Completed Colloquy of Pastor Daniel / Hope Centre Uganda Orphanage

Monday morning we had the privilege of meeting with Pastor Daniel for the final stage of his colloquy (which is the process an already established pastor undergoes to become a pastor in fellowship with our church body, the Church of the Lutheran Confession - CLC). This last stage entailed a face-to-face meeting with Pastor Gurath and myself as representatives of the CLC in which we went through an extensive question & answer review of the main Bible teachings (135 questions in all) to make sure we are in agreement on the Bible’s teachings. Pastor Daniel answered the questions well and professed his agreement with the CLC, and his desire to join our fellowship. Praise the Lord! We will be bringing our report back to the CLC President, and will officially be receiving Pastor Daniel and his congregation (who will be the first congregation in the newly formed CLC-Uganda), Lord willing, at our next CLC Convention in 2024.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog post, Pastor Daniel and his wife, Aidah, care for 20 orphan children in addition to their own 4 children. An older neighbor lady, Elizabeth, whom they have helped in her times of hardship, also helps them out by giving care to the infants. Daniel and Ida clearly have a deep love for children and both are committed to sharing what they have with others—no matter who they are. A number of CLC members have been sending monthly support for their work with the orphans, and I will be bringing back a report to the Kinship committee to assess ways we can be of assistance to their orphan care efforts as well. Pastor Daniel also provides support, as he is able, for 14 other children who are orphaned or living in hardship, as well as several elderly and disabled adults in his community and in the surrounding area. 

The children and helpers who were gathered at Pastor Daniels home and orphanage on Sunday. Notice there are more than the 20 orphans and 4 of their own children in this photo. It is common for Pastor Daniel and Ida to feed more than just the 24 children in their care. 

After meeting the children and those who were caring for them on Sunday I expressed our love,  prayers, and support for them from their brothers and sisters in the U.S.A. They were so happy to hear this and wanted me to express to all of you how much they love us and pray for us!

“Hope Centre Uganda” orphanage. The buildings & courtyard in the back of Pastor Daniel’s house are used to house many of the orphans. There are a number of beds in this building for the children. A number of others sleep in the house. The building is essentially unfurnished right now. Pastor Daniel plans to continue to make improvements as he is able.

The lower level of this building is a chicken coop (see next photo). Daniel plans to add a second chicken coop to the second level. 

Chickens are raised and sold to help support the orphans. They also sell eggs.

Like most children they like watching TV.
Orphanage living room area.

Kitchen in Daniel & Ida’s house…

…the bigger outside kitchen.

Pastor Daniel talked with me today about his background and upbringing. He grew up in hardship and was orphaned at a young age and abandoned on the streets of Nairobi, Kenya at age 9. Having come from the deepest depths of despair multiple times in his life and going through periods of his life when he had no one who loved or cared for him, he has a deep desire to show and share love to those who have nothing and no one and to, most importantly, share with them the love of Christ. Eventually Daniel made his way back to Uganda and worked many jobs during his life. One family he was working for was Ida’s family, and that is how he met his wife. The two have been married for 11 years. Pastor Daniel’s life is truly an inspiring reminder and testimony of the undeserved love of God in our Savior Jesus Christ! 

- Pastor Luke