Visiting Uganda for the first time in 2012 was a life changing experience. The feeling I felt of overwhelming love from the children is a feeling that can never be replaced. Everytime I leave Uganda a part of my heart is left behind. Thank you Buyamba ministries and the Met Church for such an amazing experience that will never be forgotten.

The first time I went to God Cares School was in 2005 with Calvary Community Church first short term mission trip to Uganda. Our team helped with building desks for the school, making blankets and teaching the older kids how to continue to construct various things using the power tools we had brought over. I was so impacted by that trip, I decided to stay extra weeks to continue helping the Buyamba ministry before I came back to the US.
I became very close with the Dongo family and started volunteering with the Buyamba office in CA in 2008. Since the first trip, I have been to Uganda 15 times. A piece of my heart is always left in Uganda with the Dongo family and God Cares School. I continue to sponsor and volunteer here in the states and Im grateful for all of my experiences in Uganda.

​Bill and I were introduced to Buyamba through Michele Telfer and Calvary Community Church. We have sponsored children and have had the wonderful opportunity to visit God Cares School in the Summer of 2016 on a mission trip with our son, Matt, who was in High School at the time. Matt was able to speak to the students at God Cares School and it was very special for us to be able to present our sponsored student with his very own Bible! The Dongo Family is near and dear to our hearts and we pray often for the family, the school, the students, and Buyamba's Ministry needs. We are humbled to be part of such a beautiful ministry that cares so much for the wisdom, spirituality, and the safety of their students.

Renting out the assembly hall is one way God Cares School can earn money and work towards sustainability, so this was an encouraging sight as there were buses of students still arriving and filing into the hall for the conference.

While the team was disappointed that Chapel would not take place in the assembly hall (because it is a lovely place to sit) God was up to something much bigger than expected. Sam Byakika, the Chaplin at GCHS, shared an encouraging message of boldness through the story of Elijah and Elisha.

This young girl found hope ... she found salvation at God Cares School, and now she can be an ambassador in her school! I am confident that God Cares Schools is a place where the Lord dwells, and every student, teacher, staff, and visitor who steps on the grounds can genuinely know that God Cares.

-Melissa Carlson
Buyamba Team of July 2019