Dear Supporter Greetings to you all; not just in the UK but in Australia, Holland, America, Norway and Canada! It is good to be back with family and friends in Scotland to recharge my batteries. Thankfully I am happy with the mixed Scottish weather; after the humid weather and rainy season in Uganda. First of all I must tell you that lots of people send messages of love and appreciation for all you do on their behalf, such as paying school fees, funding small projects, paying for operations, buying much needed food especially in the villages, helping to provide money for food in the 'Message of Hope Orphanage,' and many more things, the list is endless. Sadly I have never met some sponsors and donors, but let me say how important (and loved) you are to my ministry. Of course I can look lots of friends and family in the eye and thank them for their help, but I can honestly say that without each and every one of you, my work would be impossible.  I never expected to have a photo taken with Queen Elizabeth, but here is the proof that I did. Well ok, not our Queen Elizabeth, but a very special little girl named Queen Elizabeth Namuluta. She lives in the Message of Hope Orphanage in Bulubandi; she is 8 years old and an orphan. Both parents died with HIV/Aids and she is also infected. As we all know, there is no cure yet for this devastating illness.
Elizabeth has been taking Ambrotose each day and the improvement is amazing. She is brighter, has more energy, a better appetite and she is able to run and dance with the other orphans. My prayer is that I can keep on with the treatment, as it is very expensive. So far, two donors have paid for two tubs of Ambrotose. Another prayer is that the other children are not infected as all have either lost one or both parents due to HIV/Aids. I would also like to get funding to build another house for the boys, and the girls would stay in the original house. More children are being taken in and the dormitories are over crowded. I have the land to build a new house on. Dixon and Mabel, who are on a different team, but still with YWAM, lost their only daughter, Jessica, in April; she was burnt to death along with over 20 other little girls in an arson attack on their dormitory in a boarding school in Kampala. Some girls who survived said that two men came in to the dormitory and sprayed some liquid around before setting fire to it. The door to the dorm had been locked and the men themselves also got trapped inside. Many people, including some parents of the girls, saw the bodies of the men when the door was broken down but the bodies then disappeared when the police became involved. The ex headmaster has been arrested again as the main suspect, but things are very confusing and it is obvious that bribery is taking place. Jessica with two of her brothers and two friends  Jessica was a bright, clever little girl and the school she attended was for gifted children. DNA was the only way that nine of the girls could be identified, including Jessica, which took 4 days from the Tuesday until Saturday, and she was buried on the Sunday. We have all been quite devastated. Dixon, Mabel and their 3 boys have been so brave.
Moses and Peninah, on the same team as myself, - TORCH 'Restoring Community Hope' lost baby Grace at 5 days old. They already have 2 boys and 2 girls as well as many orphans but mourn their beautiful baby. On a happier note I can report that 16 students are now in various universities in the Kampala district. Unfortunately the rate of exchange from the Pound into Ugandan shillings has dropped alarmingly and I have had to top-up 100 student's fees. Fees have been raised, food prices have risen and the hostel's fees have increased. People often ask how they can pray for me, and as much as I hate to say it and wish I didn't have to mention money, I still need more funding please. One gift is going to buy new shoes for the 'Fresh Fire Orphanage' for Christmas, and it also paid for new t-shirts for the 'Message of Hope Orphanage.' Himula and Baker look very smart playing the drums in their new clothes. (See photo above.) George and team at Kingscare are still a great blessing year after year, handling all the sponsorship fees and transferring the money to Uganda. Thank you. I was so happy to welcome George to Uganda earlier in the year. We had a good meeting and George was able to visit two schools and meet some of the primary and secondary school children. As you can imagine they were all happy to meet a very special visitor. I can only give a little glimpse of how the year has passed lots of good things and lots of sad things. Bless you all and may you have a truly blessed Christmas and New Year. With love in Jesus Sylvia Pinkney x x x | 
