Dearest friends and associates of the mission in Greece and all over the world, With our warmest greetings in Christ we would like to inform you about the missionary efforts of our Orthodox Church of Uganda. We thank you in advance for any amount of help you have offered, be it great or small, and most importantly for your prayers and your love for the work of this Mission. Among the necessities which dictate our love of Christ and His word to travel around the world and convey His message, we include the effort of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Virgin Xrysopigi in Polydendri Attica, which has operated for many years not only for Orthodox charity but also for the basic needs of any human being, regardless of his spiritual position. For this purpose our Holy Monastery’s charity group “from the heart” is engaged in the collection of food, medicine and clothing which are needed now in the shared places and collective activities of Greece. Some of the group’s activities involve giving clothes to the needy and medicine to Jail Pharmacies, sending clothing to the Missionary in Madagascar and villages of North Epirus, and assisting recently-released Greek prisoners to return to their families.
Our effort in the African country of Uganda is a big part of our hearts. In 2012 a group of people traveled to Uganda and with God’s strength and the help of many conscientious Greeks we started helping the difficult and inaccessible areas. After 4 years, we have created a small Orthodox parish in the village of Luguzi Uganda; the Holy Church of Saint Spyridon, a one-room medical center which offers its services to all natives without discrimination of religion; a small farm with land which is cultivated to help the poor of the village. And now we are also preparing to build an Elementary school and a Junior High School. Every summer, volunteers from Greece – doctors, nurses, university students and young people – travel to this country to offer their knowledge and smiles, by organizing a camp for the whole village which involves hygiene courses, first aid training and seed cultivation courses, amongst many other things, to gradually improve their own way of life. Simultaneously we have created a project supporting prisoners in the Sedema Jail, and are collecting funds for covering drugs needed to treat malaria of the poorest of the poor, and are maintaining our essential Foster School care program which helps provide over 150 children access to education and regular meals with the help and support of Greek families.
We would like to take the time to think of Peter at this very moment, a child with special needs and a unique smile. This year he found a place to stay and had the opportunity to attend school after 7 years of living on the streets. In just a few words this is our mission in Uganda, a country with an average life expectancy of 45, the third-poorest country in the world, the country of many children who where created by the "God of chocolate"; a country which doesn’t wait for you to teach before it shows you what it means to love, to give and to be giving. We often wonder if we are doing enough in this part of the world where the average lifespan is so short. We often wonder if there is a reason for us to do something, and then we answer… We are a drop in the ocean. But the ocean consists of many drops. With God’s help and your love we continue. Thank you.
Our mission continues… Ways to financially support our effort: (For the overseas mission) Holy Monastery of the Holy Virgin Xrysopigi, P.O box 49 19014 Kapandriti Attica Greece
National Bank (Ethniki Trapeza): 656/201115-86 In the name of our mission’s spiritual father, George Nyombi
We thank you.
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