25:35 Water
Many of you have been a part of our journey to Uganda and our adoption process. We have shared quite a bit on social media, and really tried to keep everyone informed while we were there. Looking back at some of our blogs, I seemed to emphasize my personal and emotional experiences the most. However, I realize now that I didn’t do a good job of letting you know about the actual work we were doing on the mission field.
The adoption process began immediately when we returned from Uganda the first time. Understandably, this consumed much of our lives, and we seemed to forget about what God had led us to do there. During our time in Uganda, God radically changed our hearts and taught us what we were capable of through Him. He directly used us to fix the challenges around us. More importantly, He called us to continue supporting the place we called home that year.
Children were drinking muddy water. Parents gave their small children alcohol to suppress their hunger. A little girl died on a urine soaked mattress while we prayed over her in the hospital. How could I not do anything? What I saw on TV never prepared me to understand what some people have to go through to survive. After living comfortably in my American abundance, how could I not react to what I had seen? We witnessed extreme poverty and hardship, but were also able to see just how easy it was to help those in need. God connected us to a doctor who worked at the local hospital in our village. Below are some pictures of this hospital to show its poor state. It was rated the worst hospital in all of Uganda.
We first met with this doctor to discuss the hospital’s needs and how we could help. The biggest need, he said, was a reliable water source. At the time, they were getting water from the city, but it was inconsistent at best. Several times a week, water would be completely shut off from the hospital. Imagine a hospital here without any water! Despite having no knowledge of water systems, we were able to make connections back home and form a plan. Thanks to our amazing family, we were able to fund the entire project! Not only were we able to supply the hospital with water, but the project also provided work to about 50 unemployed people in the community. This project took about eight months from start to finish. After leaving Uganda, we received this email from the director of the hospital:
"I wish you were here to see how our Hospital water project saved the hospital from [the] water scarcity situation; First and foremost, the hospital was disconnected from the national water supply because [the payments could not be made] and it had been depending on only our water project for two months. Secondly, the national water system broke down recently for close to a week. People in Mityana town experienced a drastic water scarcity in this dry spell. A twenty liter bucket was costing 500 shillings. I don’t know what we would have done without our water project!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God bless all those who contributed in whichever way they did!" --Dr. Jackson Sekikubo
I don’t tell you these things to brag on us. I tell you these things because I want you to see the possibilities of making a difference in Uganda. Eric and I feel very strongly that God did not send us to Uganda for only the one year we lived there. He sent our hearts there for the rest of our lives. Now that we are home and the adoption is complete, we have decided to officially start a ministry that focuses on installing water pumps in Ugandan villages.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in
Matthew 25:35
God put this scripture on our hearts during our time in Uganda. While I believe God has different plans for the each person’s ministry, I think sometimes the simplest form of ministry gets overlooked. God simply asks us to give food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. That is what we are trying to do with 25:35 Ministries. We, as a community, want to show God’s love to the people in Uganda by simply giving them water to drink.
Our current project is in a small village about thirty minutes away from where Eric and I lived. About a quarter of the project is already complete, but we still have a long way to go! With no access to running water, this village relies on a small well that is a couple miles away. It is typically the daughter’s job to retrieve water, but this has become very dangerous. Men have started to hide out near the path to the well and wait for young girls to walk by. Tragically, violence and sexual assaults are very common. To avoid this risk, many girls are instead getting water from stagnant pools near the village.
This project will not only provide clean water to the village, it will allow these young girls to be protected from the abuse occurring near the well. No longer will families have to balance getting clean water and protecting their children. The project will also provide work for many people in the community. This entire water system will cost about $30,000. This will include purchasing and installing the well, pipes, pump, tanks, and many other small things that go into building a water system. We have already raised $12,000, leaving us with $18,000 to go.
I know most of you haven’t had the opportunity to see the need firsthand, but I hope many of you will feel called to be a part of this mission. 100% of all money raised will go towards this water project, and all donations will be tax deductible. 25:35 Ministries is overseen by Pursue Missions, so all donations will need to be made out to “Pursue Missions”. It does not take a large donation to make an impact! 25:35 Ministries is just the middleman between you and Uganda. Together, we believe that we can make a HUGE impact in the lives of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in Uganda.
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never again say that you did not know.”--William Wilberforce
If you would like to donate, please contact me or send checks to:Pursue Missions10503 Slide Rd Lubbock, TX 79424 Please write “25:35 Ministries” on the memo line You may donate with the "donate" link to the right but anything donated trough paypal is not tax deductible.
