.

Ugandans are feeling financial pressure because of the higher prices in food.  For instance, Posho which was previously affordable by most of the population now costs a fortune to an average Ugandan who lives on less than $1 a day. A kilogram of Posho is now at 1,700 shillings and the prices could go higher by day, a few months back, such an amount would get you almost two kilograms of Posho.

Millions of Ugandans are living below the poverty level, and they go through the day without most of the necessities in life because they can’t afford it.  This inflation is most likely leading to more atrocities than good; more children are likely getting malnourished because of the rise in the prices of food, more Ugandans are likely dying in the hospitals because of lack of enough medical care (a few days back an infant died due to over bleeding because of lack of enough medical care from the hospital), more children are likely withdrawing from school or losing quality education because they can no longer afford the rising prices of tuition fees in the institutions of learning mostly in the privately owned institutions which offer the most quality education compared to the government institutions.  More pregnant women are likely aborting because of the hopeless feeling of  how they will sufficiently provide for their babies, more mothers are likely dumping their children onto the streets because they don’t know how they will take care of them in the midst of the sky rocketing prices of food and other items.

We at Joy of A Child have however not lost hope, we believe that God is entirely the provider of good health, food, education; and nothing in this world shakes the King of Kings. Therefore, in this challenging season we believe God will provide, where others see no hope, we are seeing hope. Just a few days back when Uncle David went shopping, he was shocked to find that the 50 kilograms of Posho he had a few weeks ago bought at 65,000 shillings (about $30) now cost 85,000 shillings (about $40), the Ground nut paste (a delicacy in the house) had doubled in price, the price of beans had also gone higher than the previous, these he didn’t buy because they were too expensive to fit the JOAC budget.

As previously noted, God is the provider in this home; Uncle David then checked out the JOAC garden of beans whether they were ready for harvest, indeed they were ready for harvest. Joseph, Auntie Jen, Conrad, Moreen, and Ruth set out to the garden (about 15 minutes walk from the house) for the harvest; they harvested a sack of beans that has seen the kids through a number of days. Today being a Saturday when most of the kids are home, around seven of them have gone back to the garden to make another harvest of beans.

The garden is only half an acre, if it were bigger; the harvest would be a lot better.

As we go through this moment of inflation in Uganda, please pray that the situation will get back to normal. Continue praying for the JOAC ministry, that God will continue providing for every need, we also need more land that will see the ministry grow more food.

Blog by: Joseph

Weekend of Fun and Talent Displayed

Saturday

Athletics, dance, music composition, singing, birthday celebrations graced the JOAC home weekend.

Saturday commenced the moment with as usual Auntie Jen calling upon everyone for a morning run; it started with physical stretches and a 20 lap run around the JOAC compound field. Most of the kids participated and for the very first time, almost everyone finished running the 20 laps.

The kids later did their house chores, cleaned the house, cooked lunch, collected water from the well, and did their laundry.

In the afternoon it rained quite significantly.  The rain enticed Jen to run and dance in it.  First Kakuru joined her, followed by many of the boys.  They showed off how far they can slide in the mud without falling. After playing, they got to work collecting water from the rain and overflowing gutters.

Saturday night was a games night which after a few games like ‘Simon says’ turned into a dancing competition. Auntie Jen brought up the idea, and Joseph helped to be co-moderator of the competition with Auntie Jen.

The kids paired up for the competition, with the rest of them making their choice of the best dancer out of the pair. The best dancers were on an adjacent side, they all smiled as they were announced winners. The losers often frowned but afterwards would afford a smile after being caught up by the excitement bug again.

All winners in the pair went for another competition, the crowd (which were also the judges) nominated out the worst competitors leaving room for the best.

Finally Auntie Jen won the competition.

Sunday

Sunday got everyone in an enthusiastic mood of the church service, as usual, breakfast was prepared early. The day was also Auntie Esther’s birthday, and as is the norm in this home, the kids stalked up Auntie Esther to get her an early morning shower (pour cold water on her as a birthday wish).

The third JOAC Church’s Sunday service was great as usual, led by the boys, more new people came in to attend the church service. All of them were students from a neighboring business and secretarial college.

The girls were so vibrant and easily got involved with the affairs of the church’s program, most of them gave testimonies of how God healed them, and how he placed them in leadership positions at their college. One of the girls said she is Moslem, but from the look of it, she was enjoying every bit of the Sunday service. We pray that in the process of regularly attending church with us, God will touch her and bring her into a personal relationship with him.

Auntie Jen shared in the Sunday service about how God brings us from ashes to beauty. Most of these kids have experienced life on the streets, and they testify that God has brought them from that place to a place of redeemed lives in service to Him.

In the afternoon after church, Auntie Jen shared with the girls her last topic from the book ‘Living in Love with Jesus’ most of the girls from the college attended and even brought their friends. Auntie Jen’s teachings from this book have impacted most girls from within and around the community for the last three weeks.

Thereafter Auntie Jen and the girls danced to the music that the boys were playing on the JOAC compound. Every Sunday afternoon, the boys bring out a system to the compound; they play danceable gospel music that takes them through to the evening. Of late, the boys have been composing songs, one of the songs may easily turn out to be the JOAC anthem, and it is entitled ‘He is the Joy of A Child’. Joseph helps them compose the songs and even record them.  The boys are eagerly waiting for a time when they can record their music in a professional music studio; they already have two songs to their name.

Auntie Jen enjoyed the fairly heavy rain down pour, unlike everyone who feared to get out into the rain, she got a small rain coat that barely covered her whole body and started collecting rain water into a big water container. The boys later joined her; it became fun when the boys even started playing football in the rain.

Monday

Fun was extended into Monday morning, a school day that was also Ruth’s birthday; the kids woke up early morning to celebrate her birthday. They cunningly encircled her, each pouring cold water on the screaming Ruth.

Auntie Jen, who also volunteers for about five hours at St. Agnes School where most of the kids go for school, postponed her day at school until Tuesday, and offered to take Ruth out to town for a special birthday treat. It was definitely a great experience for her.  They got sodas, sweets, and Ruth’s ears pierced. It was a blessed morning.  Ruth repeated, “I’m so happy” all morning, and later shared that it was her favorite birthday (because she had never celebrated one before).

A lot of great things have been happening here, we really feel the hand of God in our ministry, and are so impressed at what He’s doing.

Blog written by: Joseph

Photos by: Joseph

Another public Holiday, the young girls get their first swim

Just last week the kids enjoyed their first public holiday in this term of school.

Yesterday was yet another memorable day for JOAC, it was Uganda’s Heroes’ day, somewhat of an equivalent to the US’ memorial day. On this day the country honors those that have had a job well done; this includes veteran soldiers, and also civilians.

Well, at JOAC, just like last week’s Martyr’s day, Heroes’ day was celebrated by everyone’s presence at home; this always brings the first joy and vibrancy at home.  The kids had an early morning breakfast of maize porridge and steamed Matooke (green bananas) with a ground nut paste blend.

After breakfast, Auntie Esther and Auntie Jen called out everyone to have morning physical exercises in the spacious compound. They all rushed to join them; they began by making physical stretches before starting their 20 lap run around the field (this was different from last week’s when they ran around the house).  Under the grip of the blazing sunshine, the kids, Auntie Jen and Auntie Esther braved the moment, Patrick one of the older kids was in charge of counting the laps finished by every participant, and Joseph took the photos of the runners.  As different ones successfully took several laps, others backed off the race, you could easily tell that they are worn out; some blamed this on the heavy breakfast. Auntie Esther lamented “my stomach is full because of the heavy breakfast, I can`t run anymore.”  Auntie Jen, Emmy, Shivan, Ruth, and Moreen were the ones that persevered and ran the full 20 laps. Emmy took the first lead in the long race.  He started the race after everyone else and still finished first.

After a quick rest, the kids suggested that they have a 100 meters race; they designated one section of the field that would take up the high speed race. Different ones paired up for the run, others ran in a group. It was very hard to tell who the winners were in this race, most of them tied up.

After the running, Uncle David suggested that he takes Auntie Esther, Auntie Jen, and two of the youngest girls in the house (Afusa and Shivan) for a swim in town. This would be Shivan and Afusa’s first swim. Throughout their dressing to go for the swim and their trip to the swimming pool, excitement was written all over their curious faces.

At the pool they were amazed by the color of the water as they shyly changed to their swimming outfits. There wasn’t a pool for the kids, so this meant that they were to swim in the adults’ pool. Auntie Jen and Auntie Esther were the first to get into the pool before each taking hold of the girls for a swimming lesson. Auntie Jen held Afusa while Auntie Esther held Shivan. There was fear in the girls soon after getting into the pool; they scram as their bodies kissed the water. Afusa’s fear didn’t last long; she got confident enjoying Auntie Jen’s hold in the water as she kicked her legs backwards. Shivan’s fear lasted longer, at least as long as she kept in Auntie Esther’s arms, she often yelled “Auntie, I want to get out, please get me out of the pool”. It was not until the pool boy offered to take hold of her that she started enjoying the water, her face lightened up and her giggles slowly intensified as she gained confidence. The pool boy seemed much more experienced in handling kids and teaching them how to swim, he often told Shivan “Relax, feel at home, enjoy!”

By the time Uncle David came to pick the girls, they looked so confident in the water, they were playing in the pool steps something they wouldn’t dare do a few hours ago. Back home, the girls had much to tell their colleagues, at the JOAC night fellowship, they thanked God who got them the privilege to go for a swim.

JOAC Children Celebrate the Weekend in Style

JOAC kids experienced a spectacular weekend of joy and fun.

It all started on Friday morning when the kids stayed home from school, because it was a public holiday. It was surprising to Jen, one of our volunteers, when she heard the kids playing and talking loudly outside her window around 7:30am.  By that time the kids have already gone to school. Jen got up from her bed only to be greeted by this eager announcement “Today we are not going to school; it is ‘Matas Day.’” They actually meant “Martyr’s day,” a day celebrated in Uganda every 3^rd of June in honor of the Christian converts who were lynched because of the orders of Kabaka Mwanga (King of Buganda) in the 1880s. Buganda was the biggest monarchy in Uganda in the 1800s, and it controlled most parts of the country before she became a state.

The King of Buganda who by then bore powers over life and death decreed that all Christian young men who had embraced the new ‘foreign belief’ introduced by the European Anglican and Catholic missionaries be put to death if they don’t renounce Christianity. Several converts were burned to death as act examples to other people that wished to embrace Christianity. On Martyr’s day, thousands of pilgrims trek from different parts of Uganda and other East African countries to Namugongo shrine on a hill situated in the North of Kampala that inhabits two huge Anglican and Catholic churches.

So here were the kids enjoying one early weekend privilege at home and making everyone happy about their presence. The day’s program immediately kicked off with everyone joining Jen in her morning physical exercises. The boys and girls together with Joseph, David, and Esther ran several times around the JOAC compound and house followed by physical stretching exercises that were entirely instructed by Jen. 

After the almost three hour physical exercises everyone seemed so tired (physical exercises are rarely done except for Jen). As some took a bath to rid them of the sweat others rested under a tree shed. Jen, David, and Joseph later joined the kids under tree to teach them new songs and dances, the singing lasted till lunch time.

The kids spent most of the afternoon doing house chores while some did their laundry while Jen, David and Esther ministered to about 15 young women. Jen shared with them from one of her favorite books “Living in love with Jesus” that she is currently reading.  The book is about being set free from sin and being able to live in the grace of God.  Her sharing ministered to the girls a lot; all of them committed their lives to Christ.

In the evening the elders of the home, Jen, David, and Esther went to watch Joseph play in a band at a certain restaurant in town.

Saturday as usual was another day for the kids to do house chores, relax, play games around the compound and do more laundry as they prepare for their coming week of school.

Later in the evening David briefed the house on JOAC’s second church service. He tipped the kids on how to improve their ministry in leading the church service, leading worship and also sharing sermons.

Rehearsals on Sunday’s worship songs were also practiced before everyone retired to their beds.

On Sunday the kids woke up as early as 5:00pm to prepare for the day (they are always enthusiastic about the coming service). They prepared breakfast, arranged the chairs under a tree on the compound that for the second time was to double as a church.  A lot of the women that committed their lives to Christ on Saturday, came to church on Sunday.

Later in the morning Esther rushed to pick other members for the JOAC church service. To everyone’s surprise she came back with an overwhelming number of children, young women, and older women.

Two of JOAC board members also joined the service minutes after it had started; other members would later join them because they needed to give in their biographies for the ministry’s website and also attend the board meeting that was for scheduled later in the day.

This Sunday, being JOAC Children’s Church’s second gathering had doubled in attendance since last Sunday.

Just like the latter, the service was led by the JOAC boys who were entirely in control of the program, leading worship, and even preaching in the Sunday school session. Brian one of the boys shared and also shared his moving testimony on how his life has drastically improved, God having gotten him off the streets and given him a home at JOAC. He said he now has enough to eat and drink, unlike before when he would go days without food.

Joseph shared last on “sin and repentance”. A couple of kids responded to the message giving what they have learned.

(Pictured above: Conrad (Junior) presents the World Cup Trophy he carved out of wood and painted to JOAC.)

Other board members came after the church service; each wrote their biographies for the website before they held a board meeting.

Various issues pertaining the Joy of a Child Ministry were discussed looking at a way forward for the growing ministry.

They among other things discussed the possibility of expanding the ministry in the future, starting an income generating activity to create a self-sustaining ministry, and also the need to attend to the kids more as they get to know them better.

Afterwards the kids danced, and Joseph helped the boys write a rap about Joy of a Child in both English and their native languages.  The kids recorded their mix and really enjoyed the creative outlet. 

As is the Sunday norm, the kids shared what they learned from the Sunday messages after their dinner.

Blog by: Joseph

Pictures by: Jen and David

Joy of a Child Children's Church

The Joy of a Child family has started a church that will meet every Sunday called Joy of a Child Children's church.  The gates will be open to everyone in the community to join us for a service outside.  Sunday's service was very successful even though it was our first time.  Kids from the community came because my wife Esther went into the town and picked kids up that wanted to go to church.  The Joy of a Child family members took ownership of this service.  We had the kids translating, leading the service, and singing in the choir.  It was a powerful morning to watch God's hand at work.  We are looking forward to the weeks to come and to share the events with you on this blog.  Thank you for reading!