$9000 Ugandan give-away :)

as is the case with most mission trips,

we all had to raise financial support to help us get to Uganda.
not only were all of our travel expenses met (!)...
BUT as a team we raised a combined overage of
$9000!
that is a whooole lotta money!
especially with the conversion rates between US & Ugandan dollars,
$9000 in Uganda goes a long, loooong way.

our last night as a team,
we gathered together to decide what to do with all this excess money.
what an amazing privilege this was:
God's people giving to God's people around the world...
we got to assess each orphanage's needs
& decide how to bless each one!

Canaan Children’s Home:

• one-year sponsorships for 5 older orphans living at Canaan - covers food, care & school fees ($3000 total)
  
• one-year scholarship for 1 older teen who has "graduated" from Canaan. this is the only way they can go on to University- this pays for their University fees ($500)
  
• gift of $200 for newly-weds and amazing staff members George and Sylvia
• gift of $100 for our incredible cook Annette who is a sweetheart-and-half and works so hard to send her two children to school (but only gets to see them twice a month)
• gift of $50 to each of the 7 aunties and uncle at the orphanage (the incredible people who live with and help raise all the children at Canaan)

sweet Peace - one of the auntie's at Canaan's

Pillars of Hope:

• 1 full-sized loom, or wherever most needed ($900)
  
• double supply of material/thread for looms ($400)
• the above is used for the branch of the ministry that helps rehabilitate prostitutes by teaching them a trade skill - namely creating beautiful scarves, rugs, etc

Rose, one of the sweet ladies working here.
you can check out one of her rugs in my living room :)

Return Uganda:

• final term of school for the children sponsored through Return Uganda ($1050) - this was in addition to the 2nd term of school we already provided for them!!
  
• gift of $400 for the feeding program that provides meals to over 300 children
  
• six months rent for the ministry's house where these children live ($600)

beautiful, sweet Esther who lives at this orphanage (behind her)

Royal Hope Academy

• gift of $1000 to be used where most needed (probably for food and to cover school fees of children whose parents can't afford it, which is the vast majority of the 400 kids who attend the school)

some of the sweet faces at Royal Hope

a few side-notes:

1. there are other donations (part of the $9000) that aren't included here, as we're trying to wait on a few things to settle before we delegate everything.
2. there are ministries mentioned here i haven't discussed yet. i promise i will!
3. mucho thanks to Jen for letting me snag her neatly compiled list!

isn't it awesome to see how far $9000 can go?!

and to think, all this was in addition to dozens of bags worth of donations including:
-clothes
-shoes
-medicine
-toiletries
-books
-arts & crafts supplies
-sports equipment
-cameras
-laptops!

as well as donations providing for school fees and 30+ new mattresses
for the kids at Return Uganda!

new clean mattresses! this is the boys' room.

THANK YOU to everyone who gave!
Look what the Lord provided THROUGH YOU!