Hello!!! This is Josie Jackson and thank you for taking your time to look at my fundraising page in going to Uganda, it’s great to have you on board! It has been under the radar for a while and I couldn’t wait to tell you about what I would be doing soon. So I will be going to Uganda for 2 months (with mind to extend to 6 months if I settled in well and are still needed there) from August the 20th (2019!!) and my mission would cover all sorts of things in Gulu, including a school, teaching training college, University and a Church. I will be doing this alongside a Christ-focussed organisation Baptist Mission Society (BMS World Mission) based in the UK and have people working from Uganda too there. To find out more about the work of BMS World Mission go here: bmsworldmission.org , or to find out more about the works in Uganda go to: bmsworldmission.org/people-and-projects/  The placement have been specialised to tailor my skills and God’s gift to serve the communities there. I would be practicing and using Ugandan Sign language among the local people there and I might be involved in leading sessions about deafness and awareness for it in teaching training college and being involved in an art and drama club as part of the after school programme in a home-schooling organisation by BMS in Gulu. I would be a part of the in-country team and the University Community Church who had a huge focus on reaching students and discipling them to know and have a relationship with God. During my time there, I would be supported by a young family, the Ovenden family who works with local communities to support development projects and family through communication support (Lois Ovenden is a speech and language therapist). By myself going there, I would support getting those development project developed and for some parts of the project, myself being deaf would show the people that they can achieve God’s calling or breaking barriers. As God challenged me by changing placement from what I thought would be with a gap year programme in BMS Action Teams into something that is more suited to me and under a short term volunteer placement. I feel that God is calling me to Uganda and work in those projects in Gulu with his plan for me and that amazing things of God’s presence will happen there. God has already taken me on a learning curve about trust and patience which would prepare me for my mission. 

‘Trust in the LORD with all of your heart and lean not to your understanding. Proverbs 3:5’

In order to be able to go on the volunteer placement in Uganda for at least 2 months, I would need to raise X (full price unknown still but will be thousands!), so your financial support, prayers, practical and spiritual support is very much appreciated for months to come. The money donated through JustGiving is going directly to BMS World Mission. This money will count toward the X I have to raise as a contribution towards the total cost of the programme. To be able to fundraise and to inform you of more information about Uganda Gap year, I will be writing updates throughout my placement about what God and I have been doing in Gulu, Uganda. So, if you would like to know about updates in Uganda, then send me a message and I will keep you updated on how I'm sharing information. God is calling that now it is important for me to set aside a time for God and to be active in his plan for Uganda and for myself and to reflect on how amazing he is working in various countries including Uganda. 

Please note that anyone who is a ‘connected person’ to me can’t Gift Aid their donations. (The gift aid doesn’t contribute to my placement but to the wider work of BMS so it is still appreciated!)

This includes:

• A relative (Brother, sister, mother, grandfather etc.)

• The wife, husband or civil partner of a relative. 

• A company under the control of the donor, or under the control of connected persons.