Dear Friends,
I’ve been waiting to to send out this month’s update, hoping to have news for you on the third term of school. However, the COVID cases have been rising there, and they have not yet decided when the children will return to school. Hopefully soon! There’s a lot that we don’t know, but here are the updates on what we do know.
Victory Primary School
Our teachers at Victory Primary School are pretty amazing. They have continued to teach and encourage children in their studies right from their homes at Victory House. Their love for our children is constant and their enthusiasm is contagious as they continue to do all they can for our young ones.
Victory House
The children at Victory House are certainly getting an education in building & construction, as the laborers are hard at work on that second floor. They are finishing up the form work on the upper wing, and hoping by the beginning of next week to cast the entire concrete slab. God continues to provide for this project and we are zeroing in on what we need for completion. We hope to finish the boarding section as well as the remaining units for our teachers for around $16,000. Pray with us for God’s provision. This will be such a blessing to our children who have nowhere else to live, as well as enabling more of our teachers to have a home close to our school.
Thank you for your overwhelmingly supportive response to my last email addressing the second term school payments. It was so good to hear from many of you, and your encouragement washed over my heart and soul. We have given our team in Uganda the go ahead to look for a piece of farmland to purchase for educational purposes as well as a place to grow food for our families. They are looking for the right piece of land, so pray that God will give them wisdom every step of the way. I will keep you updated!
Rice & Beans
Thank you so much to those of you who continue to give to our rice and beans fund. That continues to be a critical lifeline for those who have been unable to work and for the children who are no longer getting a meal at school. It was incredibly sobering to hear Herbert say that some of our own would not have survived these last few months without that support. We are also praying that there will not be another lockdown in Uganda, because that is when the situation becomes the most dire. None of us really knows what it feels like to wake up in the morning and wonder what we can feed our children today. The work that our team in Uganda is doing, with your support, is so so important.
Julius & James
We recently received some great news about two of our V127 kids. Our Julius Tamale, who was in our first group of V127 children seven years ago, was just accepted to three different universities for admission this fall. It’s huge to be accepted to one, but now Julius has 3 different options! He is hoping to study agriculture & we have high hopes for him to be very involved in our educational endeavors in farming.
For those of you who may not know, Julius lost his dad to HIV and then two years later lost his mom to HIV. He and his four siblings (Joyce, Jeremiah, Jovia, Precious) have been on their own for the last six years. Through the years we have housed them in our House of Hope and fed them through our rice and beans fund, but now his sister Joyce has graduated from vocational school and is married to a sweet believer, and Julius (pictured below left) is headed to university. That is what this ministry is all about.
We also recently got word that James Mugambe (pictured above right), who has been battling leukemia, is doing really well. So well, in fact, that he is headed to Kampala Polytechnic School to study water engineering! Thank you so much for praying for James! He is a quiet, yet thoughtful and kind and intelligent young man and his future is as bright as his smile.
New Children & Letters
We have been told that we have nine new children coming soon to our V127 family! Who-hoo! So exciting! If you know anyone interested in sponsorship, please send them to victory127.com/sponsor to fill out a form, and I will contact them as soon as our children arrive. You are our best ambassadors for this ministry. Simply sharing your experience and telling someone about your child can make all the difference.
Speaking of your child, He/she is anxious to hear from you! Here are excerpts from a few letters we recently received:
“I am worried about you. Keep safe, pray everyday, read your Bible, and keep a social distance to avoid corona. I pray every day that God will keep us safe until everything settles.” Caroline
“In this quarantine we have prayer cells at home and we select a preacher. One day my mom was the preacher and she preached to us not to worry, to just be brave.” Alvic
“I am so happy to hear from you. I have received my letter today and I am very happy! I have received your verse and I am pleased with it, me I am sending you mine. Read Psalm 37. Sending love and prayers always”. Araphat
It doesn’t have to be long, just a short word of encouragement will mean so much to your kids. Email to Jan@victory127.com with your child’s first and last name in the subject line, and I will forward it on to Uganda.
Eliana, the next generation!
Finally, this is Eliana Lubega, our very first V127 grandbaby. She is the daughter of our Annet and her husband Edward (the assistant pastor of Victory Covenant Church). Look at her sweet face and be encouraged that your investment provides a beautiful future for the next generation!
God is working and He’s so faithful. Trust Him, my friends, and remember…
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23
Much Love,
Jan
Don’t forget to pray for your child today!