Wilshire members Judy Coleman and Carolyn Strickland recently traveled to northern Uganda, where they supported a growing ministry to children situated along the Nile River.

The mission, called Restoration Gateway, was founded by Judy’s sister and brother-in-law, Janice and Tim McCall, who are from Waco. They are developing 500 acres of land along the Nile to provide not only homes but a community for children who have been orphaned by 20 years of civil war and by the AIDS epidemic.

Restoration Gateway currently has homes for 65 children ages 3 to 14, and another seven homes are under construction. The goal is to provide homes for 350 orphans.

A school has been built for the children to learn English and other basic skills. A Ugandan pastor and his family live on the premises to provide additional counseling and spiritual nurture.

“There are approximately 70 adult workers at Restoration Gateway who are busy making bricks, erecting houses, painting, installing plumbing, cooking, washing clothes, and generally tending the land,” Judy reported. “The eight orphan houses each have a Ugandan house mother and, when they are not attending school or playing, the children work. They wash their own clothes, help to harvest vegetables, and cut the grass using machete-like sticks. The children love to play soccer (football to them) and they play it in their bare feet.”

These children “come from homes without moms and dads, from relatives who can barely feed their own children, and some from village streets,” Carolyn said. “There are so many homeless and orphaned children in Uganda that it’s difficult to imagine how they survive. “

Restoration Gateway seeks to find children between 3 and 12 years of age, who will live at the home until they turn 18, at which time assistance will be given to find sustainable work. 

The two youngest children currently living at Restoration Gateway—David, 5, and Christopher, 3—were delivered by a policewoman who found them living on the street rummaging in the dirt for something to eat. The two naked boys shared everything they found, even to the point of splitting a peanut. The compassionate policewoman bought fabric and had a shirt and pants made for them to wear as they were brought to the children’s home. 

The two oldest children at the home, a sister and brother named Shalom, 12, and Osmund, 10, had been placed in a circle with others where they lived and made to watch the Lord’s Resistance Army kill their father. Mothers were so horrified they ran away and left the children. Eventually this brother and sister were brought to Restoration Gateway. 

“These two very special children said prayers on behalf of the group as we were leaving, and this mom will never be the same after hearing such words spoken,” Carolyn said. “They surely must know God in a way we don’t.”

The McCalls previously were Southern Baptist medical missionaries in Nigeria. Later, they opened a medical practice in Waco, but felt called to Uganda in 2007.

“Their prayers led them to look for two key ingredients—a large parcel of land with a large body of water,” Carolyn explained. “They were looking around Lake Victoria when they heard of 500 acres for sale four hours to the north. They almost missed seeing the mighty Nile River bordering this acreage, and the ‘aha’ moment came when the river became visible. Both of them knew this was where they would begin their ministry to orphaned children.”

The name Restoration Gateway bears special meaning to the McCalls.

“It’s a gateway for children to be restored both physically and spiritually in peace and hope and love,” Tim said.

Judy and Carolyn were joined by other family members and friends on this mission trip. Within the group were four teachers, a doctor and three with non-profit management experience.  

“Everyone quickly adapted to playing with the children, the doctor doing physical examinations, some observing and reading in the classrooms, organizing the medical room, fitting each child with a new outfit and new shoes donated by Sunday School classes back home, one painting a mural in a foster home and another painting the alphabet in a school classroom” Carolyn reported.

“It was a delight to spend time with the children, listening to them sing in their worship services and reading and listening to them read in English,” Judy added. “A highlight of the trip was distributing new clothing to the children, generously donated by members of Compass Class. My daughter gave the children toys donated by her friends.”

Judy and Carolyn were inspired by what the McCalls are doing to restore hope for children. They look forward to returning to Uganda to see what God will continue to do in this remote part of Africa.