On February 22, a visiting team from the US landed in Uganda. It was exciting to watch the faces of two Arrows + Hope students light up as they met their sponsors in person! Emmanuel and Betty’s sponsors had the opportunity to see their homes in the village, the schools they attend, and the work they are now doing!
Thank you to each of you who sponsor a child through Arrows + Hope! The children we visited were so happy to be at school pursuing their dreams. God, the Author of life, is re-writing their stories through transformation that is only possible with Him!
Graduation Celebration
We were able to hear some beautiful and encouraging testimonies of Arrows + Hope graduates during the Graduation Celebration. It was a fun time of worship, dance, food, and fellowship as we celebrated six special graduates: Betty, Emmanuel, Jorem, David, Davis, and Florence!
Gerald’s Mother
When arriving at the Arrows + Hope Ministry Center one morning, we found the mother to Gerald (a sponsored AH child). She excitedly shared with us how the Lord answered her prayer for land and a home to raise her family! She recalled the time we had sat together this past November, praying specifically for this.
We listened as the team translated and shared that Gerald’s mother had been able to sell a small piece of land, which had no space to farm. She then found an acre of land which she was able to purchase with enough leftover funds to construct two huts and a small brick home.
We remember the very first time we visited Gerald’s mother. She pulled a potato sack out of her hut for us to sit on – we later realized those were the same sacks they were sleeping on. Each time we visited her, she was living in a different place where someone had allowed her to stay for a short period of time.
We praise God that Gerald’s mom now has a place to call home, and that she is giving God the glory for this answered prayer! We traveled to the property to pray over it with her. While we were there, she sang a beautiful song of thanksgiving in her local language.
Emmanuel
On February 27, 2025, water poured from a newly dug well in the rural village of Omalara. There wasn’t a large crowd gathered around the well, as you would normally expect when the first drops of water hit the red dirt soil. That was because a larger crowd had gathered just a short distance away, where a man who was close to death was receiving Jesus as his Lord and Savior for the very first time!
We had been to this village two other times previously, and we were about to leave. But God made sure Emmanuel was seen as he peeked out of his hut. Emmanuel was skin and bones, could not walk, and appeared to be abandoned because of his sickness. He was only 45 years old. As Dennis (Arrows + Hope Project Coordinator) knelt in the dirt next to his small hut, sharing the HOPE of Christ with Emmanuel, he exclaimed, “Let him come now!” Emmanuel was ready.
Moments before this took place, one of the visiting US team members messaged the donor of the well for the scripture passage they wanted inscribed at its base. They responded with Psalm 1:3 – “That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.”
This village will not only have the physical nourishment of water, but now also the spiritual nourishment of the Holy Spirit! And to make this story more beautiful, just two days prior, the mother of twins who are both sponsored through Arrows + Hope also received Jesus as her Lord and Savior! She lives in the same village as Emmanuel.
The presence and power of the Holy Spirit was felt by all. The next day, Emmanuel was taken to see a doctor. He is now walking with crutches and has a smile on his face. A miracle! Dennis made sure that Emmanuel had a mattress to replace the reed mat he had been sleeping on, nutrition for his malnourishment, and an audio Bible. We can’t wait to see what the Lord continues to do in Emmanuel’s life!
Audio Bibles
Audio Bibles have been an important tool in the ministry of Arrows + Hope. Many of the caregivers in these rural areas we work in are unable to read. These audio Bibles are in their local language, and are solar powered, so they do not even need electricity!