Mood:  happy

Hello everyone,

Wow---January was an active month with a lot going on and much progress in many directions.

A wonderful group of 5 nurses from an organization called Carpe Diem visited and did a medical evaluation on about 200 of our kids. We are filing the reports on each kid in their folders and we now know which families are having problems with malnutrition and poor hygiene.

The field officer will be keeping a closer eye on the more vulnerable families.  We also took advantage of the kids being at the office and had them take back their school books and pens and pencils and other school needs before heading home. That relieved the huge croud that usually comes in at the last weekend before start of school.

The first term of the year starts in February and we had many many new kids hoping for money for school. It is so hard hearing their stories, seeing their eyes fill with tears knowing how much they want to be able to get an education. We send the field officer out to investigate all new applicants to be sure all needs are genuine.  After talking with over 100 children, we have selected 24 to be helped in school. We now are in prayer for more sponsors for the many extra kids.

The rains have come early and we now need to plan our first planting at the new land we have just purchased.  It will be a lot of work, but so rewarding when the first harvest comes in.

Lastly I was so happy to have a visitor and friend stay with me for two weeks. Kaggy George came and had an opportunity to see the program first hand. She planned on assisting me get the office in better order but things were constantly busy and she could not get to that. She did meet many of our kids and visited some of the families as well as the Rescue Home kids. On her last weekend here we visited the Queen Elizabeth Park and had a wonderful time seeing all the animals. A wart hog, however, was not happy being in our photo shoot and decided to chase Kaggy. We also were woken up in the middle of the night with a hippo outside our window. I never knew that they made such strange noises and loud too!!!!

As we head into February we still have many activities planned. I continue to marvel that God called me to this wonderful country and sometimes when I wake up I think with wonder---"I am in Africa!" even after 13 years here. I am home and happy.

I thank all of you who continue to support and pray for me and the ministry. Mukama akulinda--(God be with you.) Carol

P.S.  As you can see, the Manna Rescue Home Van is going to good use!

--
 Carol Adams
 Youth Encouragement Services
 Fort Portal, Uganda
 www.caroladamsministry.com

Mood:  special

Blessings All!

We've updated a lot of the website and added some very informative slideshows on the Manna Rescue Home.  

Click here to meet the kids of Manna Rescue Home and learn about ways you can get involved!

Peruse the rest of the site and see some new photos and for sure, check all the latest happenings on the blog.

In recent months, your prayers and donations have allowed us to purchase a desperately needed van for Manna Rescue Home, build a hen house that now houses 50 chickens, build an enclosure and shelter for a cow and calf that we will be getting soon AND see many of our kids graduate from programs that give them the training to make a living for themselves in this challenging world.   Another real blessing is our Moses Magezi, now a doctor, who's heart for his people has brought him home to work toward improved medical conditions in Uganda.  Read his story here.

It's an exciting time for us, with so many programs running full swing, and we ask for your continued partnership with us.  There is an ongoing need for more child sponsorships, continued care for the kids of Manna Rescue Home and, as always, your prayers for the Lord's work to flourish in this part of the world.

If you haven't tried it yet, check out how easy and secure it is to donate online using PayPal.

Thank you to everyone out there who is involved in this ministry, your support and prayers have changed lives in countless ways.  May God Bless you all.

In Christ,

A Christian Ministry of Carol Adams, Inc.

Mood:  happy

Two young men who hope to make a difference in their country are Moses Magezi, or I should now say, Doctor Moses Magezi and Gilbert Ategeka.

Moses, after 6 long and difficult years of studying in Ukraine has come home as a doctor. In the Ukraine he became fluent with the language and graduated on top of his class. He met and married a fellow student and has come home with his new wife and daughter. They are now living in Kampala where the government has assigned him a position at Malago Hospital, an old and well known government hospital in Uganda.

Gilbert Ategeka has the same desire to learn medicine and come back to help his fellow Ugandans. He watched his mother die a slow and painful death while he was a secondary student and he has seen many others suffer with no doctor to help them. He wants to do all that he can to be there for his people. Moses helped him with getting admitted to the same university in the Ukraine and even introduced him to some friends who helped him get established. He is now there in Ukraine learning what real cold is while studying hard and trying to learn a new and very different language.

Mood:  bright

Our Manna Rescue Home now has 50 laying chickens for the kids to get enough eggs to keep up the protein level in their diet.  The children enjoy helping to care for and feed the flock.

We have also finished a cow shed and are now in the process of looking for a cow in calf from donations we have received for this purpose.

Mood:  special

Here are some recent photos of our graduating hairdressers and mechanics.  These are kids who for one reason or another could not finish secondary schooling. They have now finished a two year training in auto mechanics and have received boxes of tools needed to start them up.  There are many cars in the country now and a good mechanic can usually find jobs.  We also have students graduating as plumbers, carpenters, electricians and tour guides as well catering students. Most of these students are being employed. This country has a very high unemployment number and we are very happy to see so many young men and women now having a way to survive in a difficult world.  It feels so good to see my kids going out into the world with a chance to make a living!  The donations from so many people have made this possible.  I thank all of you for your ongoing prayers and support.

Love, Carol

Mood:  special

Hi everyone,

I love these kids soooooooo much! God has blessed me with them. These kids have not known love but are now glowing with joy. The one picture with the girl whose face is filled with sores brings back the reality that these are sick children. She is now improving fast with care and medicine. My thanks goes out to all of you for the prayers and contributions for these beautiful kids.

Love, Carol

Mood:  happy

God is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These are the shots of the new van for the rescue home.

Praise Him. Love, Carol

Mood:  happy

Hi There!

My name is Emerald Russell. I have been living in Fort Portal, Uganda, and volunteering for Carol Adams at Youth Encouragement Services for the past 6 months. I wanted to introduce myself to all of you, and send out my gratitude for your support of Carol's programs.

I cannot begin to explain how impressed I am with the effect your support, via Youth Encouragement Services, has had on this community. I primarily focus on Y.E.S.'s newest project, Manna Rescue Home, which is a home for 30 orphans living with HIV/AIDS. Although I am often focused on the children there, I have had the opportunity to meet many of the current students, and even past graduates of the Y.E.S. program. I am often inspired by their stories, and it is wonderful to meet young people who genuinely use the opportunities, provided by you and Carol, as a foothold to begin their path to success.

Beyond the kids in the Y.E.S. education program, I have had the opportunity to meet with many needy families who have been supported by many of you. Again, I would like to convey my gratitude. I have been floored by the reactions of some of these community members, who don't see your support as a handout that will keep coming, but instead as an opportunity to get them started on their own path to financial stability and support for their families.

With the opening of Manna Rescue Home (MRH), things at Y.E.S. have been extremely busy! The Y.E.S. staff continues to provide support to the appx.375 children now in the Y.E.S. program, as well as focus on the large challenge of the Rescue Home. MRH provides all food, medication, educational, and emotional support needed for the 30 kids living at the home. Although MRH requires more time and effort from the Y.E.S. staff than ever before, it has proven to be extremely successful and worthwhile. We have seen tremendous improvements in the health of many of the children. Most of the children came from extremely poor home environments, where they were often stigmatized and abused because of their illness. At MRH the kids receive group counselling, and personal counselling when needed. It is amazing to know that these wonderful children finally feel welcomed, have a sense of belonging, and even a bit of normalcy.

Right now a group of Irish volunteers are with us, representing their church community which has done a considerable amount of fundraising. Thanks to them, a vehicle was purchased last week for the Rescue Home. This will allow us to take children to the hospital at night when emergencies arise, take the children to school when it is raining, and take them on occasional trips to the many beautiful and exciting places that Uganda offers. Beyond purchasing a vehicle, these volunteers are working hard with a local crew to build a play-ground for the MRH children. The kids are having a blast watching it all come together, and soon they will be able to play on it every day.

Y.E.S. is also in the middle of a very exciting computer project. An Irish organisation, Camara, has teamed up with Mountains of the Moon University, here in Fort Portal. This program provides refurbished computers and trainers, as a form of community outreach and empowerment. Y.E.S. recently received 20 computers, has set them up at the office/hostel site, and will soon provide computer classes to students on the program.

Because I am often searching for new donors for the Rescue Home, I am rarely in contact with the original Y.E.S. program's extended family. So thank you very much for allowing me to introduce myself.

Again, I cannot fully express my gratitude to each of you for the role that you play in the Y.E.S. program. I know that some of you make large financial sacrifices to contribute to Y.E.S., some of you have dedicated a lot of time, and some of you make occasional contributions which aren't much of a burden. I want to impress upon you that regardless of your level of support and commitment, what you are doing, be it small or large, is making a world of difference for one or more Ugandan orphans. For those of you who have been able to visit Fort Portal, I think you will agree with me in saying that Carol's program really does have a ripple effect. For each of you who sponsor a child in school, a young person is going on to achieve and make a positive impact on this community. Many of the program graduates whom I have met are now doing remarkably meaningful work, and they would never be in this position to help others if it weren't for you and Y.E.S.

Pictures of the Rescue Home can be viewed on the  Manna Rescue Home Facebook Group. If you are a Facebook member, just search "Manna Rescue Home", join the group, and enjoy the photos! If you are not a Facebook member, it is free to join at www.facebook.com.

I am at the half-way point in my stay, and will be volunteering for Carol for the next 6 months. If you have any questions about Manna Rescue Home, please visit its page on the Y.E.S. website: www.caroladamsministry.com, or feel free to email me at emerald.russell@gmail.com.

I hope this email has found you all well and enjoying summer wherever you are!

All the best,

Emerald Russell

Volunteer

Catholic Medical Missions Board

Mood:  bright

Hi friends,

Today was a beautiful day after many days of heavy rains. I took this rather nice shot of the hostel that I thought I would send out. How do you like my addition of flag poles? The other one will fly an American flag after next week when Martha Helms brings me one.

Love to all,

Carol