Dear beloved friends of Lulwanda, l greet you all in the precious name of our Heavenly Lord. Amidst this pandemic of the COVID-19 virus, God is worthy of all the Glory and praise throughout the earth. He can overcome every storm including the coronavirus. Thank you for praying for us even when you are facing the same problem. We are also praying for you that God may protect each of you. There is a reason why all this is happening but victory belongs to those who trust in God for deliverance. His love endures forever! I am encouraged by 2 Chronicles 7:14 which says, “If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Thank you for the inspiration, courage, joy and strength in meeting the needs of Lulwanda. Who can reward you apart from God who started a great work of the ministry in you?
We don’t have many activities this month since were indoors but allow me report on the following.
HEALTH
Medically we are doing well and all staff and children are healthy. Increased malaria rates for the season have been noted due to a rainy season but those rates are beginning to decrease and there have been no complications from any case. We are taking extreme measures to protect our children and staff from COVID-19 at Lulwanda. All non-essential staff have been dismissed for at least thirty days and we are allowing no one in or out of the LCH compound. Essential personnel have mandatory hand washing and disinfection protocols to follow when entering the home. All children have returned from school for quarantine as well. Tendo is also under quarantine and the only person permitted to move in or out is Mama Tendo. She also has strict protocols to follow upon re-entry after buying food stuffs from town. We are prayerful that these efforts will ensure all of the Lulwanda family remains safe and free of illness.
GOVERNMENT RESOLUTIONS ON COVID-19 VIRUS
I wish to thank and commend the government of Uganda for the wise decisions taken in curbing down the virus. A number of restrictions have been put in place like mandatory quarantine for travellers inside Uganda, suspension of public transport and flights, religious gatherings, political and cultural gatherings, closing borders with the neighboring countries, and the closure of all schools among other restrictions. Right now everyone is living in fear due to the increasing number of cases so far. All in all, we believe in God’s intervention. The Government has emphasized social distancing, hand washing and sanitization practices to stop the spread of the virus.
In return, we also educated our children about the coronavirus and put in different measures on how to prevent the spread of the virus at both campuses. Whenever the government adds more preventive measures, we also brief our children so that they stay safe.
STOCKING FOOD
Prices for different commodities and foodstuffs are shooting up as a result of covid-19 virus. We have taken precautionary measures by stocking up on food and household supplies that can carry us for 3 months. We have other essential commodities needed by our children and we hope these will take us a long way before we run short of the supplies. We are grateful for the GICF Board of directors for sending us the extra funds. At least our children have enough to eat for the next three months.
BIBLE STUDY
Discipleship continues to be at the core of what Lulwanda stands for. I wish to applaud Pastor Martin and Ryan for the fabulous job well done. Without a relationship with Jesus Christ and a proper Christian world view, many of our efforts would be pointless. I am encouraged to report that Bible study both at Lulwanda and Tendo has continued to produce fruits in the lives of our children. One example I can give is honesty. In the past our children were very quick to lie and stick to the lies. That is now changing, in part due to the diligent discipleship of staff and how to manage our children’s hearts. We praise God for the blessing of seeing this change.
Tendo Bible study is more popular than ever. We have 20 children from Tendo who attend weekly, along with 10-15 additional children who have exited Lulwanda and are nearby. This is an amazing opportunity to continue to disciple these children as they are at a critical juncture in their life. Topics covered recently involved apologetics, a biblical view of how to handle disappointment, and fear in the face of coronavirus. With these topics we have been able to use real world examples and pair them with how the Bible directs us to face these challenges. Also emphasis on the hope we should be showing our Muslim brothers and sisters in the face of the fear and uncertainty that is all around us. Be praying that these sessions and studies create disciples not only for our children and their families but that they will be world changers in their testimonies of how great our God is.
CONCLUSION
Continue praying for the Lulwanda management team that God will give us the wisdom and courage to guide the children during this trying moment which is sweeping the globe. Even in hard situations that we shall not abandon the children that God has entrusted in our hands. Continue praying that none of our children will suffer from this virus or else it will be a disaster and none of us would wish such to happen. All in all our children are doing well as we have provided for them recreational activities to keep them busy and happy. I wish to leave you with one verse in Isaiah 26:20, which says “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past”. Let us stay at home.
Thank you very much and God bless.
Paul Isabirye
Administrator
LCH
