By David Mayinja

In September 2009, Covenant Mercies welcomed Moses Etyang as Program Coordinator in Nagongera, Uganda…our largest program.  Moses is a gifted administrator and also an associate pastor with Nagongera Gospel Center, the church with whom we partner to administer our Orphan Sponsorship Program.   In his position as an associate pastor, Moses faithfully served Covenant Mercies as a volunteer on numerous projects before joining the ministry on a full time basis.                      
                                                    
                                                        

In the eight months Moses has been with our organization, he has, through his excellent leadership, helped the staff in Nagongera become more efficient in serving the growing needs of our sponsored children.  He is excited and encouraged by the obvious impact of the program on the children and how they are flourishing under the faithful sponsorship just like you.  In a recent conversation he pointed out how the program has impacted the children and the community:

 

Education – Many of the children were destined to drop out of school at an early age to support their households.  Now, they are able to stay in school as the program pays for their educational requirements including tuition, uniforms, school lunches, and school supplies. By providing for an education these children, their potential vocational opportunities have been increased. There is now hope for them to escape the cycle of perpetual poverty and subsistence living they were otherwise destined for.

Basic needs – The program has eliminated the looming threats of hunger, homelessness, and no health care.  Nutritional supplies are provided on a monthly basis to every child and their caregivers.  Covenant Mercies has also established a medical clinic, a well stocked pharmacy, and two full-time nurses to extend crucial medical care to the children and their caregivers. Those that have AIDS have been enrolled in a treatment program and are receiving treatment and counseling.  All the children in the program have been provided with treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria infections.  In the absence of all this help, many of these children would not have been able to afford food or to access medical care.  As a result, many would have probably died of malnutrition or treatable diseases. But now, because of the work of Covenant Mercies, God’s mercy is evident and serve as a significant witness of Christ’s love to the community of Nagongera.

The family homes - Covenant Mercies built five orphan family homes which have offered shelter and family life to over fifty orphaned children that do not have any relatives to care for them. They are receiving parental love and a Christian upbringing.  They are strengthened daily by the devotions conducted by their caregivers in the homes and are growing and thriving spiritually, as well as physically and emotionally. Some of these children were at the point of death when they were taken in by Covenant Mercies, and others were homeless. They are now getting regular meals; they are healthy and enrolled in school. They have been protected from many dangerous situations and exploitation.

Water – The wells that have been drilled in the community have provided safe clean water for the children and for many other people in the surrounding areas. They no longer have to walk long distances to fetch water from stagnant pools or dirty streams. This has reduced occurrence of water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.  This alone has significantly improved the quality of life of the children and people in the community.

As sponsors of the children in our programs and supporters of the work of this organization, you have made possible all that Moses bears witness to. You are giving many children hope and a chance to reach their God-given potential. But it’s more than that.  Through these acts of mercy, performed in the name of Christ and by those locally who serve Christ, these children experience the truth of the gospel each day.  And, far more than simply reaching their God-given potential, they are able to actually come to faith in Christ.  Thank you for giving these children these eternal opportunities. 

 

If you want to play a part in the mission of Covenant Mercies in Africa by sponsoring a child, click here.

By David Mayinja

Have you ever received news that immediately turned your world upside down?  That’s what happened to Su Shannon and her husband the first week of January 2000. Su had recently suffered her second miscarriage and now her doctor informed her that she would never be able to bear children again!

The following weeks were difficult as Su came to terms with the news. Her dream of bearing more children had come to an end. Nonetheless, she and her husband and their two sons carried in their hearts a persistent hope that one day the Lord would make it possible for them to adopt a child that needed a family.
 
In the spring of 2004, they moved into a larger home with the hope of adding to their family through adoption. Unfortunately, the beautiful home they purchased turned out to be a white washed tomb that ended up depleting all their savings and retirement funds. As they later discovered, they had unwittingly purchased a house with toxic mold and infested by bats. They had to evacuate the house and throw away many of their earthly possessions.  They had just enough money to decontaminate the house but could not do the needed renovations. They chose to avoid getting into debt and trusted that the house would be restored as the Lord provided for them.  Hopes for adoption were deferred indefinitely

Five years later, they were still living with plywood floors, a makeshift kitchen, and two incomplete baths. They were tempted to get into a loan and invest in completing the renovations. However, the house had become a precious life lesson from the Savior reminding them that their treasures were not here on earth.  Su’s husband Danny led the charge as he directed their efforts towards investing in God’s work.  The house could wait, eternal investment couldn’t. With this in mind, the family decided to sponsor a child through Covenant Mercies Orphan Sponsorship Program. In the same period of time, they got news that Covenant Mercies was organizing a medical team to go and serve the community in Kiburara, Uganda. Su who was a professional nurse desired to serve on the team, but they did not have enough money to cover all her costs for the trip. So her husband coordinated a surprise 50th birthday party to raise the needed funds. They were able get enough contributions to add to their own money. In the midst of all the excitement Su realized that the team was actually going to serve in the community where their recently sponsored child lived!  She could barely wait to meet her.

On the third day after the team’s arrival in Uganda, Su finally met her sponsored child, Phiona. Recently Su commented on what that day was like for her: “That day will remain imbedded in my heart and mind forever! This beautiful little girl walked toward me with an inviting smile that immediately melted my heart.  Without hesitation she wrapped her little arms around me. It was as if we were re-uniting, not meeting for the first time! I told her about the joy that she had brought into our lives. Tears streaming from my awestruck eyes, I told her of our love for her and of our nightly prayers on her behalf. As we talked I discovered that Phiona was born on January 2nd, 2000!  The very week she was born, our family had begun to cry out to God for another child.  The Lord heard our prayers.  He had a marvelous plan.  Our journey was long and at times filled with sorrow; but our God in His perfect time had joined to our family a little orphaned girl from a remote village in Uganda.”



 
The Shannons are currently sponsoring two children through Covenant Mercies Sponsorship program. We are grateful to God for them and all of you that have sponsored children. We continue to trust God to make similar sovereign connections between new sponsors and our waiting children.

By David Mayinja

What is the difference between orphan relief and orphan care?  In the answer to this question lies the heart of Covenant Mercies.

Orphan relief programs do good and worthwhile work.  They care for the physical needs of orphans: food, clothing, shelter, and medical care.  The goal behind them is to provide “relief” from their destitute circumstances.

So, what is an orphan “care” program?  Well, it can’t be legitimate care if the physical needs of the orphans are ignored, so the program must include that.  However, it can’t be legitimate care if all we do is care for their physical needs. 

With Covenant Mercies, we seek to provide both physical and spiritual care.  Essentially, we build all we do around the message of the gospel.  And God has given us His hand in blessing this priority.

The pastors of the local churches we have partnered with are ensuring that these children are exposed to the Gospel and are reminded of their need of the Saving Grace of God. As these pastors have faithfully ministered God’s Word to these little ones, some of them have been moved by the Holy Spirit to submit to the Lordship of our Savior Jesus.

I recently received the testimony of one of the children that gave her life to Christ after a sermon preached by Pastor Moses Nkwasibwe who manages our program in Western Uganda (Kiburara). Below is a summary of her testimony:

My name is Atuheire Evarini. I’m 15 years old, and enrolled in my first year of high school. I’m currently cared for by an uncle and live in his household. According to my uncle, I grew up without my parents. My father died of HIV/AIDS when I was one year old. Later my mother disappeared and left me on my own. I was taken in by my stepmother (my father’s second wife) who mistreated me.  When my uncle realized that I would not survive the harsh treatment and hardships I was faced with, he came and took me to his home. When I moved to my uncle’s home, I started attending services at Kiburara Gospel Center. When Pastor Moses Nkwasibwe realized that I was an orphan, he enrolled me in the orphan sponsorship program. What a joyful day it was when he let me know that I had a sponsor to help me get a high school education!  Pastor Moses has diligently cared for all the children in the program. He has constantly told us about Jesus’ love for us and why He died on the cross. One day after hearing him preach, I gave my life to Christ. Life has been hard for me, but now with my life in Christ, I’m confident about my future. I’m sure that my dream to become a registered nurse will be fulfilled. I am so grateful to Christ, my Pastor, Covenant Mercies staff, Sponsors and friends who are making my life meaningful. I, who had no smile, can now smile all the time. All glory be to God!

What a joy to know that the children we are helping are experiencing God’s grace at work in their lives…both physically and spiritually. Let’s pray that many may be moved, like Atuheire, to give their lives to the Lord even as they encounter His love among those that are serving them so faithfully day after day.