Volume 14 Issue 1 P O Box 228 Alma, MO 64001 660.674.2222 www.houseoffriends.org

These are words you might hear

Abba House children saying today;

however, for two years they endured

attack upon attack of bed bugs. The

beds were saturated with insecticide

multiple times but in short order they

would be back. While sitting out at the

table on the porch of the boys home one day in December, Sarah Spencer began being bit and it was

soon realized the bed bugs had moved out to the porch. Her

heart rose up with a determination so deep to rid the homes of

these bugs, that had tormented the

children for so long, that she and

Chad set out on a mission to de-

stroy them down to the very last

one. It would be a fight they and

the children would endure for

weeks but there would be victory.

As mattresses were being re-

moved from the home, the Spen-

cers saw that most of the mat-

tresses were either thin, torn, or

soil soaked. Their hearts went out

toward the children. They needed

to be replaced.

Before coming to Uganda

a friend had shared with

them a website,

www.gofundme.com. The

Spencers initiated a fund-

raising campaign for mat-

tresses. In a few short days,

46 people responded giving

a total of $2565 which went

beyond the goal of $1,200.

They were able to purchase

all the mattresses, have

strong, waterproof protec-

tive covers made for each

one.

After seven days of tak-

ing everything out of the

houses, saturating every-

thing with insecticide, go-

ing through clothes and

boiling them, washing

shoes and bedding, going

through books and throwing away those infected heavily with

bed bugs, and cleaning out the rafters of the (cont. page 2)

Sarah, Chad and some of the younger Abba House children gather around their new mat-tresses with protective covers.

Last month, a team of Childrens Evangelist Fellowship ministers

led a training session in Adilang,

a northern village of Uganda.

Despite the rainy season and a

tight budget, 18 individuals suc-

cessfully completed the training

module, which included lessons

on how to effectively teach the

Bible to children.

The funds for the training ses-

sion were released to House of

Friends through a miraculous

turn of events, requiring team

members to mobilize quickly. Missionaries Jimmy and Katherine

Bodo were ready for the call and assembled a team of three CEF

trainers. They also gathered materials for the course and pur-

chased food materials. Jimmy, a native of Adilang, made the ar-

duous 12-hour drive to Adilang, while Katherine, who is eight

months pregnant, coordinated trainers from her post in Entebbe

and rallied prayer

support.

The training was

held at the church

of Pastor Peter,

Jimmys cousin. Trainees arrived

every day to inter-

act with the mate-

rial, gaining both

a practical under-

standing of teach-

ing the Bible to

youth and an op-

portunity to con-

nect with fellow

laborers in the northern region. Trainers engaged the attendees

with hands-on activities and through their vibrant enthusiasm for

working with children. (Cont. on page 2)

Article by Alex Bennett

Jimmy Bodo leading a training session.

Jimmy Bodo and his wife, Katherine, on right, are working with groups sharing training techniques.

T-Shirt loaded with bedbugs.

Torn and soiled mattresses

The mattresses arrive!

Sleep (cont.) homesnothing was left un-turneda deep blow came. When all was thought to be finished, one of the girls went to

her bed and pealed back some wood . Out came

10 bed bugs. At that moment it was evident

these beds could no longer be used. They

would need to hire a professional welder to

custom make metal beds so there would be no

holes or places these pests could hide and

breed. Time was of the essence and there was

no money in hand.

Chad and Sarah had been told it was not a

good idea to try to raise funds through the go-

fundme.com site more than once during the

time they were serving in Uganda. But with the

need so urgent and great, they had no choice

but to try raising funds this way again. So out

went the plea on January 1, 2014 and within

days, 39 people responded with $3,020, again

going beyond the goal of $2,500. The welders

did a great job of sealing up all holes and grind-

ing down rough places, leaving it impossible

for bugs to hide and propagate.

The whole process took lots of focused, hard

labor. All the kids pitched in. It also became a

time of team building and family building.

Tiffany Ninemires team from Kansas arrived in the midst of the clean up and pitched in to

help. That was a tremendous blessing too!

All is back in order. Now! Abba House kids

are at rest as they sleep, thanks to Chad and

Sarah Spencer who persevered; and with the

help of the Lord, the children, the care givers,

and a mission team, a great victory was won

over the bed bugs.

Chad Spencer checking out the new welded beds.

A joyous, yet peace-ful, scene of Dorcus sitting on her new bed with her friend, Hope Spencer.

Northern Uganda(cont.) Katherine reports,

People in Adilang have a great desire

to be taught. I am

so blessed by their

turn out because it

was a short notice

and then they have

started experienc-

ing rains. But still

they are ready to be

taught.

With the training complete, the Adilang missionaries believe that much fruit

will come from the trip. They are working on assembling a committee to follow-

up. They send their gratitude to all who supported the trip through funds and

prayer. We join our brothers and sisters, praying that the Word of the Lord will

run swiftly and be glorified in the northern part of Uganda. Training of this nature

is particularly needed as the region holds a ready harvest of children.

Church leaders in attendance entering into the activity being taught.

In 2008, House of Friends came

along side Grace Global Impact

Ministries in their vision and mis-

sion of physically and spiritually

caring for orphaned and destitute

children in the Entebbe, Uganda

area. Our mission was to help in

providing food, shelter, and an edu-

cation for the children in a chil-

drens home setting, with the ultimate goal of the homes becom-

ing self-sustainable.

House of Friends, along with Global Impact Relief (an Indiana mission group

who are involved with the New Life School Abba House kids attend) have begun

to make changes by initiating measures to be more Kingdom of God focused. We

are helping the Uganda ministry in developing a farming operation which will

grow the food needed for the homes and the school on the grounds as well as to

sell what is not needed, generating income for the much needed improvements and

other expenses of the home. The

Kuwl Farm Project has been

launched to begin working toward

this goal.

Kuwl is a Hebrew word that is

loosely defined as sustainable. In

this project Pastor Richard

Kaaya of Grace Global Impact

Ministries shares the vision of this

Kuwl idea which will move the whole Abba House project to be-

ing self-sustainable. He and his

family have a large acreage about

two hours away from the homes

and a portion of the land has been set aside for this project.

With funds provided by House of Friends and Global Impact Relief, the project

was begun with the purchase of 47 nanny goats and the building of a covered shel-

ter and pen. A young man has also been hired to watch over them and give them

medicine should any have need of it. Pastor Kaayas plan is to start with 100 nan-nies to be the seedbed for the project. The plan would be to (continued on page 3)

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Kuwl Farm(cont.) increase the herd over the next few years as the first steps for New Life School and Abba House to become self-sustainable. Pastor Kaaya says, Goat farming doesnt demand a lot,

unlike agriculture

which demands so

much to start. Once this part of

the farm project

becomes stable, crop farming will be added. Pastor Kaaya has

requested funding for 50 more nannies in order to get the first

phase of the project going strong.

The Kitchen/Dining Hall Project has been slow due to the

original faulty construction and having to tear much of it down

and using what was available to at least reconstruct the kitchen.

The kitchen has been in use, but not without its challenges. We

do not have a stove inside the kitchen so a fire is built on the

floor. With the walls enclosing the kitchen, many times smoke

remains in the kitchen because of the way the wind is blowing

or not blowing.

It is not a

healthy situa-

tion and the

walls are be-

coming black

from the smoke.

To alleviate the

situation, we

need to build a

stove, which will be made out of concrete and have four burners

and an oven, and then vent the smoke to the outside. The cost is

approximately $1700. The firewood would be put under the

burner holes of the stove and therefore be a hotter fire and take

less firewoodwhich will be savings in the long run. With a hotter fire, the current potsmade of aluminumwill not take the extreme heat. Also, the pots are in bad condition.

One has a hole in the bottom, another has the sides broken off,

others have been patched several times and are

thin and black. Sufficient money came in to

buy two new aluminum smaller pots for now to

help see the cooks through until a stove is built.

When the stove is built, larger stainless steel

pots will need to be made and should be

long lasting. The cost of the new pots is

also included in the stove/oven price.

Chad Spencer and family donated the

wood for picnic-style tables and benches for

the dining hall. He, with a little help from a

couple of the older boys, constructed them.

One thing yet remainsthat is to finish the dining hall with a roof and

partial sides like a shelter

house in the U.S. This will

require approximately $8000 to

complete. It is sometimes dif-

ficult to give a set cost because

of the constant fluctuation of

the exchange rate.

Pastor Kaaya with the goat herdsman.

Kids from the community and Abba House join together in fun and Christian instruction..

The focus of Youth Camp this year was on walking in wisdom and de-veloping godly relationships.

Denver and Stacey Urlaub, Loving the Majesty

Ministries of Healy, Alaska, made a return trip to

Abba House early this year and brought the blessing

of school shoes for the children donated by the won-

derful families of Healy. Shoes do not last very long

for Uganda school children and are always in need.

The Urlaubs also spent several days loving on the

children and gave four of Abba House boys an op-

portunity to serve at a conference they were holding

in Mukono.

Denver helping the children with their new shoes.

Grace, Julius, Emmanuel, and William with Urlaubs on ministry trip.

Smoke filling the kitchen

Cooking in the kitchen

Pots still in use

Kitchen and dining area

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SolomeAge 9, Father deceased and

mother bedridden.

Care Sponsor/partner

$20 per month

Education

$35 per month

AllanAge 15, Father destitute,

mother deceased.

Care Sponsor/partner

$20 per month

DerrickAge 10, Abandoned by

parents.

Care Sponsor/partner

$20 per month

FaridahAge 16, Parents deceased

Care Sponsor/partner

$20 per month

Kitchen/Dining Hall:

Project Need Cement 4-burner cooking stove/oven/pots $1,700.00

Finishing of Dining Hall $8,000.00

Missionary Quarters:

Project Need Finishing tiling floors/kitchen cabinet, plastering

outside the building and painting $1,000.00

Mission Team beds (bunk set w/mattresses) $300.00

Farm Project:

50 Goats $70.00 per goat

Shoe Fund: $20.00 per pair

The children need new durable black leather shoes for school

twice a year due to foot growth and daily wear and tear.

INVESTING PRAYERS Pray for the Lord to provide the funds needed in Uganda to

complete the kitchen/dining hall and missionary quarters, and

for child sponsorships, school shoes for the children and goats

for the farm project.

Pray for those trained in the Word of the Lord in northern

Uganda to sow it and reap a great harvest of children for the

Lords Kingdom. Pray for the Lord to guide House of Friends in advancing His

Kingdom through our opportunities to serve in Uganda, Do-

minican Republic, Ethiopia and among the Native Americans.

Pray for the provision and the preparations of a team going to

Uganda in June.

The missionary quarters is

coming together nicely. The walls

are mostly finished with concrete

and the tile flooring is being in-

stalled.

The kitchen continues to have

the finishing touches added with

an open shelving area built around

the sink and a small kitchen island

constructed. The kitchen island

was something new to the mason,

but He is doing well with coming

up with something that will work.

The missionary bedroom is

finished with the exception of

paint, curtains, pictures and throw

rugs.

Dominican Republic We continue to provide a monthly

feeding program for displaced, or-

phaned Haitian children who have

been taken into homes of Christian

families, who have financial limita-

tions themselves. A follow up trip is

planned later this year to determine

the next steps we will be taking to

reach out to the street children and

poor of Dominican Republic.

Native American Outreach Dale and Jeanie Ritter made two trips to Pine Ridge Reservation

within the last seven months. They

continue to take furnishings and

needed items to the reservation and

provide labor for projects being car-

ried on by our partners, Lakota Hope

Ministry.

Shelving behind island

Kitchen Island

Missionary Bedroom

Finished walls

Ethiopia...Funds are sent quarterly to help widows and their children.

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