Winter 2019 Newsletter
Dear friend of AICM,
Agape International Children’s Ministry (AICM) was birthed out of a strong desire to touch lives in Jesus’ name. We began taking teams to Uganda in 2002. For the first seven years, we ministered in schools, in sponsorship projects, deep in villages and in orphanages throughout the country. In 2009, we started ministering solely at a specific children's home in Bukerere called Agape Children’s Village (ACV). ACV is a home for vulnerable, abandoned and orphaned children in Uganda.
ACV has served as our anchor project and the catalyst for every other project we have at AICM. To say that it holds a special place in our heart would be the understatement of the century. Over and over again God has shown Himself faithful to the children who call Agape Children’s Village home. He has raised up from that village world changers in Jesus’ name.
However, the last two years have been incredibly difficult. The enemy has thrown everything he can at ACV in an effort to stop the work of The Lord. We have battled lies, gossip, toxic behavior and even threats of physical assault from people who sought to close ACV down. This battle has taken a toll on the community surrounding ACV, the staff and even the children who lived in the confusion of what was happening.
During this season of uncertainty and pain we didn’t want ACV to continue to operate just because we love it so dearly. What we really wanted was for The Lord to make clear to us whether or not He wanted ACV to continue caring for Uganda’s abandoned children, or if He wanted us to step away from the ministry there. So we prayed. A lot. Many of you have prayed. A lot. Our AICM board members have prayed. A lot.
In January of this year, we were invited by the Government of the Republic of Uganda to attend a training and seminar on child advocacy and protection. God gave us so much favor as we renewed our partnership with the government and dreamed about the future of child advocacy and protection in Uganda. We were so encouraged by our time in the seminar and God had even more in store for us while we were on the ground. We were surprised and blessed when we were approached by a committee of God fearing men and women who were commissioned by Agape Baptist Church. They invited us to sit down with them and forge a new partnership moving forward. We sat for hours in meetings discussing what the future and what our partnership could look like.
I’m pleased to tell you that mere hours before we boarded a plane back to the states we signed a legally binding Memorandum of Understanding that renews our partnership and allows us to operate ACV for the next 10 years! Not only did God rescue and redeem ACV but he also opened new doors for expanded ministry on the hill in Bukerere, Uganda. AICM will also be involved in the ministry at Agape Primary School. Praise The Lord!
We are now moving forward with a renewed passion and vision to exalt Christ through rescuing, rehabilitating, resettling orphaned, destitute and abandoned children. Thank you for your continued prayer and support!
Agape Kids Choir Approved!
As many of you know Agape Kids Choir applied for their choir visas with Homeland Security in July of 2019. At that time we were told there was a 6-8 week waiting period.
We waited, and waited, and waited, and heard nothing. Many of you were so faithful in asking “have you heard about the choir yet?” And all we could say was “we’re still waiting”. What was supposed to be 6-8 weeks turned into 6 months of waiting.
In January, the day before we signed the MOU for Agape Children’s Village we received our approval from Homeland Security! Praise God! We were so excited that we finally received an answer.
So, what’s next?
We still have some major obstacles in front of us so it's not all clear sailing from here. When we received our approval from Homeland Security they approved us through our original tour end date even though they delayed us 6 months. That means we would only have one month to tour! We are currently in the process of requesting an extension. Our two biggest prayer requests are...
1. Please pray that the dates of the tour get extended by the U.S. embassy in Uganda. We are praying for an extension of 5 months!
2. Please pray for the funds to come in for the children's airfare. The total price for airfare is $24,000.
At first glance, these numbers and requests look insurmountable... BUT GOD! We are trusting a big God to do incredible things like He's already done so many times before. If you would like to donate to the children's airfare fund you can do so using the button below. As always, your gifts and contributions are all tax-deductible.
Every Boy and Girl in Agape Community Child Sponsorship (ACCS) Receives a Christmas Gift!
For the first time in the short history of the ACCS program EVERY CHILD received a Christmas gift this year. This was only possible because of the generosity of our sponsors and partners. Children at each one of our projects gathered with their loved ones to receive the gifts purchased by you online in November and December. You could feel the excitement in the air as parents and children sat waiting for their name to be called. One by one the children and their families would come forward to receive the gift you purchased for them. Some smiled ear to ear, some shouted and sang with joy while others simply cried.
Check out the video below to see how fun these events are. Make sure to watch all the way to the end to see a special message from our country Director, Nelson Kibaya.