Stepping Stone for Uganda Bridge

Torrie and David Long went to Uganda three weeks before the rest of the team to take on this challenge.
With the help of multiple donors and by the glory of
God, they were able to set up 8 computers, a computer lab, a complete secured network and 7 months worth of internet. They also worked with the school’s teachers to give them basic computer skills. Most of the teachers had never used a computer before, so Torrie and David started from the most basic level, with what a computer is and how to interact with it.  They brought the teachers to a level where they felt comfortable using most Office applications.

During this time they were blessed to spend Christmas and New Year's on the other side of the Uganda Bridge. They delivered gifts to Communities of Hope (COH) children from their sponsors here in the U.S. and participated in KCC's and Destiny Bridge Church's holiday celebrations. Most importantly, they were able to observe and be blessed by the physical, mental, and spiritual growth of KCC and its children.

Once the team arrived, Mike Connors and David Long worked with the teen boys to mentor them on using the computers. Most of the boys were in the same situation as the teachers, so they used similar lesson plans and by the end of the week, some of the boys felt so comfortable using the computers that they started typing without even looking at the keyboard. Thanks to these computers, the students of DBA will now be able to connect more with their dreams of the future; dreams like becoming doctors, lawyers and even the president of Uganda.

Ten of our teammates conducted a camp for 160 children ages 3-12 from Kampala Children’s Center and the surrounding community.  Our mission was to bring encouragement through prayer, teaching and practical tools for ongoing inner healing.  The camp consisted of worship, teaching, object lessons, prayer, games and crafts.  We ended each day with “freeze dance” – a fun time of bonding with the kids.

The Lord gave us a powerful word about the children being the pearls of Uganda that will be used to rebuild the ruins (Isaiah 61:4) of their nation; and that it is our great honor to minister to them.  The Lord also gave us a word about this trip being a stepping stone in our relationship with KCC.  This was evident in the growth from our team trip back in 2009 where our departure was filled with tears and sadness (which was a breakthrough for the children in that they made attachments and expressed emotion).  In saying goodbye for this trip, it was a joyful celebration of what the Lord had done and connections made!  KCC told us they consider Wellspring to be family. This is not goodbye -- it's see you soon!
Teen Mentors

This year the Uganda mission added a unique ministry group to the team: teen mentor groups. Boys and Girls met separately.

The goal for the Teen Girls was to encourage the girls' hearts and ignite them to dream. We felt the most effective way to do this would be to put on our 'mommy' hats and approach the girls as moms to daughters.
Every day we worshiped, discovered God’s heart and hung out together. We encouraged these precious young ladies to dream, made dream boards and taught them who they are in Christ. We prayed with them, crowned them with their own home-made tiaras, had girl-fun spa time, painted landscapes and had an introduction to computers. We shared laughter, dreams and tears. The Lord was there every day doing His work of healing and encouragement.  You would expect these girls to be wowed and excited by all the new activities they experienced but the feedback we received from them was that they loved all the encouraging words and prayers most of all. (The spa day was a close second!)

The Communities of Hope team met with and gathered information on the 65 children in our U.S. sponsorship program.  We were amazed to see the children looking so healthy, happy, and well-adjusted!  All the children appear to have grown and put on some weight, due in large part to the guaranteed 2 meals a day the children receive at school through their sponsorship support.  We also noticed that the children were considerably more outgoing and initiated more conversation than in our previous visits, and that, in all cases, the children's English has improved significantly. We were able to review the school progress reports of each of the children, and some showed remarkable gains and progress over the past year.  Some continue to struggle with their studies, but it was also clear that the children were receiving excellent encouragement and support from both the school and KCC staff.  One of the highlights of our time in Uganda was our COH "Family Fun Day" at the end of the week, and nearly all the children's parents and guardians were in attendance that day!  The parents heard a message on encouragement (also the theme for the children's program), and the message was followed by a balloon relay race and dance competition, where everyone participated and practiced their encouraging skills. Children were then given gifts from their sponsors and a year's worth of vitamins, provided by all those who took part in the "Healthy Kids" program last year.  Finally, families were treated to a marshmallow roast, buffet lunch, and some great fellowship time with sponsors and team members.  It was truly a touching and memorable experience for us all.  Currently, the COH team is compiling the information they have gathered in Uganda and will begin putting together updates for all their sponsors.  We would like to thank all of our sponsors, donors, and prayer partners for their generous support to our program--they are a vital community in COH!

Pam and Wes Zinn were privileged to be able to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Destiny Bridge Academy Primary School.
Once completed, the Primary School will facilitate
grades 5 - 8.  Right now, there are over 300 students in the existing class room building, so this new facility will allow for more space for the students and for the enrollment of students to be increased.

A group of six team members went to minister at a conference at Evangelical Restoration Church in Kigali, Rwanda during the second week of the trip. The word the Lord gave us for this trip was ‘fun’ and it was! Besides lots of laughter and joy there was a definite spirit of ease and flow. We felt carried by The Lord from beginning to end and if you can ‘feel’ prayer covering, we felt it! The Rwandan people are gracious, quiet and gentle. We were warmly welcomed and honored by them but it was truly our
honor to minister to them. The Lord’s presence was sweet at every gathering, there were testimonies of changed lives and some physical healings too. New relationships were formed between Wellspringers and the Rwandan people which have continued through Facebook and email! Recently we received this testimony: “Personally, I had a mind of fearing that if I surrender to God He will exploit me, now I have already surrendered to Christ afresh. In fact, it was as if you came to the Church only because of me.”