More Sponsorship Children!

These are some more of our awesome kids at Bethel. If you feel let to sponsor one of them or just want to know more, contact us at lmichelle14@yahoo.com, emily.c.holliday@gmail.com, or surrenderuganda@gmail.com. Blessings!

This is one of my wonderful sons, Augustine Turyasingura.
He's 11 years old and is the middle child of the three
in their family. (His older brother is Francis, & his younger
sister is Vastina.) Random fact, "Turyasingura"
means "we shall be victorious."

This is one of our little guys, Barakatu Rubagasira.
He's 5 years old and along with his two siblings
 (6 year old Shakira & 3 year old Sharifu) were refugees from
the Dominican Republic of Congo. Their parents fled with
the children, but both died after reaching Uganda.

This is one of my beautiful daughters, Beaty Nabukera.
She's 5 years old and has two older siblings (Sarah and Joseph).
After their father died, their mother brought the three
to the church and left them there. She's a bit shy around us right now,
 but we know that as God starts to work in her heart, she'll open up!

This is one the awesome daughters God has blessed me with.
Her name is Catherine Barireta, and she's 8 years old.
She's the middle sibling of Clinton (10) and Sam (6).
 Don't let the picture fool you! She loves to smile and is a really sweet girl!

This is Clinton (Catherine and Sam's older brother).
He's 10 years old, which makes him one of the "older kids" in Bethel.
As with many of the other boys his age,
he steps up to help out and work whenever help is needed!

This sweet son of ours is called Daniel Nimwesiga.
He's 4 years old and has one older sister, Maxencia (6).
Their father was killed in a fight around Christmas time,
and afterwards, the mother left them at the church,
unable to care for them herself.

Hope Restored!

Right now, I feel like jumping up and down and screaming like a little girl. I feel like embarrassing myself completely by dancing around like a maniac. I feel like shouting to the whole world how good God is. (I also feel like I haven’t written a blog post in a really, really long time, but that’s beside the point.) Our God is good and faithful and absolutely amazing.

A new church we ministered to.

The majority of last week I was in Western Uganda with Mommy, Daddy, and my brother Eddie. The plan was to go minister to a church there and then a few days later go to Kagalama (which actually we found out is Kagarama… but they pronounce “l” and “r” the same! What?!). But anyways, I went thinking that I would be listening to Daddy, Mommy and Eddie preach, and then do all my work in Kagarama. Ha! Was I wrong. The Saturday before we left, I spoke at a youth prayer and fasting day at our church because God had really been laying it on my heart to speak His words and thereafter, receive His blessings. After that absolutely amazing experience, I thought that the calling of “speaking the words God gives me” was over and done with – and I was relieved!!  Speaking is not my forte. But God, as happens SO many times in my life, had a different plan. We ended up preaching in two different villages - spending Monday and Tuesday in a village called Nyamishwiga and one day in a nearby village, Rwampanga (yeah, try to pronounce those!). So, three days of ministering, and guess what?

I was called upon to preach.....

   ...Three times. 

As I listened to God’s words come out of my own mouth and felt the power of the Holy Spirit within me, I came to the realization of how great our God really is. I saw Him moving in peoples’ hearts and encouraging them – through an 18 year old girl from the middle of Nowhere, Kansas who has no college education and has never taken a public speaking class in her life. And again I was reminded of a verse that I shared with people so much before coming to Uganda,

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong…so that no one may boast before Him.”

-1 Corinthians 1:27 & 29

And this one:

”For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel – not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

-1 Corinthians 1:17

But do you know what happened after that?

P1 and P2 classes.

God’s abundant blessings began to be poured out, and I didn't even realize it! After ministering for those three days, we left early in the morning on Thursday to go see our kids in Kagarama. Can I tell you how awesome our God is? When we arrived, what I saw made my heart overflow!! Where our children had been devoid of hope and afraid, God came in and did a mighty work! As we arrived, my sons and daughters all came rushing to the car. They surrounded me as I got out, full of smiles and laughter and greetings. One of my little guys even came up and hugged me – that’s a first for my children! God placed a divine hope within our sons and daughters! He has started opening their hearts to the love that we have for them, and they’re responding. God is SO good! I wish I could put in words the overwhelming joy I have just thinking about how God is moving in my children, but words simply cannot express. Not only that, but when we reached home in Masaka, God’s blessings continued to be poured out. I received awesome news about provision for our children, provision for the buildings, and sponsors. God is SO good! And He is faithful. Glorify His holy Name! Praise Him! He is worthy of all the honor, all the glory, all the praise. Worship and praise His name with me, because He is a mighty, caring God who will NEVER fail us, and will ALWAYS fulfill His promises!   

 Blessings!

With Tumusiime
 (one of our 2 new little guys)

With my children! (Plus some!)

And Sponsorship Begins!!!

After what seems like the longest time EVER, I'm finally able to start introducing you all to the beautiful children God has blessed me with (44 of them!!). The love I have for them is truly God-given, and I hope you feel that same love and choose to sponsor one of our kids. I'll be posting more profiles over the next few weeks, so keep checking!! I'm praying that God will tug at your heart for one (or more!) of these children! Currently, our sponsorship fees are going to be $50/month. This will care for all of your child's needs - food, schooling, medical, etc. For more information, contact us!! (emily.c.holliday@gmail.com or lmichelle14@yahoo.com)

This is one of my sons, Abel Pasika. He's 10 years old.
One of the older boys at Bethel, and you can definitely tell!

This beautiful daughter of mine is named Airet Kyarisiima.
She's 11 years old. She was orphaned when her
father died of hernia disease.

This is my son, Alex Bakamushaba. He's 10 years old,
and along with his elder brother, Deus, is one of the older kids at
Bethel who really steps up to help.

I couldn't help but post Alex's brother as well!
They're so sweet! This is Deus Ahimbisibwe.
He's 11 years old and just like his younger brother
 is a great helper and sweet kid!

This is one of my little boys, Alexander Tumuramye.
He's 5 years old and is from the Kagalama area.
His father died, and the mother has never
been seen or heard of.

This sweet little daughter of mine is named Anna Tumuramye.
 (Although she & Alexander have a name in common,
they're not related.) She is 6 years old and has one older brother.
They were orphaned when their mother died of AIDS.
She's a sweet little bundle of joy!

This is Anna's elder brother, Kavari Natuhwera.
He's 8 years old and as I said for Anna,
they were orphaned when their mother died of
 AIDS. Like his sister, a sweet kid!

God's abundant blessings!!

When I Am Weak...

There’s something weird that happens in people’s minds when they hear the word “missionary” or start thinking of someone who God has called to do some crazy big things – for some reason, they start thinking that that person is more special or perfect than everyone else. The only reason I say that is because that’s how I used to see people like that, and I knew many of my friends felt the same way. But you need to realize that (at least on my part) I’m not perfect or special - and I think most missionaries would tell you the same thing. We don’t wake up on a daily basis feeling like a super-Christian, and we definitely don’t always get things right. We hurt people, we fail God, we get totally mixed up, and we have to repent. And, do you know what else? We don’t have all the answers. Actually, if we’re gonna be honest, most of the time I feel like I don’t have any answers!! But all of this to say – I’m not a perfect person (which you all already knew!).

This week, however, I was extremely aware of my human imperfection. I was humbled by my failures and my inability to do what God called me to. I experienced a more immense need for God than I think I’ve ever experienced before. There were times I would literally just sit before God and all I could say was, “God I NEED You!” This week I was weak. Extremely weak.

But this weekend! This weekend I am strong. Why such a quick turnaround? Out of my weakness, God has shown me His strength in me. The Spirit has really been speaking to me and those around me over the weekend – there’s absolutely no way I can share it all, but here’s a tiny bit:

“I write to you, young people, because you are strong, and the Word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.”

-1 John 2:14b

God has given me the power to overcome the evil one! How mind-blowing is that?! So, after reading this (and many other powerful verses), God wanted me to realize that I could put that knowledge into practice. In the church service on Sunday, Mommy told us to do what we want to the devil. We were taking the offensive against Satan instead of just defending ourselves. Suddenly I realized the power in me through the Spirit. I knew with certainty that because the Spirit was in me, I had the power to rebuke Satan from what he was doing. It was incredible. To go from my weakness to His power. Word.

So, in an attempt to keep my blogs a bit shorter (which didn’t really work all that well here), I’m gonna sign off. But realize that the power I experienced this weekend isn’t just for Emily Holliday. It’s not just for crazy people who run off to Africa for the Kingdom. It’s for weak and broken people who are willing (not capable) to follow Him.

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

-2 Corinthians 12:10

Check out this awesome young lady and the change drive that's going on! 

Progress!

Daddy, Mommy, and I in front of the garden on our land.

Sometimes, I don’t really believe that this is real life. I feel like at any moment I’ll open my eyes and see the ceiling of my bedroom back in Kansas and realize this has all been just a crazy dream. In some ways, I wish it was a dream. If I could wake up back in Kansas and back in the life I was living, things would be so much easier. I wouldn't have to face the reality that I've seen here. The need I've seen in Kagalama is a heavy, heavy burden, and now that my eyes have been opened to it, I can’t turn back. I have to do something. But it’s so hard. Why? Because I know that I’m not capable of it. There is no possible way I can help every child and every person who is in need.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

-2 Corinthians 12:9

So, despite the fact that I know I can’t do this, I have to continue on in faith. I have faith that God is going to stand with us and work through us and that whatever He leads us to do, He will be right there alongside us.

One of the classes in Kagalama

But now, enough of that, there seem to be a bazillion things happening that you all need to know about! We just got back from Kagalama on Saturday, and God has been working like crazy! There are now four classes at our Nursery School (which is registered! Praise God!).Two of the classes are being held under some canopies in the new church building, one is held inside the old church building, and the last is being held outside the old church. We only have one teacher currently, but the patron and matron are helping out with the classes. The land that we bought has also been cleared (with the exception of the garden), and we’re working on the layout of all the buildings with plans to see an engineer soon. He will help us with all the details of the buildings and layout. We’re also in the beginning stages of starting our sponsorship program!! Other things on our plate include writing the constitution for Bethel Ministries, registering as a Community-Based Organization in Uganda, and registering as a Non-Profit in the U.S. (so you can give tax-deductible donations). A lot going on, but God continues to be in control and make things happen. He is so good!

The land is cleared!

The new church building with the canopy

The cleared land provides a great place to play football!! 

With the staff members of Bethel!
(L to R) Pastor Mulumba Festo, me, patron, matron, teacher
Mommy

Katto when we dropped him off in
Mbarara to look at schools.

Now really quickly, I’d like to share with you a story of one of the boys in Kagalama. His name is Katto Jonaney; he’s 19 years old, and he is one of the sons of Pastor Mulumba Festo of Kagalama. In the last trip we took there, we learned of his passion for teaching. He’s teaching at a school near Kagalama currently in order to make enough money to complete his training and become a certified teacher. One of our biggest prayers for Bethel has been that God would provide Spirit-filled workers for us. Seeing the passion Katto has for both God and teaching made me realize that he was the kind of worker we’re looking for. So, we’ve offered to help him out. In order to become a certified teacher, he now has to repeat his Senior 4 class and then take two years in a Primary Teacher College. Once he finishes, he’s agreed to come and teach at Bethel School for us! So, now, we’re looking for someone who would be willing to sponsor Katto. The only reason that we’re posting his story before the rest of the children is because to be able to start his S4 classes, he needs a sponsor as soon as possible. If you would be willing to sponsor him or would like more information, PLEASE contact me at emily.c.holliday@gmail.com . 

Blessings to you all! Keep praying!

Bethel

With my family!
Dissan, Deborah, Jeb, me, Daddy, Mommy, Mukisa

Ya'll. I've probably turned into one of the worst bloggers in the world! Sorry about that, but things have been moving SO quickly, I've hardly had time to think long enough to write everything! Now, hang onto your hats! The things God has done in the past month still continue to amaze me and blow my mind.

I'm now living in Masaka with Mommy and Daddy - which has been SUCH a blessing to me. Being in the same house with my family (including my amazing new siblings!) has probably been one of the best things that's happened to me since coming to Uganda. For now, however, I'm going to pass on all the awesome things I could tell you about my Ugandan family because I want to tell you about the orphanage!

Monica, one of the girls who will eventually
moving to Bethel Orphanage.

The orphanage now has an official name: Da da da daaa!!! Bethel Orphanage!! Bethel means "House of God," and we've been praying and asking that God makes His house there with the children in Kagalama. He led us to that name through specific passages like Genesis 28:10-28 and Genesis 12:1-9, and He's been making promises to us through those same scriptures,

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

-Genesis 28:15

Gideon, Monica's younger brother, will also
be moving to Bethel eventually.

God's provision and blessing has been upon us in everything we've been doing for Bethel Orphanage. The church members in Kagalama were SO excited to hear about the vision we have, and they wanted to start the school as soon as possible. They took the initiative while I was gone to get classes started for this year. Now we have two classes of children being taught by a qualified teacher there at the church!! God is so good! If anyone would be interested in "sponsoring" the teacher (as in paying the salary, which is currently $115/month) please let me know! But there's another development starting soon - the sponsorship program! We're starting to work on each child's profile so we can begin looking for sponsors. If you're interested, keep an eye out here on the blog and on facebook for the children's profiles and the sponsorship information. I can't tell you how excited I am to see you all get involved because I know that God has already started preparing your hearts for various works within the ministry He is starting - whether it's donating, sponsoring, visiting, praying, or spreading the news - your part is SO important! And we've been praying for you! We're planning on going to Kagalama soon with an architect to start getting the blueprints for the school, dormitory, clinic, and other buildings. The initial building plan is to start with a 3 room structure that will eventually be part of the school. However, to start with, one room will serve as a room for the children to sleep in (divided in half for girls & boys), and the other two rooms will serve as classrooms. Currently our estimated budget for that structure is around $30,000 total or $10,000 per room. We're praying for people and churches to stand for this ministry and for the work God is doing, and we're confident that He will provide because He is a rich God. So, for now, in short, that's what's happening in Uganda! Now that we once again have internet access at Mommy & Daddy's house, I'll be trying to keep you all more informed. PLEASE contact me if you have any questions! This ministry isn't about what I'm doing, it's about glorifying the name of Jesus - which means the more people involved, the better!!! 

Blessings! 

The Start of Something New!!

Kids in Kagalama drinking their porridge

I haven’t slept for about 22 hours now, so forgive me for any bits of this post that seem more scatter-brained than normal! Currently I’m on a plane headed to London, then L.A., and then finally Hawaii! Yes, I know, short notice for many of you (which you may find to be a reoccurring theme throughout this blog post, sorry about that). But anyways, I’m going to visit my parents for a little over a week while my dad has a business trip there. It helps enormously in allowing me to renew my visa for the rest of my time in Uganda, plus I’m more than excited to see my parents in person rather than on a computer! (Don’t worry though, for those of you who sponsored me for this trip, I’m not using your money for this!)

So, now: I’m thousands of feet in the air and on a pretty good lack of sleep, but I just cannot get myself to fall asleep (and I’m not one of those people who has trouble sleeping on planes). But I’ve seen God move too much in this past week for my mind to rest. I’ve witnessed too many prayers answered and provisions made and people touched to even begin to fall asleep! But, really, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and focus enough to even begin to tell you everything that’s happened. And yes, be warned: this blog post might end up being rather long – my apologies!!

The church the children in Kagalama currently sleep in

Towards the end of my time in Masaka over Christmas, I stayed a few days in a hotel in Masaka town. Honestly, I was somewhat angry at God because I wasn't ready to go back to Kampala yet, I was pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to stay with EAC much longer, and I just felt like I had no clue where my life was going (yeah, a little melodramatic, huh?). But as always, God was weaving all these little “hiccups” in my life into the beautiful tapestry of His plan. Because of my staying in that hotel, I ended up having a conversation with Pastor Queen Betty Kasozi that has changed my life forever.  Pastor Betty, along with her husband Gerald, have become my Ugandan “Mommy” and “Daddy” over the past few weeks since that conversation, and now it seems unnatural to call them anything but Mommy and Daddy. So, that’s what I will refer to them as throughout this post. But anyways, in that conversation, Mommy ended up telling me about a group of about 35 orphans who stayed and slept in one of the churches they planted in a village in far Western Uganda. The Spirit touched my heart at that time, and as the conversation progressed, I eventually asked Mommy if we could go there. I wanted to see for myself the need and look for any way I could help. So, the way it ended up, I went back to Kampala for about a week – during which I had time to really seek God out and drink in His word – and the calling to this village became even stronger. So, last Monday (January 14^th), I went to go visit the kids at Okoa, Mommy, and Daddy, and they told me we could go to the village – Kagalama - in the Rubirizi District. It’s “deep in the bush” and about a 5 and a half hour drive from Masaka, but with the company of Mommy, Daddy, and my sister, Deborah, the time passed pretty quickly. Before we even arrived at the church, I knew the need. I knew by the houses, roads, clothing and small towns along the way that the need in Kagalama was huge.

Going to look at the land

Meeting with the family who was selling the land
& signing the papers!

Oh, but when we arrived! I saw the one room mud hut that served as both the church and the sleeping quarters for the children, the mud hut of two small bedrooms and one main room that was the house for “guests,” and I saw children in great need of medical attention. But I also saw God’s provision. It wasn’t as though He called me into this with nothing – because He also showed me the wonderful people taking care of the kids, the friendship and camaraderie among the children, and the faithfulness of the believers in that tiny little church. And what’s more – the land. While the land that the church/children’s living quarters were on was quite small, “coincidence” had it that there was a piece of land for sale right next to the church. With the clear calling I had felt to this village, I knew that this land was God’s wide open door for His work to be started there. So, after working everything out, Mommy, Daddy, and I purchased the land just a few days before I left for Hawaii. It still baffles me to think about it! I had passed my fundraising goal for this trip and knew that God had something big in store for that money, but I never imagined something THIS big!! Now the next step is to register as an official orphanage with Uganda and the USA (so donations can be tax-deductible in the future). We’re also hiring a contractor to draw up plans and estimate the cost of building dorms, a clinic, school rooms, a kitchen, and toilets. It’s SO exciting to see God’s plan falling into place, but at the same time, it’s scary! I mean, why would God choose someone like me for this work?  But then again, why would He choose someone like David, or Saul/Paul, or Josiah (the 8 year old who became a king – Judges 8)?

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’.”

 (2 Corinthians 12:9)

And again, “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.” 

(1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Just as it has been throughout this whole trip, everything is for God’s glory. By choosing someone like me for this work, He gets the credit (as He always should!) – because there’s NO WAY I could do this on my own.

Mommy, Daddy, Deborah and I with the
kids and workers at Kagalama
(in the background the guesthouse is on the left
& the church is on the right)

But anyways – let me get off that tangent and wrap this up – it’s long enough as it is!! So…. Here’s the deal – when I get back to Uganda (which I’m actually on my way back now - it’s taken FOREVER to write this post!) I’ll be moving in with Mommy and Daddy in Masaka. We’ll start registering the orphanage, planning the building, starting a sponsorship program, and everything else that goes along with the start up of an organization. It’s going to be a TON of work, and yes, as everything else in this world, it costs money. I’m not the type to ask people for monetary donations, but I guess that I’m just saying this to let you know: buying the land swallowed up almost all of my funds, SO – if you want to get involved, in any way (donating, sponsoring a child or a worker (more details on that to come), encouraging us, giving advice), the door is WIDE open. And if you’d like to contact me to know more, shoot me a message on Facebook or an e-mail (Emily.c.holliday@gmail.com). I’d love to answer your questions and let you know how God’s been moving!

So, that’s all for now! Thanks for sticking with me through this super long post! But I hope you can hop on and get as excited as I am for this work! God has some HUGE things in store!

Blessings!!