January 2026 Newsletter

What’s happening?

Oh what a start to the year it’s been! January started off slower than it’s been in a long time, but ramped up really quickly. We were able to send a couple of our boys to distant villages to spend time with their families, after Christmas, and the sweet stories we’ve received upon their return, show just how much change there is and has been!

Then the madness really ramped up .....elections. Protests, rallies, riots, and chaos continued to get worse after the holidays, leading up to the presidential election. On the 13th, the final campaign rallies happened, and at 6pm that night we went into total communication black out. The government shut off all internet communication and altered the cellular lines within the country, leading up to the Presidential elections on the 15th, and it wasn’t resumed until the 18th after the “winner” was announced (even then it wasn’t fully restored for another week and half). Power was out off an on as well, during this whole period. However, I’m thankful I have a pretty significant solar unit at home and a gas stove. On the 14th the military and government officials sent out the masses to remove street kids from cities like Jinja and Kampala “to prevent riots and problems during elections”. The reality of this is, it was abduction and we still don’t know where some of our local, not so consistent, guys are. Some have come back explaining the torture, yet we continue praying for the safe return of all. Many people lost their lives during this election period, all over the country. Basically if there was any indication that you were for the opposition party, even wearing the color red, their primary color, you were at risk of being attacked by police/military. It’s been a vicious cycle of problems for months, but this has been the worst by far. There have been so many riots and protests and fights because the reigning president (since 1986) “won” yet again. The opposition candidate was abducted (by the president’s orders), along with his family, and is still MIA, however he’s the people’s favorite, so there’s continuous issues around Kampala, largely, in regard to his situation. Corruption at its finest, it’s really sad. The tear gas around town was so thick for several days that many of us had sore throats and sinus issues with headaches. Our houses aren’t insulated and we don’t have air conditioning, so if it was shot off anywhere near your house, you felt the effects, and my house is pretty close to some hotspots. It sounded like bombs going off for days. Every time you would hear it, you would just shutter and pray. We had many boys with effects from tear gas, some who were beaten, and many that we didn’t know where they were. We all tried to hunker down as much as possible and when I did venture into town it was eerie. Luckily the final local elections have just finished and things should hopefully go back to “normal” soon. Until the presidential swearing in, in May. Thank you for the many prayers.

While Tennessee and much of Eastern America seems to be freezing and using ice skates to get around, we are in one of our hottest and driest seasons right now, here in Uganda. These days I’m sleeping at night with 2 fans pointed directly on me and still it only seems to be pushing hot air around! But still I wouldn’t trade it for the frigid temps and ice!!

On the 10th of January, just before elections, we picked up all of our young men who were at Teen Mission Bible Camp. It’s always so fun seeing the utter joy they have when coming back! They learn so much about scripture and biblical discipline and come back with more and more obvious growth each year. We are so thankful for this organization that we partner with every 3rd term school holiday that helps to pour into our guys and further strengthen them with the word of God. Not only does it give them a safe haven away from town for 6 weeks (Typically it’s a 6 week camp. This year was only 4 because of elections), it also teaches them teamwork, how to better serve others, and teaches them the word of God more deeply.

This month alone, we have had 64 positive malaria cases! And, every one of them have got super sick, super fast! We had a few days of rain in early December, so the mosquitos came out in full force. Typically malaria lays dormant for a few weeks before a person presents with any symptoms, so they’re all getting sick now. I’m thankful for a pharmacy that’s always stocked with what we need to treat our guys, and the funding we get for medical care, so that something so deadly, if left untreated, can be quickly and easily treated. While some have required 2 rounds of treatment, and even some have required IV treatment, most have responded well to the general 3 day tablet regimen.

Less than 2 weeks after the Presidential elections I had to take Paul, our University Student, to Kampala to report back for his first term of 2026. Thankfully I decided to not make the trip alone and decided to hire a driver, because it was quite the adventure in both directions. We left around 6am since it’s such a long drive and it was also a public holiday (Liberation Day). We had only been driving for about an hour when we got a flat tire and had to pull over to change it. Luckily the driver had a spare, because many Ugandans don’t carry one (or at least not a functioning one). After spending some time doing that we continued on our journey. We reached Paul’s hostel just before they shut down many roads in and around Kampala for Liberation Day celebrations. I helped to get him settled in at the hostel, get his hostel fee paid for the entire term, and then we went to the school to get everything settled and cleared there.

Paul has been such a sweet asset to have living in the project house during his holiday. He started a few new routines and rituals with the boys who are living there and we’ve seen a huge change in them already. Paul loves preaching the gospel and praying for others. He always keeps a calm and peaceful demeanor in every situation and we are blessed to have seen the transformation in him over the last few years.

Since I was in Kampala with a driver, already, I needed to make a few stops along the way. We had to take many detours, got stuck in and behind several protests (regarding the opposition candidate being abducted), and also encountered many police stops along the way, but the driver and I finally made it back to Jinja around 6pm that night. It was a long day, but we are thankful that we made it back safely.

Also, on that very day, Dominic (who had surgery in November) started a carpentry apprenticeship with a local carpenter who does amazing work! The carpenter is a Christian as well and had told me that if I ever have anyone who wants to learn the skill he would be happy to train them and disciple them along the way! Dominic is over the moon happy about his new chance at life and we pray that he continues to grow and change! Dominic has had one of the most drastic changes I’ve ever seen and is always wanting to be counseled and prayed for. He’ll be living at the project house as he does his apprenticeship in town and will continue to be poured into day and night.

We’ve had the students at the house almost every day since things started calming down more. Not only do we have our usual Bible Study programs, but we’re also working on making paper bead bracelets so I can travel home with them later this year. I’ve had a couple of businesses express interest in having a little mission corner with our prayer cards and bracelets for sale. The boys are all excited about this endeavor!

There’s still more happening!

Back to school shopping is almost finished, finally. This is always an all hands on deck task, since we have so many in school. We had to get all new mattresses for all of our primary students, since most have had their current ones since 2022 and they’re now very thin and worn out. (Mattresses are just flimsy foam here. Not supportive or long lasting. Secondary got their new ones last year) We had to get a bunch of new school cases (metallic boxes to keep their supplies in, at the foot of their bed, for boarding school) because many have seen better days and are no longer able to be repaired. Then we had to get all of our scholastic materials for everyone, grade specific requirements, boarding requirements, and also school requirements for each student. Each school requires each student brings things to help the school. These are things like brooms, scrub brushes, mops, bleach, reams of paper, etc. Basically the schools supply nothing but the teacher, a bed frame, and a desk. It’s always alot to gather and organize, but I’m thankful for the teamwork in the chaos! Because of elections and issues surrounding them, the Ministry of Education has delayed the school start date for this term of school as well. Initially we were supposed to report on 1st February, but now our students don’t report until the 10th. We have lots of things planned for them for this next week to keep them occupied for another week at home! We also are still waiting on test results from our 3 candidate students from last year. They won’t be able to start their next steps until those scores are released, and it could be as late as the beginning of March. 1 qualifies for Vocational school if he does well, 1 qualifies for University if he does well, and the 3rd should qualify for upper level “A level” secondary if he does well.

On top of the trauma healing course that Joy and Ben have been teaching, we’ve also had a couple of guest speakers come to bless our boys, this month. We have had a Christian counselor come who talked with them about sexual purity and God’s plans for their lives and futures and the boys all gave us great feedback after the class, even requesting that she comes back next holiday for more sessions. We also had a local doctor come to discuss with them issues about their bodies, questions, and concerns, as well as more on the topic of sexual purity. Both led discussions with heavy scripture references and prayer time. We are blessed to be able to be connected to wonderful Christian leaders in the community who can also pour into our guys alongside us.

What’s to come?

We are so excited to be taking 48 students to school this year. Currently everyone is covered for 1st term, however 22 are still needing to be covered for term 2 and term 3 of this 2026 school year. Back to school time is usually pretty chaotic, and we will greatly miss all of our boys when they’re away, but we are so proud of them and pray that they do well in school! For 3 it’s their first in in boarding school, ever, so there will be some major adjustments to be made. Usually the first few weeks are the hardest transitional phase, however having so many students from our organization at each of our schools helps a little with that. Please pray with us for smooth transitions, wise choices, and a great start to a new school year!

A couple of weeks after we take students back to school, Joy, Moses, and I will be taking a few boys to the northern part of the country for some home visits. These are always so sweet and I can’t wait to go! This will be an extremely long trip, further than last year’s trip to the northeast. We will basically spend 10-11 hours driving, stay the night, do home visits, spend the night again then drive back 10-11 hours. Please pray for me as I drive, for the mechanics of my car to be ok, and for all of us as we meet and reconnect with long lost family members!

Now that more boys will be going to boarding school, we are trying to get others to come more consistently to the project for daily programs. We have many who do come consistently, but many more who just drop in from time to time. Our goal is that next year, in 2027, we can have more new students enrolled in school and off the streets! But we are always thankful for the boys who come to us even from time to time, because it still gives us great opportunities to share the gospel with them and show them the love of Christ in many ways.

I like to tell myself that things simmer down once we get everyone to school, but that always bites me in the butt! We will only have 1 extra boy staying at the house right now (Dominic, who had surgery and is now in carpentry training), but that can change at any time based on medical or emergent needs. Our doors are always open and ready to accept whatever God has for us. So please pray for this season of change.

We have started looking for land now that elections are finished. Currently there’s nothing available within town that’s not outrageously expensive. But we know God will provide in just the right time!

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, that otherwise aren’t available to them.

Thank you to the seed sowers who have donated to help us purchase land soon, and we would be ever so grateful if others feel led to also give toward this great need so that we can purchase outright and not have a loan to pay. Prices have drastically increased over the last couple of years, but we know our time is near.

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.

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.

I did a lot of 1000+ piece puzzles during election lockdown!!

TeenMission pick up

Holiday packets with primary students

Malaria treatment makes a world of difference! And many don’t have access to something so simple.

Max was not a fan of all of the tear gas and gun fire

Safe place naps mean the world to these boys

Village visits

Dominic’s first day at his carpentry apprenticeship!

Bible Study

Baby Snake

Driver’s flat tire on the way to Kampala

Paul went back to University! We will miss him at the house!

School supplies everywhere

Pretty plants on my compound!

Everyone is loving family meal time at the house now!

We are all grateful the teargas and gunfire are over for now!

How can you help?

Prayer requests:

• Pray for our students who are preparing to go back to school in a new class, for their first term of the year. Also pray for the 3 who are anxiously awaiting their test results to find out the next steps for their education future.

• Pray for Uganda as it’s still feeling major effects of yet another corrupt election/political season and the future of the country for these next 5 years.

• 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

• Prayers that God puts the best fit of land/housing for the best price in our path, with no legal issues along the way so we can have our permanent ministry home.

• 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.”