2018 - What a year!

Hello friends and supporters,

I am writing this in the last few hours of December 2018. It has been an amazing year with so many highlights, visiting new places, seeing old friends and making new friends. The fact that we made it after close to 7 months away from our home in Oamaru without a single health problem or travel hitch was something we were very grateful for. Our bodies stood up well to climbing some 90,000 plus cobblestone steps and adjusting to temperatures of up to 43 degrees Celsius.

In Australia, Rwanda, Uganda, Greece, Spain, and Italy we saw amazing sights and despite being on the tightest of tight budgets were able to see more than most tourists see.

I have often been asked what were the highlights and rather than say one particular destination or event all I will say is that I am 100% certain where our calling is as far as helping a community is concerned …and that is Uganda. The mission certainly grew in size with the taking on a very impoverished orphanage in Kabale, which was some distance to our work with the community of Kakuuto.

In the last week before Christmas we received the news that the Ugandan Government wanted to put to us a land and building swap, as they wanted to use the land that the Orphanage of Hope is on for an extension to the Kabale Airport. This was totally unexpected and is an incredible offer as it means more land, two buildings for the Orphanage, the potential to expand ...one building that is very much newer than what we had. And it came at no cost. The property value is at least three times the value of what we had before.

So as Directors of the Orphanage of Hope it didn't take too long for Cogan and myself to agree to the proposal and we have since moved (28th December) the 180 orphans to their new home. Legal documents have been signed in December and again in February 2019.

As you can see there are more smiles on tiny faces and for the first time Hope has entered their young lives. They love their new home, nearer to hospital, medical centre, away from disease.

The other great news is that a number of you wonderful friends of the Orphanage of Hope joined us to send enough money to purchase 40 bedding packs of mattresses, pillows, sheets and blankets. There was much joy and appreciation and the children are incredibly grateful.

On average they are sleeping 4 hours a night longer, there are fewer children to each bed (3 down from 7) and with the larger Orphanage of Hope, we aim for each child to have their own bed.

Our crops are growing at amazing rates ….in February Beans, and in March Irish Potatoes will be ready.

Our priorities for 2019 are ...

1. Achieve the aim of 1 child per mattress. (40 mattress packages @$80 each) HUGE PRIORITY

2. Raise the necessary funds to purchase our own Safari vehicle to allow the profits to fund the Orphanage of Hope for the long term. ($16,000) HUGE PRIORITY

3. To fund Pastor Stephens Dairy ENTCAS Community Project ($14,000) HUGE PRIORITY