Serving in Jinja, Uganda with HEAL Ministries this past summer was life changing. Between helping with the orphans, painting an abandoned mom's room, sharing an art activity with the mothers in a malnourished program, and attending a Bible study in the slums with moms and children, we all enjoyed a broad range of rewarding experiences that immersed us in the local culture.
Here is the amazing thing.....in the short time that HEAL Ministries has been in Jinja, it was awesome to see the progress that has already been made. God's message is being received with enthusiasm and hope. Women in the slums that were competing for food and shelter are now supporting each other. They care for each other's children when needed and are attending to the sick. They are learning to become a family with each other because of what they have learned through HEAL.
The preschoolers in the orphanage sing about Jesus and are learning to read and write at just 3 and 4 years of age! The young mothers that wanted to give their babies up for adoption are now choosing to raise their own with the help and education they are receiving from Tina and the Crisis Center.
Through the efforts of HEAL, lives are changing. Not only the lives of those we served, but also for those that go to serve on the teams. As a team member, we are forever changed to think about others first, to think about how we can make a difference in the future.
Now that we know the problems.........we can NOT ignore them. Jinja is a beautiful place with beautiful people! We were greeted with warmth and appreciation for our help and we can NOT wait to return so that we can serve these amazing people again and learn about God's love along the way.
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