2nd May, 2021
Dear friends,
I believe the older boys and staff had a major tidy up this week for Dr. Stuart’s visit on Wednesday! It was still looking very neat and tidy at George’s Place when I called and spoke to the boys on Saturday morning. Paul has now fixed some of the curtains and has also made some shirts for the younger boys and is wanting to make some shorts as well. Victor was wearing one of the shirts when I spoke with him. Dr. Stuart arrived with a football that the boys were delighted with, but they need to go to the field to play, the neighbours are still confiscating balls that are kicked over the walls! Some of the boys were enjoying playing with the Lego when I phoned – we were given another two boxes of Lego this week for shipment, they love building houses/bridges etc. it keeps them quiet for hours. If anyone has any badminton rackets to spare or knows where I can buy reasonably priced ones please do let me know as I was unable to find anywhere in Kampala before I left that restrung the rackets and some of the boys are really good players now.
Jesus said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14 v27
Big Brian is back at George’s Place, having finished his plumbing and metalwork course at Don Bosco Vocational College. He will soon begin a two-month internship working at Makerere University which will be good training for him. We are looking at him going into independent living shortly.
Shadrach went to one of the slum areas on Friday to try and find Omoding but unfortunately didn’t. He met up with some of the street boys that he knows – some sniffing rags soaked in jet fuel and put into small plastic bottles. It is very sad to see these young boys living on the streets in filthy conditions and on drugs. Shadrach would have liked to bring one of the boys who was drug-free back to George’s Place but he is unable at the moment to make these decisions as Peace, Sam and I also need to be involved – we usually take in two or three new boys together.
Shaffick will be going back to college next week to continue his hairdressing course.
No college has been sorted out for Kodet or Charles but Shadrach feels they could go to Connect Africa (a really good organisation) where Haruna is. It is not easy making these decisions with poor internet connections.
I have had some communication with Tresor, who has won a scholarship in Canada to finish his electrician training, he is hoping to visit George’s Place this weekend. He has asked for prayers for his relatives who live in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) not far from the boarder with Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. The Tutsi tribe there are suffering terrible persecution – driven from their land, their cattle stolen, villages burnt and many being killed. None of this seems to have been reported on in our news but if you could remember the Banyamulenge people in South Kivu in your prayers.
The following is a quote from Bahati Lukwabo, DR Congo’s Senate President.
“If everyone said: ‘peace is my business, my neighbour is not my enemy; if my neighbour lives in peace, I will also live in peace; if my neighbour prospers, I will also prosper’, then we can achieve the peace we seek.”
Anton phoned me on Saturday, he has been busy working on the land, weeding around the beans and pruning the banana (matoke) plantation, he would like to visit George’s Place for a few days but the staff are not wanting the older boys to sleep there at present so I have told him he will have to wait until I’m back, he was quite unhappy about this saying ‘but it’s my home Aunt Jane’, I have suggested he telephones Augustine to see if he can stay with him and just call in to visit the boys, it’s so difficult not being there!
Thank you for all your loving support for our work, I hope you enjoy this Bank Holiday weekend.
With love Jane
