MOUNDSVILLE – For several members of the Moundsville Baptist Church and their family members who recently returned home from a mission trip to Uganda, the nearly two weeks they spent there were about building – not just in the physical sense, but also building community and a sense of understanding between cultures.
On Jan. 20, armed with bins full of supplies and hearts full of love, they journeyed more than 7,300 miles to the Village of Hope, an under-construction orphanage outside the capital city of Kampala. Founded by Patrick Ssenyonjo, a 25-year-old Ugandan who escaped the slums of Kampala as a teenager, the Village of Hope aims to give as many children as possible the same second chance that Ssenyonjo received.
Prior to the trip, the group from Moundsville Baptist Church raised $23,000 to assist with construction of a church at the orphanage site, where two foster homes have already been built, with plans for more.
During their time there, they worked side by side with the Ugandans – but they also spent time kicking soccer balls around with area children, visiting inner-city slums where raw sewage runs through the streets and answering questions from those eager to hear about life in America.
“We fed them, we prayed with them, and Jason (Combs), our assistant pastor, was so moved that he’s looking at going back in August,” said Jim Hartle, a church member who’s made the trip several times before. “We’re not just there to build. We wanted to spend time with these kids. … The reason that we go is to get an understanding of how everyone is living.”
Even for a seasoned pro like Hartle, who’s spent time in the construction industry, seeing the way things are built in Uganda was an eye opener. Everything is mixed by hand. Bags of concrete are carried in wheelbarrows, and – although Kampala was only a 20-mile drive away – obtaining supplies was a little more complicated than the quick trip to the hardware store they were used to back home.
“We don’t come in and Americanize the way they work. We work with them. … The bricks are homemade. They’re made in ovens and they’re different sizes. They know what they’re doing, but we had to learn their way of doing things,” Hartle said.
During their trip, the group met a young boy who ran away from home to the slums at the age of 5, to escape an abusive stepfather. After three years basically fending for himself, he met Ssenyonjo, who brought him to the orphanage.
“He said ‘I now know what it’s like to be loved, and I never want to go back there again,'” Hartle said.
Another young man, 18 years old, related his desire to come to America and study medicine – then return to Uganda. That’s the kind of help Ssenyonjo is seeking for these children – not in getting them out of Uganda, but in helping them function there and build a better Uganda, according to Hartle.
By the time the group left Feb. 2, the church building was ready for the roof to be built. Hartle said the group was blessed by good weather most of the trip, with rain only hindering their work one day. While snow was falling back home, in Uganda the weather was sunny with temperatures in the mid-80s.
“We had a couple guys who had to go sit under some trees for a while,” Hartle said. “They didn’t realize the heat was going to affect them as much as it did.”
The group shared the story of their trip during last Sunday’s church service at Moundsville Baptist, the group told the congregation the story of their trip, and of the progress being made at the Village of Hope.
“I really just want to thank the people here at home who have supported us – monetarily, with their prayers and with their thoughts,” Hartle added.
To learn more about For more information about Ssenyonjo’s efforts to improve the lives of Ugandan children, visit www.raisinguphope.org.
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