The first month of the year has flown by, and we already have lots of news to share about our ministries in Uganda!
Michael J. Brennan Dormitory
The Michael J Brennan dormitory for boys is complete! Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed and helped us with this project. The boys have moved in and are sleeping on mattresses on the floor, while the painter is finishing up the painting of the bunk beds. It is the realization of a dream to now have one floor of our Victory House providing a safe place for girls to live, and another floor providing a safe place for boys. (Our teachers are also excited that now they don’t have numerous students living with them in their first floor quarters!) This dorm has been named after Mike Brennan, a long time supporter of V127. Mike’s belief in the vision for Victory Primary School was instrumental in launching construction on the school, and the financial investment he made enabled us to get the needed permits, plans, and materials in a time where we were not sure how to even begin. He has been a faithful supporter of all of our construction projects since then, both with financial support and personal encouragement. He is now in a vicious battle with pancreatic cancer, so please pray for Mike & his wife Susan.
Back to School
All of our children have returned to in-person learning. What an answer to prayer! We had a group of 12 students that packed up and headed to Master Cares Secondary School on Jan 10th. (A very selective school about two hours away) It’s incredible to have 12 of our kids that qualified for admission!
Our own Victory Primary School & Kindergarten opened on Jan 10th with a record 210 students! 70 of those students are V127 children, so we are excited that the quality of our school is attracting more and more outside students. Here are a few photos of our kids and teachers in their classrooms just a few days ago.
New Construction Project
As our school has continued to grow, we have run out of classroom space. So our next construction project will be Phase 3 of Victory Primary School! This will be a classroom block on the third floor of the existing building. The plans for this project are being drawn by our very own Julie, a very gifted civil engineer. She has drafted the plans and served as supervisor for all of our construction projects at the Primary School and Victory House. She lives at Victory House, is a mentor and adviser to our girls, and is a visible reminder of what they can accomplish with hard work and the opportunities that you provide. Please pray for God’s wisdom and provision as we start construction. If you’d like to help us get this project off the ground, you can do so here!
Welcome to our New Children!
We received 11 new children last week! Praise God! It is so exciting to see these sweet faces in my inbox, and know that their lives are about to change forever. They all have sad and difficult stories, but that is why this ministry exists…to change lives, one child at a time. The Lord was so gracious to provide sponsors for each child, and to have them waiting for them. (If you know someone interested in sponsorship, please have them fill out a sponsor form here!). The best possible scenario is to have sponsors waiting for children!
We are so happy to welcome Ronald, Frank, Drake, Kate, Jasmine, Joachim, Jemimah, Michael, Ruth, Brenda, and Evelyn to our V127 family! In addition to enrolling these children in school, we are sending the funds for a new Bible for each one of them. Pray that God will meet both their physical and spiritual needs, and give them the strength and fortitude they need as they start this new school year. We now have 155 V127 children! Hallelujah!
Jasmine Ssemaganda 
Joachim Ssemaganda
Jemimah’s Story
Jemimah has been in Victory Covenant Church since she was young, but her father died of liver cancer in 2019. Her mother was not in the picture, so she was left with an uncle. He sold their small house under the guise of needing school fees, but then took the money, dropped Jemimah off with a distant relative, and left. That was a dangerous situation, and when Herbert and team found out, they rescued her and brought her to live in our Joanne Gentile Dormitory for girls.
Jemimah is now in a safe place, with a community that loves her, and enrolled in the Light Africa Secondary School. God has also provided a sweet family in WV to love on her from the US, and I can only imagine the great things He has in store for beautiful Jemimah! (This is stark reminder of the importance of having a boarding section for our boys and girls!)
Letters from Uganda
Finally, I am getting in some letters from our children and they are pretty incredible. They are so thankful for your prayers, the school fees you provide, the Christmas gifts, and especially your words of encouragement that they read again and again. I love this excerpt of a letter from Trevor Nyago, who is in Primary One…
“I thank God for the gift of life that He has given to us. I am also happy and glad to say thank you for everything you have done towards my bright future. May God bless you abundantly. My favorite Bible verse is Joshua 24:15. ‘But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord’.“
Amen Trevor!
Much Love,
Jan