During this Christmas Holiday, God blessed me with an amazing opportunity to go to Uganda, Africa 12 of us from the Bristol area went with a local ministry called Safewater Nexus . (www.safewaternexus.org).

  Our first goal was to work towards establishing trust with villagers and learn more about their daily lives and needs. We were able to visit several orphanages, a hospital, and host an all day health clinic for the people in the village of Namasujju.  Through this trip, God really showed me what true joy was all about.  It was amazing to see so many people with diseases, hardships, and poverty whose hearts were still full of joy. I was fortunate enough to bring down some volleyballs that our college team was not using. We were able to donate a bag full of volleyballs to an orphanage called Bethany Village and the picture you see is of me playing volleyball with the kids. They are so full of life - it is contagious! My one prayer after all that I learned is that God would be able to use me here in America to speak out on behalf of Safewater Nexus and the people of Namasujju and the surrounding communities. There is so much we Americans can do to help these kids and people. It starts with clean water, then helping establish education, healthcare, and opportunities for economic growth. I can't wait to see what God does through this ministry and the people who allow God to work in and through them.

Lauren Kinser

Head Volleyball Coach