Mercy Ministries

25 people, 1 bed, tools, 
cleaning equipment,
buckets of water 
and a very bumpy road!

Part of the work that is carried out at GSF is something called “Mercy Ministries”. This is a community outreach programme led by GSF to offer practical help and support to those in our local communities. We are so blessed here at GSF that it is great for the young people here to get involved and ‘give something back’.

A few weeks ago we gathered a group of teenagers and travelled to the home of a family that we have been helping through the feeding programme here. I have also blogged about them recently - the malnourished twins and their grandmother. This grandmother, as well as caring for the twins is also the main carer for her other 2 grandchildren. This means she is caring for 4 children under 5 years old and also managing her home -  trying to earn money, cook, clean, collect water and buy food.

We took the truck to their village and walked to their home carrying a number of items that would help us work and also some new furniture including a bed so that the children no longer have to sleep on the floor.

When we arrived we could see that this grandmother had just too much on her plate. She was not managing to care for the children and maintain her home at the same time. Our amazing team of youth at this point jumped straight in!! They took themselves off into small groups to accomplish a number of tasks. Altogether there were 19 young people and 6 adults and in a couple of hours we had emptied the 2 huts (one for sleeping and one used for cooking), swept the huts and surrounding compound, repaired holes in the mud wall, cleaned and replaced furniture, hand washed clothes, bathed and dressed all 4 children in new clothes, sorted through pans of rice, washed plates, dug the garden and even had time to talk to and pray with the grandmother before we left.

Learning how to sweep with a Ugandan twig broom!

The 'clothes washing' team

Joel repairing the inside of the hut.

The young people were amazing. They worked non-stop in the heat and made us really proud. When we finished they were even asking when we could go back and do some more!

All 4 children bathed and in new clothes!