Learning Over the Break

Pictures of Yosam (top) and Jackie enjoying compter games over their holiday break. I think their favorite thing to do each day is sit with me on the bed and play games at www.abcya.com.

Future Site of Vision of Destiny International School

See the future site of Vision of Destiny International School!

Vision of Destiny purchased 7 acres of land about a 30-40 minute drive from the city center, depending on traffic. We wanted to stay nearby so that the children receiving ARVs wouldn't have difficulty in continuing to access the medical care they need.

Yeah, I know, it just looks like bush! And right now it is......... However, keep following us over the next few years as it turns from bush to one of a handful of international schools in Uganda.

Thanks to all of you who have been supporting us so far along our journey. You are greatly appreciated and we couldn't have made it this far without you!

Sponsorship, Sponsorship

We've got some good news and some bad news.....

Good news: Janet now has a sponsor! This means one less child waiting!

Bad news: Wind Mary and numerous others are still waiting.

This year has been really slow on child sponsorship. Since the year's beginning, only 3 new sponsors. It can be discouraging at times. However, we know that these children belong to God and He can make a way where we see there to be no way.

Please join us in prayer and in spreading the word in the need for more child sponsorships.

Janet

So, I didn't meet my goal of putting a post each week of a child waiting for a sponsor......... I really need to do better. Thanks to all of you who read and shared about Wind Mary. However, she is still waiting for a sponsor.

Today, I'd like for you to meet Janet. Janet has been a student at Vision of Destiny since May of last year. That means for almost a year she has been waiting for a sponsor.

You might be asking how does she get to attend school if she's not already sponsored? The answer: God has been gracious to us in providing the funds to keep many children not yet sponsored in school. But, these children don't enjoy the privilege of knowing there is someone out there in the world that loves and cares for them. When it is time to send letters to sponsors, they have no one to send a letter to.

Janet is one of these children. For almost a year, she's been watching as her classmates and friends prepare their letters for their sponsors. She's been watching as they receive letters and pictures back from their sponsors.

Janet is a single orphan. Her father died, leaving her with her mother. Her mom works in a local market selling veggies to support the family. This income brings in enough to put food on the table and shelter over their heads, but not enough to pay school fees for Janet and all her siblings.

Janet's mother is hard working. She works so hard that one afternoon, she kept working into the evening, not realizing that no one had yet picked Janet from school. At 10:00 in the evening she called to ask if Janet was still at school. Yes, she's still at school. But, by that time, it was too late for her mom to come from where she was to pick her up. So, Janet had to spend the night at school and was picked up in the morning. Yet, another reason that we desperately need a boarding school. But, that's a post for another day.

As you read this, maybe you can pray about sponsoring Janet or one of the other waiting children? Or you can pass this along to a friend that might consider sponsoring? Sponsoring is simple. It's only $35 a month. That's a small commitment for most of us out there in the world. Many of us spend more than that each month on frivolous things. If you would like more information on sponsoring Janet or anther child at Vision of Destiny please visit our website at http://www.vodafrica.org/ or email me at nashsanyu@yahoo.com.

Wind Mary

This is Wind Mary. She is a student at Vision of Destiny and she is still waiting for sponsorship.
Wind Mary is from Southern Sudan. Her family fled the war there. Upon reaching Northern Uganda, her father was killed by rebels.
She lives with her mom, two siblings, and an uncle in a single room. She's an outgoing and friendly girl, helpful to her family, and a bright student.
Why don't you bless her life as well as yours by sponsoring her.

To sign up for sponsorship, email me at nashsanyu@yahoo.com or go to www.vodafrica.org for more details.

New Look

Our new sign letting you know you have reached Vision of Destiny!


This year's teachers: Santa, Betty, Sylvia, Zaitun, Jane, and Lydia.

The outside wall of the school. Along the wall that you can't see well in this photo is the alphabet.

The inside wall!

More of the inside wall.

One of the inside walls. You can see the concrete slab which has been made. We're soon putting a tent up so that children will have shade as well as a dining area to eat from.

Our new kitchen! It's almost twice the size of the old one......

Our new stove. It's made of brick and will help us to save on the use of firewood.

We're excited about this new school year! Please pray with us as we begin on Jan. 31 with 108 children!

The Enemy Might Put Up a Fight But God Will Surely Win

So, again it's been a while since I've blogged. It's mostly likely due to a crazy past few weeks. And not just because of the Christmas holidays.
You know any time God is doing something magnificent, the enemy surely has to try to block it.
Vision of Destiny is God's project. It's His. It belongs to Him. He's the one that put the desire in my heart. He's the one that makes it happen. He is the one who provides. How He chooses to do each of these things is totally up to Him. It's only up to me to allow myself to be used by Him. The same with other people. And loads of people have come alongside of me to help me on this journey. Each in his/her own way, using his/her own gift has been a blessing to me. For each one of these people I will be forever grateful.

The last few weeks, I've been telling myself something big is about to happen. You see, the enemy was just fighting too hard. It felt like he was fighting me and those around me (and still does at moments). But, he's not really fighting me, he's fighting God. The enemy knows that for each child taken out of despair and given God's truth, that's one less person on his side.

I don't want to go into much of the details as I don't want to give the enemy any glory when he is due none. I'll just share that I was really hurt by some of the actions of people around me, most particularly a parent that has been extended help over and over again.
However, despite the struggle, it has helped us to move into the next phase. Our attorney is preparing to hand in all our paperwork for registering an NGO and we have begun the process of licensing the school. The NGO will take several weeks and the licensing could take several months. But, the good news, the process has begun!

Now, why should the enemy be fighting against VOD? We are growing- and growing tremendously. The nursery school next year will have almost double the number of students. There will be an intern working with us for about three months. A family is flying in a week after the intern and will be with us for at least a year (hopefully a lot longer). Computers have been donated for the nursery school. All the money for back to school next term has been raised (school fees for children not yet sponsored, school supplies and uniforms for children not yet sponsored, etc. ).
And........ a very large donation towards land (which has its own amazing story of how it was provided to the person who gave it!) meaning land will be purchased in the next few weeks! Of course the enemy has to fight.... the school is going to grow again. And with the prospect of a boarding school, how much more of a chance to change the lives of children!

So, while the enemy is trying to put up a fight, he will be defeated. God is in control and I know He loves and cares for each one of the children involved with Vision of Destiny.
Again, a very big thanks to each person that has supported me and/or the school, those of you that have been faithful in praying for us, and a big hug to all those that have visited us this year. All of us here thank you for all the encouragement that you bring to us.