Dec 29th Update (Looking Back)

2010 has been such an eventful year for Cornerstone. I was talking with Pastor Rogers last night on the phone and we were remembering that last year at this time, he had moved to Budaka with his family and was getting all the things in order for us to begin the orphanage. We were unsure how everything would happen. Would the money needed to begin be there? Where would we get the staff to work with the kids? How would we begin a new church? So many questions...and a picture from the Lord. He had shown what He wanted to do. We were to walk it out with Him.
I began sharing the vision with all of you, and through our prayers and financial gifts, we were able to begin. What a year it has been! Here are some highlights:

• In January we visited several area churches and told them we were taking orphans, and we would take 2 from each church. In walking around town, a woman asked us to pray for her 2-month old who had malaria and she was instantly healed by our Father.
  
• In February we held a 3-day crusade in Budaka and then began the meeting as a church with 28 people on our first Sunday (10 of those "borrowed" and 8 family members)
• On February 15th, the orphans were brought to the orphanage and we began having a large family...
• In March school began for the orphans. Dina came to visit and stayed 2 weeks.
• In April, one of you gave money to purchase a sewing machine so someone in Budaka would be able to do tailoring as a trade
• In May, I came home for 3 weeks to present the need for land and buildings. (To date, we have received well over $30,000 for this cause! Praise the Lord. Thank you for responding to Him.)
• In June we had our 2nd visitation from relatives of the kids. They brought cassava, g-nuts, guava and oranges from their homes. The church attendance was at 94.
• In July we found 4 children who had been abandoned by their mom and brought them to the orphanage. Also, Jessica and her mom came to church and God began healing Jessica from the skin disease she had had since she was 2 months old.
  
• August we began Saturday School...with 190 kids from the community
• In September, Moses contracted tuberculosis and we rushed him to the hospital in Mbale. God has completely restored him.
• In October, we had a crusade in 3 villages and in Budaka and had over 2,000 in attendance and 280 come to know Jesus as their Savior. We purchased a little over an acre of land. We also had the World Race Team come and work with us for the month.
• In November, we had over 300 children come to Saturday School. The church attendance continued to increase and now about 175 come each week. We began working with the architect for a site plan so we can begin building an orphanage building for our kids to have a permanent home.
  
• This month, the kids got to celebrate Christmas with a special meal and going to church. On the 26th, Cornerstone held a Christmas party for the community and over 200 people came and got to hear the Gospel message.
  

So many other little and big things have happened this year, but I wanted to share these with you to say let's rejoice in what God has done and is doing through Cornerstone ministries in Budaka! You all are a part as you pray and give financially. Thank you for partnering with us in this ministry that God is calling into being. What a mighty God we serve!!
I am excited for this next year as we begin a school for the community (end of January), build a home for our kids and see God do more miraculous things in Budaka. Last year at this time we had no idea how many wonderful things He would do. We believe that this next year will be the same: we can't comprehend what He has prepared for our kids and the people of Budaka in 2011.
May God bless you as you continue to listen to Him and partner with us.
In gratefulness and love,
Laurie

Dec 23rd Update

Greetings, Friends!

It is 2 days before Christmas here in the States, but only 1 1/2 days for the kids. They are getting so excited. It's not for presents (people in Uganda don't exchange gifts for Christmas), but for the church service and special food. They will go to church on Christmas morning for at least 2 hours to praise and worship Jesus who came to Earth as a baby to save us from our sins. The children LOVE to go to church! They love to sing, they love the specialness of getting to go someplace on a different day than normal. They love to interact with other children and adults.

Then, they will go home and have a special meal. This will include:

• chicken (they have had chicken only 2x this year - it's quite expensive there)
• matooke (green bananas that have been boiled and mashed - this is a staple there)
• pineapple or watermelon
• rice
• cake
• soda

The internet has not been working well in Mbale, so I do not have current pictures from Rogers, but be sure to look at the video links to see a video showing all the kids. This was taken on their 4th time to have ice cream, thanks to the E! kids.

I have also included the picture of the 20 kids in March with their teachers, David on the left and Betty on the right. (This was before we had Natasha, Vanessa, Isaac and Moses.) Rogers will try again next week to get pictures to us.



I want to let you know about a couple of exciting things that are coming up. I will tell you more in the weeks to come, but here are the bare bones:

• As one of the self-supporting businesses we are doing, I will be starting a restaurant serving American foods, including cookies, cinnamon rolls, scones, hamburgers and other things that cater to the business people, diplomats and Ugandan business and political figures who drive the road through Budaka from Kampala to Mable (2nd largest city in Uganda). A couple of other orphanages have done this type of thing in other areas of Uganda and have helped support their works this way.
  
• The school for the community will begin at the end of January. Advertisements for staff and students are going out over the radio beginning this week in Mbale and Budaka. (Yes, Budaka does have a radio station. Can you believe it?) The school will be one of the self-supporting businesses within 2 years of beginning it - fees from students will cover the costs of our children's education.
  

Both of these things will be in addition to the ministry with our kids, the church, the chicken/egg business and the land and building project. Please be in prayer for us as we begin these things. Both of the new ventures will cost additional money, of course. We are interested in financing these through micro loans so that as they begin, the principal will be paid back each month over the next 5 years. If you are interested in helping Cornerstone in this way, please email and let me know. Or, perhaps you know someone who would be interested in helping the children and adults of Budaka in these ways.

Thank you to all of you who continue to give generously to the work God is doing in and through Cornerstone. As you give, the children are loved to Jesus, They are fed, clothed, educated, disciplined, encouraged and helped medically as needed. You are truly partnering with God and us to do a great work in Budaka Uganda. THANK YOU and have a wonderful Christmas!!

Laurie

December 14

Greetings, Cornerstone Friends!

I'm excited to get to communicate with you today about what God is doing in Budaka. Although I am not there presently, I talk and email with Rogers at least 3 times a week. He sent pictures. The first is of the kids lined up for breakfast. The doorway they are going through is the kitchen. The one in front with her porridge and boiled egg is Margret (age 4). Brother Stephen is sitting and washing dishes. The children in line are, from the left, Junior, Amos, Ronald, Ben and Vanessa. In front of Vanessa is Auntie Rachel.
The second picture is of Vanessa and Moses. They are 2 of the 4 children we got in July after their mom abandoned them. Vanessa is 4ish and Moses is 2ish. They are somber because the other children have gone to their home villages, clans or extended families for 5 days, and only 6 children are at the orphanage. When you're used to 24 being around, 6 is pretty sparse! The 18 children who went home all came back on Saturday. It is the desire and mandate of the district officials where we live that the children have time in their cultural birthplaces at least once a quarter. Rogers said all 18 came back with malaria, colds and/or skin rashes. This is one of the frustrations of sending them home, but one we must live with.
My most exciting thing of the week was getting to talk with all the children on Monday. Each came to the phone and I got to love on them...albeit from a distance...and remind them that the Lord loves them and has a plan for their lives. They wanted to know when I was coming back, and Charles asked if I was coming back "today?". I so want to be with them, hold them and care for them. But, right now I get to be here, loving them from a distance!
Aside from the pictures you get each week, I have downloaded videos of the kids talking and playing, as well as a video of Rogers thanking those of you from Evergreen for your participation in the ministry in Budaka. You can access them from this website: www.cornerstoneministriesuganda/blogspot.com. Just click on the link "Videos" on the left side, and enjoy! I will be loading as many videos as possible before I go back, so keep checking.
Please be in prayer for Moses. We will know this week if the birthmark on his leg is cancerous. They have sent a biopsy to a large lab in Kampala for testing.
I love you all and have been having SO much fun sitting and talking with all of you, showing videos and pictures and rejoicing together with you in what God is doing. Thanks for your part in making all the ministry possible in Budaka! Thanks to those of you who have given extra in addition to your regular monthly giving at this time of year - we are beginning a school soon and the extra will help us buy desks, chalkboards, paper, etc.!
The land and building fund total income right now is $31,800. We have spent $24,000 up to this point on the land, a survey, government fees and an architect who is drawing plans for the site and buildings. The balance we will use to begin building when the plans are done. Praise God! Thanks to those of you who have heard from the Lord to take up the challenge. 2 new ones came in in the past 2 weeks. We thank Him for His work for these children - we will be able to take more kids as we can build and expand.
Sure love you all...and am continuing to enjoy running water and electricity...
Laurie

December 9

Greetings, Friends!
It is rainy and cold here in Oregon. I'm finding it is nice to feel cold, remembering how hot it will be upon my return to Uganda.
Everyone is doing well in Uganda. There were a couple of cases of malaria last week among the children, but they are well now.
The first picture is from last Thursday. Rogers is holding Moses (don't you love the 2 different colors of socks?!). Moses loves it when Pastor Rogers or I come over. He reaches for us and wants to be held. When you think this little boy had no mommy time and never knew his daddy, you can understand why he wants the attention of a man or woman in his life. Rachel, his "mother" at the orphanage, has other children to attend to also, so he doesn't get so much individual time. Several of you who have seen the videos of Moses bathing and standing up, have said you just want to go hold him...or you want to adopt him. He is a special boy.
That reminds me that thanks to Carlos, we have videos on the blog website. I will post more of them so you can hear our kids and see them playing. There will be one there of all of them playing the hokey pokey. They love it - the hokey pokey, not the video :-)
Saturday School was last Saturday, the 4th, and I have included a picture that Rogers sent me. He is telling the Bible story in this picture. There were 248 children from the community. Some come from villages that are 2-3 miles away. They love to come and play, be with other children and, of course, get a snack at the end. Rogers told the Christmas story and the good news that Jesus was sent as a baby for all of us.
The architect has sent the first drawings via email and we are working on getting those finalized to be able to present to the local government for approval. Please continue to pray that all will go smoothly with all of this and the powers that be will let us move on to building soon.
Thanks to all of you who regularly give to this ministry! God is using you and me, Rogers and the staff, to change these children's lives and the lives of the people of Budaka.
Thanks to those of you that have taken up the call to pray for Budaka and Cornerstone. Our Father is answering and giving us wisdom to proceed.
Thanks, too, to the 3 new families who took the $1,000 challenge to raise money for the land and buildings in Budaka so we can take more children and begin a school for our kids and the community. God bless you!
My schedule of travel is this: I will be in California (the Bay Area for now) Jan 13-29 and Texas (Austin) Jan 29-Feb 3. Then I will be in Arizona (Phoenix) Feb 12-15, and Idaho (Burley) Feb 24-28. If you are in or near these places, I would love to see you and tell you in person how thankful we are for your love and support for our kids. Please shoot me an email and let me know how we can meet. (I will be in Oregon and southwest Washington during the other parts of January and February. The only day I am not available is January 10th, when the Ducks play...)
I love you all and hope to see most, if not all of you before I go back to Uganda in March.
Laurie

Dec 1st Update

I'm finding it hard to remember what day is what here in the States. There was so much routine to my week in Budaka, and Mondays was always 1) phone call with Abby; 2) meeting with Rogers; 3) email all of you. The rhythm was great. Now I have great visits with all of you...but no rhythm. All of that to say sorry this email is 2 days late!!

I talked with Rogers yesterday to catch up on what's happening in Budaka. He will be sending pictures on Thursday and I will pass them along, but for now here's the info:

1. A woman from the apartments connected to where we meet for church came on Sunday to church. She is Muslim, but said she has been listening to our worship and preaching for these several months and decided she needed to confess Christ as her Savior. Praise the Lord!
2. The husband of a woman who has come periodically over the past months came on Sunday and wanted to get saved. This woman has come, but has been embittered about her husband leaving her, having no money to feed her kids, etc. She had lost faith that he would ever come around. Now they are back together and both walking with the Lord. Hallelujah!
3. David - I have attached a picture of him so you know who he is - had a worm in his knee, but they got it out and he is doing better. The picture shows him after his first experience painting. Thanks to Jullane who sent the art supplies and to Kirsten and the rest of the World Race Team who taught the kids to paint.
4. The chicks are still not there to begin the chicken/egg business. They were promised, we had paid over 1/2 of the cost as a deposit, but after 3 weeks now of waiting, they still aren't there. Rogers made a trip to Mukono (about 3 hours away) and put some pressure on the people - threatened to take them to the police if they didn't do what they promised - and sounds like we will have chicks within a week or so.
5. The kids are going "home" to their villages on Monday for 5 days. Their school is over on Friday. This is a requirement of the District government (to send them home for some time at the end of every term of school), and the kids do enjoy a short time visiting cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They were very anxious (before I left) to be sure they would be able to be back to Cornerstone by Christmas. As a matter of fact, Margaret (age 4) gave me her request for Christmas dinner - "I want chicken, ice cream, cake and 4 porks." Not sure what 4 porks are, and pretty sure she won't have ice cream (has to be driven from Mbale!), but it was really cute. I need to explain to her that we are not a restaurant that takes orders...

Just a reminder to all of you in the Hillsboro area that there is a meeting next Monday night, December 6th, at 7pm where I will share more information of what is going on, show more pictures and several videos of the kids and staff. There's a video of the kids doing the Hokey Pokey - you don't want to miss that!!

Anyway, email me if you would like to come to the meeting and I will let you know where it's at.
God bless you today. Please remember to pray for our kids (Ronald, Charles, Emma, Ben, Junior, Johnson, Dovico, John, Peter, Isaac, Moses, Amos, Barthlomew, David, William, Stephen, Brenda, Hellen, Margaret, Charity, Natasha, Vanessa, Oliver and Christine) and our staff (Rogers, Betty, David, Stephen, Christine, Mary, Cephas, Geofrey and Rachel). Oh, and the church - sorry, can't list all their names. Pray for safety and that all their needs are met.

Thank you.

Laurie