Jerrold and Cheryl Bisera

Friends of ours (Dan and Carla Ernest) who had been supporters of and had sent their daughter to God Cares School missions trips, invited us to a fundraiser dinner. That was when we got to see and touch this incredible ministry, school and children's home. We were given an I believe Degna Horton was helping to host at our church, we selected a little girl, as we have three daughters and thought it appropriate to add another! A couple years later Degna and Julie Dimas were going on a summer mission trip to God Cares through Buyumba and were willing to chaperone our oldest daughter Chloe who was very interested in participating. Our 16 year old daughter sent out letters and collected donated items to sell at her own garage sales at our house, a good friend of hers helped her all day at one. Asking for donations, explaining her mission and desire to help and experience God Cares and her hard work collecting and selling in order to raise her own funds was a big boost to her character development.

The team gathered before the trip to learn how to build a key-stone garden that could grow food and be watered easily by recycling grey water and self-filtering it. Being with the godly team for the duration of the trip, meeting the happiest and poorest children she'd ever seen or known and watching the incredible and successful ministry and servants at God Cares blew her mind and gave her enormous perspective. Chloe came home telling us about the simple but delicious fresh food she tasted (avocados and pineapple), the simple life the children live and the culture she experienced. She was able to personally deliver gifts we sent with her to our sponsored daughter 'Ameria', and connect with many other children. She came home and told us how joyful, yet how poor, these students were, it impacted her greatly. She remembers giving her "flip flops" away to one of the children and said they were so excited and delighted. We then wished we had sent her with many many flip flops. We continued to support our God Cares student "daughter" through college and she has just graduated and we are now supporting another young child we a take through school. It is an HONOR to partner with Buyumba and God Cares, it is like the basket that carries our fish and loaves we offer to Jesus and he multiplies in the hands of the ministry of these saints who are the hands and feet of Jesus to these beautiful, ambiitious, grateful, bright children who grow to love the Lord and improve their country and futures!

If your teen has the opportunity and desire to join a missions team to God Cares, I can not recommend it highly enough. And make sure they work to earn the funds and have "skin in the game" it is an incredible gift you give to their education, heart, moral character, perspective and compassion for a LIFETIME.