This month’s newsletter was written by Tyra (and edited only slightly by Greg)
The purpose of this report is to give insight about all the activities that transpired in the month of July from the viewpoint of the social work department.
- The team.
We hosted a summer team that had seven people and they were with us for close to two weeks. The theme of their sharing was setting our minds on Christ, and this is what guided all their sharing’s, skits and interaction with our students. They came with lots of games which focused on teaching concentration, strategy, logical thinking and fun too; depending on our different age groups.
- Setting our minds on God,
Mathew 6:33, was one of the verses that the sharing was focused on as it reminded us of what’s most important. Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these others things will be added unto us.
This is the essence of our salvation, fully and wholly seeking him to be likened to him for the glory of his name. Through different demonstrations, they showed how when we fill our lives with worldly things, we do not have space for God and yet when we seek him first, he still shows us how to incorporate all the other things. A very good reminder of setting our priorities right.
- Home Visits,
We visited four homes. The first home was Shina’s home, where the team got to hear firsthand how a young man (Frank) took up responsibility of his siblings after the death of their beloved mother, giving up his own dreams. At the second home they met Patience Princess who’s parents, before joining two roads fellowship, were at the brink of loosing their marriage but instead chose to officially get married because of the message of salvation they received through Two Roads! The third home was Grandma Phoebe’s home, a lady whose kindness teaches all of us a lesson as she has taken care of more than 20 children, most of which she was not related to. Most recently she brought us our newest sponsored boy, Owen who was homeless, she had taken him in off the road and cared for him before seeking help from Two Road’s staff. Finally, the team visited Gift whose resourcefulness has kept her and her family afloat.
The team going for home visits helps them attach faces to real situations but also lets them hear and see the kind of transformation happening in the different lives of our children and parents. Below are some of the pictures of the homes we went to.
Figure 1Phoebe the grandmother of Janet.
Figure 2 Shina’s brother Frank.
- Parents meeting.
We had an all parents meeting with the team and not only shared the word with but also had a meal prepared for our parents, which was such a pleasant surprise.
Greg shared about Servantship, God first, others second and me in third place. He taught from the book of John 13:12-17, about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples as a demonstration of how he wants us to serve others more than the desire of being served. He washed the feet of one of our parents- a demonstration that left them in awe as he had done exactly what Christ asks us to, Serve!
Figure 3Parents having lunch before the meeting.
Figure 4Greg washing a parent foot to demonstrate what Christ did for his disciples to teach them servantship.
- School visits,
We visited New Foundation and Child Africa. The team got to see our students in their school uniforms but also in their different classrooms. We had games and the demonstration about setting our minds on Christ.
The three young men on the team went to Kigezi High School at 5:00 am to document a day in the life of a student in a Ugandan high school. Their experience was good but definitely different from what they are used to back home. Ultimately, they were grateful to have experienced it.
- The games,
The team taught the staff how all the games are played; a really fun afternoon. We then, together with the team, taught our students how they are played. The team organized small groups that rotated to the various games so that the students got to play all the different games. The most profound lesson though was when Greg shared with them on how God expects us to play with one another, with humility and truthfulness. I am happy to report that these past two weekends, they play the games with consideration of the other person and not just winning as the goal.
Conclusively, this was a very fun team to host. It was beautiful watching everyone on the team, mostly the boys, connect with the boys here and seeing those that were returning get to warmly connect with those they hadn’t seen in a while. We hope that they felt that their time here was maximized.
Figure 5 The team-teaching staff how to play the games.
Figure 6 The team teaching the students how to play the games.
In conclusion, all the weekly programs are still happening as usual and we are currently looking forward to when the students break off for the holiday (at the end of August).
From all the staff both here and in Uganda thanks for all your support.
Tyra & Greg & Donna (for all the staff)