Erin Almaraz

I first heard about Buyamba when I was attending Calvary Community church. From time to time the Dongo‘s would come to the church and share about their ministry in Uganda. In 2017 I heard about an opportunity for international mission trips through the church, and I really felt God nudging me to go on one of them. I asked my mom if she would go with me on a mission trip and apprehensively she said yes. She picked the trip to Uganda, and we were off to Kampala with a team of four others from the church!

We had the most amazing week there getting to know the Dongo family, seeing the God Cares School campuses, visiting the slums where many of the God Cares students are from, and delivering water filtration systems to many neighborhoods and schools. It was humbling to see how happy and thankful the people were to have access for the first time to clean and safe water near their homes and schools. The first trip to Uganda was life-changing and immediately after that trip my mom and I started sponsoring Prosper so that he could attend the school and board there as well.

For the next several years, we were planning to return to Uganda this time as a family with my dad and sister coming with us. That trip was delayed for a few years because of the pandemic but finally we were able to return in July 2023 with a team from Buyamba (and as a newlywed I was able to share Uganda with my husband, too!)

There’s nothing like going back to Uganda and feeling like you are finally reunited with family! We experienced miracles, and again it was a trip that will never be forgotten. Our love for Uganda grew even deeper on this recent trip and our family expanded when my husband and I met Precious and her brother Isaiah. They are our new sponsor children and they started attending God Cares School in January 2024!

In the six years since I first traveled to Uganda, it has been amazing to see the growth and developments that have taken place at both of the campuses, the farm, within the Dongo family, and the Buyamba organization. They are doing amazing things to spread the good news of Jesus and share God’s love all around Uganda. We have been so blessed to be a small part of it! Praise God!