LAND GIVEN BY GOD

Huntington...one of the faithful workers on the land

Henry, our country director, holding a cocoa pod on the land

Mark and Doug, with one of our Ugandan workers, in the early building stage

The footer completed for the piggery

The building is going up quickly
 



Half of this building will be used to store grain and feed for the animals, and two rooms for the caretakers.


Mercy Uganda is so very thankful for the land that God provided this ministry through the generosity of donors
who have faithfully and lovingly supported the work of this ministry.
We had a wonderful team of Ugandans, and two very special American men, Mark and Doug, who worked alongside
them to build this very first building on the Mercy Land.
Now that we have the caretakers facility, we have crops starting to grow, and look forward to beginning the work on the
main facility.  This will provide housing for some of the vulnerable children, and a residence for the Knetzers when they
make their move to Uganda.  We hope to get the well drilled soon.  We have already been blessed with the funds
for that well by one of our dear donors...thank you!
Part of this project has also included the shipping container. It will be filled with much needed tools and equipment to help us complete the construction more efficiently, and provide tools and equipment for the agriculture and livestock program on the land.  We hope to have the container in Uganda in the next 2 to 3 months. 
If you would like more information about how to get involved in this building project, or the agriculture and livestock program, we would love to hear from you, and get you involved!!  Please continue to pray for us as we move forward with this HUGE and much needed effort.






 

Final Update from Uganda--August 31, 2013

Dear Friends and Family.....

We apologize that we have not been able to send updates on a more regular basis. It seems that the days when we have the time we lack electricity and/or internet  connection. On the nights when we have those, we have had a very long day of traveling and get in too late to sit down and type.

We have just returned from Karamoja and had a wonderful time with the people of Kokorio and Kayapas.  We arrived via Mission Aviation Fellowship plane and were able to walk through the main market area of Matany to Pastor Phillip’s home where we were greeted by mothers of some of our sponsored children. They sang and danced a welcome and thank you song for us. We were then able to meet with a few of the children.

Due to very bad road conditions from all the rain AND a breakdown, part of our team...the Ugandan members, were not able to arrive until later that night and without the vehicle. Boda Boda's (small motorcycles) picked them up and brought them to Matany. Due to the vehicle not making it to Matany we did not have group transport to and from the two villages and were unable to visit as a team. While this was disappointing, we know that God has a reason.

The men were able to travel by boda boda to work on the pit latrines and the ladies had an absolutely wonderful day of teaching health and hygiene to 40 women in the morning and sewing to a group of about 25 in the afternoon. While only a couple of the women could speak English and the majority of them do not read or write (I saw a lady teaching another lady how to make letters to write her name on a picture she drew for us), we were able to communicate beautifully through pictures, and role play. We had the ladies draw pictures for us of a person getting water from a water source as we had discussed clean vs dirty water.....the ladies had never used crayons before and only a couple had ever even had the opportunity to draw a picture. They enjoyed it so much we gave them extra time for the experience and left the crayons for them to do more drawing later.

We were also introduced to a lovely 13 year old girl named Lucy. Her older brother is one of our sponsored children. He was the one who had been in the boda boda accident and nearly died. Because Lucy is the last child at home, her mother could not afford to keep her in school and was planning to exchange her daughter for a cow so she would have a way to provide for herself. Basically selling Lucy for a way to provide food for herself. Needless to say, this did not set well with the team and we are working on getting Lucy's mother to allow goats to be purchased for her in exchange for being given an education. Barb Gray, on the team has convinced her husband that this is a child they need to add to their list of sponsored children. Please pray for Lucy and her mother.

The men had a wonderful day of working alongside the men in working on the pit latrines and building relationships with these men. Mark and Doug are a wonderful pair of guys to work with the Ugandans because they don't try to push for things to be done the American way but allow themselves to learn from the Ugandans as well as teaching them some new ways of doing things in a way that builds positive relationships. What a wonderful thing to see how God is working in this village since the drilling of the well. The people are more open to the gospel and to Msungu's coming into their village. They see that we are not there to give and do for, rather to teach and assist them as they learn to provide for themselves. Some of the seeds we gave for their garden on past trips are producing vegetables and we saw one of the girls selling some of the greens in the market. We were also able to show the Passion of the Christ the last night in Karamoja.  It was so beautiful to hear sweet voices say Jesu, Jesu...and to hear them cheer when Satan lost the battle at Christ's resurrection. To see a village open to the gospel and open to people coming into both their villages and their lives is extremely humbling and encouraging.

Yesterday we drove to Jinja to visit David and Lisa Fish (the daughter and son-in-law of our dear friends Dave and Susan Franklin) and their children.  They are working with a ministry called Good Shepherd's Fold and teach missionary children. It took about 2 hours to get there and four hours to get back because of the traffic issues coming back into Kampala. Needless to say, this caused us to be over 2 hours late or the Jesus Film. The wonderful and patient people in Kajjansi waited as a very tired and worn out group drove up. There were at least 200 people still there, 2 hours after the show was to start. Laura had a few minutes to talk to the group and we gave the movie to the pastor in charge.  We then left it with them because it was so late and they proceeded to watch the movie. This will kick off a series of evangelistic outreach meetings in the area and we look forward to hearing the updates.

Today, our last day in Uganda, will be spent driving back to Mercy Uganda's land to assess progress and plan the next steps in the construction. We will also take a walker to a sweet elderly man that the medical team had worked with in the past and had arranged for hip surgery for him. He had gone a year with a broken hip when the medical team met him.  We also hope to meet the mother of our new child Lobowa James, whom we met at the ferry in February. She is dying of AIDs and is a Christian. We are convinced she has been praying for James and God led us to him in February.....he is a wonderful testimony to God's work through the sponsorship program and we can't wait to show you pictures, and share how God is taking what was once seemingly hopeless and giving hope and a future.

We have so much to tell you and lots of wonderful pictures. This trip has been a blessing to us as we have sought to be a blessing and to be used by the Lord in the lives of the people of Uganda. Thank you for being a part of this work. Your support and prayers allowed us to have an impact here and we are grateful to you.

Love in Christ,

The August Team: Mark and Laura, Doug and Kristin, and Barb

 

Ladies at the health and hygiene class

Mark and Doug heading to the latrine work site in Kokorio village

The team with the Fish family

Lucy, the girl whose mother was going to trade her for livestock

Doug, Mark, and Gabriel working on the pit latrines

 

August 22, 2013 Update

Dear Friends and Family.....

The past few days have been fruitful and rewarding. We continue to build wonderful relationships with men and women in Uganda and are thankful for the opportunities to stand along side them as we seek to serve the Lord.

The men have had several good days of construction work on Mercy Uganda's land, and will complete the walls for the storage building/living quarters for caretaker of the land.  They will also do the concrete work on the piggery tomorrow.  It has been amazing to see how much can get accomplished with a team of American and Ugandan men even with language barriers. Doug and Mark show a love and humility that speaks volumes without words. The men see these two Christian men and we see the bonds that are growing. Praise the Lord!

The ladies continue to hold the sewing classes every morning, and the Ugandan ladies have really shown a willingness and desire to learn the art of sewing. The church ladies even want to start a sewing group to help ladies continue to learn and build upon their skills so they can help provide can income for their families. Many of these women's husbands work making bricks in the brick business near the church, making very low wages. Our prayer is to raise funds to help provide several good quality sewing machines for this group to encourage them in this hope. The sewing classes have allowed us to build friendships with ladies from the church and surrounding villages, and is creating opportunities for the Ugandan ladies to build new friendships as well.

The sewing classes are a great bridge to our afternoon bible studies, and the women all seem excited to stay, often from 10 in the morning until nearly 5:00. Our study is about some of the women of the bible, and how, like them, we have stories as daughters of Christ. Two key things being taught: 1) Nothing is impossible with God and 2) I am loved. This seems to resonate with the women and we see smiles and hear amens. The ladies hear stories of forgiveness and healing, hope and a future. They hear that there is nothing in their lives too big for God and He is faithful in all things. 

We have also had the privilege of singing with them and teaching new songs. We closed today with teaching the Doxology.....they had never heard it before, but loved being in a large 30 something lady group holding hands and singing that song. 

Thank you for praying for us as we seek God's guidance and plan for us here. Pray that He will show us what He wants us to do, and that we will be obedient and willing servants to these absolutely precious men, women, boys and girls in Uganda.

Love in Christ,

The August Team: Mark and Laura, Doug and Kristin, and Barb

P.S. The construction pictures show the slab and beginning of the storage/caretaker building and the beginning of the foundation for the piggery. The pictures of the ladies are some of the Ugandans modeling the blouses they made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team Update--Monday, August 19th

We apologize for the lack of updates and pictures. It seems it has been one technical difficulty after another including power outages. However, we think we are working out some kinks and can send this with great pictures too!

We made it safely Wednesday evening, and were totally beat by the nearly 28 hours of flight time and layovers. We had a great night’s sleep and were ready to get busy on Thursday morning.

Thursday morning was our first opportunity as a team to go and look at the new land that God has graciously provided Mercy Uganda through many generous donors. We planned where buildings would go and what structures would be first. The men then spent a few minutes pounding limbs in the ground to mark where the footers would go for our first structure. We spent the evening planning and discussing details for the upcoming week.

Friday morning the men were taken to the land in a public transportation van/taxi that was hired out as our means of transportation. Once the men were dropped off the ladies were picked up and taken to Calvary Chapel Church in Kajjansi, where we started our ladies Bible study. We had a wonderful group of about 30 ladies and look forward to 7 more days of fellowship with them.

Saturday started out with plans similar to Friday’s, however, we had a minor emergency when Mark had a racing heart Friday night and into the morning on Saturday. This was caused by overheating (we think) on Friday. So Henry Mello, our country director made arrangements for us to take Mark to Namulanda Clinic where he was seen by the main doctor/owner of the hospital. He was checked out and in good shape……cause of attack believed to be lack of sleep, overheating, and too much caffeine. So, decaf, light duty for a couple of days, and valium to help him catch up on the sleep. He is doing MUCH better now and the entire medical event only cost 20,000 Ugandan shillings=less than $10.00.

We also visited our friend Veronica who runs the Comforter Pregnancy Center in Kampala. This is always a blessing and this was a first visit for all but Laura and we all enjoyed seeing the ministry Veronica has and purchasing paper bead necklaces made by the women at the center. This afternoon we had day two of the Bible study and the men were our technical support today.

Sunday was a wonderful day of worship at Calvary Chapel, a time of scripture reading, hymn singing, and hearing the His Grace Revival Choir (Henry’s choir) sing several amazing arrangements. Then Henry’s preacher delivered a wonderful sermon. We also got to see and spend time with 2 of our Mercy Uganda sponsored children, and what an amazing thing to see the change in their lives since being sponsored! God is so good!! Three and a half hours later, we were leaving the church. We had a plan to bake a home made birthday cake and have Henry and Gabriel (our 2 Ugandan ministry team members) and their families over for a birthday party for them (the ones we give are the only ones they have ever had). The power went off before the cake got done, we all ate dinner by candle light and sang happy birthday with candles stuck in one of the potatoes from dinner…..the power came on less than 5 minutes after the guests left to go home so they got carry out cake today.

Today, Monday August 19^th was a wonderful day of ministry work, both in construction and in the sewing and the bible study groups. The men were able to get a lot of the concrete slab poured today, and have some stories to tell about that when we get home. Kristin led the sewing class today and we had 31 ladies show up and two foot pedal control sewing machines. We spent about 4 hours with Kristin and her assistants (Laura and Barb) helping the ladies learn to pin and cut their patterns. It took at least an hour to measure all of the ladies to figure out sizes and then the cutting began. We hope to start the actual sewing tomorrow. After the sewing class, Mercy Uganda is providing lunch for all of the ladies every day this week. After lunch (around 3 o’clock) we begin our daily bible study time. It is an amazing bible study that focuses God’s love for his daughters. We learn about and discuss the stories of different women each day. Laura has been leading this bible study with help and interaction from Kristin and Barb. Barb will be sharing her testimony tomorrow during the class.

We look forward to giving more updates soon. We appreciate all of your prayers and thank you for your support for the work being done here. We came to be a blessing and are receiving such a blessing in the process.

Love in Christ,

Mark and Laura Knetzer, Doug and Kristin DeVries, and Barb Gray

 

Ladies Bible Study Group

Preparing for the sewing class

Mark laying the first brick of the first building on the Mercy Uganda land

The footing for the first building on the Mercy Uganda land

 

Reflections... and a look Forward

As we approach another new year, I love to look back at where the Lord has taken us over this past year, and look with hopeful anticipation at what He has in store for 2013. I believe it is always good to reflect on the goodness of the Lord, His lovingkindness toward His children, the promises He has kept, His goodness, love, mercy, forgiveness, provision. The year 2012 was a year of seeing God work in all of those ways, and I praise Him for all He has done.
I want to share a few things God has done in 2012, and then share our hopes for 2013 with you.
In 2012 God:



Paul on his old "trike"....getting a new one soon!

Provided money to buy our dear sweet Paul with a new "trike". Paul developed an illness as a young teen. It went untreated and he was left crippled as a result. He has been using the trike you see in the picture above as his means of movement. However, on two trips during 2012 we noticed he was crawling on his hands and feet. His trike, while it has done him good for years, has increasingly deteriorated to the point that it is now a better stewardship to purchase a new one for him. One has recently been purchased, and will be delivered to him when we go to Uganda in February.

Lobali John, with Mark...his sponsor
Another answer to prayer for 2012 is the health of Lobali John, one of the children in Mercy Uganda's sponsorship program. Lobali John just finished his third term at Moroto High, and was leaving Karamoja to travel to Iganga to stay with his brother while on holiday from school during the Christmas season. He was riding on the back of a boda boda (motorcycle) with two men when they had an accident involving a trailor. The trailor somehow landed on them, crushing and killing the other two people Lobali John was with. Word was that Lobali John may be dead himself, or alive but losing both legs. It took several days for our director, Henry Mello to find him in Mulago Hospital......alive and well with only a broken leg. Now, the leg was broken in more than one place and he had to have surgery to repair it, but he is alive and recovering! Praise the Lord! He will make full recovery and be able to return to school, hopefully by February.





Left to Right: Pastor Phillip, Henry, and Gabriel
The year 2012 was a time of struggle, and hardship for our dear sweet Henry and Gabriel, who went through a very difficult period....a period that tests men's resolve and teaches them things about God's faithfulness in the darkness.  As they went through the fire, God embraced them.  He reminded them of His deep love for them, and that He is there with them....never to leave or forsake them.  I don't think I've met two young men with more integrity than Henry and Gabriel.  Two young men who, since I have known them, put others before themselves, and who have sacrificed so much to minister to others.  We know that Satan does not attack where he already rules, so it makes perfect sense that he began his assault on Henry and Gabriel.  The battle continues, but God continues to shine His light in their lives, and continues to hold them in His righteous right hand.  Our prayer and hope for Henry and Gabriel in 2013 is that God will be glorified in their lives, and that the difficulty of the events of 2012 will be only a chapter from the past....a chapter that leads them, and Mercy Uganda to a stronger reliance upon, and faith in God, who uses all things in our lives for our good and His glory.

 



Left to Right: Ashley, Paul, and Jenna
God brings certain people into our lives who have a way of shining His love so brightly that we can't help but be moved, changed, inspired, and encouraged by them.  Such as Paul Telemwa.  I had the privilege of meeting him about three years ago, and have seen God work through Paul's life, and his disability.  Paul fell from a ladder while preparing for a conference at his church.  No one knew at the time that his injury would take him down a road of increasingly painful and debilitating health.  He began to lose the use of his legs, and it was discovered that he had spinal injuries.  Surgery was provided, he improved......for a time. In August of 2012 we had the opportunity to see Paul again.  This time, he had declined such that he could not live alone and a family took him in to care for him.  We were told surgery was needed in order for Paul to improve.  We set in motion a fundraising mission with matching funds already in place.  We came home to America, and found out within two weeks, that Paul died unexpectedly as friends drove him to the local hospital.  His dear friend Henry....our director, was here in the U.S. and unable to be by Paul's side, or even attend his funeral.  Painful and difficult?  Yes.....but the beautiful part of Paul's story is that he unashamedly loved the Lord.  Even in his on pain and suffering, he found ways to share Christ and minister to others who were hurting.  Paul wrote a song not long before his death that sums up how he lived, and what and Who he saw as important.  The song is called "My Harvest" and words are:
When I will rest of the troubles of this world.  When I cross home where labor will be no more with me, will be all my deeds.  My contribution to this world will have ended.  (Chorus) The love I have shared, bears fruits in my  hands.  When I share with the needy, there I get my reward. 
Of what benefit is it to me?  When I gather and bring in wealth into my vaults.  All my laboring will be in vain if I do not share with the poor. 
With me will be my harvest when I cross home to present to my Father.  What a disgrace if I will have nothing on my name.  I will have led an empty life in this world. 
Paul will be so very missed this side of heaven, but we can say with confidence we will see him again.  So 2013 will be a year of his memory and testimony living on and influencing so many more lives.
 

Land in Uganda
And last but not least.....2012 was a year of enormous provision.....God provided land to Mercy Uganda through the generosity of His children here in the U.S.  Through the financial gifts of many, Mercy Uganda was able to purchase 2 acres of land, and is preparing to buy a third.  This purchase has been a prayer for nearly two years as we have sought God's will, guidance, and plan for our Faith 500 Vision.  The year 2012 was the year of God leading us to the land, and providing the means to purchase the land.  The year 2013 will begin the next phase of this work......clearing and building.  Our prayer is for a home for the children, and an agriculture and livestock program that will provide food and training for the orphans in our program, and will help the ministry work become more self-sustaining.  Praise the Lord for His provision for us!  Our February trip will be a time of seeing the land,  and working out vital logistics for the building to begin.  The summer of 2013 will be a time of great excitement as we get a team together to travel to Uganda to begin the much anticipated building projects.  Reflecting back.....seeing God's hand in all that we have been through......looking forward with hopeful anticipation as we see our faithful Father caring for His children in amazing and wonderful ways. 
Please pray for us as we continue this Faith 500 Vision.  We are confident that God is in this work.  He provided the land, the well for water on the land.....now we are getting close to the needed funds for the truck to haul supplies, materials, and feed, and funds for the completion of the buildings.  We know He will finish the work He has begun. 
2013 will be an exciting year as we hold tightly to God as He leads us on His path for us!

News, News....Good News!

At Mercy Uganda, we are always attempting to take the Good News to the people of Uganda.  Today we would like to announce some really good news that will help in that very effort!

Mercy Uganda has many people who sponsor children so that they can attend school.  Living in America, it's hard for us to imagine that in order for children in Uganda to go to school, they must pay, and many of them simply have no one to pay the school tuition or the fees for needed supplies.  It is such a blessing to be a sponsor to one of these dear, sweet children.  They take nothing for granted and appreciate the opportunity to make their lives better.  At Mercy Uganda, we try to make their lives better in more ways than just education....we try to take the truly Good News of Christ Jesus and His love for them, which is the best news of all!  

The following is a letter that brings us great joy!

 

Rebecca Vaught (left) and Becky Carreira (right)
September 2011 Medical team trip

  

Dear Friends,

My dear friend, Rebecca Vaught, and I have had the privilege of being involved in the lives of the children in Uganda through our medical ministry work with Ezekiel 37 Medical Ministry.  We have been sharing ideas with Laura Knetzer, founder of Mercy Uganda, as to ways to build the child sponsorship program. Laura asked if we would consider taking the lead role in this arm of the ministry.

After much prayer Rebecca and I have agreed to take on the responsibility of coordinators for Mercy Uganda's “Hope for Children” sponsorship program and are happy to be a part of the Mercy Uganda family.  I have been to Uganda 4 times now and Rebecca has been 3 times.  We have been a witness to what Mercy Uganda has accomplished over the past few years.  As members of the Ezekiel 37 Medical Ministry team we have partnered with Mercy Uganda in ministry work in Karamoja.  Rebecca and I both feel called to deepen our involvement through work with the student sponsorship program.  Education is vital to the success of children ending the cycle of poverty and we are anxious to get to work. We have some exciting goals and plans that we believe will take Mercy Uganda’s child sponsorship program to the next level.

One of the first things we are working on is to build a stronger method of communication between the team in Uganda and us here in the United States.  As a sponsor myself, I know how much it means to receive periodic updates, pictures, and report card information about your sponsored child.  Being able to send a letter to the students helps establish the relationship and to bond.  It enables sponsors to encourage their student, tell him or her you are praying for them, etc. Below is an explanation of why it has been difficult to obtain these updates and what we hope to provide to create this new level of communication.

Our sponsored children are currently spread throughout different regions in Uganda the furthest being Karamoja.  Karamoja is a 12 hour drive from Kampala which makes it quite difficult to keep up with the children in that area.  Approximately 50% of Mercy Uganda’s sponsored students are in Karamoja.  It is expensive for our Ugandan Director, Henry Mello, or our Karamoja Field Manager, Gabriel Lobu to travel to that remote region.  Our prayer is that the Lord will provide a couple of people who live in Karamoja, and would be interested in joining Mercy Uganda as a sort of “mentor” to the children.  These mentors would be the initial contact people in the region. The first person the schools call if there is an issue, if a child is sick, if a child isn’t doing well in school, if a child needs more school supplies, etc.  They would also make monthly or bi-monthly visits to the schools to check in with the Headmaster and to also get updates from the children.  We are also praying for a mentor for the Kampala area what would accomplish the same things as described above. We have some individuals in mind who we believe could fill those positions and ask that you pray for us regarding this important decision and role.

In order for these mentors to be successful they need the technology to make it possible.  We have done quite a bit of research and have determined that a tablet of some sort would be the best alternative.  One that has the ability to use WiFi and also a 3G network like an iPad or Motorola Xoom.  I have talked to the internet provider in Uganda and they have said that as long as we can change the SIM card they would have coverage in Karamoja and in Kampala.  The good thing about a tablet is that they can take pictures and email all from the same device.  We can also get a really good case for it to keep it protected from dust and dirt.  If you have or know someone who has an iPad or tablet (with 3G capability) that they are no longer using please let us know. If you know of businesses, organizations, or individuals who may have some of these devices they would like to donate, please let them know of our need.  As a 501(c )(3) non-profit, their donation is tax deductible!

Another plan we have is to work on creating a new and comprehensive webpage through Mercy Uganda’s website that will have pictures and biographical information about children who need sponsorships.  Our prayer is that you will share the website information with your friends and family so we can provide the gift of education to more children.  On each of the trips we’ve taken to Karamoja and other areas in Uganda it always saddens me to see the children who are of school age but are not in school.

Laura, Rebecca and I are planning a trip to Uganda in February.  The intention of the trip is to meet with the mentors and train them on how to help us improve the communication.  In addition, to visiting each of the schools where students are currently sponsored, we plan to meet with the Headmasters,  get updates on the students, and assess how they are doing in school. This will also provide the opportunity for us to build a relationship with the leaders in the schools, which will benefit the schools, the children, the communities, and the ministry as a whole.

In order to accomplish these things we need your support and prayers.  There are so many children in the villages that should be in school.  Unfortunately, school is NOT free in Uganda.  It is very difficult for a lot of people in Uganda to send their children to school. The cost of tuition in the schools is more often than not more than the average Ugandan earns. It is our hope and prayer that with your help and support the Hope for Children sponsorship program will continue to grow.

We will keep in touch with you as things progress.  In the meantime, thank you for supporting Mercy Uganda and the children that you are sponsoring. Your gift of hope and a future is a blessing to the children, their families, and to Mercy Uganda.

Blessings,

Becky Carreira

Mercy Uganda

I'm A Child of God

On my trips to Uganda, I am often asked (or should I say, told a few minutes beforehand), to share my testimony.  I'm one of those people who grew up in a Christian home, never had one of those big conversion stories, and quite frankly, often felt intimidated about what to say.  I always had the impression that testimonies had to have this "wow factor"......but am quickly learning that is not the case.  On my first trip to Uganda, when asked/told to share my testimony I agonized over what to say.  I prayed and wrote, and scribbled, and erased, started over, and over, and over.  Finally I realized my testimony is not about me....it is about God and what He has done, is doing, and will do.  That was such a freeing moment for me.  Thank you Lord for showing me....reminding me Who our testimonies are about.  With that said, I want to share my testimony with you.  Now, there are a million things I could say, a million stories I could tell you about things God has done in my life, through my life, for me....but it all keeps coming down to this.....
 
"For God so loved (Laura...put your name here too), that He gave His one and only son, that if (Laura...and you) believe in Him, I shall (and you) not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
My heavenly Father loves me, I am His child..."For You created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body,.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139: 13-17)
It was not because I was a good person or deserved His love that God chose me as his child.  Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."  God's love for me and for you is the same Jjo (Yesterday), Leero (Today), and Lubeerera (Forever).....I am God's child, I belong to Him.  I know I am a new creation. "Old things have passed asay, behold all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God tells me in Isaiah 43:18 &19a  to "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!"  In verse 25 God tells me "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more."  How comforting to know that!  What extravagant love!  What an amazing God!  Knowing that I don't deserve such grace, such mercy, such love.....and knowing that God looked through eternity into my yet unformed eyes, and said to me.....you are My child....I love you.....
I am His child......His child....all the big words, all the lofty explanations and deep ponderings can tell me nothing greater than the knowledge that the God of the Universe, the Creator of all things loves me.  To tell a broken person,  a lost soul, an aching spirit of such love.....what better testimony can there be than to share the living water that I myself have been given, with another thirsty soul.