“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Psalm 77:11-12
I am rejoicing today as I meditate on the goodness of God and the mighty works He has done. Remembering strengthens our faith and gives us courage to keep moving forward. I am remembering this very first photo we received of Mathias Matovu up in a tree! Behind his sweet smile was a cautious and shy young man who was carrying the weight of losing his father when he was young, and was living in extreme poverty with his mother and 2 siblings. He was in our very first group of V127 children and it’s been amazing to watch his growth and development through the years. Mathias has worked hard in school to take full advantage of the opportunity that he has been given. He is incredibly kind, thoughtful, grateful and very artistic. He just graduated with a two year certificate in Building and Construction from Nakawa Vocational Institute. We are so proud of him! He has decided to study two more years in the diploma program, and he is working on the third and fourth floors of our Victory Primary School (you can see him in action here!) during his breaks from his studies. Mathias is remarkable and he is a beautiful picture of what V127 is all about.
The students at Victory Primary School recently held elections for student leadership positions. (We have 230 kids in our school, and 80 of them are V127 children) Eighteen of our students were elected to these leadership roles! Here’s a list of all of our students who were elected. The Head Prefect is the manager of all the student leaders. The Head Boy/Girl serve as “assistant managers” of the leaders underneath the Head Prefect. Each role has specific areas of responsibility so that each student leader can contribute meaningfully to the operation of the school. If you would like to know more about their duties, please reach out to me! It’s so encouraging that these kids, who are going to be the future leaders of Uganda, are leading right now, right where they are! I’m reminded how important it is for all of us to use the gifts and abilities that God has given us to make a difference today, wherever God has us.
1. Zaituni Nambulirwa – Head Prefect
2. Marvin James Ssebagala – Head Boy
3. Faith Namataka – Head Girl
4. Gracious Nakyejwe – Head Monitor
5. Desire Naginda – Education Prefect
6. Evans Wandera – Assistant Education Prefect
7. Peterson Namansa – Games and Sports Prefect
8. Whitney Nansubuga – Assistant Prefect Games and Sports
9. Derick Akampulira – Entertainment Prefect
10. Isaac Afaayo – Assistant Entertainment Prefect
11. Alpha Ainebyona – Health Prefect
12. Sifa Nabunya – Assistant Health Prefect
13. Rihanna Nabanja – Assistant Timekeeper
14. Michael Opio – Furniture Prefect
15. Florence Nangoba – Dormitory Prefect
16. Josiah Kule – Assistant Dormitory Prefect
17. Margaret Kwagala – Religious Prefect
18. Luke Akugizibwe – Assistant Religious Prefect
The workers of Jericho Construction have been working night and day to complete the third and fourth floors of Victory Primary School. The floors are almost done, painting is ongoing, doors are being hung, bathroom fixtures being installed. It’s all looking so good! Currently, we have different classes sharing classroom space, and administrators sharing offices, so doubling the size of our building will be a huge blessing to everyone. Thank you for your prayers and investment in this project! Our next construction projects will be a much needed retaining wall at Victory House, renovations at our House of Hope, and a security wall at Victory Primary School. (We are still working on the playground…more details to come!)
Finally, I have some exciting news to share. Noeline, our long time administrator, after two days of labor and a C-section, gave birth to a baby boy named Jadriel Moels Matende. Noeline shared with me that she was very nervous to become a mother, but I assured her that she has many years of experience being a mother to so many V127 children! She does an amazing job of encouraging and loving on our kids, and fights for them at every turn. Jadriel is one very blessed little boy to have Noeline & Joel as his parents, and we rejoice with them as we celebrate such a precious gift from God!
Just a quick reminder to pray for your child. They live in a land of extreme challenges to their safety and their health. If you haven’t written to your child recently, please take a few minutes to do so. I love this picture of Fatuma with the letter she just received from her sponsor. She is so happy! Here is a portion of her reply…
“Hoping the Lord God is keeping you safe in his arms. Back to me, I am doing well by grace. It is my pleasure for your cheerful words of encouragement that are pushing me both academically and spiritually. It’s my pleasure to let you know that our teachers are doing very well and that makes me glad that our school has a firm foundation in Christ. I pray that through your prayers together with me, God sees me and my friends through all of our endeavors. Be blessed. Remain in Christ Jesus, and May God Almighty grant you all that your heart desires.”
