FROM THE DIRECTOR
I had been praying for about 6 months because I felt like God had something for me to do but I didn’t know what it was. I met former Director Linda, who had been praying for 2 years for someone to take over Harvest Home Ministries (now Hope Rising Uganda). As soon as I heard this, I knew this is what God had been preparing for me. I didn’t want to be hasty, so I took time to pray and research, traveling to Uganda to meet the staff, kids, and see the school.
Meeting the children immediately drew my heart toward this ministry. As an adoptee with my own adopted children, I have deep experience with what it means to have an orphan heart. When I went to Uganda and met these kids, I felt like “this is one of the greatest moments of my life. This is what my whole life has been preparing me for!”
As an adoptive parent, I have personal experience with what it means to care deeply for children. I am motivated daily by the knowledge that children need to be given the opportunity to thrive. People have said to me, "You can't change the world." I think of these beautiful kids in Uganda and recognize that even if I am only helping one child receive access to additional opportunity, I am helping to change the world for them.
That knowledge makes me excited to go to work every day, recognizing that these precious kiddos are the recipient of that work. The whole time I was in Uganda interacting with the school children I kept thinking, "there needs to be more for them than this." Just because they were born into extreme poverty doesn’t mean they should have to remain there. They shouldn’t have to experience such a high level of vulnerability.
I have a strong heart for justice. If someone is being abused or marginalized, I can’t stand by and let that happen. That really keeps me going even when I’m not in Uganda. Because I have seen, I can’t unsee. Once you have seen something, you have to respond. You have to do something. You can’t just look away...
OUR IMPACT
GET INVOLVED
Join Hope Rising Uganda in our mission to ignite hope in the hearts of children by becoming a child sponsor, donating to our community development programs, contributing your time as a volunteer, committing to prayer, or coming along on a future trip to Uganda. We'd love to discuss upcoming opportunities to find the right fit for you!