August 2026 Newsletter
What’s happening?
76 days...That’s how many days total Mama Zack ended up staying with us before we were able to take her back home to her eagerly awaiting husband, family, and friends in the village. What a journey it was, and still is. We continue to check on her, daily, to make sure she’s following the rules we set in place to best prepare her body for the final abdominal mesh surgery in February. I had to take her for a repeat Ultrasound this past week due to some lingering pain, but everything was all clear, praise God! We think it’s just scar tissue and the extensive healing that her body is going through from all of the surgeries and massive infection she dealt with over the last few months. Overall, we are so grateful for her life and what God has brought her through.
Such a major event like this, just continues to remind me why I’m here. To be a voice for the voiceless. While Mama Zack isn’t one of the young men that I primarily work with, she is the mom of one, from a tribe that’s one of the most looked down on, in Uganda. When God burdened my heart for her I knew that something major was going to come from it. This whole journey has opened her eyes and her heart to Jesus in a huge way. She’s left her old life, and started a new one in Christ, because of what God did for her. She tells everyone her testimony and knows she wouldn’t have survived this whole ordeal without God, and we continue to praise Him for how he continues to work in her life. We pray that she can be a voice for the Lord in her community and be a shining light for change there as well.
Zack, her son that we sponsor, is home from school now for 2 weeks. He’s staying with them to help around the house and do all of the heavy lifting, as his mom can’t, until we do the final surgery and she recovers fully. This is also a huge step for Zack. 2 years ago Zack was the leader of a gang and when we took him to Bible camp, away from Jinja, his gang killed a man that night, without him present. Zack was one of the most wanted and hunted people in that area for almost a year because everyone assumed he was a part of it since he was the leader, so we never let him go back home, without supervision, and he hasn’t stayed at home since then. Zack has had such a drastic life change over the last 2 years, and even moreso since Mama became so sick. We continue to pray that he will make wise choices and truly do what’s right, while helping his family, over the next 2 weeks. He also will be coming to the project daily M-F for our holiday programs and bible studies, but going back and forth also brings a lot of temptations. We pray for strength and wisdom for him, and that his eyes be set on things of God, not things of the past.
We have continued to have an influx of new boys coming over the last month. Some have come from villages into town for “a better life”, for the first time. Some have left other organizations due to this and that. And, some have been on the streets for many years and have finally decided they want to explore change. It’s been sweet seeing so many new faces every day and how everyone welcomes others into the house. We have one big beautiful dysfunctional family, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. Our bible studies have been very interactive with great discussions, praise and worship time are always exciting and fun, and hearts are softening all around. We continue to pray for all of these young men and continue to ask for wisdom and discernment in seeking their truth and way forward with the organization. Some come expecting things, which we don’t just freely give. Some come seeking respite and change. Lord let us be the safe place of peace they need to see you.
We have also had an influx of new medical cases recently as well. Some of this comes with the new boys who are now coming, and some have been dumped at the gate seeking any sort of hope. This month we have had several pretty significant burns, one very serious that required intensive burn treatment for almost the entire month, after a lady poured a large saucepan of boiling beans on him, burning about 70% of his torso, 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He is now healed and doing well, but it was a journey to get here. Lord continue to provide good medical supplies, funding, wisdom, and knowledge in how to continue to treat everyone you bring to us, and let us be a light in the darkness they’re surrounded with.
All of our primary and secondary students came home from school this month also, for their 2nd term holiday. What is usually a chaotic series of events as it is, became even more-so this go round, due to some new laws and regulations within the country. During this school term, many buses used for school tours, had terrible accidents killing many students and teachers, all across Uganda. This prompted the police and government to ban all mass transporting of students in buses and coasters for the duration of the 2026 school year. Well, for us, that brings a huge problem, because we have so many students at each school, and both schools are an hour or more away. The typical way that we transport students back and forth is by hiring a coaster or taxis to help us transport in one fail swoop, vs me making many trips in my, non fuel efficient, car. We ended up having to pay more than 4x the usual price for getting our primary students back to town, since they have to cross the bridge over the Nile, where police almost always stop public transport, and more than double the price for picking up secondary students, due to the fear of the drivers losing their ability to continue driving. This was settled after searching for almost a week for someone who was willing to help us. Primary had no issues coming back, but secondary got stopped and questioned 5 times on the way back. Ben tried asking the officers what we can do for reporting 3rd term, but no one would give him a clear answer, but allowed them to continue on their journey. Everyone goes back Sept 13th, so we are praying and trying to figure out how to best solve this new issue and get everyone back in the most efficient way possible for their final term of school. 47 of our 52 students are in primary or secondary school. This is no easy feat for us. Lord give us wisdom in what to do to get them back to finish well.
Joy and I also took a very long road trip to western Uganda, almost 10 hours away, one way, to take one of our students for his first semester at Kampala International University in Ishaka. Kenneth is our first Bachelor seeking student and we are so very proud of him! He got the top score on his Senior 6 test, at his school, so we know he’s going to do great things in University as well. He’s studying Agriculture Extension and Rural Innovation, which is why he went to the far west side of the country. All of the big and more innovative farms are on that side of the country, so he will be able to have the best learning experiences and internships there. We pray this will set him up for a great future. His program is 3.5 years. We had to drive one full day, find an apartment, buy everything to get it set up the next day, and leave him the next day to drive the whole day back. It was a whirlwind to say the least and I was beyond ready to get out of the car. But he’s getting acclimated to the school and the town and we pray for him to continue to make wise choices, stay humble, and work hard, while always keeping God first. He called me this weekend to tell me he found a new church that he really likes, also. So that’s a huge win also, considering the town’s primary religion is Islamic.
Morris is starting his 2nd month of nursing school and has realized really quickly it’s not all fun and games! He had to buckle down and get serious real quick, but he says he’s doing well and excited to learn. He will be going for his first clinical placement in September.
What’s to come?
We continue to have our daily holiday programs and bible studies at the project. Paper bead making, holiday packets, study groups for candidates, new boys, feeding programs, medical care, etc. Busy, but beautiful times.
While everyone is at the house, we are also working on uniform, backpack, and shoe repairs, getting all of the school supplies for 3rd term, and figuring out school fees and requirements lists for each school. It’s list after list and dividing and conquering to get everything checked off. Thankful for a great team to help me!
I’ll also be heading to America in a little over 2 weeks, for 8 weeks. Not only am I preparing for back to school, I’m preparing for being gone for almost 2 months. That’s also a feat, in itself, to organize. Getting money out from the ATM and organized for Joy and Ben, lining up rent payments and utility payments I can’t pay from abroad, school visitations, prayer days at school, and knowing some of the students will be coming home early after testing, even before I’m back in the country. Again, it’s just a lot of logistical things going on, but I have total confidence that everything will be fine while I’m gone.
After 3rd term, when I’m back, we also will be sending 35-40 of our big boys to bible camp again in December. We just got all of the paperwork and applications for that, so we’ve started tackling that as well. Our boys love going to camp and we always see such a growth in them when they return. Thankful to God that we were connected with Teen Mission 4 years ago. Our little guys will also, again, attend a youth Bible camp with Joy and Ben’s church for 4 days. They have been asking when it is going to be again, since coming home last year! They also love their camp so much.
Thank you!
Thank YOU! Thank you for praying for us and with us! Thank you for donating, so that we can provide the great needs to these young men, and families, that otherwise aren’t available to them.
Thank you to those who donate to help us keep our boys in school, and add new students every year. Something that the students and families have given up on because of the great expense, but something so important to better increase sustainability in the community and lives of these young men..
Thank you to those who give faithfully to help us continue to do daily bible studies and feeding projects, keep boys housed, and provide both basic and life saving medical care for each and every street connected child/young adult we encounter. Something that they can’t access otherwise.
These seemingly simple acts of love are life changing for the guys we work with. They now have a hope and a future in Jesus and in life in general, and for that we are grateful.
And, thank you. Thank you to those who help to support us for such a time as this and to those who pray for us regularly. God is working in mighty ways here in Uganda, and we strive to answer those calls as He leads us. Whether it’s new territory or something we see day in and day out, we continuously pray for wisdom and discernment to go where God leads, prayerfully trusting that when we step God will provide everything we need to take the next step forward.
Katonda Mulungi! (God is so good!)
Even Dad Zack was grinning ear to ear to see Mama well enough to come home!
So happy to be home!!
I’ll miss my Nakato (sister in Karamajong) being around all the time. But so thankful for her life!
Red heart is Jinja, Blue dot is where we took Kenneth
Sweet little Juma has recovered so well and is doing great in school!
We love hearing our littles preach on school holidays!
Ugandan roads and old cars with old parts, always needing work
I took a much needed morning on the Nile for coffee and sunrise
More paper beads ready to make bracelets!
Coming to America....
I’ll be heading to America Sept 16-Nov 10, then my dad will be coming back to Uganda with me for a 2 month visit! I’ll be mostly in TN during my time there and will be in Jacksonville, FL for 2 weeks in October (7th-21st).
If anyone wants to schedule time or a fundraising event with me to learn more about the ministry, please send me an email (thens1213@gmail.com) and we will work out the details! I’m willing to also travel to other places, but would need to discuss travel arrangements and costs for that as well.
How can you help?
Prayer requests:
Prayers for our students to continue making wise choices this holiday and as they prepare to go back for their 3rd and final term of this school year.
Pray for God to continue to give us wisdom and resources to help the many many medical cases we continue to have dropped at our gate. For both physical and spiritual healing for the boys and strength to not go back to the streets.
Pray for me as I prepare to leave for 8 weeks, and for my team as they prepare to manage things while I’m gone.
Prayers for our new and current university students who have all now reported to school. That they don’t take this opportunity lightly, work hard, and become successful and independent young men in the future. (Morris-nursing, Kenneth-Innovative Agriculture, Paul-IT)
Pray for more seed sowers 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.”
