April 2025 Newsletter
What’s happening?
As of yesterday we finally got all of our students picked up from their respective boarding schools for their 4 week term 1 holiday. 3 students went back for a holiday program for extra lessons at school and we have also hired a teacher to come to the project on Mondays and Fridays for extra lessons for some of our students who are still pretty far behind. Since some of the boys didn’t start school until they were much older, they missed out on the fundamentals of English and other simple tasks. We pray that during this holiday they will be able to catch up a little more, since we have a teacher who can come and focus on our small group. Education is so important, and we are trying to help these young men be successful in the future.
Speaking of education, Joy and Ben have also been in class this month! They were able to attend an intensive training through the Trauma Healing Institute, to become certified to teach a trauma healing course that will greatly benefit our boys and the organization as a whole. They finished the course last week, just in time to help with school pick up, and will lead the first group of boys through this program starting next week. Our boys have years of built up trauma, so we pray that this biblical based counseling will help them greatly.
We also have been able to start working on setting up the 4th small business of the year! Alvin has been working with a local barber doing an apprenticeship for quite some time, and now is the proud owner of his own barber shop. (Fun fact, here in Uganda they call them “Sal-oon” but spelled Salon. When I first moved here and heard someone saying they were going to the saloon I had to ask a lot of questions!) We have purchased his small building and are in the process of purchasing all of the items he needs to be successful. He should be up and running by next week, Lord willing!
Another amazing feat for the month, Kanyama is finally walking now! He has many restrictions and is supervised and partial weight bearing for the next couple months, but he’s walking! The first day I was able to take him to church he asked if he could walk to the front and testify of his God story! He’s over the moon happy to be making progress and praises God every day for saving his life from the accident, for making him sober, and allowing him to meet Jesus for the first time in his life! Praise God for him!
The young man, Jonathan, that I wrote about last month, with the burns, is improving daily. Thank God he didn’t allow the hosptial to amputate his hand, because we are seeing great progress in healing. He gets daily wound care and bandage changes, as well as medication, but compared to a month ago, there’s such a drastic change! Jonathan has since surrendered his life to Christ, and loves praying and preaching in bible study. He’s so thankful for God’s mercy and the friend who directed him to come to our project for a second opinion! Praise God for this young man and for allowing Experience Hope to continue serving all of the young men who have lost all hope, in even the smallest of ways.
I had a first this month also. My passport is running out of space since I am still waiting on my work permit and having to get temporary visas regularly. I made the trek to Kampala to the American Embassy last week to apply for a new passport. I’ve never had to go there before, but grateful I know the place now. I had to go through so many security check points, but finally got to the place I needed to be, and will have a new passport in 10 days for no extra fees! Much quicker than in America! Hopefully I never need to know where the Embassy is, but now I do, just in case. The US Ambassador is coming to Jinja in 2 weeks to meet with US citizens about the upcoming security issues that come with elections/rallies. I’m looking forward to meeting him and being a part of that discussion as well.
We have had 14 positive malaria cases in the last 3 days, plus our 3 who are recovering at the project with wounds/injuries, and many other new boys who have been coming from the streets for medical/dental care recently. We basically have a mini hospital going on right now. Rainy season brings cooler weather but also an influx of malaria and colds. However, the most beautiful thing is when boys come for treatment, the ones who are staying at the house come and pray for them and also typically share something from the bible with them, without being told to do so. This is the power of the Gospel and disciples making disciples! Thank you Father for these young men who are all in for Christ now!
What’s to come?
Our students will all go back to school for term 2, the last week of May. We have a pretty busy holiday program for them to keep them busy and off the streets and out of trouble. It makes our days many and long at the project, but I love seeing these young men grow and change! I have a great team working with me, but it’s all hands on deck every day with 40 extra people in and out daily!
We still have 1 more small business to get up and running, but the young man is in the village with family for a few weeks before coming back to settle down. Once he returns in a couple of weeks, we hope to be able to sit down with him and begin working on that.
Our project house got broke into this past weekend, so we are working on amping up security around there to keep the young men safe, who sleep there. Currently, during school holiday, we have an extra 4 boys staying there, on top of the 2 who live there and the 3 who are there recovering medically. None of the boys were hurt during the break in, and only a few things were stolen that were outside. We have our suspicions on who it was, but no proof until we hear otherwise. We are working on adding extra glass shards and razor wire on top of the compound walls, and installing a security camera system as well.
Another super exciting thing going on, is that one of our boys has been nominated by a local government official to be a chairman of his village! This is HUGE for him! The same official who nominated him, once told me that he would never change and would always be a thief in the community. He’s seen such a drastic change in this young man that he wants to allow him to be an overseer in the community. It speaks volumes about what God has done and is doing in the lives of these young men! Hopefully in the next newsletter I can share the good news that he’s won the election!
Thank you
Thank you is only a small phrase that we can say to all of you who pray for us, support us, and help us to continue the work we do with these young men. We have many challenges every day, but God continues to give us wisdom and discernment to pour into the guys we work with. Sometimes we see failure and it’s easy to get discouraged, but then God always shows us a wink of success and renews the hope we have for these young men. While there are still many who are not ready to change, there are many who can’t turn back to their old ways. We count each successful transformation a great blessing from God. Thank you for standing with us in this gap as we serve those that God has called us to work with here in Uganda. May God bless you!
Can you spy Zack, up in the Avocado tree?? We had picked all of the ones at the bottom and it was time to get more from the top!
Rush hour in Jinja, Uganda!
Can you help?
I will be heading stateside in October for about a month to do fundraising for the next year. During this time I’ll be in Tennessee mostly, but will also travel to Jacksonville, Florida for a week or so, and possibly Ohio again. I’m also willing to travel other places but funds are limited on travel. I’m also in need of a few things during my time there and ideas/help with fundraisers.
I will need to borrow a car to get around while I’m visiting. Anything automatic and reliable is perfect. I will fly down to FL then drive there, but drive all around TN.
Does anyone have any connections with businesses, coffee shops, restaurants, etc who may be willing to do a fundraising night where part or all of the proceeds can go to our ministry here in Uganda to support the young men we work with?
I would also love to come share with others what God is doing here. If you have a church or small group, or even a group of friends who would love to hear more about the ministry and what we do, we can arrange it!
If anyone has ideas or wants to connect regarding any of these things, please email me thens1213@gmail.com.
How can you help?
Prayer requests:
Pray for our many students who are now home for holiday, that they make wise choices, stay healthy, and study hard during this time.
Pray for all of our young men as they continue to grow and rehabilitate and my team as we navigate the many obstacles that we are daily surrounded with. From corrupt government to corrupt hospitals, we try to be the voice and the safe space for so many situations that I can’t even begin to describe.
Continued prayers for my work permit to be processed with no more delays or problems. What was supposed to take 3 weeks has now been in process for 6 months, but no real reasons as to why. The most recent update is that the NGO bureau is changing leaders/positions so it’s on someone’s desk waiting. I’m not the only person waiting, there’s hundreds in the same stack, so I continue praying and waiting.
Pray for safety for all of us as riots and unrest are becoming more prevalent leading up to the presidential elections for Uganda.
Pray for financial donors who can help partner with us to do the work that GOD has called us to. It’s only by HIS will that we are here doing what we are doing and we need financial partners to do this work. Tangible things such as a safe room, food, school fees, and medical care show these young men that they’re not given up on, like so many people here tell them. Education and Medical are typically our biggest expenses and both are life changing for these young men.
How is God calling you to partner with us?
Through prayer? Through financial giving? We believe that even as just one of these young men changes, there’s many more ready to start a new life also, due to the testimony of the one. God calls some of us to go, some of us to stay, some of us to give and some of us to pray. Where do you fit in? Please consider joining us in bringing hope and healing to these precious young men! So many in their community have given up on them, but we know that God has called them to more!
TAX DEDUCTIBLE CHECKS mailed to:
GoSendMe Global
PO Box 913106
Sherman, TX 75091
(Make checks out to “GoSendMe Global” and include a note with the check- but not written directly on the check- that it is for me, Tara Henson, Uganda)
VENMO: @Tara-Henson-1
PAYPAL: @TaraHenson
ZELLE: thens1213@gmail.com
How to Connect
EMAIL: thens1213@gmail.com
Isaiah 1:17 (CSB)
“Learn to do what is good.
Pursue justice.
Correct the oppressor.
Defend the rights of the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.”
