Happy New Year!
Dear Friends and Family, Happy 2019!
We hope you enjoyed the Christmas season celebrating with friends and loved ones. We just returned from our Christmas break in Kenya with Peter’s brothers and parents. We braved the long 13 hour bus journey on the way there, but it was well worth it to see family and friends there! We also thoroughly enjoyed Nairobi’s colder evenings, which was a welcome change to Jinja’s heat. While there we had some great times with Peter’s family and friends, and then also managed a quick two night camping trip to Lake Naivasha. There we had a little campfire, played some monopoly and got scared by some hippos grunting close to our tent (don’t worry - they were on the other side of the fence!). It was lovely to have a break from the busyness of the last few months, spend time with family, and reflect on all that had happened in 2018. We had so much to be thankful for: getting married (!), both having jobs we feel are worthwhile, an apartment to live in, and all your love and support!
Here’s a brief update about the end of 2018 and the beginning of 2019. We’d also love to hear from you, so send us a quick message and let us know what’s going on!
End of the Year Highlights
One of the highlights at the end of the school year was our annual Nativity Play which was one of Avery’s huge projects. Our staff and students worked really hard to put it together, and it was a great success with many people in the neighbourhood coming to see it. We hope that as well as sharing the Good News about Jesus, it also served to raise awareness about Special Needs in the community and put huge smiles on the faces of our students. In the pictures you can see Avery with some of her students after the play. One of the students had the role as an Angel and a Christmas reader and the other had a role as the narrator. Clearly, we were feeling pretty proud of all of our hard work at play practice paying off! Many of you watched it live, but, in case you missed it, you can still find it on facebook by clicking here: Ekisa Nativity Play
We also ended the year with a Parent Teacher Meeting. This gave us the chance to catch up with parents, share the children’s progress, and hear feedback from them about how they felt the year had gone. It was a very positive meeting and many of the parents in Avery’s class were surprised to find their children reading simple sentences and sight words. One parent in particular had tears in her eyes as she watched her daughter write her name for the first time.
First Ugandan Wedding
Avery also had the honor of being a bridesmaids in our friends’ wedding. By attending and taking part in the traditional ceremonies we both felt that we were able to experience and understand the beauty of the Ugandan culture in a new and special way. We feel privileged to have been a part of it all!
Resettlement
Before leaving to celebrate Christmas in Kenya, we celebrated the resettlement of one of our residential children. After many years in Ekisa’s care, she has been reunited and placed back with her grandmother. Seeing our children celebrated and in families is the heartbeat and vision behind all that we do at Ekisa, so when a child is resettled we throw a big party. We prayed, we sang, and shared cake and soda together as we celebrated all that God had done in the story of this child and grandmother coming back together to be a family again. Please continue to pray for this family as they adjust to a new life shared together. Pray for provision and strength for the grandmother as she cares for her granddaughter.
Back to Jinja!
Although we had a fantastic time in Kenya, we came back to Jinja (in a car this time to avoid the dangerous bus driving) to hear some sad news. One of our teaching assistants lost her husband in a tragic accident in which he fell from an apartment block while working as a security guard. She lost a child last year as well, so please do keep her in your prayers as she is really struggling in this new year. We also have two difficult cases with children in our community program; we have two very malnourished children whose families are unable to meet their nutritional needs. While both have benefitted from hospitalization and a nutrition program, we are concerned that their health will fail once again when they eventually return to their families. So many families here struggle to make ends meet and support themselves, it is truly heartbreaking. Please pray that our social workers will know how best to help these children and their families.
Ekisa Academy
The school break here continues until we start Term One on the 4th of February, but there is lots to do in preparation. We need to organise classes and teaching assistants, conduct some workshops, and have school meetings and a parent teacher meeting before the new term begins. It can be overwhelming to think of all the different needs the children have, so please pray we do the best we can with the resources we have as we seek to help each child grow and meet their educational and therapy goals.
Moving House
We are also moving house because the hotel next door purchased our apartment block. We think we have found a new place, but have some concerns about security and need to make arrangements for a guard and possibly some dogs to have extra ears at night. We hope to move into our new place before the 1st of February, so we’ll send you some pictures next month to show you our new home!
We are so grateful for your love, financial support, messages of encouragement, and prayers. If you would like to support the work we do with a one-time or recurring financial gift please see the information below.
How to Pray/Support Us
If you would like to support us financially, just follow these step-by-step instructions below or send us a message!
1. Click the link to the donate section of Ekisa's Website: Support Peter & Avery in Uganda
2. Select the amount you would like to give.
3. Click Submit.
4. If you are wanting to join the team as a monthly donor, select the Recurring Transaction option.
5. Select a volunteer to support.
6. Fill the billing info & press submit. Your support is very much appreciated.
Here is a list of some prayer requests for the new year:
That preparation for the new school year goes well and needs are met.
That social workers will be able to help those children with malnutrition.
That the lady who lost her husband will be supported and loved by us as an organisation and by her friends and family during this extremely hard time.
That we continue to rely on God for strength and energy as we work with the children at Ekisa.
That the move will go well and that we will be safe in the new house
Thank you for reading, and please do send us a quick note to let us know how you’re doing!
Love,
Peter & Avery