I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend.  I just want to share with you another update from Kaihura and share some of our Thanksgiving photos.  This year we hosted Thanksgiving at our house for all of the American missionaries in our area.  It was a great day of hanging out with friends and eating good food.

The first portion of the slab for Home Again’s basketball court has been poured.  We hope to have the project completed within the next 3 weeks.

Also, the pineapple crop at Bringing Hope’s farm in Kyongera is starting to produce now.

Most of all this Thanksgiving, we are thankful for each and every one of you who partner, who resource, and who pray for the work of Know.Think.Act. We are grateful for you! Have a great weekend!

We have several projects running at the same time as I mentioned in an earlier post.  I want to update everyone on where the projects stand as of now:

The plastering of the lower house of Home Again is about half way done.  The dividing wall in the lower home has been constructed, which separates the house into 2 smaller houses.  One side is for boys and the other is for girls.

The screen windows for Home Again’s dining room are just about done.

Weather permitting, work will begin on the basketball court Monday morning.

Also, all of the shelves for Home Again have been completed and most of them have been installed.  Plastic bins have been ordered to go on the shelves.  This way each child will have their own bin for their clothes.  This will bring them one large step closer to getting the inside of Home Again organized.

We want to thank everyone that has contributed to any of the projects.  Every project contributes to the greater good, to the support and health of all who come through the doors of Home Again. Together we are making a difference!

On November 17th, Bringing Hope to the Family held a well handover ceremony in the village of Kisangwa to celebrate the completion of a new shallow pump well.  Kisangwa is a small village on the outskirts of Katooke town.  This well has provided clean water to over 160 people!

Over the last few well constructions we at GSM, have been transitioning out of the lead role where wells are concerned.  In order to have this well program fully succeed Bringing Hope has to own the project fully.  We are still involved, but in a minor role.  A young man, Peter, who works for Bringing Hope has been doing a great job taking the lead. We are excited to continue to equip and train him in order to be the lead in our clean water and sanitation program. It is an exciting time as we empower more local leaders!

We love progress!  Thanks again to those who donated to make this well possible.

A week ago today felt very normal. It was Thursday, which means that at some point I was going to get to witness some Tom Haverford shenanigans, but other than that, there was nothing really out of the ordinary about the day.

Around noon, we found out from our international coordinator, Chris, that there was an urgent need for baby formula. On that Monday, Nov. 7th, Bringing Hope to the Family was called by the hospital about a three-day old baby whose mom had died during birth and who had no other relatives. Baby Ana was in desperate need of formula and a home.

We quickly posted the need for formula on Know.Think.Act. Each can of formula cost $30 and would feed Ana for a week. She would need 20 cans of formula to feed her for the next five months. The people of Know.Think.Act. responded quickly and generously, meeting the total need for $600 of formula in around 4 hours.

4 hours.

$600 dollars.

1 life saved.

I can’t get over this. First of all, let me say thank you for everyone who shared, tweeted, prayed, and gave. Thank you.

There are several things about this story that keep coming back to me again and again:

I love our leaders. I love that our local affiliate, Bringing Hope to the Family, is a place where the community knows it can get help. I love that our local leaders have worked hard, been faithful, and are known for meeting the most dire needs in the community. I love that they are being such a light in an place that needs hope. I am so grateful for our team that works hard and has earned such a high level of trust within the community. This is exactly why we work so hard to train, equip, and resource local leaders within their own communities.

I love the 100% model. Every single penny of the $600 donated went directly to formula for Ana. That means everyone who generously donated money for a can, 2 cans, or 10 cans of formula knows that his or her money went for formula that is going to feed and provide the necessary nutrition for Baby Ana.

I love our community. Know.Think.Act. looks like a website, but it is so much more than that. It is a community of like-minded individuals who come together to change the world in real time. It’s made up of individuals and groups who want to be able to meet tangible needs. It’s people from all over and from all different backgrounds who are not going to sit idly by, but who understand that compassion = action. They do not hesitate to act – and act quickly.

I love Baby Ana. Her story has changed us forever since she is now a part of our lives through Bringing Hope to the Family. Things are not going to be easy, but I love that we can walk beside our partners as they love, support, and care for Baby Ana.

Thank you so much. This is just one story of many. Know.Think.Act. has plenty of needs that must be met and there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved. While today may feel like just another Thursday, it’s also a chance to change the lives of people around the globe. We can’t wait to change lives alongside you…

…adam

Monday morning during Bringing Hope to the Family’s weekly staff fellowship we honored our leadership development course graduates with recognition of their accomplishment and a certificate to symbolize their achievement.  This intro course was 13 weeks long and covered Biblical foundations and leadership characteristics.

The students were very excited and I believe the “graduation” has inspired others to sign up for our next course that will be starting very soon.

On Monday November 7th Bringing Hope to the Family had a 3 day old baby girl brought to Home Again. Her mother passed away giving birth to her and her father died a short time ago. The hospital contacted Bringing Hope to the Family concerning the child since no other relatives for this baby are known. Bringing Hope is in urgent need of many cans of formula for this child, which they have named Ana. Formula is very expensive here thus they do not have a supply of formula on hand. None the less they are in great need of it for baby Ana. $600 will supply Ana with formula for 5 months. Click HERE To donate.

With Christmas right around the corner many of us take this opportunity to bless those who are less fortunate than ourselves. There are endless ways that we can assist others (Angel trees, shoeboxes, soup kitchens, etc.). All of these things are wonderful opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.

If you are still looking for a way to be a blessing this season I would like to offer up 3 ways that you could help the children at Home Again. Each Christmas Bringing Hope to the Family provides the children with a new outfit, a pair of leather church/school shoes and a Christmas feast. The meal is hands down the children’s best meal for the year. And, this is the only time in the year that the children get to go to the market and choose an outfit for themselves. Christmas is truly an exciting time for the children of Home Again.

If you are interested in seeing these needs and/or others please follow the link here Know.Think.Act. We are excited to partner with you as we work to bring Christmas to Bringing Hope to the Family.

Our busy month of work is well under way now.  Katie went as far as our cans of paint would take her on the veranda today.  She almost finished.

The guys digging out the ground for the basketball court at Home Again are almost done.  They should be done within the next couple of days.

The crew that will be plastering the lower house of Home Again spent the day tearing down a needless wall in the house for us.

I, with the help of Chris from Home Again, cut all of the wood for the shelving that we will be installing in both houses of Home Again.

We’ll keep you posted as work progresses.

It feels great to see projects being completed.  Thanks again to everyone who donated to these projects. We couldn’t do this work without you.

On Thursday while we were in Kampala checking on the status of our work permits we were able to pick up a hair washing sink/chair for Village Art’s hair salon.  We’re one step closer to getting the salon ready to go.  We want to thank everyone who gave to make this possible!

More updates will be coming soon as projects continue to get underway. Enjoy your Friday.