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Hello!

          I am home--for a week--and I am still trying to adjust.  I have many pictures to go through, and I am on overload with thoughts.  I am constantly calculating what time it currently is in Uganda, and what I would be doing.  I miss the children so much, along with all the MSTs & staff.  I am sure you all are excited to hear about my experiences, and I will be sharing them all with you!  Therefore, as I gather my thoughts and go through my pictures, I will be posting.  Be sure to check back!

Raymony & Nakato

I am in Uganda!

Hello everyone!

I finally made it to Uganda! Good is good! After a year and 4 months the plans came together, and here I am: half way around the world serving God and His beautiful people!

I was so excited to come to Uganda; however, shortly leading up to my departure I started to doubt my decision, and during my journey here I found myself questioning: was this the right decision? Can I even do this? Should I turn around? But I know God's plans are perfect and if I did not come, I would not fufill what God has in store for me.

God has some amazing and big plans for me while here in Uganda! I have gone so far out of my comfort and I am continually baffeled by the Holy Spirit's power. I have stood up in front of child, teens, and adults to sing, dance, and introduce myself with no fear. I assisted with teaching 2 primary school classes, because I had to and I said I am not one for teaching, but great in the background. Well, God said while you are great in the back workings, you were created for more. I suddenly became filled with the Holy Spirit and became excited to sign up to teach the children. Thus, I signed up to teach the whole group of children at one of the primary schools! Never had I imaged that the day would come when I would willingly go before a group of people, filled with great excitement, and speak! Recently, God has been doing some amazing 'courage' workings in my life. I have become more grounded, and through that, courage has built, and I have spoken up. My trust and faith in Jesus shows me that I am capable of rising up and doing more. It's not fear that I have, it's doubt, but with the Holy Spirit, no one can be against me and I can do all things through Christ! Four days into taking part in different ministries, I sit here with much more confidence, and there are still more days to come!

The children, terns, and adults here in Uganda are amazing, wonderful, welcoming, friendly, and filled with much love and gratitude. The children are always calling for us and want nothing more than our presence, to just hold our hands, sing with them, and to play. They always greet us and ask how we are doing. The teens who participate in Scripture Union--praise and worship, at their school--during their lunch time, give up their lunch to fellowship with each other, sing songs of praise and give words of encouragement. They are amazingly spirit filled and want to share in their faith! It's an amazing ministry and I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to participate. The adults are so welcoming and grateful for our willingness to serve and work alongside them.

I am abundantly blessed by my passion to travel and serve God's beautiful people! And I am excited to see what else God has in store for me while in Uganda!

Continued prayers are always needed and appreciated!

Feel free to email me: AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@Yahoo.com

Heading Out!

Hello Friends!

Wonderful news: after a yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis A, and tetnaus shots, and flu shot for good keeping, and the purchase of tickets, I am ready to go!

I have a departure date!  I will be leaving this Sunday--September 30th @ 6:20pm.  I will arrive in Entebbe Uganda on Wednesday October 2nd @ 7:45am.  Where I'll be staying is 7 hours ahead; therefore, I'll be arriving Wednesday October 2nd @ 12:45am Eastern time.  I will leaving Uganda on Wednesday October 24th @ 9:10am (Wednesday October 24th @ 2:10am Eastern time), and I will arrive Wednesday October 24th @ 8:10pm.

I do have specifics as to what I'll will be doing; however, for general activities, you can refer to an earlier post.

There will be internet connection where I'll be staying (not the best, but something), and I will do my best to post updates--even if it's just a quick, I am alive, well, and safe. :-)

I want to thank God for the opportunity He has placed before to serve His people, and thanks to all who have supported me financially, prayer-fully, and encouraging[ly].

Please continue to pray for safety, well being, the Holy Spirit's presence, and for the people I will be ministering too!

As always, feel free to e-mail me @ AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@yahoo.com

With Christ's love,
Melissa

Setting A Date!

Hello Friends!

          Great news: I have raised enough support to go to Uganda!  Much praise to our Father above!  And a hugh thank you to all whom have given donations!  For a few lingering weeks I needed about $800--administration fee, vaccinations, and travel insurance.  This past weekend, I headed back to my Alma Mater with a friend, for a short, but most wonderful, weekend visit.  The friend (A) with whom I traveled, has gone to Uganda with the same organization (partially how my opportunity arose), and upon conversing with A, she graciously offered to pay the $200 administration fee!  And informed me that travel insurance is more expensive than just having money on hand for any medical coverage I may encounter.  Before the mother/father intuition / friend guardianship bears arms, there is a decent British run medical center close by, and is low cost.  A shared that friends of her's had made visits to the medical center, and received proper treatment, at affordable rates for missionaries!  Also, during my visit, 2 more of my friends graciously gave me support to cover my vaccinations!  Therefore, I have enough support!  I contacted a former doctor who has offered to administer my shots (for a cheap price, hence the 'low' cost) on the 18th, and after a 4 week waiting period, I am good to go.  I will be speaking with my home church (whom have been kindly collecting donations--a big thanks to our treasurer!), to work out the details of purchasing airline tickets.  I will be sure to keep in touch, and let you all know the departure dates as soon as possible.  Please keep the people of Uganda, the fellow volunteers, and myself in your prayers.  And, as always, feel free to e-mail me with any questions, comments, or concerns at AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@yahoo.com

Update!

Hello!

Praise given to God!  And big thank you to all who have supported me!  I have raised a little over $2000.  My goal is $4000--to cover all cost--however, if airline tickets continue to average $1400, I may be able to pull off having enough support sooner!  Also, in communicating with the volunteer director, my departure 'date' has been moved to mid September; this is helpful because, I still have a good chunk of financial support I still need to raise, and this will give me some more time to prepare.  Your continued prayers are greatly appreciated!  And, as always, feel free to e-mail me at AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@yahoo.com.

Outreaches

Hello!

As a preparation for my volunteer trip to Uganda, I am required to read a lengthy orientation packet. The orientation packet contains a description of the various outreach ministries I will have the opportunities to take part in. Here are the descriptions of the outreach ministries:

“As a team we minister to different projects and schools where children and youth live or go to school. Each week go on 4 to 8 outreaches and minister to over 200 children. We play games, make crafts, share Bible stories, praise and worship, perform skits, lead panel discussions, disciple, share and counsel in small groups on topics relevant to the particular age group. Topics range from character building and living a lifestyle of integrity, to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, to obeying authority figures.

Victory and Wankuluku Primary School
These are primary schools set-up for orphans and vulnerable children in slums of Kampala. Many children who attend this school live with a mother, aunt or uncle, or grandparents along with many siblings and/or cousins. Even though primary education is cheaper in Uganda a parent or guardian with an income of $30 - $75 a month simply cannot afford to send many children to school. Often these children only receive one meal a day, so we started a feeding program at these two schools.

Secondary Schools
Secondary Schools are a similar age group to high school students. Each school usually has a Scripture Union, which meets once a week during the students lunch hour. We are invited to different schools every week to be guest speakers at their Scripture Union and encourage those who are Christians and facing the pressures that teenagers face and share the Gospel with those who may not have a personal relationship with Christ.

Katalemwa
Katalemwa is a hospital for children with severely broken limbs and disabilities. Children come here from all over East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, and Sudan to be treated in the hospital. Many come from war torn regions and cannot afford to pay for the surgeries. However, an international surgeon offers them free of charge as a service to them. We go visit the children in the hospital sing songs, teach Bible stories and have a time of crafts with them.

Sanyu Babies Home
This is a home for babies up to 5 years old. Some have been abandoned, some parents have died, other parents cannot afford to care for them. We go play with them, sing songs, wash windows, cut firewood, wash clothes, change diapers, and help feed the babies lunch.

Remand Home
The Remand Home is a variation of a juvenile hall. Along with housing young offenders it also is home to street children and orphans. Many times the teens in the home have not committed any crime they have just been wrongfully accused or dropped there because a guardian may not want the burden of caring for them any longer. The teens in the Remand Home have often faced difficult circumstances, living on the streets, trying to escape the war in northern Uganda, or kicked out of a relatives’ place after their parents have died. Many teens whom have lost hope have found hope in Christ through our weekly outreaches.

Kids In Need
This is a rehabilitation home for street children of Kampala. Kids who wish to leave their life on the street can find refuge at this center where they’ll find food, shelter, counseling, education.”

Empower A Child Orientation Packet

Feel free to e-mail me at AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@yahoo.com

Support and A Winding Clock!

Hello!

          After a month, I have reached $1750!  Much praise to Jesus!  And a huge thank you to those who have supported me financially; you are greatly appreciated!  Also, for my prayer warriors, please continue to pray for me as I still have about $2000 (or more) to raise.  The plan is still to leave on August 26; just a few weeks down the calender.  Additionally, as of a few minutes ago, my search on Orbitz provided flights costing approximately $1400.  That is the lowest I have seen thus far; as you may know flights tend to be cheaper the more in advanced they are purchased.  Prayerfully, tickets will remain at low cost for the duration of my support raising.  Thank you for checking in, for your prayers, and support!  As always, feel free to e-mail me at AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@ Yahoo.com.

Welcome!

Welcome to my support raising blog for missions in Uganda!

          My name is Melissa, and I would first like to thank you for taking the time to learn and consider supporting me and my call to be a part of serving the people in Uganda.

          I have recently graduated from college with a degree in Criminology, aspiring to work with youth—specifically, I want to work with juveniles. I embody a vast desire to minister, serve, encourage, and assist the youth of our world; they are our growing future, and I want to invest in them, because each one holds an important place in this world. Additionally, I want to spread my desire of caring for children, to all the ends of the earth!

My brief testimony:
          As Jesus continues to fill my cup, my life continuously overflows with great abundance. Psalm 23:5 “…my cup runneth over.” I am filled with great joy! God has been working tremendously in my life. For many years I struggled with my faith, lacked in trusting God, and my relationship with Jesus had been up and down, but mostly down. However, on June 16th, 2008, my life had completely changed and it has never been the same. In the 9 months leading up to that day I had been walking away from the Lord, and on May 30th, 2008 is when I completely shut God out of my life. But on June 16th, 2008, while I had been sitting quietly next to a person—who has done more for me than she will ever know—in the only place I had been able to find peace, in the mist of enduring my broken life, I recommitted my life to Jesus. II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” God revealed His self to me and let me know that He never left my side, even when I left His. Since that day, my walk with Jesus has become more powerful with each passing day. I now turn to God for everything; I am praying and seeking His will.

          I have been given a wonderful opportunity to travel to Uganda and serve the people residing within the communities! While there I will be ministering to and interacting with the adults and youth. Activities will range from playing with children, to digging out wells, to construction.

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

          I will be volunteering with the organization Empower A Child. This organization conducts volunteer opportunities in Uganda and Kenya, and Empower A Child is greatly involved within the communities where they are based. To learn more about Empower A Child, you can visit their website:
http://www.empower-a-child.org/eachome

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” I Peter 4:10

          My goal is to leave for Uganda late August/early September (specific dates are being worked out). Therefore, it is preferred that I have my support raised by August 1st, 2012. This trip is costly and any donation will certainly help and be great appreciated! I will need to raise approximately $4,500. I will be staying at least 2 weeks; however, it is my goal to stay 4 weeks, if I can raise enough.

Here is the breakdown of finances:
          2 weeks - $800
          (4 weeks - $1,000)
          Airline tickets – Approx. $2,000
          Travel insurance – Approx. $350
          Vaccinations – Approx. $450
          Visa - $50
          Administration fee - $200
          Living expenses - $200

You may help support me by making any suggested donation, made by you, to help me take part in this wonderful opportunity set before me. Please, send your donations to:

Cornerstone Community Church
3167 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19134

Please make checks payable to Cornerstone Community Church, and in the memo line write: Uganda Missions. With the check write a note stating the check is a donation for Melissa Solter.

          Also, another way you can support me is through prayer. I will need prayer for travel, confidence, health, openness, and quieting of my heart. I will be reaching out to adults and children; therefore, I will need the Holy Spirit’s guidance, as well as listening for God’s direction. Additionally, please pray for the people of Uganda; pray they are/will be filled with the love of Jesus, will be blessed, and openly receive God’s message. Moreover, pray for their health and well being.

"You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it." Matthew 21:22

Be sure to check back for updates, as I will be letting you all know my progress!

Lastly, feel free to e-mail me with any inquiries or comments.
AServantsHeartHebrews6_10@yahoo.com