FHLM AUGUST 2022 NEWSLETTER

GREETINGS:

Greetings from Masaka! Oli Bulungi? (Are you good?) We are so good and blessed! As you will read this month has been full on!! But busy hands are not idle hands.

DIRECTORS UPDATE:

Visitors: From 06-12 August Lily and Gabby Eastham were in Masaka visiting. They attended Hilltop Church with me on the 7^th and enjoyed our praise, dancing with the congregation, and Pastor Joel’s message. In the afternoon I was blessed to be able to celebrate Lily’s Birthday with her! The week of the 8^th they led our Youth Programs at the Centre. (see below). After the week of amazing programs and teaching we headed to Kampala for a weekend of relaxation and catching up with ministry friends.     

SOAR YOUTH UPDATE:

S.O.A.R.: I have had a few people ask me what does this acronym stand for. Well we have never had an official designation, we have just had the concept that our sponsored youth SOAR to new heights. But recently we had a bit of an office contest to bring meaning to our acronym. This is the winning combination: S-Success, O-Opportunity, A-Action, R-Responsibility. We thank Kellen, Charles and Gabby for their input into helping us define our slogan.  

2^nd Term Holiday:  On 3^rd Aug the Youth started their Holiday for the next month. As you will read, this Holiday was jammed packed with programs!

Mock Exams: Both Justine (S6) and Immy (S4) did not have a Holiday, as they were both in Mock or Pre Exams to prepare them for their upcoming National Exams in October and November. They ended their exams on the 23rd, just in time to join us on our trip. (see below)  

Eddy: Since he is in Advanced Level, Secondary 5, he also had Holiday Studies. He took Biology and Chemistry every day from 8am to 1pm. These two subject give him a bit of trouble, so being able to have a one-on-one teacher training and concentrated subject matter will help him achieve his goal of a good performance come his national exams in secondary 6.    

Joshua: He headed back to Kampala International University (KIU) in Ishaka on the 9^th for his 3^rd Year and final semester of Pharmacy School. We continue to pray for God to grant him success in his studies.

Oliver & David: While in Kampala the weekend of the 12th I was able to visit with Oliver and David on the 14th. Since Oliver is in fashion & design school she has had a BIG need for a sewing machine. Fortunately the ministry was able to purchase an electric sewing machine for her from a missionary that was leaving Masaka.  She was so excited and thankful to receive the machine! She said that it will make completing projects much easier for her! We also celebrated David’s 29^th Birthday with pizza and a cake! It was a special meet up!

Camps: From 12^th-16^th Aug William, Pius, and Pamela went to Scripture Union Camp at Kako SS and the theme was “I press toward the goal” Philippians 3:14. During this week long camp they had Morning Glory, Workshops, Bible Studies, Quite Times, Sports & Games and much more! Here are their testimonies and things they learned from SU Camp:

William: I learnt in the Career Guidance Workshop that my excellence in academics honors God. Also that sometimes focusing on the past achievements or failures can hinder me from running the race that God desires for me. Too, not worry about what other people say about me and to keep myself pure till marriage.

Pius: This was my first camp and I learnt a lot! I learnt two important things. The first thing was, if you have someone that did something to you and now it hurts you, please forgive that person. We don’t forgive because the person deserves it but because it is the right thing before God. The second thing was, during Career Guidance, that if you want to excel in your academics, you should put God first. You should also ask what you don’t know, carry out research and respect your teachers.   

Pamela:  This was my very first camp. The activity that really helped me was the Bible Exposition. We were taught to forget the past to press onto our goal and we learnt about the prize of salvation. I also thought that Quite Time and the memory verses were good. Through this I learnt how I can talk to God and understand His scriptures. The most helpful session for me was night prayer, where we talked to God and cried to Him for transformation. This camp was a beautiful and wonderful experience.     

From 12^th– 17^th Aug Milly attended the National Scouts Competition at the National Scouts Camp Site in Kaazi Entebbe. During her time at camp she was 2^nd Patrol Leader, so in the absence of the 1^st Patrol leader she was in charge. She made sure that the patrol mastered parade work as well as foot work. She also was on the team for the site layout and patrol secretary. These leadership roles have helped her gain confidence and numerous skills. All in all, their patrol managed to attain 4^th Position out of 600 competing schools. They missed going to the East African Competition in Nairobi by one. Hopefully next year they make it!   

YOUTH PROGRAMS:

Visitors Programs:

• Revision- Throughout their mornings at the Centre they spent time teaching the youth. Each day they concentrated on difficult subjects like Math, Chemistry, and Biology. Lily even gave Pius some special one-on-one time with English, specifically in letter and article writing.
• Scrapbook Day- On the 8^th Gabby taught the youth how to create and develop a scrap or memory book.  Lily and Gabby had brought scrapbooking materials and we printed pictures of the youth and some of our programs. Each of the youth created at least one memory page and placed it in their “Scrapbook”. They decided that during each Holiday we will add memory pages to their books. This was a new and interesting experience for everyone.   
• Pizza Day- The 9^th we spent the whole day making pizza! Eddy said it was his best day ever!
• Bible Study– On the 10^th we had a very special Bible Study led by Gabby. This month’s theme was Testimony.  Acts 1:8 ‘”But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaira, and to the end of the earth.” Gabby shared from the Word of God about the testimonies of King Nebuchadnezzar and the God of Daniel in Daniel 4:28-37, the Samaritan Women in John 4:27-42, and Paul in Acts 26. After she shared her personal testimony. She then outlined how to write a Testimony by asking 3 questions: How I Was, What Happened To Change Me and Who I Am Now. Then we were all given time to write our testimonies and share them with each other. This study was such a blessing to us all as we not only learned about each other’s journey with Jesus, but got to see first-hand how God has transformed us.
• Baking Day– On the 11^th in the afternoon the youth baked cupcakes and a cake. After the cakes were cooled everyone took turns decorating them with the piping bags and sprinkles that Lily and Gabby brought. They were so sweet and the youth enjoyed learning a new skill. But they enjoyed eating their creations the most!! 

FHLM Annual Outreach/Ed Trip: We spent the week of the 22^nd Preparing for our trip! Then from 26^th to 29^th August we went to Kasese Town and Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP). It was a blessing to have all the youth, including Oliver and Joshua on the trip this year! Not only had the activities below but each day we had Morning and Evening Glory, in which we gave praise back to God for His goodness! Here are the activities we did while in Kasese & QENP:

Hospital Ministry: When we got into Kasese the afternoon of the 26^th we went straight to St. Paul’s Health Center III where we were blessed to visit the Children’s Ward. We partnered with Rescue Team Ministry (RTM) and prayed for healing for many children and their families.  

Elderly Ministry: The morning of the 27^th we again partnered with RTM and visited three elderly women’s homes. The first we went to was in bad shape, so we spent most of our time there washing clothes and sauce pans, cleaning the dirt floors of her home and compound and cutting her hair. Eddy and Joshua even cooked her lunch with some of the rice we had brought her. The other two women were less needy, but we still did a few things like washing sauce pans. We presented each lady with gifts of rice, sugar, soap, and sandals, then we prayed for them. This was a wonderful morning of sharing God’s love!

Youth Gathering: In the afternoon of the 27^th we were at St Stephen Church of Uganda-Kidodo where our team led the gathering. After praise & worship Justine led in sharing the word of God with the topic about Hope. She shared from Micah7:7, Lamentations 3:21-26, Psalms 37:7 and 1 John 5:14-15. She said that hope means believing that something will happen or having confidence. We praise God because He gave us this topic and we were told that many of the youth in the community have lost hope, so this was a welcome encouragement for them. When Justine was finished, the youth asked some questions which we all answered. After Immy led outside games.  

Sunday Service: On the 28^th we attended 7:00am Sunday service at St. Stephen’s Kidodo Church of Uganda. We were so grateful to Reverend Baluku Misaki for allowing us to lead the service. After our youth led the praise & worship, Joshua was the main preacher. He spoke to a congregation of at least 200 persons about “Our Hope in God”, focusing on Micah 7:7 But as for me, I watch in Hope for the LORD, I wait for God my savior; my God will hear me. He shared that we should all put our hope in Christ alone. Other people like parents, best friends, husbands and wives disappoint, but God is the only one who cannot disappoint. Even when those people we feel can’t fail, God is there to do it. He again told us that we should desire to be people that can be used for noble purposes.

Queen Elizabeth National Park: In the late morning we traveled to QENP. In the evening we had game drive where we saw many wild animals like lion, hippopotamus, crocodiles, warthogs, buffalo, waterbucks, impala etc.. The next morning we went on a Boat Cruise of the Kazinga Channel were we were blessed to see many elephants, and more of the animals from the day before. 

Here are a few of the Youth’s Testimonials about the trip:

Justine: I thank God for the Elderly Ministry. I loved God’s presence that was in the midst of all the ministry and in our journey.

Eddy: I enjoyed the Hospital Ministry because the little time we had with the patients, I saw them calling us to pray for them. Most of them were encouraged and blessed. I really thank God for that! Also the boat ride on the Kazinga Channel in Queen was so enjoyable!  

Pamela: The journey to Kasese was interesting because we saw many things on the journey like zebra, tea estates, elephants, and crater lakes. I also enjoyed the outreach because I felt that at least I am doing something for people and sharing God’s love. 

As you have read we give testimonies to God and thank Him for protecting us, providing for us, and allowing us to serve Him!

BELA BULUNGI (GOOD-BYE):

August has been a very busy and blessed month!!  I thank everyone for their continued prayers, support, encouragement, and love! May you be blessed back 100 fold for these blessings!! Have a wonderful day and new month!

In His Grip,

Rita Bulegeya

Director -Faith Hope Love Missions

reetsindiego@yahoo.com