In May, Ddembe hosted our second annual MEGA Youth Conference. Last year, the conference lasted three days, but the youth and community loved it so much that this year, everyone decided to extend it to five.

Last year, over forty churches united to host this conference. Rather than parting ways until the next youth conference, the youth leaders from each church continued to stand together, forming the MEGA Youth Leaders group. They’ve met once a month for the last year, supporting each other in the various conferences and events each church has hosted. It has been a great inspiration and blessing to us at Ddembe to witness these local leaders joining forces to spread the gospel in their community and throughout the country. Their unwavering passion for the Lord and deep love for one another have been beautiful to witness.  

As the leaders met together in early 2024 to begin the planning process for the conference, they wanted to incorporate more evangelism and outreach in the week leading up to the conference. The leaders and the students from their youth groups partnered together and split into groups, going into three neighboring towns in the week leading up to the conference. They did door-to-door evangelism, showed the Jesus film, and preached the gospel. Some experienced pushback and were nearly attacked for sharing the gospel in certain Muslim communities. Still, amidst it all, many desired to surrender their lives to Jesus!

The youth leaders also decided to host a three-day soccer, netball, and volleyball tournament in the final days leading up to the conference. The response was overwhelming, with around 50 teams signing up to play. The games were held at various pitches throughout town, and every game was a platform for the gospel. Commentators shared the good news alongside their game commentary, and many in the community came to watch and listen. By the end of each day, large crowds had gathered. The impact was profound, with many embracing Christ and the community enjoying the camaraderie of cheering on the players from their villages.

On the Monday after the tournament and community outreaches, we kicked off the start of the MEGA Youth Conference. We welcomed multiple speakers daily – a mix of local church leaders and friends who came on a team from the States to join us for the week. They taught us about what it means to be deeply rooted in Christ, based on Colossians 2:6-15.

A large choir of around 75 youths led everyone in song and dance each day. After every teaching session, students could come forward and ask questions they had after the message, and the teacher and various church members would take an hour or more to walk through each question with the students and show them where the answers to their questions could be found in Scripture. Many of them wanted to know how to deal with temptation, share the gospel with unbelieving family members and friends, deal with spiritual warfare, and more.

Inspired by our friends in the States, Ddembe’s administrator, Moses, suggested we have a bonfire the evening before our conference’s final day. This was a novelty and a first for all our students. We ate grilled pork, shared testimonies, and sang around the campfire until the wee hours of the morning. The students loved it so much that they wanted it to go on until morning, but we finally called it quits at 3 a.m. – ha!

The last day of the conference was a beautiful celebration of everything the Lord did during the conference and a sweet time for many students to come forward for prayer. Many also came forward, sharing that they desired to surrender their lives to Jesus, for which we celebrate! Each student was able to connect with local leaders and churches where they can continue to be discipled and surrounded by Christian community.

We praise God for all He did during the community outreaches, soccer tournaments, and conferences. We give Him all the glory, honor, and praise!

Throughout the years, Ddembe has been connected to a Babies Home in our community. Many of our children have come from this Home as they have grown too old to remain in a home specifically for babies. However, towards the end of 2023, we were informed that the Home would be closing down, leaving many babies with no place to go.

After much prayer and examination of all possible options, Ddembe’s staff in Uganda and the States agreed that the best way forward is for Ddembe Ministries to buy the property where the Babies Home is located and oversee the Home ourselves moving forward. Our desire is to provide a safe and loving environment for every child in need.

Moving forward, Ddembe Ministries will now have a new facet of ministry – Ddembe Babies Home! We are confident that this is the best next step for the children currently living in this Babies Home and for Ddembe Ministries as a whole.

We are now seeking to raise $30,000. This will allow us to purchase the property and support the home for the next year. We humbly ask you to prayerfully consider partnering with us, either through a one-time donation or by becoming a monthly donor. Together, we can bring the love, hope, and freedom of Jesus to these precious babies. Let’s make a difference and change lives!

Ddembe is connected with a baby’s home in a nearby neighborhood. Many of our children at Ddembe have come from this home, and when the authorities come to us regarding cases where the children are too young to live at Ddembe, we connect them with this home.

In the fall of 2023, they contacted us about a 5-month-old baby named Mark, who had been placed in their home. He was born blind, but recently, during a check-up at a nearby clinic, they were informed that there might be a potential solution to Mark’s blindness: surgery that could restore his vision. However, the orphanage couldn’t afford the surgery.

Mark’s story deeply moved us, and like the staff at the baby’s home, we desperately wanted to help with this opportunity to give Mark a chance at seeing the world. We reached out to our network for help, and miraculously, within two hours, we had received enough funds to cover the cost of the two surgeries Mark would need.

The first surgery was nerve-wracking. The anesthesia didn’t work as expected, leaving Mark awake during the procedure. But despite the setback, the surgery was successful. Two weeks later, the second surgery went without a hitch, and this time the anesthesia worked!

As Mark’s eyes adjusted to the world around him, he began to see for the first time. The brightness of the sun, the colors of the flowers, the faces of his caretakers – everything was brand new and beautiful.

With the support of his caregivers and the generosity of strangers, Mark has embarked on a journey of discovery. Every day brings new sights and experiences, filling all our hearts with gratitude.

Mark’s story reminds us that miracles are still happening today, often in moments when we least expect them. As Mark looks out upon the world with his eyes wide open, we know that his future is bright with possibility and that he is loved by our great God!

Mark recovering after his first surgery

Mark with a caretaker after recovering from both surgeries

Greetings from Ddembe! This summer has been packed full of new and exciting things, and we wanted to take a moment to share a little bit about one of our favorite events that has happened so far this summer – our first-ever youth conference! Back in May, we hosted a team from one of our partner churches, The Church at 4Points, and it was such a pleasure to have them join us for our first youth conference.  

For a few years now, we at Ddembe have thrown around the idea of hosting a youth conference, but it wasn’t until this year that everything finally fell into place. Our initial vision was to host a conference for the youth at our home church in Jinja. However, with the encouragement of members of our Ddembe staff, it quickly grew beyond any of our initial thoughts or plans to encompass multiple churches in our area and any youth who desired to attend.

This conference was a beautiful example of the body of Christ working together in unity to glorify the Lord and minister to their community. Over 40 churches in our area partnered together to make this conference possible. The praise team alone had over 100 members comprised of students and leaders from multiple churches and youth groups. Over the course of the three-day conference, 400-500 students attended each day.

The conference centered around Ephesians 2:1-10, as each session walked through these verses and focused on the theme of Gospel Living. We were so grateful to Michael Roche from the 4Points team for leading two of our teaching times and our other leaders in Uganda who led sessions as well.

One of our favorite memories from the conference was a moment after one of our sessions when multiple young men and women came forward to share that they wanted to give their lives to Jesus. The church erupted in shouts and songs while one youth blew a trumpet in celebration, and many students raised their chairs in the air and danced around the room. The scene brought to mind Luke 15:10, and what a beautiful thing to think about – not only the rejoicing on earth in that moment, but the rejoicing in heaven.

We ask that you pray for these students as they get plugged into churches they were connected with during the conference. Some of them have already begun facing persecution, as one of the young men who professed faith in Christ came from a Muslim background and was kicked out of his home once his family discovered his faith. Members of our church have met with the young man and his family on multiple occasions since, sharing the gospel with them and seeking to restore the family relationship. Please pray that this young man’s entire family would come to know and love Jesus and that he would continue to be strengthened and grow in his faith.

We at Ddembe have a heart for the youth of Uganda. They are the future of this country, and each one of them has been divinely placed in this time for a reason. We pray they would have hearts that burn with a love for God and be beautiful ambassadors for Him throughout their country. We also thank the many people who gave, prayed, and served during this conference. Each of you were crucial in making this happen, and we cannot wait for the opportunity to host another conference in the future!

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.

We are so very thankful for partners who help us provide sustainable empowerment opportunities for our families. Last year, Grin Coffee ran a “Goat Fund Me” campaign to raise funds to help provide small livestock (7 goats and 12 pigs) to nine of our Ddembe families.

Rearing livestock is an important pathway out of poverty for rural Ugandans, particularly small livestock such as pigs and goats. Poverty in Uganda is described as a rural phenomenon because most of the people (80%) live in rural areas, are heavily dependant on rain-fed agriculture, and are poor. Livestock keepers are generally better off, and have more income opportunities, than those who depend entirely on crop agriculture, and small livestock can more easily be raised by people with limited land resources. Thank you, Grin Coffee, for showing the love and helping to improve the lives, income, and nutrition status of our Ddembe families.

Not just goats—pigs, too!

Harry and his faithful helpers.

Rogers is always up for a dance break.

Doesn’t everyone give their pig a ride in the van?

Mama Kato has done well with her goats.

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc all around the globe, and Uganda is no exception. Thankfully, we have not had any infections among our Ddembe families, but we have faced a host of challenges due to the restrictions and procedures in response to the virus. Uganda’s governmental lockdown does seem to have helped stem the spread of the virus, but some of the strict measures put in place have also had a significant negative impact on the poorest and most vulnerable. Travel restrictions and home confinements have made working, or even gathering food, nearly impossible for those living in the villages. 

Only single-occupancy vehicles, like boda-bodas (small motorcycles) or tuk-tuks have been allowed on the roads. The impact of this restriction on Ddembe has been that we could only acquire the food and supplies that Moses could attain within walking distance and carry himself. This was sufficient for Ddembe House but not for the care of our widows or families out in the villages.

With the inability to use our regular vehicle, and with no end in site to the lockdown, we had to figure out another way to get to our families, despite the legal restrictions. The solution: a tuk-tuk. (For our western friends, think “3-wheeler with a cargo bed.”)

This was a big investment and unexpected expense for Ddembe—$5000 at short notice for the tuk-tuk and initial food supplies—but we knew it was necessary to provide for our families. We are asking for your help to bear this burden so that no other area of Ddembe may be hindered. Your gift helps Ddembe as a whole and contributes to its continued ministry even in the face of a global pandemic.

This difficult year has affected us all. As it draws to a close, we celebrate what God has done at Ddembe despite the hardships. As we look towards 2021 we expect even greater things! You can be a part of that future today through your gift! It might just be a tuk-tuk, or as we now call it, our “food-tuk,” but it’s also a symbol: Ddembe is about meeting needs so that those within may find rest, and then find the love, hope, and freedom found in Christ. Won’t you help us do that? If so, please click on the DONATE button above and select “Tuk-Tuk” in the Sub-Fund menu.ion

Loading up the tuk-tuk for delivery to Ddembe.

Papa Moses happy to make his first supply run since the lockdown began.

Taking on the supplies.

Unloading supplies to get the ready for distribution.

Flour, soap, beans, rice, sugar…getting it all ready.

Gathering at the church to get ready to distribute the goods to the widows.

One of our Ddembe widows heading home with her supplies.

What a tremendous time of celebration and praise this is! We are beyond excited to introduce to you Ddembe’s first graduates!

Mrs. Agnes (of Agnes’ Childrens’ Care, where these two got their start, and the predecessor to Ddembe) and Papa Moses celebrating our two graduates.

The graduates showing respect and giving thanks to all those who have helped see them through their educational and growth journey.

What a blessing! Gifts of gratitude from Joshua’s extended family for Ddembe. We are thankful for the families we get to know and build relationships with.

Christine and Papa Moses.

Joshua with his Jajja and Papa Moses.

Even royalty was on hand for Joshua’s graduation, as the Busoga King attended a building dedication ceremony on the campus.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:…” 1 Peter 4:10

The rainy season was tough on Ddembe House this year. Not only did the erosion caused by the heavy rains take out our driveway, a portion of the back wall, and the cattle pen, but the constant beating of the rain did quite a number on the paint jobs of the house, the office building, and the wall, too. So now that we’ve gotten our first sunny week in months, it’s a great time to start repairing and sprucing things up. Not only that, it’s a great opportunity to teach the kids some different skills—though I don’t know if paint wars technically qualify as “skills”!—as well as teaching them about stewardship. To have this place that is being used to serve so many is a great gift, and we are so tremendously thankful to have the responsibility of caring for it.

Good job, Ainsley!

Grace is our quality control manager, inspecting all sand piles for playability.

Kato and one of the workers bringing in small stones to mix with the concrete for the corral.

Harry and his faithful helpers.

Rogers is always up for a dance break.

Peacy and Yonna doing some scraping and prep work for the painters.