Baby Moses and His Maid Grace at the Children's Christmas party 2011
Dear Mission Partners,
Christmas 2011 at Impact Child Care Orphanage was celebrated with a lot of joy. The children ate and drank sodas and fruit juice drinks, and had lots of fun. Different groups performed Drama depicting the story of the birth of Jesus, they watched Jesus’ film, and truly celebrated the birth of Jesus. After celebrations, the children received Christmas gifts of toys and candy. My wife Christine cut the Christmas cake with the children to an amazing shout of joy from the children who were all gathered in our church hall.
It was a great Christmas experience for the children who couldn’t have had that day if they were still leaving in the streets, slums and poor villages as orphans and needy children. Baby Moses the youngest of the children who was left with us in the orphanage had his first Christmas party. In the photos attached, he can be seen with Grace, the maid who is responsible for him in the orphanage.
We couldn’t have had such a great Children’s Christmas party in the orphanage without your help! Thank you. Impact Ministries Uganda is committed to the passion for God and Compassion for God’s people. We are planting churches around the country of Uganda and helping orphans and needy children with shelter, food, clothing, medical care and education. Thank you for being our mission partners in the year 2011. We look forward to a continued partnership with you in 2012 and the future and we preach the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ in Word and action. Yours in Christ, Bishop Patrick Okabe Overseer, Impact Ministries Uganda www.impactministriesuganda.org
SPECIAL REPORT
Desperate Mother Leaves Baby in our Church - Uganda Report!
Persistent heavy rains have displaced hundreds of thousands in eastern Uganda. The situation is getting out of hand in some districts as heavy rainfall triggers water-logging and flooding. Hundreds of people have died of mudslides and many more lives are at risk. Thousands of families will go without meals after crops rotted in the fields. Huts are collapsing leaving many homeless and the children and women are fleeing the villages to take refuge in the towns. Forecasts indicate that the rains are most likely to persist to the end of December. Relief supplies in the form of tarpaulins, blankets and mosquito nets are urgently needed.
Many children are trying to take refuge at the Impact Orphanage. Last week alone we have received 10 children. Over a month ago a desperate mother left her 10 month old baby in our church (see photo). Pray for Sister Grace whom we employed to look after this baby in our orphanage. The baby cannot live on the normal food we give the other children at the orphanage. He has special needs. We named him Moses!
The floods have affected the roads and food supply routes therefore increasing the food prices greatly! We continue to serve in faith the many children God has entrusted to our care. We know that the Lord has called us to this task and that He is able to supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.
We appreciate the support of our dear mission partners who have shared love and compassion with us through their prayers and sacrificial giving.
“A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” (Prov. 22:9)
As we come to the Christmas season we request for your prayers for several pressing needs. We need $14,000 for the children’s Christmas party for over 700 orphans. It is so very important that we are able to provide for the needs of these wonderful children.
As the children in the orphanage bless every meal, they always pray for the sponsors who make it possible for them to have food. May the Lord continue to answer your prayers and bless you and your families as you continue to support Impact Ministries Uganda.
We do pray for each one of our mission partners and thank God for each of them and their families. We stand together in our faith in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. May the Lord richly bless you as you consider helping us meet our needs!
“Give generously … without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” (Deut. 15:10)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James1: 27)
Persistent heavy rains have displaced hundreds of thousands in eastern Uganda. The situation is getting out of hand in some districts as heavy rainfall triggers water-logging and flooding. Hundreds of people have died of mudslides and many more lives are at risk. Thousands of families will go without meals after crops rotted in the fields. Huts are collapsing leaving many homeless and the children and women are fleeing the villages to take refuge in the towns. Forecasts indicate that the rains are most likely to persist to the end of December. Relief supplies in the form of tarpaulins, blankets and mosquito nets are urgently needed.
Many children are trying to take refuge at the Impact Orphanage. Last week alone we have received 10 children. Over a month ago a desperate mother left her 10 month old baby in our church (see photo). Pray for Sister Grace whom we employed to look after this baby in our orphanage. The baby cannot live on the normal food we give the other children at the orphanage. He has special needs. We named him Moses!
The floods have affected the roads and food supply routes therefore increasing the food prices greatly! We continue to serve in faith the many children God has entrusted to our care. We know that the Lord has called us to this task and that He is able to supply all our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.
We appreciate the support of our dear mission partners who have shared love and compassion with us through their prayers and sacrificial giving.
“A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” (Prov. 22:9)
As we come to the Christmas season we request for your prayers for several pressing needs. We need $14,000 for the children’s Christmas party for over 700 orphans. It is so very important that we are able to provide for the needs of these wonderful children.
As the children in the orphanage bless every meal, they always pray for the sponsors who make it possible for them to have food. May the Lord continue to answer your prayers and bless you and your families as you continue to support Impact Ministries Uganda.
We do pray for each one of our mission partners and thank God for each of them and their families. We stand together in our faith in the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. May the Lord richly bless you as you consider helping us meet our needs!
“Give generously … without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” (Deut. 15:10)
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James1: 27)
NOVEMBER 2011
PRAISE REPORT:
1. The Lord has graciously provided a water well for the orphanage. This has eased our water problems. Thank God for the sponsors whom God used to provide the funding for this need.
2. We thank God for the 36 children in the orphanage who sat for their National primary leaving Examinations. It is amazing how former street and underpriviledged children can take the national examinations which all the schools in the country take. The results are expected in December. Please pray for them as we figure out what will be the next thing for them after the orphanage. We would like them to continue with studies to secondary school and pursue careers which can give them a bright future.
3. We praise God when we prayed for rain a few months ago, our prayers were answerd . However, we are now requesting you to pray for Moderate rains as there is now too much rain and there is a lot of flooding and mud slides. Suply roads to the towns have been cut off by floods. This has made it very difficult for food to come to town and the food prices are very high.
4. Praise God Faith radio Boradcasting licence has been renwed for one year. Conditions are attached. Our tower must be relocated, we must install band pass filters as our radio frequency is interfering with other radios.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Please pray for the orphanage which is running low on food. We have not been able to harvest any food this year as our farm is flooded. We need food to fee the 700 children in the orphanage. For $20 we can feed a child for one month.
2. Would appreciate prayers for funding of a nergy saving cooking ovens for the orphanage $15,000. We have serious problems with fired wood for cooking
3. Pray for God's guidance for us in regards to the children who complete primary education in our orphanage. we need sponsors to get them into secondary school and give them careers for a bright future. Secondary education costs about $360 per student per year. We need assistance for the 36 children who have just sat for their exams. We also have over 40 students from last year who are waiting.
4. Pray for special needs in Faith Radio: Power Generator $ 5,000, Band pass filter $1,000 and relocation of tower $40,000
5. Pray for our new church plant in Lira, Apac and Fort portal districts in Uganda
6. Annual children's party is held in the orphanage on 24th December. Children receive gifts and have a special meal and drinks, a treat they rarely have. Each child receives a gift package ofitems worth $20 which iclude toothpaste, candy, sweets etc. Pray for funding of this years christmas party.($14,000)
2. We thank God for the 36 children in the orphanage who sat for their National primary leaving Examinations. It is amazing how former street and underpriviledged children can take the national examinations which all the schools in the country take. The results are expected in December. Please pray for them as we figure out what will be the next thing for them after the orphanage. We would like them to continue with studies to secondary school and pursue careers which can give them a bright future.
3. We praise God when we prayed for rain a few months ago, our prayers were answerd . However, we are now requesting you to pray for Moderate rains as there is now too much rain and there is a lot of flooding and mud slides. Suply roads to the towns have been cut off by floods. This has made it very difficult for food to come to town and the food prices are very high.
4. Praise God Faith radio Boradcasting licence has been renwed for one year. Conditions are attached. Our tower must be relocated, we must install band pass filters as our radio frequency is interfering with other radios.
PRAYER REQUESTS
1. Please pray for the orphanage which is running low on food. We have not been able to harvest any food this year as our farm is flooded. We need food to fee the 700 children in the orphanage. For $20 we can feed a child for one month.
2. Would appreciate prayers for funding of a nergy saving cooking ovens for the orphanage $15,000. We have serious problems with fired wood for cooking
3. Pray for God's guidance for us in regards to the children who complete primary education in our orphanage. we need sponsors to get them into secondary school and give them careers for a bright future. Secondary education costs about $360 per student per year. We need assistance for the 36 children who have just sat for their exams. We also have over 40 students from last year who are waiting.
4. Pray for special needs in Faith Radio: Power Generator $ 5,000, Band pass filter $1,000 and relocation of tower $40,000
5. Pray for our new church plant in Lira, Apac and Fort portal districts in Uganda
6. Annual children's party is held in the orphanage on 24th December. Children receive gifts and have a special meal and drinks, a treat they rarely have. Each child receives a gift package ofitems worth $20 which iclude toothpaste, candy, sweets etc. Pray for funding of this years christmas party.($14,000)
IMPACT BIBLE COLLEGE GRADUATION JULY 2011
Impact Bible College established by Impact Ministries in Mbale, Uganda graduated the First class of 31 students on 9th July 2011. This is a great a chievement for the church in Uganda. Impact Ministries has over 120 churches planted in 12 years. The Pastors of these churches need Bible Training.
EASTER UPDATE 2011
I send you and all our brothers and sisters Easter Greetings from Uganda . I am sorry it is coming in late. This is because I have been having a lot of Easter activities at church and the ministry as a whole:
First, as I mentioned earlier, We held our National Executive Committee with our Ministry leaders recently, then I had 3 days of training about 50 senior ministers and conducted water baptism and Holy communion on Easter Sunday. We are also engaged in construction of our mother church building. Please have a look at the pictures attached.
We now have a limited supply of water. One tap outside our house has water, but the taps in the house have no water. Reason is that the pressure is too low. The same situation applies to the orphanage. There are promising signs of rain. Please pray for the clouds to turn in to rain. The food situation is still bad. It is affecting our efforts in providing child care at the orphanage. The children pray every day for water, food and for the people of God who give sacrificially to support the orphanage.
May God continue to bless and sustain you, your families, and businesses through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
Patrick Okabe
Impact Ministries Uganda
www.impactministriesuganda.org
Please follow updates from Impact Ministries Uganda on Twitter: Nowimpactuganda
“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in every thing you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 15:10)
First, as I mentioned earlier, We held our National Executive Committee with our Ministry leaders recently, then I had 3 days of training about 50 senior ministers and conducted water baptism and Holy communion on Easter Sunday. We are also engaged in construction of our mother church building. Please have a look at the pictures attached.
We now have a limited supply of water. One tap outside our house has water, but the taps in the house have no water. Reason is that the pressure is too low. The same situation applies to the orphanage. There are promising signs of rain. Please pray for the clouds to turn in to rain. The food situation is still bad. It is affecting our efforts in providing child care at the orphanage. The children pray every day for water, food and for the people of God who give sacrificially to support the orphanage.
May God continue to bless and sustain you, your families, and businesses through the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.
Patrick Okabe
Impact Ministries Uganda
www.impactministriesuganda.org
Please follow updates from Impact Ministries Uganda on Twitter: Nowimpactuganda
“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in every thing you put your hand to.” (Deuteronomy 15:10)
MARCH UPDATE 2011
Rising food prices hit families hard in Uganda
Wednesday, 23rd March, 2011
By FRANCIS KAGOLO
AS the cost of living rises, Ugandans are stuggling to make ends meet.
A resident of Jinja who works in an Indian-owned wholesale outlet, has been compelled to temporarily send his wife back to her parents.
“I have also taken our only child to my parents,” he said.
Food prices around the country have more than doubled since last December, resulting into food shortage.
According to yesterday’s survey by New Vision, the price of maize flour has risen to sh2,000 a kilogram, up from sh1,000 in November last year. The price of beans has also shot up from sh2,000 to over sh2,600 per kilogram, while a bunch of matooke has gone up by over sh10,000 from sh15,000 last year.
Prices of beef, fish, rice and milk have also risen considerably. Some traders interviewed yesterday attributed the sharp rise in food prices to last year’s general poor harvest.
Traders say this, coupled with an increase in food exports, particularly to South Sudan, has led to food shortage. Others blamed the problem on the long dry spell that hit most of the country.
The New Vision survey showed that prices of most essential manufactured household commodities have also shot up by an average of between 5 to 10% in the past three months.
The price of a pack of match box, for instance, has risen from sh400 to sh500, while that of cooking oil increased by 5,000 from sh9,500 per three-litre jerry can.
The prices of toilet paper rolls, sanitary pads, kerosene, ghee (Blue Band), and toothpaste, among other commodities, have equally escalated, worsening standards of living for the low and middle income earners.
Most traders yesterday said food consumption had reduced as a result of the high prices.
Musa Ecweru, the disaster preparedness minister, told New Vision that the food situation in some parts of the country was running out of control due to drought.
Teso, Tororo, Butaleja and parts of Bugisu, he said, were hardest hit due to flooding and landslides. “Some families are going without a meal and many are gambling on what to eat every day,” Ecweru disclosed.
By FRANCIS KAGOLO
AS the cost of living rises, Ugandans are stuggling to make ends meet.
A resident of Jinja who works in an Indian-owned wholesale outlet, has been compelled to temporarily send his wife back to her parents.
“I have also taken our only child to my parents,” he said.
Food prices around the country have more than doubled since last December, resulting into food shortage.
According to yesterday’s survey by New Vision, the price of maize flour has risen to sh2,000 a kilogram, up from sh1,000 in November last year. The price of beans has also shot up from sh2,000 to over sh2,600 per kilogram, while a bunch of matooke has gone up by over sh10,000 from sh15,000 last year.
Prices of beef, fish, rice and milk have also risen considerably. Some traders interviewed yesterday attributed the sharp rise in food prices to last year’s general poor harvest.
Traders say this, coupled with an increase in food exports, particularly to South Sudan, has led to food shortage. Others blamed the problem on the long dry spell that hit most of the country.
The New Vision survey showed that prices of most essential manufactured household commodities have also shot up by an average of between 5 to 10% in the past three months.
The price of a pack of match box, for instance, has risen from sh400 to sh500, while that of cooking oil increased by 5,000 from sh9,500 per three-litre jerry can.
The prices of toilet paper rolls, sanitary pads, kerosene, ghee (Blue Band), and toothpaste, among other commodities, have equally escalated, worsening standards of living for the low and middle income earners.
Most traders yesterday said food consumption had reduced as a result of the high prices.
Musa Ecweru, the disaster preparedness minister, told New Vision that the food situation in some parts of the country was running out of control due to drought.
Teso, Tororo, Butaleja and parts of Bugisu, he said, were hardest hit due to flooding and landslides. “Some families are going without a meal and many are gambling on what to eat every day,” Ecweru disclosed.
WATER CRISIS HITS UGANDA
WATER CRISIS HITS UGANDA
By John Masaba
EVER since he was laid off from his job as a street cleaner in Mbale town, Misach Mudobe has turned to his land as the only source of livelihood.
Everyday, the 45-year-old wakes up at cockcrow, buoyed by the hope that his hard work will bear fruit. But the news making rounds in the country lately has not been music to his ears.
“We are hearing messages on radio that we are headed for a drought. They are telling us to store food and water. But the problem is the warning is coming too late. We sold out everything in the last harvest to raise school fees. What do we have to store,” says the father of five.
But the Mudobes are not the only ones worried. All over the country, life is not any better.
Musa Ecweru, the state minister for disaster preparedness, describes the situation as ‘very bad’, which needs ‘urgent attention’.
“With reports coming in, nearly all parts of the country are facing a water shortage,” says Ecweru.
According to a report by by the meteorological department, at least 36 districts have been affected by water scarcity caused by a prolonged dry spell. The department warned that the dry spell could also cause food shortage and lack of pasture.
Last year, weather experts warned that more than half of Uganda ’s 32 million people were at a risk of starvation. According to the the department of meteorology, La Niña (dry spell) conditions which, started in July last year would affect the rainfall distribution in many parts of Africa, including Uganda.
But now the situation has already started to show up in Uganda . Ecweru says the situation is bad in Teso because the drought is coming at the heels of ravaging flood that hit the area in 2007.
It is now not rare to see women struggling for mudfish and families walking long distances for water at the borehole.
“Many people are helplessly staring at boreholes unable to pump a drop of water to use in their homes,” minister Ecweru says.
“If rains don’t come by mid April, we will be headed for disaster.”
Disturbing revelation
Although whether experts repeatedly warned of an impending drought, there is little on ground to suggest the country is ready for the problem.
Weather forecast
According James Magezi of the meteorological department, nearly three quarters of the country is likely to experience abnormal pattern with some areas like northern Uganda and Karamoja going without rain this year.
He said sunny and dry conditions characterized by higher than normal daytime temperatures would occur over the entire country during the period, and are likely to continue up to mid this year.
Although some rains are expected in March, there is likely to be insufficient amounts to support agriculture in many areas, especially in the north.
According to Magezi, the cattle corridor areas, running from Mbarara to Karamoja, are likely to be hit hardest.
The droughts, he adds, are also likely to lead to crop failure, causing hunger and famine in some areas. The lowering of water levels in dams and lakes is likely to lead to severe power loadshedding.
Kabakumba Masiko says it has also affected water supply in urban areas as National Water and Sewerage Corporation is struggling to sustain supply; hampered by the intermittent power supply to their booster stations.
A jerry can of water in Kamuli is reportedly going for sh800, up from sh100. There are reports that Mbarara, Kampala and Teso are already experiencing water shortages.
By John Masaba
EVER since he was laid off from his job as a street cleaner in Mbale town, Misach Mudobe has turned to his land as the only source of livelihood.
Everyday, the 45-year-old wakes up at cockcrow, buoyed by the hope that his hard work will bear fruit. But the news making rounds in the country lately has not been music to his ears.
“We are hearing messages on radio that we are headed for a drought. They are telling us to store food and water. But the problem is the warning is coming too late. We sold out everything in the last harvest to raise school fees. What do we have to store,” says the father of five.
But the Mudobes are not the only ones worried. All over the country, life is not any better.
Musa Ecweru, the state minister for disaster preparedness, describes the situation as ‘very bad’, which needs ‘urgent attention’.
“With reports coming in, nearly all parts of the country are facing a water shortage,” says Ecweru.
According to a report by by the meteorological department, at least 36 districts have been affected by water scarcity caused by a prolonged dry spell. The department warned that the dry spell could also cause food shortage and lack of pasture.
Last year, weather experts warned that more than half of Uganda ’s 32 million people were at a risk of starvation. According to the the department of meteorology, La Niña (dry spell) conditions which, started in July last year would affect the rainfall distribution in many parts of Africa, including Uganda.
But now the situation has already started to show up in Uganda . Ecweru says the situation is bad in Teso because the drought is coming at the heels of ravaging flood that hit the area in 2007.
It is now not rare to see women struggling for mudfish and families walking long distances for water at the borehole.
“Many people are helplessly staring at boreholes unable to pump a drop of water to use in their homes,” minister Ecweru says.
“If rains don’t come by mid April, we will be headed for disaster.”
Disturbing revelation
Although whether experts repeatedly warned of an impending drought, there is little on ground to suggest the country is ready for the problem.
Weather forecast
According James Magezi of the meteorological department, nearly three quarters of the country is likely to experience abnormal pattern with some areas like northern Uganda and Karamoja going without rain this year.
He said sunny and dry conditions characterized by higher than normal daytime temperatures would occur over the entire country during the period, and are likely to continue up to mid this year.
Although some rains are expected in March, there is likely to be insufficient amounts to support agriculture in many areas, especially in the north.
According to Magezi, the cattle corridor areas, running from Mbarara to Karamoja, are likely to be hit hardest.
The droughts, he adds, are also likely to lead to crop failure, causing hunger and famine in some areas. The lowering of water levels in dams and lakes is likely to lead to severe power loadshedding.
Kabakumba Masiko says it has also affected water supply in urban areas as National Water and Sewerage Corporation is struggling to sustain supply; hampered by the intermittent power supply to their booster stations.
A jerry can of water in Kamuli is reportedly going for sh800, up from sh100. There are reports that Mbarara, Kampala and Teso are already experiencing water shortages.
NEW INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS BY PASTOR PATRICK OKABE I have published two books which are now available on Amazon and Kindle Books.
Book Titles: FULFILLING YOUR GOD GIVEN DREAMS
PASSION FOR GOD
ORDER YOUR BOOK TODAY. Contact:
Tri-Net publishing LLC 19 Creekwood Road, Irvine CA 92804 or call 949 419 6134
Email Pastor Okabe: impactministries1@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.impactministriesuganda.org
Book Titles: FULFILLING YOUR GOD GIVEN DREAMS
PASSION FOR GOD
ORDER YOUR BOOK TODAY. Contact:
Tri-Net publishing LLC 19 Creekwood Road, Irvine CA 92804 or call 949 419 6134
Email Pastor Okabe: impactministries1@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.impactministriesuganda.org
CHURCH BUILDING UPDATE
Church constrcution at ring beam level
Currently We are engaged in two major construction projects:
1. Faith Cathedral Church building : We are building a church to sit 6000 people . This will also have have offices for our head quarters. The building has reached the beam and soon will bee at roofing level. We are trusting God for $200,000( 400 Million Uganda Shillings) to complete this church building. Roofing requires $65,000
2. Impact Medical Center: Construction is in progress for a medical center and Babies home
We are trusting God for funds and seek for a helping hand from friends and partners
3. Construction of perimeter wall fence to secure the child care center
4. Churches in need of land and buildings: Soroti, Malaba, Kumi, Tororo, Kidongole and others
Currently We are engaged in two major construction projects:
1. Faith Cathedral Church building : We are building a church to sit 6000 people . This will also have have offices for our head quarters. The building has reached the beam and soon will bee at roofing level. We are trusting God for $200,000( 400 Million Uganda Shillings) to complete this church building. Roofing requires $65,000
2. Impact Medical Center: Construction is in progress for a medical center and Babies home
We are trusting God for funds and seek for a helping hand from friends and partners
3. Construction of perimeter wall fence to secure the child care center
4. Churches in need of land and buildings: Soroti, Malaba, Kumi, Tororo, Kidongole and others
 |  |
 |  |
