At New Hope, the Ugandan staff form the backbone of the daily operations, working as missionaries in their own country. While they receive salaries from the ministry, it is usually less than they could be making with another employer–so service with New Hope is a sacrifice for them. They would be greatly blessed by the encouragement and financial support of a relationship with a sponsor!
I was born probably on 4th October 1962 at home behind the cook house. I am the 6th born on my mother’s side and the 4th on father’s side. My father gave birth to 10 children of which five belonged to my mother the rest from other women; some I got to know and others I didn’t know. My mother divorced my father and was left with four of us.
I was raised up by my grandparents from the age of about 4 years in a separate place a bit distant from where we used to live with my parents. Fortunately, I was taken over by my parents before my mother divorced. I heard about her divorce through some of the insults that my grandmother would make to me when I made mistakes. From the time I left my parents at 4 years of age, I didn’t see my father until after two years, and my mother’s image was not in mind at all.
I thank God that these paternal grandparents educated me up to P7 [6th grade] and cared for my basic needs. They were also hospitable and religious.
My paternal uncle who was a government civil servant took me up after Primary Seven [6th grade], he took me to live with him in Entebbe. I helped with home chores as they gave me school fees for my secondary education and met most of my basic needs.
Sarah leading preschoolers in prayer.
I heard the gospel while at school and I kept promising to one day believe in Jesus. But I didn’t until 1982, after having a difficult challenging time in the years 1979-1981. During that time, as a young lady, I was led astray by peer pressure and I started living in immorality, ended up dropping out of school due to pregnancy while in Senior 4 [10th grade]. It wasn’t an easy time, it was a period of feeling rejected and living a life of suffering because the child’s father first neglected his fatherhood and my uncle who had been willing to take me back to school ended up chasing me away.
Sarah sharing at Envisioning
I glorify God for through this suffering God led me to a believers’ fellowship where I heard Isaiah 1:18-20 and Matthew 11:28 – God calling me to come to Him as I am. On January 12th 1982, I accepted the LORD as my personal savior. The LORD has been good and faithful since then, He gave me loving mothers and fathers in the church. I managed to do a nursery teacher training course. The Lord put on my heart a desire to minister in Sunday school since 1983 and to date I enjoy it.
My son also was accepted by the father and step mother, and he was taken and brought up by his father. He went through education successfully, became a Christian in his mid-twenties, got married and now has three children (a set of boy twins and a daughter).
I joined New Hope in July 1988 after a discipleship training which I did with Youth With a Mission between January & June 1988. I came to know about New Hope [which had just barely started] when I came to the area for an outreach. I helped to start off the Primary School [at New Hope] in 1988 Sept-Oct and I can say I have enjoyed my time at New Hope, especially those first days when I was still young and strong.
Sarah leading Bible reading in P2.
I’ve seen the reality of God’s nature and character as Father to the fatherless, provider, protector, being a relational God, loving, faithful, etc. These have helped transform my view of God as being so huge in all His ways. I have also been challenged to view the orphans, needy and homeless with God’s eyes – welcoming them and sharing what I have with them; a ministry which my heart desires to carry on even when God provides me with a home away from New Hope.
Sarah & her family outside of their home.
I married while at New Hope in 1994 to a loving man [Tony Muwanguzi] who God brought to serve at New Hope in 1993. God has given us four biological children, two girls and two boys who are in their teens. They are: A son (21), a daughter (19) who is going to university this year, a son who is in S4 [10th grade] this year, and a daughter (7) who is in Primary 2 [1st grade] this year. We have also lived with several other children, some of whom are relatives and others as a result of being at New Hope.
Sarah in preschool
My prayer requests are:
- Provisions for my children’s high school and college requirements.
- For my children and all those I have touched to live for the LORD and to receive true success.
- God to give me/us a place/home for retirement, a place which can be an inheritance for my family/children as the Bible encourages the righteous to do.
- God’s continuous provision even after retirement.
- Continuous growth as a Christian family, God’s presence to continue dwelling in our family and children’s future families and relatives.
Please consider sponsoring Auntie Sarah or one of the many other Ugandan missionaries serving with New Hope!