May 22, 2025

Hi friends and family!

We hope that this update finds you all well! Thankful that spring has begun for many of you welcoming new life and warmth :) We are still hot over here on this side of the world- the only seasonal change for us has been the move from dry season to rainy season. We have exchanged lots of dust for lots of mud, which means lots of baths for Burrus!

We finally got to celebrate Night to Shine with all of the kids who Ekisa serves (~200) as the Ebola outbreak has finally cleared. It was such a joyful night- I think the extended anticipation made it all the sweeter. We ate delicious food, danced for hours, and celebrated how much God values children with disabilities…it was so special!

This week at Ekisa we received a call from one of the social workers that a child with hydrocephalus needed to spend the night at Ekisa- little information given…just that this child needed a safe place to stay until the social workers could find his parents. We waited for a few hours for them to arrive and finally called to check in and see how far they were. The social worker responded that she had “just gotten the children in the car” to which we responded, “Children? We thought there was only one?” She informed us that the situation was worse than they thought, and that three children, all with disabilities, would be spending the night at Ekisa.

Turns out these three precious children were all involved in a very sad and awful trafficking scheme where they were used on the roadside all over the country to convince people to give these men money for the kids' “medical care". The children all came from very poor and vulnerable families who lived deep in the village. These families were lied to and told their children would be taken to a home for children with disabilities in Kampala where they would be taken good care of. In their desperate situations, these families said yes- believing they were doing the best for their children since they struggled to care for them in their homes. Instead of being taken to a children's home, these children were being exploited all over Uganda for money.

We are so thankful that when our social worker passed this man and his “child” on the roadside she trusted her gut that something was off and was able to rescue not only this child, but two others. Since then, our social work team was able to trace and reunify two of the three children with their families- praise the Lord! Please pray for the third child that still remains at Ekisa- that we can work towards reunifying him with his family soon and that the Lord would be near to him as he adjusts to life at Ekisa in the meantime. Our social workers are still looking into the group that was involved in this scheme, but it seems that these are not the only children being used in this way, so please pray for the others and that the Lord would help bring justice to this situation! 

On a lighter, happier note, my parents were able to visit recently and it was the biggest blessing to us!! I am always blown away by the great lengths they will go to be with their children- giving me a little glimpse into the even greater lengths the Lord has gone to be with me for eternity. Burrus and Caroline got to soak up some grandparent time, we got to show them even more of our lives here, and we even traveled to Sipi Falls where we enjoyed some hiking and beautiful scenery together! We felt so encouraged by their visit- they bolstered our spirits and we are so thankful for them! 

Their visit aligned with a very exciting day for Ekisa- the grand opening of the new campus! This day was an incredible testimony of the Lord’s provision and faithfulness to Ekisa. Previously, Ekisa had rented a small home that has quickly been outgrown, but was finally able to buy their own land and build a new campus that is intentionally built for children with disabilities. This means no more wheelchairs getting stuck in the doorways, no more children having to be bathed in the bedroom because the bathroom isn’t accessible, no more being confined inside because the outdoor space has no path for the wheelchairs, and no more money spent on rent! We are so incredibly thankful for this new space that will expand Ekisa’s ability to serve children with disabilities here in Uganda. Everytime we look out at this new campus we are reminded of the ways the Lord provides “immeasurably more than we could ask for or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). 

We continue to feel sustained by the prayers and support of the body of Christ, so we will never miss an opportunity to say thank you! Thank you for being an extension of the Lord's loving hand on our family and on the people we get to serve here in Uganda- it is felt, and we are grateful. 

Here are a few bonus pictures of our two kiddos doing what they do best- faceplanting in mud and wheelchair cuddles with friends!