Mission to Uganda

About Me: Hi my name is Malissa. My husband and I have two wonderful children who are 7 and 10 years old. We have 2 dogs and 15 backyard chickens. I’m currently working as a Third Grade teacher at an elementary school in Alabama and have had experience teaching students in preschool through the 5th grade as an elementary classroom and special education teacher. Before I became a teacher, I served in the Army for 6 1/2 years.

Matthew 28:16-20 “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshipped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Why Uganda? I feel led to take a mission trip to Abaana’s Hope in northern Uganda. I’m hoping to go there to be a part of what God is doing in the lives of a special group of people, the Acholi. There are many possible ways to serve at Abaana's Hope. I’m hoping to help at Living Stones Christian School to interact with the children and share the love of God. There are other wonderful ministries there as well which include a Child Development Center, Women’s Refuge Center, LifeBeads Jewelry ministry, and Living Stones Christian Church.

I’m also VERY excited about the possibility of meeting a wonderful little boy, who my family and I have sponsored the past couple of years. Although this opportunity has come up quickly and I have a very short timeline, this is something that I have been thinking about for a while now. 

MY GOAL is to join a group traveling to Uganda from June 1-10, 2020. This will be a 10 day mission trip and trip arrangements are being made through Four Corners Ministries out of Opelika, Alabama. I’ve posted a link to their site that gives more information about Abaana's Hope. Although this opportunity has come up quickly and I have a short timeline, this is something I’ve thought about for a while now. June is the perfect month to go because I will be out of school, but school will be in session for the children at Living Stones Christian School. 

This mission trip will cost $3200 (with airfare being the bulk of the cost) and I have a seemingly impossible timeline to raise the funding to go. In fact, I’ve almost dismissed this as not even being an option due to the cost, but I know that I need to try. I send any donations received through this gofundme campaign directly to Four Corners Ministries tagged with my mission team date and my name.

I just know that I haven’t had a feeling and an identifiable calling that can’t be from anywhere but God since I joined the Army almost 14 years ago. I learned then, that you can push aside a strong feeling or urge that you need to do something big for 3 years, but that feeling won’t go away until you take an action. In that case, I just didn’t know what a calling felt like and pushed it aside until it couldn’t be pushed any longer. In this case, I know I just need to go ahead and do it. Some things can’t wait 3 years or longer.

Financial Timeline: I have to submit a $300 registration fee ASAP to secure my spot. From there, team member balances for the total trip cost ($3200) are: 60 days prior to the trip paid in half and 30 days prior, paid in full. 

Please check out the link about why Abaana’s Hope was created and the impact that they have made on the community and life of the Acholi people. 
http://www.fourcorners.org/abaanas-hope 

This video of children at the Living Stones Christian School makes me happy and hopeful of a trip here. I wanted to share it with you! 
https://vimeo.com/229730928 

If you’re reading this and happen to be led to help me with this journey, there are two ways to help:
·       I would LOVE your prayers for me during this process and for the people at Abaana’s Hope and the missionaries who serve there.
·       Any donations toward this trip would be GREATLY appreciated. 

THANK YOU for reading!
--Malissa M.