Building for the Future

I've stared at a blank page for days, contemplating how to even begin this third post in a series of entries on the work being done in Uganda, Africa.  We've reached a point where a lot of the groundwork has been laid and the resources needed for progress are increasing.  Look at it this way - if building a school in Uganda was a race (likely a poor analogy as nothing but children and geckos move quickly in this country), we have our running shoes on.  Our number is being pinned on, and the loudspeaker is beckoning us to the starting line.  The excitement is stirring.

Xchange International is an organization that the Lord birthed this year using a small team of people dedicated to taking Jesus to impoverished children around the world using education as the vehicle.  We're registered in the U.S. and our 501(c)(3) (tax exemption) application is in process.  We are weeks away from being recognized in Uganda as an official Ugandan NGO (non-governmental organization).  Our architect is wrapping up the drawings for the school (you'll either cry or laugh when you see them - this is a modern day Noah's Ark project).  We have almost completed our search for contractors, and they will be putting in their bids for the project in the next few weeks.  The bottom line is simple: in just a few weeks, our progress will be haulted until we begin fundraising.

Here's the plan in a nutshell.  This first project as an organization is to build a Primary school in Uganda -the US equivalent of Kindergarten to 7th grade.  It's the most basic level of education which all other training here is built on.  We'll be using the national curriculum and supplementing it's known weak areas such as problem solving, critical thinking, and others.  One of the buildings will double as a church building for a church plant, and a well will be dug that will serve a community which currently has no water source.  I wrote an email to our team recently that said the standard of this building alone is so high that it will rival the best schools in the country.  I finished with saying "When this school opens, the entire world will know that the love of Jesus, expressed through educational empowerment, has firmly planted itself in the Jinja district of Uganda.  It will be a lighthouse in a community filled with poverty, suffering, Islam, and witchdoctors."

As we ready ourselves for the firing of the gun, I would like to invite you to consider becoming a part of this story.  When we release the final drawings for the school and our timeline to complete it, you'll know this is going to be nothing less than a God-sized project.  As William Carey said, we are attempting great things for God and expecting great things from God.

We'll be releasing the final project details soon along with ways you can get involved.  We're practically ecstatic to show you what God is doing here in Uganda.