Watoto Ministries in Uganda

Over a week ago my church, Sunset Coast Christian Church, hosted Western Australia's 'Just for Her' women's conference. It was attended by nearly 2,000 women, which is an awesome number considering it's only been going for 4 years. The conference starts with a lunch for the leaders and then runs for 2 days including nights.

Our church hosted the lunch for 230 women. I was one of the happy helpers! yah, thats right, and it took us 4 hours to do sandwiches, dips/vegies, and all the rest. Was a brilliant day.

But I'd really like to talk about the speakers and where they came from.

We were so fortunate to have Marilyn Skinner from Watoto Ministries in Uganda and the Watoto Children's choir as well. Marilyn is an amazing christian woman of this age.
Marilyn, along with her husband Gary, went to Uganda 26 years ago as missionaries. They went into a war torn Africa, that everyone was desperate to get out of at the time. They were headed in while everyone was running out. They also took in their young children.
God's call to them was to start a church.

They came across many orphans whose parents had died of aids or been killed in the guerilla fighting. They began taking them in, despite them not 'wanting' to look after children. Gary's plan had been to pastor a church, and evangelise, but God wanted them to look after the children.

Eventually they discovered there were mothers without children, so they put the orphaned children in the care of the childless mothers. They were fullfilling scripture, the childless woman shall have children and those who are alone will be put into families.

This was the beginning of the Watoto ministry. Now it is a community of God-believing Ugandans, living together in homes, some of which are made by volunteers from around the world. They have a school and church. They have also created a nursery for abandoned and orphaned babies called 'The Bullrushes' - in reference to Moses being left in the water on the nile. Little princes and princesses being rescued from death.

The Watoto children's choir travel all over the world singing and praising God. The least of us have become a blessing to all of us. Again fullfilling scripture, the Lord will lift you off the garbage heap and seat you with princes. These children have met the queen, more than once. They have had tea with the new US president, and the previous one. They have sat in the Oval office, and played with the presidents dog. Children who were destined for death, rape, and becoming child soldiers have been lifted up.

Many children are taken and forced to be child soldiers, forced to kill their own family members. Some stories are too terrible to tell here. Girls, as young as 10, are taken to be sex slaves for the soldiers. Sometimes their noses are cut as well as their ears to mark them as being owned.
Watoto are saving these girls and boys, but still there are 1,000's, even millions, living this way.

It hasn't been an easy road for Gary and Marilyn. They have faced guns to their head, threats of violence and rape. They have held secure and now they are reapping the fruit, well Uganda is reapping the fruit of their labours and hardship. Uganda is changing, they are creating the future leaders of the country and bringing a change to their society.

I think Marilyn and Gary are awesome people, and I admire them greatly. I'd love to go there one day as well. I think it's good to be informed about what is happening in this world, especially in a spiritual sense.

Rescue a Child - Raise a Leader - Rebuild a Nation

http://www.watoto.com/index.php

this is their website!