IN 2007, GOD BIRTHED
MISSIONS IN MY HEART AND HIS CALL UPON MY LIFE TO REACH OUT TO THE DISADVANTAGED AND THE LOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
Please let me clarify that to
be disadvantaged means to be in a place of UNFAVORABLE CONDITIONS, UNDER PRIVILEGED,
and LACKING ADVANTAGES. THAT IS WHAT LIFE LOOKS LIKE FOR
MOST AFRICANS ON A DAILY BASIS!!!
BUT GOD HAS HEARD OUR
PRAYERS AND CRIES and is saving people, healing them, and providing for them. He
is the God who loves Africa and sent His only begotten Son to die for the
people of Africa, which includes the children He created. His will is to deliver the people and
children of Africa from poverty and give them a hope and a future.
Because of the
passion God has given me for the disadvantaged, I have been meeting children who have literally stolen my heart. The first 3 children I met were the children
in a place called Masindi district. These
children were double orphans and the eldest was 9 years old. They were staying
in a house alone with NO ONE CARING FOR THEM, NO FOOD, and no one to direct
them, advise them, or show them parental love.
I was so touched and moved with compassion, but at that time, I was just
a student and was not in a position to change their situation. I went home BUT I couldn’t sleep!!! I kept on praying for them and up to now, I
don’t know how they are doing or where they are. I have been praying for them to have a future.
I kept meeting many children like these everywhere I went, who
were disadvantaged like in the village I grew up in. As I have grown into adulthood, I have found that out of 100 children only
10% of them can manage to have parental care and make it in life. The rest of the 90% in the villages are suffering
and greatly lacking.
One day I visited a place called Burora IN KANNUNGU DISTRICT. When I reached there, my friends started
telling me a story of how a certain widow in that village lacked food for her
four children. She decided to bring a
man into this family to help her in raising the children, but instead of being
a blessing, this man started abusing the young children sexually. THIS
MOTHER COULD NOT TALK and report it, because she had no help and thought that
if she talked, the man will leave her.
Finally, the elder child and also the mother became sick and it was
discovered that they were both HIV positive.
When they were taken to the hospital, this young girl was full of pain and
had to tell the story. The father and mother
were imprisoned and died there. I asked
my friend to take me to visit the remaining children. I was again moved by passion
when I found that these children needed a home where they could be loved, cared
for, had nourishment, and were treasured.
In May 2012, I was working in one of our medical missions in
a place called Buyikwe district, which is one of the Uganda’s very remote areas. As we were carrying out free medical treatment,
I met four malnourished, weak, and sick looking children. I asked their history and was told that their
parents died of HIV/AIDS, so we decided to do a HIV/AIDS test on them. They all tested positive!!! Immediately, I was moved by passion and felt
like these children could have a future.
They only needed a home that could provide for them the basic needs of life. I took them to the hospital and WE INITIATED
them on the ARV’s. I kept on providing for
their basic needs, which was so hard and costly, because they lived far
away. But the problem was they had no one
to care for them, no peace in their heart, and education was a problem. This day was the day I felt God directing me
to begin the MERCY HOUSE CHILDREN’S
HOME. I started praying and asking
God if this is the right time to start and had also been praying for financial
provision.
Another factor to why I felt of beginning a children’s home was, in 2009, when I went into my home district and found refugees in need who had come from Congo. Some of them had no parents, as they were killed by the rebels. I saw how these innocent children were suffering and I was moved by passion to help them, so I asked my father to please help them wherever possible. I remember that he would carry food to them for some time, but it was hard for him because even he himself was struggling. I kept on asking God to help us begin a children’s home in order to help children like these.
Because of this act of love, when this girl was taken back
to her village, God used what she had passed through to save very many people
in her village, including the government officials. But soon after that, she
started passing through childhood abuse and was even being be whipped by the
stepmother, since both her mother and father were deceased. She so desired to be in school but had no education
and no one to take care for her properly.
Through prayer and love towards her, we felt we should do more than this. THE GOOD
NEWS IS WE FELT BY FAITH THAT IT WAS TIME TO START MERCY HOUSE CHILDREN’S HOME,
WHICH WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED ON OCTOBER 30, 2012, AND THE FIRST CHILD WE HAVE TAKEN IN IS
DENAVENSI. GOD HAS PROVIDED SPONSORSHIP
FOR HER SCHOOLING AND TUTORING, ALL HER PERSONAL SUPPLIES, AND THE FOOD NEEDED
FOR HER. IN THREE WEEKS TIME, GOD HAS
RESTORED HER JOY AS A CHILD, IS FULL OF PEACE, HAS A SMILE ON HER FACE, AND IS
STUDYING HARD AND DOING WELL IN SCHOOL.
WE GIVE GOD ALL THE GLORY AS HE IS FAITHFUL AND TRUE!!!
We are hoping to be able to take in more
children before the end of this year. WE
COVET YOUR PRAYERS AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN THIS VENTURE!!! WE BELIEVE God desires to make a difference
in these children’s lives and wants to give them a future and a hope. We also believe they deserve parental love and care and a place to call home. This is why we felt that we were supposed to
call it Mercy House Children’s Home, instead of an orphanage. We want the children to know they belong, are
loved, and are cared about.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF MERCY HOUSE
CHILDREN’S HOME
Children are people too, made in God’s image and likeness!!! Mercy House’s main objective is to bring
children in off the street, delivering them from a helpless situation or an orphanage
mentality, and turning them into good responsible Christians and citizens, who
have a destiny and a purpose for living.
It is our desire that the orphans get help, find meaning in
life, and feel that they belong in a home where Christ’s love is shown and
demonstrated.
We want to help them realize that life has not ended when
they have lost their parents, that He will console them, heal them, and set
them free. We want them to know God
still has a plan for them. We desire to be fathers to the fatherless and mothers to the motherless, as the
Lord has commissioned us.
We desire that all these children get an education through
sponsorship, so they may become self-reliant in the future. We also want to train them to help others who
are in need.
We would like to give these children good health services by
building a clinic at the home and have a doctor available of them.
We desire to provide and care for all their basic needs of life.
I pray that God will bless you in all that you are doing to help relieve poor and suffering children in Uganda, Africa.
Yours in Christ
Dr. Gilbert Birungi
I pray that God will bless you in all that you are doing to help relieve poor and suffering children in Uganda, Africa.
Yours in Christ
Dr. Gilbert Birungi
