Cowetans Seek to Improve the Lives of Young Ugandans, One Child at a Time

Students in front of their school in Mbale, Uganda, wave American flags to thank the U.S. citizens who partner with them. Photo courtesy of Warren and Mary Faye Moore.

Written by SARAH REEVES
Photos Courtesy of WARREN AND MARY FAYE MOORE

Uganda, Africa is over 7,000 miles from Newnan, but for four Coweta residents, the Ugandan city of Mbale is nestled near their hearts. Kelly Preston, Joel Engle, Frank Barron and his wife Doris have found a special connection to this part of the world through the work of Mission Mbale, a nonprofit founded by local couple Warren and Mary Faye Moore (see “Mission Mbale” on page 63.)

Children, specifically orphans, hold a special place for Kelly Preston, a Newnan nurse, adoptive mother and founder of RACE for the Orphans, an annual 5K fundraiser to help local families with a heart to adopt. When the opportunity arose to travel to Africa with the Moores, she felt an immediate magnet attraction, says Preston: “I couldn’t wait to go with them.”

Since 2016, various members of the Preston family have made six trips with Mission Mbale.

“We have developed real relationships,” says Preston. “These people are thousands of miles away, and it’s truly a picture to me of how God loves the world.”

Mission Mbale sponsorship “is a simple way to help with education, health care and discipleship for these children who often have no family around,” says Preston.

She and her family have sponsored Joshua for 10 years. Because of their help, he is now going to university, is at the top of his class, and has ambitions of becoming a doctor. This path may not have been possible for a child in this area without Mission Mbale sponsorship, according to Preston.

For Joel Engle, pastor of First Baptist Church Newnan, serving others is nothing new, but when he traveled to Uganda with the Moores this year, it opened up a new world to him.

After the Moores shared their vision, Engle thought, “I can’t lead my church in global missions if I’m not willing to go myself.”

He had never been to Africa, so he knew he had to go. While there, he learned that Mission Mbale is a unique organization.

“They aren’t even missionaries,” says Engle. “This is what’s so remarkable. They are ordinary, regular people who just went in by themselves, gave up so much of their own lives, and now there is this school that is thriving, students are thriving and a church has been planted. This never happens this way.”

Engle shares that upon arriving in Uganda, he didn’t want to get too attached to the children since it was a short trip. That changed one afternoon when traveling on foot through the villages and a young boy named Kiyra grabbed his hand to lead him through the dusty streets. Kiyra stayed right by the pastor’s side, holding his hand all day, even when a terrible storm blew into the village and the group had to seek shelter in a small home.

Upon walking back to the school, Engle went straight to the principal to start the process of sponsoring Kiyra.

Kiyra’s sponsorship means he will now get three meals a day, clean clothes, an education, and the guidance and mentorship to start a thriving life for his future family.

“Sponsor a child,” Engle encourages. “You will never regret it, as it will literally change the trajectory of their life.”

Some participants have found a special connection with a sponsored child when they learn about shared passions and interests. This is what Frank Barron, owner of Lindsey’s Realtors in downtown Newnan, learned when he began sponsoring Khamali Emmanuel.

Frank became interested in the mission when he learned that the Moores would be working with people in Africa: “My mother, Genet Barron, was active in the Women’s Missionary Union, and she went to both Africa and China, so that piqued my interest.”

Emmanuel, 18, shares Frank’s passion for land and real estate.

“He’s an entrepreneur already,” says Frank.

Emmanuel has been purchasing and selling livestock to buy his first piece of land, according to his sponsor. In letters to Frank, Emmanuel shares his dreams of using his piece of land to start a farm and a family.

Doris Griffin Barron sponsors a young girl named Nakimuli Patience. When she first saw a picture of the child, she noticed her shoes were well-worn. An avid shoe lover herself, Doris wanted to help.

“Now she has better shoes. I’m so proud of that,” says Doris. “To us a pair of shoes seems like a small thing, but for Patience, new shoes are a big deal.”

Doris says the experience has blessed her “beyond belief – and I just feel like if I can help this person in even the smallest way, that makes me feel so good.”

Sponsorship helps the child, but it also does something important for the individual sponsoring
that child, Mission Mbale sponsors agree.

“When you go through life you want to end up making a difference,” says Frank. “It’s like the story of the man finding starfish on the beach and throwing them back in the water. It makes a difference to that one, and this sponsorship makes a difference to the
one child.”

Mission Mbale is changing lives in Uganda, one child at a time, through sponsorships, but it has also changed the lives of Preston, Engle and the Barrons
in Coweta.

Not everyone will be able to travel to Africa, but there are many ways to help the Moores continue this important work in Uganda. Learn more at missionmbaleorg.reachapp.co. NCM