rhondajwelch

Prison Ministry

For months now Salima and I have been ministering to the women in our local prison. It is really heartbreaking to hear some of their stories. Women here are treated so badly, very few rights, mistreated by husbands. There is one lady that because her husband stole something and then ran away they have arrested her. If they are accused of not paying back a debt the accuser can come every week and give money to keep them in, which adds to the total they owe. And no way to earn money while on the inside. Currently there are three babies in there with their mothers. It’s been rainy and cold and these babies have no clothes so Salima took $15 and bought clothes and blankets for them.

For the past few weeks there has been a girl there that at first they said they put her in because she previously sold fries for lunch in front of a bar and then started acting crazy. So they thought maybe she was on drugs and were waiting to see if she would “dry out”. But after three weeks now she still hasn’t changed. I was sick and unable to go Monday so Salima and now because we have given her courage, the wife of the Pastor that has gone for years and preaches with Chris goes with us.. The story they now have gotten – and we aren’t all clear about it – was somehow she was doing some kind of “errands “ for some men for a while but one day they called her to come and she was accosted by a group of men and since then has been out of her mind. Crazy acting which is understandable if she can’t work through what happened to her. They haven’t found family and there isn’t much help for girls or women that are attacked in that way. She has been on my heart these weeks but right now we don’t know how to help. I want to bring her home but unless God is leading we don’t know all the consequences that can bring or if we could even help her. So please pray for this young lady. Prison is no place for a victim like her.

It is hard for me at times, anxiety of speaking to a group, sometimes feeling like a hypocrite when I go and speak and my relationship with God isn’t going so well and sometimes the heartbreak and helplessness I feel is too much to handle . But just showing up and loving these women have made a change in them and to me. So please pray for me to have strength, courage and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit as I speak to these ladies. I am so thankful to Salima and now Rebecca for going with me. I can relate to the ladies in many ways just as a woman but they can also add to what I speak about in a way that speaks to them culturally also.

$13 worth of clothing for the babies. Salima stretches every bit of money we give her to get the most out of it. I am so thankful for her.

Protected: Lizzy Bruin

Visitation Day

Saturday we got to visit our kids at school. We haven’t seen them since the end of January. They are all doing so well and we had a great day. The youngest is Elisa and he is a character. We’ve been caring for them since he was just a baby. He keeps us laughing! They get excited because we bring lunch, goodies, and pocket money for the canteen! I want to commend the school for taking precautions, before we could enter school grounds we had to get out of the car and wash our hands.

The oldest, Phiona will be leaving primary school at the end of the year and we have to make decisions about where she will go next. She has struggled all through school and is now 17 and is in what we would consider about the seventh/eighth grade. Secondary school is tough and we don’t think she’d do well so she is thinking about going to tailoring school instead. She wants to be a clothing designer. And luckily we have already put Takia through tailoring school so she could be a great mentor to her and she won’t be far away. It is going to be very hard either way for her to leave her siblings because she has been mother to them for the past five years since their mother died. We were encouraged that their father had started to come around but were just told he married his third wife and left. He left the second wife with them (here on the village) and she doesn’t like them. When they are home for holidays she cooks her own food and the girls have to prepare food for the six of them. Pray with us about Phionas future and the decisions we will have to help her make.

For once I am not just behind the camera!

He stuffed it in a bag for later and put it in his locker. Hopefully he ate it that night!

“Posing” with the three girls! Rebecca, Naomi and Phiona

Elisa the wild child. He opened and drank from three sodas for the kids lunches before we caught him!

Naomi is the second wild child, so hilarious! She is trying to use each of Salimas fingers to unlock her phone. They love to take our phones!

As it is harder to make blog posts there is sometimes more stories on FB. You can follow us on The Mandate Uganda on Facebook.

Protected: Selfies

A little joy for your day!

“Baby Christian” is growing up! He has the funniest personality. He’s been Raelee’s little man since he was born and hangs out at our house just about everyday. He’s been in Sunday School since he was a couple months old and he sings songs all the time. And loves to dance. Here he is showing off his moves!

Feeding Monkeys

When we got to the park at the Nile we didn’t see but one monkey. After the first banana was thrown out there were hundred that came. So many babies that were so cute. I had to use my very heavy 300mm lens to get the babies because when people come too close they climb onto the mother’s belly. There was one big one that started chasing Raelee, she started running and crying even though I was almost between them. I keep telling her to run to Daddo or just drop the bag! She made it to Daddo while I was throwing things at him! All he wanted was a banana. He got up on the wall and ate about six bananas! I wish the one was clearer, he was shoving all bananas in as fast as he could so he could have more!

We also saw fisherman doing their daily job to sell fish later.

Also saw other wildlife but no Nile monitor-lizards today.

Christmas Joy

Investing in others’ lives is not always easy or painless. But being a living example of the love Jesus has for each of us encourages others to move near Him and give love to others. Children learn by example. We have testimony of the young women we have discipled, loved and taught by example that are now being role models and passing it on. Thank you Salima for making these children’s day today. I want you to look at the faces of joy that $15 each gave them for Christmas! And what really makes us proud is that they make the most with what they are given. These are the joys that give me hope and keep me going on the hard days. Four years of investing of our time, love and money has not been wasted! The love and knowledge of Jesus is being paid forward!

And the message I got when I told Salima thank you.

Serving the Karamojong People

Christian and a few Pastors from Mustard Seed Fellowship Church were able to go up to Karamojo to meet people in a few different villages. In this one, which was one of the worst, they have no latrines, they believe latrines will make them sterile so they just go wherever, all over inside their “compound”. Then with the rains it is all muddy and mixed together. They have no bore holes so the water they drink usually comes from either water that runs down the mountains and makes puddles that is then mixed with excrement. A lot of the children (even as old as 10-11 walked around in shorts and no pants. The shirts didn’t cover anything). They have a Church and a Pastor who they said seems to really have a love for the people. Please pray for the Karamojong people. And pray with us as we follow God’s leading in how we might be able to help. We also pray that God will lead someone close by that can teach them about hygiene, take the stigma and myth away from latrines and teach them to grow food on such fertile land. It is from the giving hearts like you that enables us to help people who have never seen the outside world and don’t know how to live any differently than they do.

Their house walls are only about 3’ tall. The doors 2 1/2 x 3’. Easier to keep thieves out.

This is a pretty big guy going through their gate of the fence surrounding the village. There are vines intertwined with sticks

Everyone was very humble and thankful for the food that they received.

There was no pushing or shoving or fighting for food and clothing. In the background you can see their church building outside their village fence.

Giving

Many friends and family ask at Christmas if they can send us something. It really costs too much to send packages. This year has been a rough year and our vacation – and I am very grateful to our organization- was spent with me having surgery and recovering for six weeks! (So thankful I had a wonderfull place to recuperate, even though I wasn’t allowed to do anything fun!) So, if you would like to donate personally to us to add to what we already have so that we can take a much needed break. Send to Rhonda Welch 207 Jimmy Olen Rd Anacoco LA 71403. To be clear this for us personally.

Or for Christmas giving we always appreciate donations to our organization so that we can keep continuing the work we do making an impact on our village. There are many different projects or a general fund that goes towards all work including bore holes. 100% of your donations go directly to the work The Mandate does. On https://themandate.com/donate/ you can see different projects you can donate to. We have been making Christmas clothes for the children this year so if you want to donate directly to that just put a note saying Christmas. Please make your check out to “The Mandate” and mail to P.O. Box 6798, Shreveport, LA 71136. Please specify the Project or Program it is intended for.

Always pray for us, and for our village ministry, the inmates we minister to and everyone that helps us in our work.

Graduation Day!

It is official now! Cap and gown and party!

I have been having bad internet service so it’s been awhile making posts. This was November ninth.

Congratulations to a very hard working young lady! She has already registered her community based organization – Redemptive Ministries so that she can give back to her community. It is community based so part of her work is to get people in the community involved in helping themselves as she helps them.

She is the first in her village to graduate college with a bachelors degree in Social work so when she got back home there was a big crowd waiting for her! She said there were so many people she didn’t even know and even the Chairman came and made a speech. (We didn’t stay very long – long enough to cut the cake she wanted me to make just for her!)

I though to was very cool that the graduates sashes were like a hood and when they turned them around people were able to put money into it. She also got gifts – including a rooster and two chickens! She was blown away at all the attention. But she definitely deserves it!