What Are We Doing?

Facts about Uganda:
Uganda has been called one of the worst humanitarian crisis because of the lack of attention
An estimated 1.7 million people have been forcibly displaced in Northern Uganda
An estimated 40,000 children have/are being abducted to fight as soldiers by the LRA Tens of thousands of children are commuting nightly for safety to avoid these abductions
130 people die per day in Northern Uganda due to the ongoing violence

What is being done? What can we do? How do we as followers of Christ respond?

These are the questions heavy on our hearts. We are both enraged by the ongoing atrocities afflicted mainly upon the children of Uganda as well as inspired by the stories of hope in the lives of families struggling to survive in this war-ravaged country. In response, a team from The Next Level Church (Jared Mackey, Kimbal & Kellen Kurtz, Alyssa English, and Jennie Otte), is traveling to Northern Uganda June 16 - July 3, 2006. We will be spending time in Internally Displaced Persons (I.D.P.) camps serving with local non-governmental organizations who are working towards peace in Uganda. We will support long term workers by planning activities for the kids, listening and encouraging the leaders in the community, and hopefully bring cheer and hope to this place of pain and suffering through our presence.

We will be traveling and working with our friends from Denver, Colorado – Ben and Holly Porter, who are serving with the Mennonite Central Committee in Lira, Uganda. They work with the Concerned Parents Association (C.P.A.), a local NGO that birthed after the abduction of over 300 girls from a girls school. Ben has a background in counseling and his Masters in Counseling from Denver Seminary. With an emphasis in traumatology and a passion for war-torn regions of the world, Ben is working as a psycho-social trainer for the C.P.A. Holly has MA in International Development & Conflict Resolution, with an emphasis is in community development in conflict affected areas. She serves as a technical advisor for peace and reconciliation with this grassroots organization. Our goal in visiting Ben and Holly is to listen, observe, serve, and encourage them. The health and peace for the Ugandan people they seek is not easy to obtain. Daily life has become at times disheartening for them. We want to laugh with them, cry with them, and offer assurance that they are supported both there in Uganda and here at home.

We ask that you would join with us in the journey and would ask for your prayers for the following:

- For Ben and Holly to be deeply encouraged and refreshed by our visit and service
- That our hearts would be purely motivated by compassion and love for those in the Ugandan crisis
- For both our safety and health as we travel through the war torn and unstable environment of Uganda
- That we would communicate the hope of Christ and God would be honored as we serve, learn, and partner alongside those who are literally “in the trenches” of His Kingdom in Northern Uganda

Your help in supporting the financial costs of this trip is appreciated. The total cost for our team is $16,000 – we contributed the initial $6,000 personally. To date, we have had $10,000 given for the additional costs of the trip. Any financial support over the trip cost will be directly given to support the work in Uganda.

Financial support should be sent to The Next Level Church, 3999 South Lipan, Englewood, CO, 80110, c/o Uganda Team. All support is tax deductible. In addition to financial support our team has collected resources and goods for Ben and Holly, and supplies for the work in the I.D.P. camps. One example of the generosity of those supporting the trip is a friend from the Colorado Rapids Soccer Club who donated 50 jerseys and 25 soccer balls for the children in the camps. It is with your partnership that we seek to learn and then communicate to others how we can support peace and healing for those in Northern Uganda.

We will have an opportunity for you to share in our experience when we return through video, photos, and stories of our time in Uganda. Our hope is for this trip to be a catalyst of growth and encouragement not only for ourselves and those we work with in Uganda, but for you as well.

Thank you for your prayers and support. May the peace of Christ be with you.


The Uganda Team