We want to wish a wonderful Merry Christmas to all of you from us here at Ddembe! We wanted to take a moment to look back on the year and remember its many gifts as we move closer to the beautiful celebration of Christmas.

Due to increasing COVID-19 cases throughout the country, schools remained shuttered for the second year in a row. These early years of learning are critical in the lives of children, and our kids at Ddembe love to learn. The thought of losing another year of school was crushing for many of them, but thanks to your support, we hired private tutors to continue to meet with our kids throughout the year. We’ve seen so many of them improve leaps and bounds in their studies this year, and as schools are set to open in January, many of them will be able to move on to higher grades.

The widow ministry, which is helmed by our beloved Mrs. Mary, has also grown exponentially this year. On the one hand, we are saddened by this because more women’s lives have been marked by tragedy and loss. On the other hand, we rejoice that Ddembe has been able to partner with these women and bring them the hope of the gospel in a season that has seemed devoid of much light. We have been able to weep with them as they wept and rejoice with them as they have rejoiced. Your support has enabled us to do this and include more women in the work happening at Ddembe.

This Christmas, we are thankful for the many partners of Ddembe from the U.S., Uganda, and beyond. You all have blessed us with your prayers, encouragement, and support, and we are so very grateful. Yet ultimately, this Christmas, we are most thankful for Jesus. Because of Him, we can have hope this Christmas and as we look into the days ahead. In Him, we have experienced true love, which leads to hope and ultimately to freedom. Merry Christmas, friends! We pray many blessings on you all this year and beyond.