An overview of what GSF does

Good Shepherd’s Fold

GSF is not only an orphanage, but we also operate a school, clinic, chapel and other support services and community outreach opportunities. We are located about 22 kms west of the city of Jinja in Buundo Village, Buikwe District.

The mission of Good Shepherd’s Fold is to provide a Christian home to the orphans and destitute children of Uganda, striving to meet their physical, spiritual, social, emotional, and educational needs that they may be fully equipped to impact Ugandan culture for Christ. It is our goal to be a model as we train and minister to local Ugandans living in community with our ministry.

Children - We currently have 92 children in residence, from infants to 17 years old. Among these are 7 children with HIV and 11 children with physical and mental handicaps. We work with our local probation officers, hospitals, courts and other government authorities to take in children who have been identified as abandoned, orphaned or from other destitute situations. More than 20 older students continue to be sponsored to complete their secondary schooling after moving out of GSF.

School - The GSF Christian School has over 300 students in K3 through Primary 7. Our students consistently score within Division I and Division II on the national PLE exam each year. Scholarships are provided for 80 students from destitute families – these are students who would not otherwise attend any school. The school draws students from 5 local villages near GSF.

GSF Christian School has sent 7 students to the national Primary School Athletic competitions this year. Most of these finished in the Top 10 of their respective individual or team sports. In the team competitions held in Arua in August, our students helped the new Buikwe district to finish fourth place nationally in its first year of participation.

Our clinic offers free medical care to the community when we have qualified medical professionals serving with us. We have plans to expand the clinic when God brings a qualified administrator to join our team.

The chapel is open to the community for church services and we coordinate evangelistic outreach and humanitarian assistance to people in need in this area. Outreach includes visitation for prayer and encouragement to patients in hospitals in Jinja, helping elderly neighbors with cleaning, maintaining or upgrading their homes and feeding programs for at-risk babies and other destitute individuals in our area.

GSF Farms provide much of the food required at the orphanage. We feed 90 children, 60 staff members and 300 school students daily when school is in session. Firewood is taken from the property and hundreds of seedlings are replanted each year to renew this resource. Cows, pigs, goats, rabbits and fish are raised in addition to the extensive agricultural work on the farm.

We host over 100 visitors annually from the USA, Ireland, New Zealand and other countries. These volunteers raise all of funds which are invested in the economy of Uganda while providing excellent services to the orphanage and our surrounding schools and communities.

40 on Friday the 13th

Yep, I was born on the 13th and every once in a while, my birthday arrives on Friday the 13th and I usually just ignore it. However, at the end of last week, my mom pointed out to me that my 40th birthday would be on Friday the 13th. It ended up being a day of good-luck or maybe just of blessings. First my sweet family fixed breakfast and pineapple/banana smoothies and gave me sweet gifts. I even got a glass casserole dish to replace the one Titus broke with his head (if you don't know that story see Super Glue and Stitches). Then, I heard singing coming from outside. When I looked, all the missionaries from GSF and their kids were all dressed in black and were walking towards our house singing Happy Birthday in a mournful voice. They even brought Daisy, the donkey down to help with the atmosphere (notice the black bandanna on her head!).

Teacher Amanda brought muffins and others had gifts gifts. One was an apron - notice I reversed it and Claudia and I showed the mood of the day--or at least tried to.
Then some of the GSF kids started to come by to wish me a happy birthday!
It started out fun and great and continued that way for the rest of the day. Mark and I went into town for the day just to enjoy and get away. That evening we went to Black Lantern, a nice restaurant overlooking some of the rapids of the Nile River. It was a great day and ended up being a day of blessings on Friday the 13th.

Back to School!

Excitement was in the air on the morning of July 19^th as all the GSF missionary kids prepared for school because this was not just any school day!  Teacher Amanda had arrived and was ready to start the new school year.  Amanda Kruppenbacher is our new homeschool teacher for the 8 missionary kids in grades 3^rd, 5^th and 8^th.   The 3^rd and 5^th graders were especially excited.

 

That evening everyone was still thrilled with school and had many things to tell us.  Titus told us that night that it was one of his best days ever.  When asked why, he told us it was because he got to go to school! 

Healing for Joyce

When Mark and I came on our "vision" trip in 2007, we were sent to an amusement park the first day we were at GSF with a bus load of kids. The matron and 4 of the teens came along with us. Paul, Viola, Julie and Joyce were the 4 and for that day and the rest of our vision trip, we enjoyed getting to know the 4.

Fast Forward 2 and a half years. Several weeks ago, we got word that Joyce, who had been resettled 2 years ago, was very sick and in a coma. Joyce has dealt with HIV all of her life and had contracted TB meningitis. A van load of kids from GSF went to her bedside in the hospital to pray for her healing. The next morning we got word that she had gone home to be with the Lord and forever healed. No more medicines, no more illnesses, no more hospital visits and stays!

We ask that you pray that God would continue to use her life and testimony in the lives of those who knew and loved her and even in others who hear of her now. Pray for Morris, Julie and Sarah, her siblings as they learn to live without her.

And the Angels Sang

On Sunday we had a memorial service at GSF Chapel for Joyce, and 18-year-old GSF girl who had moved out of the orphanage two years ago.  Joyce died on July 9 following several complications from HIV which she had struggled with her entire life.  Joyce came to know Christ at an early age at GSF.  During the memorial we heard testimony of how Joyce loved the Lord and desired to walk with him, even more so after she had left GSF.  Her bright smile indicated that she was a friend to all.

The memorial went much like our regular services, starting with lively praise music.  Many former GSF kids had come back for the special service, so there was excitement like that of a grand reunion in the air, in spite of the loss of Joyce.  Near the beginning, a strong cool wind started to blow through the chapel.  It was like the refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit telling us that God was present at the service also.  As the singing went on it began to rain – a powerful African rain that is somehow different from the rains we have in America.  The sound of the rain on the iron sheets overhead was fabulous.  With no ceiling or other barrier to soften the noise, the rains literally sounded like wild applause from heaven in the breaks between songs.  Then the showers came so hard that it drowned out our voices.  Some of those leading the music said it was hard because they couldn’t hear their own voices.

As the din grew all the more, the voices of about 300 people grew more bold as well.  Everyone was singing at the top of their lungs, with no fear of being heard by their neighbor.  The rain was deafening!  Together it was a most beautiful praise as the heavenly angels joined our earthly chorus.  And their mighty numbers, shouted through the rain, drowned out our sound as the angels sang.

The Art of Making a Milkshake

Mark and I were at the airport last night to drop off two teams and to greet some friends who were arriving. We decided to wait at the corner cafe down at the arrivals area. As we walked in, I saw this beautiful light-up sign with a picture of 3 tall glasses and the word "MILKSHAKES" in giant writing.

Now, I have to tell you two things. First, my husband absolutely loves milkshakes and would prefer this over any other dessert. Second, Mark is on a (somewhat futile) quest to find a good milkshake in Uganda. Just recently, Jude an Aussie in Jinja has improved hers and Mark says it is the best in Uganda.

So all that said, when I saw the milkshake sign I decided I was going to get my man a milkshake; just maybe we may find one that meets his approval. So I waltzed up to the counter and asked for a chocolate milkshake. The man looked at me nervously and said, "We don't have milkshakes."

"You don't have milkshakes?" I asked incredulously.

At that, he leaned on to counter and looked directly at me. "Madam, it is easy to make a sign," pointing to the big, bright sign that had caught my eye. "It is much harder to make a milkshake."

Ha ha! So I guess that is why we don't easily get milkshakes here. At least, he was honest.

Super Glue and Stitches

Two years ago, Titus followed up his birthday by breaking his arm two weeks later (See Blog post).  This year the “event” came 8 days following his 8^th birthday…

The missionaries were hosting  visiting team for dinner at House 1B, the other side of our duplex.  Everyone was gathering, kids were playing and people were preparing for dinner.  Caralina took a casserole in a glass baking dish from our house to the other side where we were eating.  At the moment she stepped out the door, Titus turned and ran from his friend as they were playing on the veranda.  (Oh!  This is painful to write…)  He ran smack into Caralina … and the glass casserole dish, which was at face level for him, shattered on impact.

Caralina escaped with a small cut on her toe when the glass crashed to the ground.  Blood was dripping and Titus was holding his face and crying, “I’m bleeding, I’m bleeding!”  By divine appointment, our visiting team has three nurses and a pediatrician among them and they all sprang into action.  First order was to stop the bleeding, then to assess the severity of the cuts and determine which ones needed stitches.  Dr. Anna, the pediatrician, noted that one jagged cut needed to be stitched that night and it needed to be done well as it is visible on his face.  When our primary doctor in Jinja wasn’t available, we realized that we needed to go to the “western” emergency room in Kampala.  Everyone was so helpful as dinner was getting cold.  Some cleaned up the glass, some sifted through it to find the missing lens from Titus’ glasses, some cleaned up the blood on the veranda, some cleaned and bandaged Titus, some made PB&J sandwiches for us while Amy packed our things.  We headed out of GSF at 7:50 p.m. arriving at “The Surgery” center in Kampala around 9:40 p.m.

We asked for a plastic surgeon since the wounds were on his face, but no one was available.  They began with the simpler wounds by using Super Glue – not the medical variety used in America (Dermabond), but the kind you buy at the checkout counter of the convenience store!  We have been told that it’s basically the same thing, but this was our first experience with it.  We nearly panicked when they used it on a cut on his eyelid and it glued his eye shut.  I was seriously fearful that he would lose his sight in that eye, but he only lost a few eyelashes instead.  Another doctor was called in (his phone wasn’t working, so they called his wife who called him at a party and he showed up a little while later).  He had much experience with stitches, so he was able to do the work well.

Titus has a high tolerance for pain, but low tolerance for needles, so the local anesthetic wasn’t going to work and he severely fought the IV line to give him the sleeping medicine.  Once they got it in, he immediately zoned out.  Four wounds we bonded with the super glue – eyelid, bridge of his nose, and two on the forehead, including one that went deep to the skull.  His left ear has 6 stitches and his right cheek/chin has 7 stitches where the jagged cut occurred.

The procedures ended at 11:30 p.m. and then we had to wait an hour until the effects of the sleeping meds wore off.  Titus was a bit nauseous, but not too bad.  We made phone calls to find a reasonably priced hotel nearby – not an easy task in Kampala, but we found one.  They were very friendly and helpful when we showed up at 1:15 a.m. with our poor little boy and his stitched up face.  Got to sleep around 2 a.m.  – all 3 of us in a king size bed together.  We were just grateful that all was well and we could just crash.

So many people helped and prayed.  We have a gracious God!  The injuries could have been far worse – especially if Titus didn’t wear glasses.  Those glasses probably saved his eyes, and God saved them again later from the super glue.  Praise the Lord for His wonderful works!