Sitting in Joburg

Well, I left Uganda this morning at 7:00 am and I am sitting in the Joburg airport in hour 4 of my 11 hour layover. I am so thankful that the "alwayson" internet service came back on because it would have been a very long day without it. When I arrived I was told that "alwayson" was experiencing an outage. Hmmm....

I got to tell you, my time in Uganda was difficult because I have been away for awhile, but at the same time, it was extremely productive. Joseph and David are running a great ministry and they are working hard to see that the orphans entrusted into our care are served in the best ways possible.

We had an opportunity to brainstorm and really lay pen to paper on some long term strategic planning. We discussed infrastructure, staffing, capital purchases. But even more exciting Joseph shared the vision that he has for our ministry. He has a desire to change the long term trajectory of the lives of the orphans of Uganda. Orphans hold a stigma in the communities where they live. They are seen as a burden, another mouth to feed which only stretches the already limited resources. They are told that they are worthless.

Joseph envisions a different Uganda, one that provides opportunities for those who society has deemed outcasts. Joseph said that his dream is to walk into his attorney's office 15 years from now and it will be one of the orphans who went through our program. He wants the next generation of professionals in the TESO region (primarily where we work) to be children that HopeChest has served. It is really a great vision! There is a passion there.

I am excited about all that is happening, but I do want to make you aware of some infrastructure needs that we have as a ministry in Uganda. I would ask that if you feel led to meet any of these needs that you would contact me at greg@hopechest.org

Our Uganda office needs (all costs are estimated):

Office Furniture

-Desks (2) $360 each

-Conference table $450

-Filing Cabinet $225

-Book Shelf $250

-Office Chairs (12) $60 each

-Laserjet Printer $350

-External Hard drive(2) $90 each

-Desktop computers with monitors (2) $600 each

-Battery Backups (2) $150 each

-Toyota Pickup Truck $13,500

-Motorcycles (3) for the staff $1500 each

It has been our experience that it is less expensive (due to shipping costs) to purchase items in country. Electronic equipment should be purchased in country due to the power supply difference (110 vs 220).

If you feel led to meet any of these needs I would welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

This has been a great trip. I leave Africa encouraged by the work that is taking place. We have a great team in Swazi and Uganda, and our South African partner Focus on the Family Africa is going to do some great work this year!

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for me. I have appreciated your kind words and your prayers!

-greg

PS. I still miss my wife and kids