The Basics
Twenty-six; female; unmarried; in love with God - my Father through His graceful adoption and the Son who made it possible.
The Calling
Summer before my senior year of high school I joined with an organization working in the Dominican Republic for three weeks. I followed the college interns there for the summer for what seemed like a missions sampler platter. Two mornings a week during my short visit, I helped teach summer school to the lowest leveled kids in an extremely impoverished village. I got to see what a difference education can make in breaking out of the cyclical poverty binding the people in the area. At the end of my three weeks, I sat on the roof of the missions house reflecting on my time there. I asked God what it was that I was supposed to learn and why I had come. He answered by telling me to go get a degree in education and then follow Him into missions. So I did.
Ministry...
to N.Uganda and Beyond!
In 2009, I went on a trip to Northern Uganda with Every Child Ministries. I was amazed by what I saw and experienced - the realization of a dream. Over the course of five months, I sampled Ugandan living, learned much from the people there, and started two educational programs for children in the Internally Displaced Peoples Camp of Tegotatoo. God worked in and through me. He strengthened my passion and gave me a vision to continue working there. Now I just have to get a support team together!
Sponsored Kids Class
A class of sponsored kids with Every Child Ministries. They attend Tegot Primary School (Levels 1-7). Most are in a class of at least 100 students with 1 teacher. My class is to supplement their regular school day and tutor them. I focus on Literacy, Math, and Bible. In the five months I spent with them, I saw them make huge gains and even begin to read.
Unschooled Kids Class
This class is for anyone in the community who doesn't attend school but wants to come learn. I saw 30-90 kids show up each week for this class. Again, my focus is on Literacy, Math, and Bible. It is an exhausting class to teach but wonderful at the same time. I would like to expand to have more time with these kids and perhaps make it a bit more structured.
Literacy Program
This has not yet been started but is part of my vision for the future. I have an existing relationship with the school. I would like to work together with the school to either have a program that is part of their school or as a reading club open to anyone. The literacy rate in the area is extremely low. They want to learn because it opens up opportunities. "If you can read, you can learn anything."
Community
Teaching not only helps give opportunities to those who are struggling to help themselves, but it allows me to become a part of the community and build relationships. The Acholi are a beautiful people. We learn from each other and are there for each other. As a member of the community I aim to be a light, to encourage, to minister, to be an outpouring of love from the One who gives hope.
