Streams in the desert - TCI Trip 2025

Our hearts are filled with such gratefulness to God for the transformation and grace that we see in the Karamojong villages that TCI has been able to invest in through the generosity of you who are thousands of miles away from them! We acknowledge and thank our local Ugandan team who have been the prime instruments in bringing this about.

We must tell you of our wonderful team from the US. It was so valuable to have different perspectives, ideas, and talents as we navigated our way through each day. We had Cathy Mays, a long-time board member who leapt into the role of Director and Producer of Bible storytelling in the villages.

We were also joined by our new board member, Ryan Matthews from Connecticut. His analytical and strategic mind was very valuable as we discussed future plans. Mary Thomas from our home church, Monument Church, became a team manager and finance officer, which was a huge blessing! Isaiah Stoy, a young teacher from Virginia experienced his first trip to Africa and was a real hit with the elders of the villages! Finally, Tim Pearson from Bozeman, Montana, joined us as a professional photographer to help us tell our story. His website justaslingandastone.org tells the story of his mission to help small nonprofits like us.

One of the big highlights of the trip was the inauguration of the new borehole at Kachakatom village. Seeing the joy and gratefulness of the people as fresh, clean water filled their Jerry cans only a short walk from their homes was wonderful! Before this borehole was built they walked for hours to get water each day. 

Thank you so much Georgetown Women’s Bible Study for donating the funds for the borehole!

The people of Kachakatom welcomed us with generous gifts and fitted Sue out in Karamojong attire! They had already started digging garden beds right next to the borehole in anticipation of growing vegetables! Their lives have already been dramatically transformed.

We were welcomed warmly in every village, and in every village, we were able sit down and talk with the elders, the women, and the village leaders. We wanted to hear from them, and these conversations were so very rewarding and enlightening.

Elders at Lopwanya

TCI has provided monthly food deliveries to these villages for 36 months. That practical saving grace has kept starvation at bay and built a relationship between us and these people. At one village, we were very moved as we sat in the shade of a huge Tamarind tree, hearing the stories of the elders. They are broken people - no longer the proud Karamojong warriors who were taught to look after cattle and received a gun at fifteen to help them do so. As herdsmen, cattle and weapons were their life-symbols of success and prestige. But in the last few decades, cattle raiding and bloodshed have ravaged these communities. The government disarmed them and left them helpless against thieves. Many men have been imprisoned by the Government during the disarmament. Typically, the Karamojong have spurned outsiders and scorned the need for education. But now, as one humble elder told us, “We were products of that way of thinking and are now ignorant, illiterate, and we are nothing”. They don’t want their children to be uneducated and ignorant--they are eager for this next generation to be educated. 

The village elders told us that TCI brought light to them--caring for them, bringing food to them, sharing the love of Jesus, and showing them how to grow vegetables. They openly admitted that they need the wisdom TCI brings as they try to stay alive and build their lives in a different way.

Eighteen Karamajong children have been sponsored at boarding school this year by Samaritan’s Purse. We had the privilege of meeting with them, and it was incredible to see how quickly they have learned English and are progressing so well with their studies.

We were humbled to be with these beautiful, courageous people, and to have been instruments in saving many from starvation and restoring hope in these villages. There are also still many vulnerable grandmothers, children, and young mothers who we want to keep out of the severe acute malnourishment state. Please consider funding our July food distribution which will include seeds for increased vegetable gardening cooperatives.

We were able to witness a food distribution and also share in the preparation and consumption of one family’s only daily meal. It is clear that although the Karamajong have labored very hard to plant and sustain crops this season, they do need ongoing support with food supplies until the harvest. Please join us in praying for the steady rainfall that will cause the crops to thrive and help them towards sustainability in the future. We talked with leaders in detail about sustainable strategies which our local team are planning to implement as we decrease the amount of food relief. 

One of the great results of this trip was that we were put in contact with many organizations who we look forward to partnering with, learning from, and collaborating with in the future. They are organizations who have a love and respect for the Karamojong people and a desire to see them rise up.

But the greatest blessing of our trip was to see the transformative power of the Gospel. The Karamojong have tremendous challenges that we cannot even relate to. They recognize that they need a whole new way of life in order to survive, and they are thirsty for the Word of God, drinking in the hope that it brings as they courageously move forward. We wish you had all been with us to see the transformation that you have made possible. We cannot thank you enough!

On behalf of all at TCI, many blessings from Frank and Sue