GSF School Outreach

Our new school building is finished and the old school has had a face lift with new cabinets and desks. Needless to say we are delighted! We began the year with a week-long Christian based training program for our teachers and house moms.
The school is fast becoming our biggest outreach. At this time we have 260 kids enrolled and only 44 of those are GSF kids. We are so blessed to have strong support from others as well. As a result, we are able to offer free schooling to 70 village kids and about 30 staff kids. We began this scholarship program 2 years ago as we were made aware of the conditions in which some of our day scholars live. We supply each scholarship student with 2 uniforms, shoes, socks, copy books and pens, along with lunch and a snack every school day. For some, the meal is all they get and the uniforms are all they have.
God has been turning our attention to the 4 villages nearest us where the poverty is still so bad. We are eager to have Evangelists come and deepen the work we have begun with these kids and their families!

New Arrivals! A Special Welcome

On January 26 we welcomed Micah Luke Friday to GSF. Micah’s mother died of AIDS in November and his father is unknown. Having been treated at a nearby hospital prior to his mother’s death, Micah was receiving care from a young Indian doctor who attempted to adopt him. As the doctor’s tenure in Uganda was coming to an end, it was apparent that the process could not be completed before she had to leave. She also sponsors Micah’s six-year-old brother in a local boarding school, but Micah needed the special care he will receive at GSF. At 18 months old, Micah still cannot stand or walk. His thin legs are too weak, but he is gaining strength and we hope to see him walking soon!
Eight days after Micah’s arrival, we received a call from a local probation officer. They had two brothers whose mother had allegedly abandoned them and who showed signs of abuse. With no extended family in the area, Brian (2) and Pius (4) were brought to GSF while the authorities investigate the father. It is expected that they will remain with us and they are already smiling and enjoying life at GSF.

GSF exists to rescue such little ones from the tragic situations they have faced in their short lives. Please pray for these three boys!

Happy Holidays at Good Shepherd's Fold

The Ugandan school system is out of session between school years for the months of December and January. We take advantage of this by sending many of the kids to extended family members so they can develop and rekindle family ties that are so important. We still had nearly 40 kids who stayed here during the holidays because they have no family or their remaining family members live in destitute situations.

The holiday break is a great time to have individual and small group time with the kids who stay at GSF. One person who was able to invest in their lives was a short term GO missionary, Sadie Mumma. A native of Alaska, 20-year-old Sadie came to Uganda to work wherever there was a need. Sadie took over the holiday activities by organizing a reading club, face painting, baking, swimming, water games, art classes (taught by Larry Roots, another short termer), going to the zoo and a safari

GSF Teens Take Safari Trip!

On January 26, we traveled to Queen Elizabeth National Park with eleven of our kids who had stayed at GSF over the long holiday. The 3-day trip also included Sadie (a short term missionary), Juliana (our matron) and David Malisi (our tailor/youth worker) along with Bob and Carolyn Jacobsen.
We were all treated to an incredible display of God's magnificent creation. We saw lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo, crocodiles and much more. Most people, especially kids, in this poor country would never get to make such a trip. We stayed at a hostel which was very comfortable.
The boys dubbed their house "the palace". Every evening we had worship and devotion times together in the palace. We talked about how wild, creative and magnificent our God must be to create such an incredibly diverse group of creatures. We talked about His love for each one of us and how we are His prized possessions. It was a rich time of fellowship and we all have memories to last us a long while.