Hello to all my friends, family and sponsors,

I am now back from a really wonderful and relaxing vacation. I had been back a little over a week when I was hit with a night of extreme pain and in the morning I phoned Henry, a medical assistant and dear friend. He quickly decided that I should head to Kampala to a good hospital. He managed to find me a sort of ambulance. It had no equipment but did have a cot fastened to the floor for the 5 hour bumpy ride. He came along with me along with Florence my hostel manager. I was treated well and it was discovered that I had a gallstone. I came home the next day as the symptoms had cleared up.

I jumped back to the program after a couple of days that continues to grow in amazing ways. The Amaani Rwenzori project that will offer many vocational skills as well as training in business management and life skills and other needed subjects is almost finished with the construction part. The project manager from Germany, Theo, has been extremely busy locating equipment and furniture to assist with the many skills we will teach on site. That includes a complete beautician building, a sewing and high end tailoring class and a large classroom as well as a ceramics building. The ceramics will be a first for Western Uganda and skilled trainers as well as kilns and potter wheels and others that are coming from Germany.A grand opening is scheduled for November 29th.

To everyone who sponsors kids in the program I apologize for not keeping in touch. If anyone has any question about any child please drop me an email and I promise to reply within a week. I am going to try and feature a child on each blog.

Today’s child is our adorable little Ronnie from the Manna Rescue Home. He is almost 7 and came to us a year and a half ago in very poor shape. His mother died giving birth to him and his father was only an 18 year old young man. Villagers cared for him at first and then turned him over to his dad who had no idea how to care for a young child. The father is no re-married and his wife seems to be sweet and caring. In the pictures they were visiting him at the home and had bought a suit and tie for him. Our goal now is to help the dad with some training, perhaps in Amaani, and strengthen the home so that Ronnie can grow up in his family and in the village. The sponsorship will still be needed for sometime until the dad is on his feet and we are grateful to the Colorado man who has been caring for him.

There are daily decisions and investigations that continue in such a program with both joyful and heartbreaking outcomes. We continue to thank God for all of the children and we thank so many wonderful people whose generosity enables us to do this work.

Best wishes to all,

Carol