June Update 2026

Stepping Out With Faith – Uganda

Family Life

David and I have decided that we have outgrown the space we are currently living in, so we have been looking at houses and places to rent. We are hoping to move back into the Fort Portal area. Right now, we are living outside the city, and Faith has been getting disturbed on her dog walks. Because she is a white woman, many people try to attach themselves to her and ask for money. We feel that moving back into the city would be safer for us and provide more support.

Someone has also been tampering with our car, and we know that someone does not like us very much at the moment. First, someone screwed five screws into one of the back tyres. Then, a week later, someone punctured one of our front tyres. Most recently, someone loosened the bolts and had removed them all but two of them from the back wheel, which could have caused a serious accident. Thankfully, David was only driving slowly, at around 10 mph, near the shops after coming off the main road when he heard a loud clunk from the back wheel. At first, he did not realise what had happened, but then the wheel came off and rolled in front of the car. He suddenly realised that it was his own wheel! Mercifully, there was a garage just ahead. Several people ran after the wheel and brought it back, and because David was so close to the garage, they were able to help him straight away. The mechanics had already started working on the car before David had even finished explaining what had happened because they were eager for the job! So, life is never boring! We cannot decide whether this is connected to David's work at the Boma office or where we live, so at the moment we are not accepting food from people. Please pray that we stay safe. This is another reason why we are interested in moving house.

David went out to watch football with some friends on Saturday evening and decided it would be a great idea to try the pork at the bar. Unfortunately, it did not agree with him! He spent the entire next day vomiting and in bed recovering. As a result, Faith had to do church by herself that weekend.

VLG – Vineyard Leadership Gathering: Thank you to everyone who contributed towards the cost of our trip to VLG. We enjoyed amazing worship and had the opportunity to meet many people we had previously only known online. We were prayed for regarding church planting here in Uganda and spent time talking with others about the future. The gathering gave us a real spiritual boost, as we had been feeling a little run down and lonely. It was a huge encouragement to connect with others and be refreshed.

Adoption Update -There is no major update on the adoption process. We are still working through all the paperwork needed to adopt our three children. One of the requirements is obtaining recommendation letters to reassure the authorities that we are suitable parents. Sadly, there are rumours in Uganda that white people eat children or harvest their organs, so part of the process is helping people understand who we are and why we are adopting. Please continue to pray for patience and favour as we work through the process.

Church & Home Groups

Home Group -We have just finished studying Romans, and it has been a great journey through the book together. We have now started a new series in John's Gospel because we felt people needed more time in the Gospels. It has already led to some interesting discussions and questions.

University Group - The university group has come to the end of the term. We celebrated together with cake and said goodbye to four students who were graduating. We prayed for them, took photos, and each signed a Bible to give to them as a gift. We are beginning to run low on Bibles because they are very expensive here and many students do not own one.

One encouraging story involved a student who was sitting at our table and did not know who we were. We spoke with him and told him he was welcome to stay for the Bible study. We gave him tea and cake, and he decided to stay. At the end of the study, he spent a long time looking through one of the Bibles. He even tried putting it in his bag before realising I had noticed! He put it back on the table, and I asked him if he was a Christian or had any faith. He said no. I told him he could borrow the Bible and bring it back when term starts again in September. We exchanged phone numbers and added him to the WhatsApp group. Please pray that God continues to work in his life through His Word.

Church at Manna Rescue Home - We are continuing our series on the Armour of God. Calvin recently preached on the Shield of Faith and is growing in confidence as a preacher. He is also getting much better at involving the children in the teaching. One thing I have noticed is that the more sweets we have available, the more interested the children seem to be!

VLE – Vineyard Leadership Essentials - We are currently taking six people from the university group through leadership training. It has been wonderful exploring theological ideas together, challenging one another, and hearing different perspectives. Recently, we talked about vision in the church. Surprisingly, many of them had never heard vision discussed in a church setting before. It was interesting explaining why vision is important and how it helps a church move forward together as a team. Without vision, a church can easily lose focus and direction.

Worship Group -We are having great fun learning songs together. Not only are we learning worship songs, but we are also learning how to worship and serve as a team. It has been encouraging to see people growing in both confidence and skill as we spend time together.

Manna Rescue Home

We had a major problem with one of our toilet latrines. It was completely full and could not be emptied because part of the wall had collapsed and soil had fallen into the pit. This left us with two options: either fill in the latrine and build a new one, or convert the area into a flushing toilet system. Thankfully, a generous donor sponsored the renovation of the toilets. We are so grateful, as the toilet and shower area has now been completely transformed. It now includes a flushing toilet, a sink for handwashing, running water, fresh paint, and a much cleaner and safer environment for the children and staff.

We are also hoping to start work on the classroom buildings. Many of the floor tiles are coming loose, and several areas need repairs. Improving the classrooms will help create a better environment for teaching and learning.

We have now filled all the available places at Manna Rescue Home, and we are currently caring for 30 children. All of them come from very difficult and impoverished backgrounds. It is amazing to watch them settle in, start school, and grow in confidence as they learn and develop.

We have also signed a new contract with the National Medical Stores for Manna Rescue Home. This partnership will run for five years and provides funding and support to help bring our nursing bay up to the required standard. As part of this partnership, we have already received two hospital beds, drip stands, wound-care supplies, first-aid kits, masks, gloves, vitamins for the children, paracetamol, and many other medical supplies. We are incredibly grateful for this support and excited to see how the partnership develops in the years ahead.

While Faith was away at VLE, the home closed for the school holiday without any major issues. All the children enjoyed spending two weeks with their families, and the staff also had the opportunity to go home and spend time with their loved ones. This break is incredibly important, as it allows everyone to rest and reconnect with family. We are pleased to report that everyone returned safely, and we were able to reopen the home without any problems. We are especially grateful that most of the children continued taking their medications while they were away. There are still a few families who need additional support in this area, and we continue to work closely with them to help keep the children safe, healthy, and well cared for at home.

YES Uganda

The new school term has started, which means the office has been busy helping children prepare for school. This includes organising school requirements, writing school letters, ensuring children have everything they need to return to school, and following up on their results to see how they are progressing academically.

Ebola has returned to Uganda, although the current cases appear to be linked to people travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Several people have travelled to Kampala for treatment, as the healthcare facilities there are better equipped to deal with the outbreak. Thankfully, the outbreak remains relatively contained at the moment. Most of the confirmed cases have been among healthcare workers and people who have had direct contact with infected individuals. There are currently only a small number of cases, but we are continuing to monitor the situation carefully and taking sensible precautions. We are also waiting to see whether schools will remain open or if further measures will be introduced.

We recently held a training day where we taught students how to write formal letters. We were also able to distribute additional water filters to families in need. Looking ahead, we are hoping to move forward with more of the solar project over the next few weeks. As things begin to quieten down in the office, we are able to spend more time visiting communities and carrying out field visits, which is always one of the most rewarding parts of the work.

Prayer Requests

• Pray for wisdom and provision as we search for a new home in the Fort Portal area.

• Pray for God's protection over our family as we deal with ongoing security concerns, including the incidents involving our car.

• Pray for good health and strength for both of us as we balance ministry, family life, and the demands of daily life in Uganda.

• Pray for favour throughout the adoption process and for all the remaining paperwork to be completed smoothly.

• Pray for the four graduating university students as they begin the next stage of their lives.

• Pray for the student who borrowed a Bible, that God would reveal Himself through His Word and draw him into a relationship with Jesus.

• Pray for wisdom and clarity as we continue teaching about leadership, vision, and discipleship.

• Pray for protection over Uganda as the country responds to the Ebola outbreak.

• Pray for renewed vision, strength, and perseverance as we continue serving in Uganda.

• Pray for wisdom as we explore future opportunities for church planting and leadership development.

• Pray that everything we do would point people towards Jesus and help them experience God's love in practical ways.

Here is the link to our newest video, titled “June Update 2026”, on YouTube under SteppingOutWithFaith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Ur8yeC5IY