“Wir bringen Frieden!”
Us ladies of the group had the incredible blessing of visiting Salaama Home in Kampala, Uganda, a place filled with love, hope, and the transforming power of Jesus!
This special home is run by a sweet Swiss Christian woman named Melody, along with three other dedicated adults, who pour their hearts into caring for 23 boys between the ages of 9 and 19. Many of these boys have come from the streets of Kampala, where their lives were once filled with hunger, stealing, gambling, broken homes, or no home at all.
But God is writing a new story for them!
Stories of Redemption at Salaama Home
We had the amazing opportunity to sit in on their Bible study and worship the Lord alongside them. As wonderful as that was, the greatest blessing was hearing some of the boys share their personal stories and testimonies.
The joy and excitement on their faces as they talked about what Jesus has done in their lives since coming to Salaama Home was something I will never forget.
The boys took turns sharing their stories about their time on the streets, talking about the various hardships they had to face, from developing a gambling addiction because it seemed to be the only dependable way to earn money, to stealing the shoes that sat outside of the mosque to sell on the street corner to people sitting in traffic.
The boys did not sugarcoat their stories. However, as they told their stories, every time they hit a point that was particularly sad, they would smile at us.
The joy they got from telling us how Jesus redeemed them and how they learned that they were forgiven and beloved was written across their faces. It felt like they physically could not wait to get to the Jesus part of their story.
When they got to the part of the story where Melody, whom the boys affectionately call Aunt Melo, came into their lives, they looked radiant with the love of God and of her.
A Ministry Bringing Hope to the Streets of Kampala
Salaama Home is not just a building in the hills of Makindye, but also a thriving ministry in the heart of Kampala.
There is a secondary location that hosts twice-a-week meetings for the boys, with biblical teachings and classes to teach the boys how to cook. This is also where Melody chooses the future kids she brings to the home.
As Melody starts to recognize the boys who come regularly, she prays over them, and God makes it clear to her and the staff whom to bring to the long-term home to be part of the next semester.
What a beautiful reminder that God is in the business of restoring lives, bringing hope to the hopeless, and turning broken stories into powerful testimonies of His goodness!
We went there hoping to be a blessing, but I truly believe we walked away even more blessed.
— Crystal Roddenberry and Leia McHenry
Posted in Missions