New Hope Uganda Promo Video

Letter From The Director

Jay Dangers (New Hope Uganda Ministries Director)

Dear Family and Friends of the Mitchells,

Greetings from New Hope Uganda! I trust you are all well! On behalf of the New Hope family, I would like to thank you for your support of Caleb and Alair. By faithfully supporting and caring for them, you are supporting the work and the children here, and we are so grateful for that!

Caleb and Alair have come to help with a new and very special project- developing a camp facility that will be used by children from New Hope Uganda and many others from around the country. In preparation for this, not long after they arrived, Caleb and Alair began attending the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family. NHICF is a five-month training course conducted here at New Hope that offers intensive training on caring for fatherless and abandoned children, on serving in a foreign culture, on counseling, worldview, and so much more. In addition to attending NHICF, Caleb and Alair have spent their time investing in the children in Pacific family- spending evenings with them, working in the gardens with them, and more. They have also begun working hard to learn Luganda, and Caleb has made many Ugandan’s days by using every Luganda word he has learned as he visits with them! On the weekends, the Mitchells have been an immense help to the Baby House staff by caring for baby Nicholas. Rumor has it he might be with them more than just weekends in the future!

Thank you for your faithful support of Caleb and Alair! Faithful and sufficient funds are an immense blessing to anyone out on the “field,” and do much towards alleviating stress. Please do pray that the Lord will continue to provide the remaining monthly and start up funds they need. We pray that the Lord will bless you all richly for the sacrifices you make that enable the Mitchells to serve with us here!

Life can be very difficult out here- with constant challenges, cultural differences, uncertainties, and the never-ending work of raising children. Please do continue to pray for Caleb and Alair, that God will give them strength and wisdom for all that they will encounter as they continue the work with the camp. As you are able, I know the occasional email, letter, package, or even phone call would be a great encouragement as well! As you also know, Caleb and Alair came back to the U.S. recently, as Alair’s mom has been very ill. Please do lift them up in prayer during this very difficult time.

As a way to better care for our foreign staff we have held two Foreign Staff Retreats in the last two years. We would like to continue this as an annual event. Although we would love to pay for each member’s time, New Hope Uganda does not have the funds available, so we have asked each individual or family to pay for their own way. If you are looking for an extra way to bless the Mitchells, please consider contributing towards this annual retreat for them. Thank you!

Indeed we believe that the part you play as you serve by sending the Mitchells is vitally important- and is of equal value to that of those of us on foreign soil’s “front lines.” As David told his men in 1 Samuel 30:24,“…as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” I Samuel 30:24 Also, as the writer of Hebrews writes, we are confident on your behalf that “God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Hebrews 6:10

As the Lord notices your service in this way, we too say thank you for the role you have played here at New Hope through your continued support for and care of Caleb and Alair. They are a blessing, and we are thankful to have them as part of the Kasana family. May the Lord bless each of you richly!

In Christ,

Jay Dangers
New Hope Uganda, Director

Caleb Having Fun With Nico

Mitchell's October News

Training: Our five month training is coming to an end, and we have been reflecting on much of the teaching we have received here at NHICF (New Hope’s Institute of Child Care and Family). It has either centered around or in some way been related to “family”- our belonging to the family of God, and identity as children of our heavenly Father, the brotherhood of the believers in this family, as well as the roles of men and woman in marriage as husband and wife, and most recently as father and mother in the families we are given by God.
We have had a week of studying biblical child training and have come to realize that it has just as well been a week on biblical parent training. All that we have learned has been invaluable and very timely as we begin parenting and training Nicholas. We have a united goal to continually have our hearts turned toward the children God brings; to continually seek to turn the hearts of children toward their parents, and to turn hearts of individuals and families collectively toward God the Father resulting in the worship of Him and magnification of His glory!
Another few days have been devoted to learning about the different department’s day to day functions, and the operation of N.H.U. (New Hope Uganda). We were able to talk to and have Q&A with heads of departments and supervisors about how things work here. Some highlights of these few days were touring the Vocational School and Enterprise Farm. At the Vocational School maize (corn) is milled for Kasana (New Hope) families and farmers in the Kiwoko and Kabooboo communities. Here students are also trained in weaving, sewing & tailoring, welding & automechanics, as well as carpentry. At the Enterprise Farm 40 acres of land are used to farm maize for the secondary (high school) student’s lunches. They are expanding to include vegetables and soon to include fruit from 100 fruit trees purchased this week. Just this year New Hope also started a small business raising pigs. They can sell them once full grown for about 100,000 (shs) which is around $60 us dollars. This tour was a great opportunity to see New Hope faithfully using what God has entrusted to them, and becoming more self sufficient as they grow each year.

Camp Land: It is exciting to report to you that the 1st camp construction project is planned to begin November 17th. The structure will be for camp staff housing. Please be in prayer as we develop relationships with the community there and that our interactions would genuinely reflect the love of Jesus. Pray that we would be mindful of their eternity as many of them do not know Christ.
Personal: Alair’s mom’s health is declining as the cancer has begun to take over her liver. Many of her days are spent in bed, and arrangements for a hospice nurse to come are being made. Please pray for God’s grace as she deals with the pain of a deteriorating spine, for Jim (Alair’s dad) as he cares for her and in making funeral arrangements. We plan to return to the States (CT) to be with them and the rest of the family. We are purchasing tickets with the plan to be there by Thanksgiving. Also pray for God’s continued grace as we move forward with steps in the foster/guardian/adoption process with Nicholas. We want to thank you for your love and prayers.

Blessings,
Caleb and Alair

Pacific Family's Youngest Members

David (left) Rebeccah, and Peter (right) from Pacific family enjoy getting their picture taken.

Learning First Aid

Seggie (Francis on left) and Amon learn the Heimlich maneuver


One week at the Institute we learned first aid and CPR. A team from Alaska came to do the training. It was very beneficial and we learned a great deal. One of the interesting topics was how to treat snake bites.

Institute Class

This week we have been learning about Biblical Counceling. Uncle Jones has been giving insight on this topic. We have enjoyed his teaching and are learning a great deal.

Our New Hope Family

We have had a great time getting to know our Pacific Family.

Oli Otya!

Eating lunch in Jinja with our friend David.

David's bike ran out of gas on the way to the source of the Nile

Caleb Giving Nico a bath.

Oli otya! (Greetings!) Family & Friends,

So much has happened since our last update. We are so thankful for how God has made His presence known to us over the last couple of months, in the midst of joys- like baby Nico, and seeing our newest nephew Cash via Skype, as well as difficulties- like receiving the news of that Alair’s mom is wrestling with cancer again (and we’re ½ a world away). Yet, in so many ways, the Holy Spirit has been actively working to prepare our hearts to recognize His hand, worship the Lord as He reveals His glory to us in every circumstance, to point out His glory to others as it is revealed more and more, and to have a song of praise ever ready on our lips (Ps. 40: 16, PS. 34:1-3).
During a recent phone call with Alair’s mom (Averill), we learned that she is able to walk very short distances with a walker and uses a wheel chair outside of the house due to the degeneration that has taken place in her spine and hip. She is still feeling well (not sick), and aside from the pain (which she is treating with a “pain patch” as well as acupuncture treatments every other day), has enjoyed her time with family and friends who have visited. We continue to covet your prayers for her, and the rest of the family (Dad- Jim, Sister- Janea, aunts, uncles and cousins). Please pray also for clear direction from God as to when we should return.
God has allowed me (Alair) to walk through a similar situation with Silvia (a sixteen year old girl in our family group), whose mother is very sick. Although I can’t claim to understand what she is going through, I am confident that God has placed us in Pacific family to love and encourage, pray for and pray with those we have opportunity to cultivate relationships with, and to point them to Christ and the truths in God’s word.
We have been caring for baby Nico (Nicholas) from New Hope’s Hope House on the weekends, and after a few months of prayer have decided to begin the application process for adoption. We must first apply and be approved by New Hope then we will able to start the progressive stages of the process. While our New Hope application is in process, a staff person from New Hope will attempt to locate Nico’s birth mother. The complete adoption procedure in Uganda requires three years residency, and has three different stages (each having its own set of regulations): 1st foster, 2nd guardianship, and 3rd adoption.
This month marks the ½ way point in our five month training. At the beginning of class, we dealt extensively with learning to detect cultural word views, and as we have been searching the scriptures, we are coming to more fully understand and to cultivate a biblical or kingdom world view. This begins with seeing all of creation and life with God’s glory at the center. As God unveils His glory, His sovereignty and power are among the numerous attributes that are revealed! In addition we have seen from scripture what redeemed manhood, womanhood, and family look like. We are currently beginning a section on child training.
Slowly by slowly we are learning Luganda (the language spoken in our area and we were happy to hear, in the region where New Hope’s new camp/ training center will be located). Caleb practices phrases like “Well done”… “How is your family?”... “Welcome back”… and “I love you,” on everyone he passes by (literally) and is doing very well. Everyone loves the fact that he greets them in Luganda. Some Ugandan friends and staff have made the comment “You know Luganda as well as I do.” I (Alair) think he he’s well on his way to becoming Uganda’s favorite mazungu (white one). Although the timing is not certain, our next undertaking here in Uganda will be to take six months of language school before we move to the camp property. Yes, English is the national language in Uganda, and it is spoken widely here at New Hope, but there are many other languages spoken here…Luganda being the most common.
Please continue to pray with us about the purchase of the land for the camp. There has been a purchase agreement made, but we are still in the negotiation stages and a few land disputes must be settled before we can obtain the title. We are using Skype to chat and make calls, so if you want to do a search for us (our name is Caleb and Alair Mitchell) we’d love to hear from you. Also check out our updated blog Thank you again for your support and your prayers.

In His service and for His glory,
Caleb & Alair

Learning Ugandan Culture

(far left in white is Esther, middle left in blue and white is Lilliane, middle right is Gloria)
During parents day the students from the secondary school perform a traditional African folk song.


Uncle Dan and Caleb show off a puff adder. This is a very dangerous and venomous snake. Uncle Dan killed it with a stick on the road to Lewuro.

Caleb is learning to ox plow with his teacher Francis who is also attending the Institute classes.

Little Nicholas

The Past two weekends we were able to take care of a Nicholas from the baby house. He is 6 months old and always has a smile on his face.

The First Three Weeks

Alair with Kintu Obadiah (child we are sponsoring)


Past Sons and Daughters reuniting with current ones

Nathan from the baby house


Dear Family and Friends,

It is with much excitement that we write to you. Our transition time has gone smoothly and we are adjusting to the culture quite well so far. This month New Hope celebrated 20 years of bringing the “Fatherhood of God to the fatherless”. It was a three day celebration where older brothers and sisters were welcomed home by their families (children here are raised in a family setting), and joined present and former staff in thanking God for his faithfulness to individuals and the ministry. It was a sweet time of reunion, forgiveness, and hearing testimonies of the on-going goodness of the LORD.
The family we are attached to is Pacific family. There are 21 children in our family (7 boys and 14 girls ranging in age from 4 to 16). We’ve spent evenings in family devotions and Saturday mornings working in the family garden. I should warn you to hear the term “garden” loosely because the family gardens include banana plantation, and over three acres of plots for sweet potato, beans, cassava (a white yam-like vegetable), and maze (corn).
Another exciting aspect of our time here has been the teaching we are receiving in the institute. We have been challenged to detect where our cultural world views clash with kingdom world view, and to recognize the lies in our deceitful heart Jeremiah 17:9 and to renew our minds with truth Romans 12:2.
We were able to visit the land for the camp on our 11th wedding anniversary which was July 1st. It was a four hour trip from the Kasana site to the property on Lake Victoria. There are beautiful views of the lake, trails through the bush, a fresh water spring, and 600+ meters of beach front where a squatter’s village of fisherman and their families are living. The two initial priorities are fencing of the property and further developing the roads leading to the camp. The next priority in camp planning will be to build a structure that will first serve as housing for both us and the Sparks and be used in the future for either programming or storage. The next step will be to begin developing camp programming.
We feel very privileged to be serving with New Hope Uganda. Thank you for your on-going prayers, and support. We will keep you up to date as things progress.

In His service and for His glory,
Caleb and Alair

Our New Home

London


Lake Victoria Property with Syd and Andrea

Our New Home

Well, we made it safely to Uganda with little to no problems. We had a 12 hour layover in London were we were able to visit with Caleb’s cousin Mike (who lives there) and Alair’s cousin John who happened to be on business at the time.
We have been settling down nicely here in Uganda. We are learning many new things about the Ugandan culture and have met many new people. Our next door neighbors while we are in the institute are Syd and Andrea Sparks who we are partnering with on the New Hope camp endeavor.
We have had two days of great class lectures from Keith McFarland and are learning about how different world views effect how we see life. We have also talked much about the Kingdom world view and how it is unchanging even within the different cultures.
We had a wonderful Fourth of July celebration with many of the western staff. The food and fellowship were great.
Saturday was our first opportunity to work in the gardens with Pacific Family. We learned how to slash. In other word how to cut down tall grass and weeds in preparation for ox plowing. Alair’s longed promised ox plowing pictures will be coming soon.

Ready, Set, Move

Family and Friends,

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity, but time spent visiting family and seeing friends has been a blessing. Caleb completed his time at the YMCA the last week of May, and thanks to frequent flyer miles, was able to travel to California to visit Josh his brother, Vanessa (sister in-law) , Cy our nephew who just turned two (Happy birthday CY!) and Alair’s sister Janea. He had a blast with CY, who enjoyed riding the elevator over and over at the office while waiting for dad to finish work. They had fun swimming, playing outside, and chasing eachother around the house.
While Caleb was in California, Alair was wrapping up the school year. We had one weekend to do a lot of filing, some shopping, packing, putting things in storage at Caleb’s parent’s house, and getting our international driving permits. We were blessed to have many churches pray for us over the past month including our home church. God has also added new partners in ministry who are passionate about the fatherless in Uganda.
This past week we were able to visit with Alair’s parents in Connecticut. We enjoyed a family BBQ with aunts, uncles and cousins, celebrated her dad’s Birthday, Father’s Day, Aunt Gladys’ birthday and even had a private Salsa dance lesson from Cousin Josiah and his girl friend Michelle. Fun times, but not without some frantic preparations for Uganda. We spent a day on the phone before finding a clinic that would administer travel shots still needed. Despite the frenzied activities we had a great time with the family.
We had a wonderful break yesterday as we were able to spend a nice dinner with Caleb’s mom Dianne, dad John, grandparents Wayne and Martha, and Uncle Brent. For all of this we are truly thankful.
As our departure date quickly approaches the word busy doesn’t quite describe the atmosphere. We have complete most of the things needed to leave the country and have done a lot more packing and cleaning out of the apartment.
To give you a quick update on our support level, we are currently at 65% of our monthly support and around 60% of our start up cost. Our prayer is to be at 80% by the end of our five month training at the Institute.
We want to thank all of you again for your prayers and ongoing support. We will keep you posted via e-mail and our blog as new developments occur.

Blessings,
Caleb and Alair

Saying Good Bye

We are having a wonderful time in Connecticut visiting Alair's family before we leave for Uganda on June 25. We've spent time helping the Brown's plant their summer garden (in preparation for farming in Africa). We also had a cook out with all the aunts, uncles and cousins. It was a very fun time as we will not see them for a very long time...

April News

Dear Friends and Family,

God has truly blessed us these past few months. We have continued to feel His leading as the details of our departure are being finalized. God has given us peace, direction , and growing anticipation as we get closer to being on the field.
It is exciting to be part of the team that will be developing a camp on the 715 acres recently purchased by NHUM. This beautiful site is located on Lake Victoria in the southern part of Uganda. We believe that God will greatly use this camp to impact the lives of the youth of Uganda for Christ. The new youth camp and training center will play a vital role in bringing the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless children with whom we have been entrusted.
Our goal is to establish a camp that will work with our current children’s centers, other children’s centers in Uganda, as well as other Christian ministries working to further the gospel of Christ. The camp will provide opportunities for people to come to know Christ, grow in their relationship with Him, and grow in their understanding of what it means to be God-honoring men and woman in their culture.
We are excited to see the truth of God’s Word transform their lives and compel them to live for Christ. There is much work ahead of us and we cherish your prayer support. We trust that God will work all things together for His glory.

Blessings,
Caleb and Alair

Prayer Request
A strong financial and prayer support base as we continue to seek new partners in ministry
For wisdom as we make decisions and raise funds for the land.
That we will continue to clearly share the vision of what God has called us to.

Updates
Our plane tickets have been purchased!
Our departure date is June 25th.
Thanks to ministry partners, New Hope Uganda has signed a purchase agreement for 715 acres of the 1,100 acres of land on Lake Victoria for the camp!
Prayer Support- We are very thankful for those of you who have committed to pray for us and this ministry either daily or weekly!
We are grateful for those who have given financially to this ministry.

Monthly Support Covers
Personal expenses such as:
food
house maintenance
insurance
fuel
Ministry expenses such as:
air travel
savings for furloughs
correspondence
NHU admin. expenses
hosting groups
community needs

Start Up Expenses
initial airfare to Uganda
work permits
visas
shots
printing and mailings
camp housing to be built
vehicle in Uganda
emergency fund
phone
language school
NHICF training

Support and Donations
New Hope Uganda Ministries
PO Box 154
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
1-800-611-6486

Land for Camp Site

Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you very much for your prayers! God has heard us and acted in a very strong way! We have a signed purchase agreement for the land and money to back it!

A couple days ago we sent out an email requesting prayer for the negotiations we were going to be in the very next day for the purchase of 1100 beautiful acres of land on the shore of Lake Victoria for our Manhood/Womanhood/Youth Camp. I have felt strongly that we need that land but we didn't have any money with which to negotiate. God has provided! The night before we went for the meeting, I received a call from a dear friend wanting to invest in this venture. Because of circumstances he isn't able to donate the money but he is loaning/investing the money needed for the down payment. We also got another significant donation from another dear friend. So as we went into the meeting we were able to talk with confidence.

Negotiations went well! We have now signed for 715 acres of the land. As I understand it, because of the pressure the cooperative is under, they have offered the second plot that would have made the offer 1100 acres, to someone else and said they thought we weren't interested. I assured them we are interested, so they are promising to bring that title to the negotiating table soon.

We have put a small down payment down and promised the rest after the two weeks it will take them to have the boundaries verified and an amicable agreement made with the squatters.

Thank you so very much for your prayers! Please keep this in prayer. We still need to raise approximately $120,000 to complete the purchase of the 715 acres. We also need approximately $150,000 more for the remaining pieces of land It is a lot of money for an organization our size.

Some of you may be wondering if the equatorial heat has been affecting my brains in trying to get such a large piece of land. Others have wondered about the size of the land and if this is in line with our mission of "bringing the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless. These are very valid questions. Below are my copied and pasted answers to those questions.

It is obviously a very large piece of land and is much bigger than we would be able to use in the near future. However, there are several reasons why I hope we will be able to buy all of it:
· Land prices are going up continuously in Uganda. Foreign investors from Arab Muslim nations, China, and other Asian countries are buying up land. The land is far enough away from Kampala that the price is still not very high but the land grab is spreading. Getting land of this quality and size in the future will be difficult.
· This is an investment in the future of ministry and the Kingdom of God here in Uganda.
· Ugandan culture is very different from US culture. Here there is only one volume on any radio or PA system and that is maximum. It is not uncommon for us to have our sleep disturbed by blaring music from “discos” that are several kilometers away from us. If I buy a relatively small piece of land it is likely that in the future someone will put in a disco on the beach near by and keep our campers awake through the nights to all kinds of bad music. It would be very difficult for us to do anything about it. If we own this whole piece, the nearest neighbor would with two possible exceptions, would be on the other side of a hill or quite distant. Without this whole piece of land, we could end up with a piece of property that was unusable for our purposes because of the neighbors.
· There is a fairly large piece of forest on the land. It is being encroached on by sawyers and charcoal makers. It would be wonderful to be able to preserve the beauty of the site.
· There would be much land available for hiking and nature trails.
· The population of Uganda is growing very fast and the market for the kinds of facilities we would provide would continue to grow. We would be looking at increasing the types of services we provide to include things like a retreat center and could have camps for different ages or groups.
· When we talked to the leadership of Hume Lake, one of the foremost Christian Camps on the west coast of the US, they told us to buy as much land as we could get a hold of. Hume Lake is what it is today because many years ago some young men with forethought made a big investment in a large piece of land in the mountains of California.

Our purpose is to bring the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless. We have been very aware of the need for a Manhood/Womanhood/Youth CampTraining Site and have been planning that direction. We saw that if we don't strategically train boys and young men to be true, godly men, many of them will grow up to produce children that are in effect fatherless if not in actual fact. Now we see even more that we need to make bold steps into this area if we are going to play the role we believe God has given us in reaching the fatherless, being a part of transforming Ugandan society, and reducing fatherlessness.

We are learning to look way into the future in our planning and are that much more aware of how strategic we need to be in preparing for the future. This isn't just about now or the next few years; it is about 20 and more years from now. The site is very strategically located to serve children's centers, churches, schools and needy children - often fatherless, from Kampala, Mukono, Lugazi, and Jinja and beyond. A significant portion of the population of Uganda comes from those areas. Those towns and the surrounding areas would likely include as many as a million fatherless children not to mention the many thousands of other children who could benefit from the programs we could offer.

Thanks again for your prayers. Goodbye for now.

In Christ,

Jay
Director
New Hope Uganda

California

We had a great time visiting family in California during Alair's Spring Break. We were able to see Alair's dad (James) and sitster (Janea) as well as Caleb's brother (Josh) and sister in law (Vanessa) and nephew (Cy). We spent one day at the Santa Barbara Zoo. We had a great time seeing everyone as we know this will be the last visit before we head off to Uganda for two years.

Land for Nyanja Youth Camp

On Tuesday March 18th Jay (New Hope Director) and Jonnes (Pastor/Co-Director) met with the land owners. It was a good meeting that sent them away with...

* Knowing that we would like to move forward on this property.
* Knowing the land owners have 1,100 acres of land available for sale.
* An asking price of $325 per acre.
* Knowing the next steps are to decide which parcels of land we would like and to find funding to move forward with the purchase.

Please pray for wisdom as Jay and Jonnes continue this initial process of land purchase. Pray that God would be honord and that we would be sensitive to His leading.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in giving toward the purchase of the Lake Victoria property and would like more information about the land or our plans for the Youth Camp and Training Center, please contact Gary Wood the NHU North American Director at 800-611-6486.

March News Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

Here we are with more exciting news. Just two weeks after we sent you our February news letter we met with our mission’s director, an overseeing elder, and the missions committee from our church, and were approved for a two year term to begin in July at the start of our training. With our ever changing journey of faith, we have once again been reminded that it is not for us to plan our way, but to trust and act in obedience. Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
With this new development we now need to begin support raising efforts beyond what has already been given toward our four month training at New Hope Uganda’s Institute of Childcare and Family. We are believing God for prayer partners, the necessary funds for start up costs and monthly support to be raised prior to our departure. We have currently raised 30% of our monthly support. Many of you had committed to financially support us on a monthly basis and have asked about continuing your monthly pledge. We are praying that God will lead you to partner with us once again, and are we are praying that He would bring new individuals to join us in the ministry to the orphan children of Uganda.
It was a blessing to spend an evening last week with team members Syd and Andrea Sparks, getting to know each other better and casting vision for the camp that New Hope has asked us to help develop. We anticipate that God will do much more than we can imagine as his plans unfold for that aspect of the ministry. Please pray for Syd and Andrea as they are raising support as well. Pray that God will clearly lead Ugandan individuals to join our team. Pray for us as we travel over these next few months to visit churches in our area.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter, and if you have any questions, please let us know. Take care, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Blessings,

Caleb and Alair

www.calebalair.blogspot.com
Support and Donations Mailing Address
New Hope Uganda Ministries
P.O. Box 154
Belle Fourche, South Dakota 57717
1-800-611-6486

New Hope Insitute of Childcare and Family

This is a promo video of the five month training we will complete prior to our placement within the ministry of New Hope

Nyanja Youth Camp - Kampala, Uganda

This is a description of the camp that is being developed. We will be working on this project with Syd and Andrea Sparks who bring a tremendous amount camping experience with them. To learn more about Syd and Andrea visit their blog at http://www.thesparkstrail.blogspot.com/

Nyanja Youth Camp - A Camp and Training Center

New Hope Uganda is developing plans for a Manhood and Womanhood training site where boys and young men will be challenged and trained in biblical manhood and young women can be prepared for biblical womanhood. This is a revolutionary concept in a world where most boys and girls grow up with only a vague idea of what it means to be a “man” or a “woman”. God has great plans and great freedom for them in their respective roles! A team is being formed for this new site on the shores of beautiful lake Victoria. Programs will be for our young people but will also be available to churches and children’s centers from all over Uganda.

We will offer several types of programs:

Weekend programs
2 week training programs for boys during school holidays
3 month programs for long vacations
9 month programs for those who want to develop leadership in godly manhood

Invisible Children Trailer

The war in northern Uganda has been called the most neglected humanitarian emergency in the world today. For the past 21 years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government have been waging a war that has left nearly two million innocent civilians caught in the middle. The Ugandan government has failed to protect its citizens from this rebel militia that has murdered mothers and buried the young, leaving an entire generation of youth that has never known peace.

Doing Missions When Dying Is Gain

I just finished listening to a sermon by John Piper called "Doing Missions When Dying Is Gain".

Piper starts out talking to young people about his severe struggles with public speaking and how through God he overcame those fears. Then he talks to the young people about doing missions when dying is gain, sharing some great missionary stories as he preaches.

It is a great reminder of God's sovereignty in all things, even in our suffering and death.

This sermon may be found on the Desiring God website http://www.desiringgod.org/

God as Father

During a speaking engagement at a local church about God's heart for the orphan I posed the question- How many of you have been adopted? Only a few raised their hands. Then I read the passage of scripture found in Ephesians 1:5 "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will." I then asked the same question again. The whole congregation raised their hands the second time.
I often forget the significance of our adoption into the family of God and I believe many other christians do the same. C. J. Mahaney expounds on this concept in his recent sermon called "God as Father," as I listened to this sermon it was a powerful reminder of the joy that is found as we embrace God as our Father.

to listen to the message "God as Father" by C.J. Mahaney click on the link below. It is found under the resources tab. Then click on view all resources.
http://www.sovereigngraceministries.org/

Facts About Uganda

General Information on Uganda
Uganda is a land-locked country in East Africa located between the countries of Sudan, Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya. It is a country of vast differences, both physically and culturally. Its physical features vary from the snow capped peaks of the Ruwenzori Mountains on the western border, to jungle and rain forest in the South to very dry semi-arid country in the North. Generally, the land is very fertile producing many different plants and crops. On its southeastern border, Uganda also has Lake Victoria, one of the largest fresh water lakes in the world from which the mighty Nile River has its beginning. Area236,040 sq km – about the size of the state of Minnesota. ClimateUganda has an equatorial climate, moderated by altitude. Vegetation is heaviest in the south; it thins to savanna with dry plains in the northeast.Rainfall Rainfall varies from more than 2,500mm/100in around Lake Victoria to about 500mm/20in in the northeast. There are typically two dry seasons; December to February and June to August. TemperaturesUganda is sunny most of the year with temperatures averaging 29C/84F. The temps around the capital city range from 6C/60F to 38C/100F depending on the season.Population Total – 28,816,000 Population Under age 18 – 57.3% Life expectancy (2005) – 49Fertility rate (2005) – 7.1LanguagesEnglish (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be taught in school) CurrencyUgandan shilling (UGX) Gross National Income per capita (US$)(2005) - $280Average daily income – less than $1Adult Literacy68.9% (WHO)Sources taken from these internet sites: UNICEF, Library of Congress Country studies, World Health Organization, and the CIA World Fact Book
Religion in Uganda
Sixty-six percent of Ugandans are Christian, equally divided between Roman Catholics and Protestants; the largest Protestant denomination is the Anglican Church of Uganda. Fifteen percent of Ugandans are Muslim; the remainder follow traditional tribal religions, Hinduism, or practice no religion. (Library of Congress Country studies)
Uganda's History
Uganda traces its beginnings to the Bunyoro and Buganda kingdoms of the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as to immigrants from Sudan and Kenya. The 19th century brought the first European explorers and Christian missionaries. In 1894, Uganda was established as a British protectorate with the King of the Buganda tribe retaining his position under their rule. In 1958, Uganda was granted internal self-government, and on October 9th, 1962, they received their independence from Britain. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. It took over 20 years to get to the stability that was hoped for at their independence. In 1962, Milton Obote became the Prime Minister with King Mutesa presiding as the King of Buganda. In 1966, Obote overthrew King Mutesa and ruled by martial law for five years before a military coup forced him into exile. Idi Amin took power in 1971, suspended the constitution, and ruled the country with the military for the coming decade. Idi Amin's rule cost an estimated 300,000 Ugandans' lives. He forcibly removed the entrepreneurial Indian minority from Uganda, decimating the economy. His reign was ended after the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1979. This led to the return of Obote from 1980-85. Guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Obote claimed at least another 100,000 lives when government troops carried out genocidal sweeps of the rural populace in a region that became known as the Luwero Triangle. In 1986, Yoweri Museveni and his National Resistance Army took the capital city of Kampala by military force and have ruled since then. Museveni’s rule since 1986 has brought three presidential elections, relative stability and economic growth to Uganda.
Government and Political Conditions in Uganda
GovernmentThe 1995 constitution established Uganda as a republic with an executive, legislative, and judicial branch. The constitution provides for an executive president to be elected every 5 years. President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, was elected in 1996 and reelected in 2001 and 2006. Legislative responsibility is vested in the parliament; legislative elections were last held February 2006. There are currently 99 women representatives in the 332-member parliament. The Ugandan judiciary operates as an independent branch of government and consists of magistrate's courts, high courts, courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court. Parliament and the judiciary have significant amounts of independence and wield significant power.Political ConditionsSince assuming power, Museveni and his government have largely put an end to the human rights abuses of earlier governments, initiated substantial economic liberalization and general press freedom, and instituted economic reforms.The vicious and cult-like Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which seeks to overthrow the Ugandan Government, has murdered and kidnapped civilians in the north and east since 1986. Although the LRA does not threaten the stability of the government, LRA violence at one time displaced up to 1.7 million people, creating a humanitarian catastrophe, particularly when they were forced into internally displaced persons (IDP) camps for their own protection. The Uganda Peoples Defense Force (UPDF) launched "Operation Iron Fist" against LRA rebels in northern Uganda in 2002 and conducted operations against LRA sanctuaries in southern Sudan with the permission of the Sudanese Government. The Sudanese Government had previously supported the LRA. There have been significant new developments in this conflict since January 2006. Peace talks are ongoing and are the current focus to bring an end to this conflict.
AIDS and Orphans in Uganda
AIDSHIV/AIDS Prevalance:4.1% (2003 est.) (WHO)Uganda has seen one of the most effective national responses to the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the African continent. Following the end to the civil war in 1986, the new government created and implemented comprehensive policies that dramatically slowed the rate of new infections. In recent years, an abstinence-only strategy has drawn criticism from critics; however the statistics are showing that this approach is working. The high level of government commitment and the openness with which the problem has been tackled has assisted Uganda in the reduction of prevalence of the disease in the country. Prevalence has gone down from 30% in 1990 to 9% in 1999 to 4% in 2003. The current thrust of the interventions now is to maintain the downward trend in prevalence of the disease.OrphansAfrica has an orphan epidemic. Nearly 2 million children are orphaned in Uganda alone. (UNICEF) Part of the cause of this epidemic stems from the history of war that the country has. During the regimes of Idi Amin and Milton Obote there were hundreds of thousands of people massacred which left millions of orphaned children. However, half of the children that are orphaned have been orphaned from the AIDS virus. It is estimated that by 2010 there will be as many as 3.5 million children orphaned.
Ugandan Culture
It is difficult to exhaustively describe an entire culture and people group in a couple of paragraphs so please don't look for that here. Instead what I will try to do is tell about some of the common and interesting culture related questions that I am asked.What do they eat?Central and Southern Uganda are very fertile and can produce a wide variety and plentiful crops. Fruits such as pineapple, mango, papaya, guava, avocodo, passion fruit, watermellon, many varietys of bananas, and many other fruits are commonly grown. There are a number of vegitables that are also very common such as, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, corn, egg plant, and tomatoes. The staple foods for many Ugandan diets include, posho and beans, matoke, rice, ground nut sauce, sweet potatoes, potatoes, meat sauce, and chapatis. Posho is corn that is ground to flour and mixed with water for porrige in the morning, similar to cream of wheat, and in the evening they add less water to make it thick enough to slice and then they put beans on top of it. Matoke is a type of banana that is pealed steamed and mashed, similar to mashed potatoes. Ground nut sauce is a gravy like sauce made out of peanuts that is poured over posho or rice or matoke or potatoes. Chapatis are a fried flat bread, similar to what we know as tortillas. The food in Uganda is good especially the fruit although they don't use a lot of spices so much of the food is rather bland. What are the children like?Young children in Uganda are generally very soft spoken especially when talking to adults. They are very fun loving and will smile very big once you break the ice. They are generally respectful towards teachers and adults. How do they handle death?Death is a common part of life in Uganda. In fact is is so common that most of the English to Luganda tourist translation guides have complete sections on sickness and death. Because they don't have funearal homes or embalming services they usually bury someone who has died on the same day or next day after they die. They commonly bury their dead in their home tribal area or family burial plot and so many times they have to travel quite a distance for the burial if the person wasn't in their home area. Even though death is common it still effects people and hurts to lose someone that they love. How do you buy things?There is very rarely a fixed price in Uganda. Almost every price is negotiable and most of the trade particularily in the markets is done by bartering. How do people live?Living conditions are very different between the rural areas and the city. In the rural areas the poorest people may be lucky enough to live in a mud hut and hand dig their own gardens hopefully producing enough to live on. There is somewhat of an emerging middle class that can roughly be described as people who have a job and live in hand made brick houses. Very few own vehicles. The upper class live in Kampala the capital city in very nice homes. They will likely own a vehicle. The gap between the rich and the middle class is wide. (Syd Sparks)

God's Heart For The Orphan

Getting to know someone well is hard work. It takes time and persistence. We must discover new things about their character, their likes, and their dislikes. It means learning what pleases them and angers them. It means finding out what their priorities are—what really matters to them.
The same is true for God. Knowing God requires discerning what He likes and dislikes, what pleases Him, and what angers Him. Knowing God requires finding out what really matters to Him.
In his book, Fields of the Fatherless, C. Thomas Davis writes, “If you searched the Bible from front to back, you'd find many issues close to God's heart. But you'd also notice three groups of people coming up again and again. They appear so many times, in fact, you have to conclude that God mentions them purposely to make sure they are at the top of our priority list.”
Who are these three groups of people? They are orphans (or fatherless), widows, and aliens (or strangers). It is inescapable that these three people groups especially matter to God. Deuteronomy 24:19 illustrates God's care and provision for them, and His desire to see His followers acting as His hands and feet in meeting their basic needs: “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”
In Proverbs 23:10-11, God’s concern for the fatherless is evident in these words of warning: “Do not move an ancient boundary stone, or encroach on the fields of the fatherless, for their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you.”
God doesn't stop at caring for and defending those close to His heart; rather He places care for the least among us at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Christ. In fact, in James 1:27, God defines pure religion in the context of orphan care: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Not only has God commanded that His people care for those in need, but He has also ordained and modeled the institution of adoption. Anyone who has placed his or her trust in Christ has been adopted into God's family, through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Ephesians 1:4b -5 tells us: … “In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will…”
Caring for the fatherless does not simply consist of compassionate and kind acts, nor is adoption an additional means of growing our families to meet our own desires. Rather, caring for the fatherless is at the very heart of God. Caring for the fatherless is about obedience … it is about knowing the God whom we serve.
“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.” —Psalm 82:3

www.familylife.org

New Hope Institute

New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family
Mission: To train and equip men and women of God who will faithfully and effectively bring the “Fatherhood of God to the fatherless” children of the world, for the Glory of God and for the joy of His people.

Goal:
To envisioning, training, and networking NHICF will equip God’s people to work with this generation of fatherless, to give to others what they have freely received.
From a biblically reasoned approach and from almost twenty years of experience working with the fatherless, the orphaned, and the neglected and hurting children of Uganda, NHICF will help prepare God’s people for effective and fruitful ministry.
Currently NHICF is running two courses yearly from the months of January-May and July-November (with the exact dates subject to change). The course consists of over 20 weeks of intensive classroom study with ministry leaders from New Hope Uganda, as well as different speakers from America, the UK, and other parts of the world to address different topics. Topics covered include: exposing cultural worldview and developing a biblical worldview, theological foundations, biblical foundations of marriage and family, biblical child-training, biblical counseling, business management, Christian education, and various topics relating to establishing and maintaining a ministry like New Hope Uganda.
Though learning takes place in the classroom, the real classroom is all of New Hope Uganda! Students will work hands-on with the different family groups here at New Hope, putting into practice things learned in the classroom, while also gaining valuable experience in such areas as gardening, family group relationships and dynamics, self-sufficiency, and ox plowing!

Staff:
Principal: Keith McFarland: alethia1 at juno.com

Director: Jay Dangers: Jay at newhopeuganda.org
Around the world, the number of fatherless, orphaned, abandoned, neglected, and hurting children is growing at an alarming rate. In the world’s eyes, this is a hopeless tragedy. But, by the grace of God, and the valiant actions of His people, this hopeless tragedy can be transformed into an unprecedented opportunity to reach children for the kingdom of God for the generations to come. In response to this ever-increasing need and opportunity, New Hope Institute for Childcare and Family was opened in May of 2002 to train and equip men and women to bring the Fatherhood of God to the fatherless. In a five-month course of lectures, study, and practical hands-on experience, NHICF provides its students with a foundation from which they can move into a richly rewarding ministry to the fatherless and the orphan.
So far, we have graduated four classes, and will be having two separate courses in 2008, one beginning in January and one in June or July.
Further information about the Institute can be obtained from:
Keith McFarland

New Hope Uganda Kasana Children's Centre

P.O. Box 16

Luweero

alethia1 at juno.com

www.newhopeuganda.org

Psalms 68:5-6

" Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families." Psalm 68:5-6a

New Hope Uganda's Kasana Children's Centre was established in 1988 in the heart of the Luweero Triangle with the purpose of "bringing the fatherhood of God to the fatherless." Currently, over 50 Ugandan, North American, and British staff daily and practically demonstrate the Father's love to abandoned and orphaned Ugandan children. While over 120 children live on site, more than 200 orphaned children living with relatives or obliging neighbors in the surrounding villages join the boarding students each day in receiving a Christ-centered education, food, clothing, discipleship, and love.
On the center's main site, the 120 boarding students are divided into seven families each living in their own "village" with their own new "father" and "mother" (Ugandan staff members who become parents to these formerly fatherless children.) In addition to the seven family villages, the main site also serves as the home of all of the center's staff, a clinic, Hope House (a home for abandoned babies), Esuubi Eppya Primary Vocational School, New Hope Academy (a secondary school), Kasana Community Church, and New Hope Institute for Childcare and Family.

Going to Uganda

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with much delight that we write to let you know that the leadership from our home church as well as the leadership at New Hope Uganda have agreed on our enrollment in the next session of New Hope’s Institute of Childcare and Family. This four month intensive course devoted to the study of God’s heart and design for child rearing and family, as well as training in the Ugandan culture, begins this July. Given God’s continued leading in this direction, we will leave for this on site training in June.

At this point our commitment extends through the four months of training in Uganda. Upon completion of the Institute we will be evaluated by both Blackhawk and New Hope. This will also be a time for us to consider next steps based on God’s leading, and the outcome of our four months in training.

Our financial needs for this term have been covered by many of your past generous gift giving. Thank you once again. Currently Caleb is providing program expertise and other assistance at the YMCA, and with the Lord’s help Alair is surviving her first year as a teacher.
We are truly blessed to have you as partners in this process, and we thank you for your continued prayers.

In His service,

Caleb and Alair Mitchell


Mitchell’s Sate Side Mailing Address
6018 County Road 29
Auburn, IN 46706
260-235-0552
calebandalair@hotmail.com

New Hope’s East Africa Mailing Address
New Hope Uganda
P.O. Box 16
Luwero, Uganda East Africa

Support and Donations Mailing Address
New Hope Uganda Ministries
P.O. Box 154
Belle Fourche,
South Dakota 57717
1-800-611-6486
http://www.newhopeuganda.com/