Watoto Blessings

Immanuel Buderim Journeys to Uganda

From hearing the story of orphans in Uganda after the civil war and the LRA taking children as soldiers at a Christian Women’s conference in 2007, members of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Buderim began supporting Watoto and their endeavours to change the lives of these children and widows. Since 2008, a mission team from the congregation, including college students and friends associated with Immanuel, have travelled to Uganda every two years, involved in building projects and supporting the work of Watoto. When COVID hit, the 2020 planned trip was not able to take place, however, they resumed their mission in November last year, with a team of seventeen spending almost three weeks away.

In the past, Immanuel has been involved in building three houses, a classroom, part of a teacher’s house and the floor of a dining hall for Watoto. In 2016, a Lutheran congregation in South Australia contacted Immanuel when they learnt of their visits to Uganda. They had been supporting poor Lutheran communities and congregations through their organisation called SOUP (Support of Uganda’s Poor) and OUT (Outreach Uganda Team) and asked for Immanuel to visit and check on their projects. This then led Immanuel to include SOUP and OUT in their planning and project work, supporting the building of three cottages to house widows and orphans, establishing a sewing business, providing medicine, food and clothing for the neediest and providing resources for the Lutheran schools and evangelists.

In November last year, the team worked on building refurbishments with Watoto, classroom resources for schools, Bibles for evangelists, establishing another sewing room, and providing hygiene and birthing kits. Much of this was done through the support of congregations and individuals, for which we are very thankful! While all team members pay their own individual costs, the team plans and runs various fundraising events for their identified projects, with all funds going directly to the identified projects.

We are planning to take another team in November/December 2025. If anyone would like further information on the upcoming trip, or last year’s trip, please contact Steve and Lyndal Mayer (lyndalstevemayer@gmail.com).