HOW IT ALL GOT STARTED
My search to combine my roles of mom, educator and church leader led me to start an organization that not only provides international service opportunities for young people but also equips them with the skills and knowledge to be successful. Many of my activities are in the context of my work so they are not overtly Christian, but everything I do is firmly rooted in my values as a Christian and based on my desire to share the love of Christ with everyone I meet.
In 2008, I took my first trip to Uganda with 10 college students. It was life altering!! We visited 5 different villages, each with needs greater than we could ever imagine but each with a joy and pride that overwhelmed us. I FELL IN LOVE with Uganda- the people, the landscape, the culture- and knew that I had found a connection that I wanted to cultivated and nourish for a lifetime.
At the equator in 2008
Rayanna, my oldest
For that trip, my oldest child (who was 10 at the time) collected money to buy 5 pigs for an animal husbandry project in one of the villages and collected 150 pounds of clothes that we distributed to a village of AIDS orphans. Although she did not go, she has become equally enamoured with Uganda.
In May of 2009, I will take my second trip. I will accompanied by my 11 year old daughter and a second group of college students. While my university cannot call it a missions trip, for me and my daughter, it is exactly that. This site is dedicated to supporting our missions in Uganda- both to reach out to the citizens there and to reach of to the college students traveling with us.
My vision for YOUTH 4 UGANDA
1) Opportunities for youth to serve others in an international context
2) Opportunties for families to serve together in a global context
3) Funding, by way of grants and scholarships, to encourage youth to pursue international service opportunities
4) Global partnerships in which we can exchange ideas and resources as well as serve as hosts families for one anothers’ envoys
5) Greater understanding of the ties that binds us as we also seek to respect our differences
CONTACT US
