Our Call Missions
Yearly Report for 2013

The Coggin Family started the year 2013 while in the States on furlough.  Our Home church that had sent us out over 11 years ago, made the decision to no longer be a sending church and ended the support for its missionaries.  As difficult and painful as that was for us, we quickly learned that the Lord had a plan.  Within a week He led us through a series of faithful friends, to a new church, Bay Community Church.  During our first meeting with the Senior Pastor, Jerry Taylor, we all believe that it was God’s will for Bay Community to be our new spiritual covering while we serve abroad.

The new school year for Sanctuary of Grace Christian Academy started in February and we moved into the sixth grade (Primary 6 or P6). We registered 50 new pupils into the Kindergarten (5 year olds). We also hired two new teachers.



The school we helped start in Kitgum had reached the Grade 2 level in February.  But the director decided to separate from this partnership with us through a series of decisions and events.  But once again the Lord had a plan.  After this door closed the Lord brought us into many other more productive relationships that are flourishing.   

We received a gift of $20,000 toward a new Kindergarten building.  Construction began during the second term of school. The gift was from a man who had lost his wife and in the settlement of her affairs he donated some of the money to the Lord’s work.



In May Keith and Lisa went to the States for 3 weeks to be with Keith’s family as we celebrated his mother’s 80th birthday. During our stay Keith was able to meet with Pastor Jerry and we enjoyed rich fellowship, Bible Study and worship at Bay Community Church.  Our Third son, Jonathan also came home from school (Liberty University) for the summer months and we were able to enjoy our visit with him.



Elisha ended his year of school from Rift Valley Academy in Kenya.

Cindy Albertson brought a team again and they did Bible study and discipleship of the school children, encouragement to the teachers and missionaries as well as a strong teaching from God’s word to the older children on sexual purity. The children responded well and learned so much.



Pastor Jerry came for a week to see us during the summer and brought two men with him; Kelvin Hill, and Wyly Gammon.  Wyly is a missionary that serves in Honduras and is also supported by Bay Community Church.  We travelled to Gulu, We did Bible study in the village, then visited Kitgum and attended church services with Tyler and Jen Gooden, who are serving there.  We shared the vision for the curriculum and teacher training and they were better able to capture it while in the country. We visited with Tim and Janice McCall, who are missionaries in the Karuma area.  They have an orphanage, dentistry, and school.  Lisa has trained their teachers and they are also modeling the curriculum for Primary.  We took them to enjoy a day at the Murchison Falls Game Park then headed back to Entebbe for their flight back home.



While they were in our village Pastor Jerry taught a Bible Study and led several children to the Lord.



This trip was a pivotal one for our ministry.  As the Pastor and Kelvin shared about their trip and the vision, the Lord has used that to bring others to help in the work. Pastor Jerry requested from the congregation that people help and contact us for encouragement.  From that the Lord spoke to several people who are now helping develop critical areas of the curriculum.

In Sept. we were so blessed by a teenage young lady in Canada, Carrisa Weme.  She raised funds for us to install a solar water pump.  the cost of fuel for the generator was so terribly high.  The money is now been freed up to use for better things at the school and we have clean water pumping as much as needed all day.



Toward the end of the year, Lisa went back to the States for two months to work with Jen Bengel and Albert Applin, who both attend Bay Community Church. They volunteered to use their talents and education qualification for the development of the Our Call Missions Ugandan curriculum called Roots to Fruits. Jen holds a Master’s Degree in Literacy and Albert a PHD in education. 

While Lisa was in the States, another ministry named Favor of God called on Keith to assist them through a crisis. They were under attack from a Ugandan who was attempting to take over the ministry.  It was necessary for the director to leave the country so Keith stepped in to assist the management team on the ground. The ministry was saved and is now trying to regain their stand and continue with their vision and work.  During this time of crisis, Favor of God received a grant to open a radio station.  Keith was asked to oversee the renovation of a building and secure all the necessary requirements for getting it on the air.  This was also successful and we at Our Call Missions are free to use the radio station for teaching.

Jen Bengel and Albert Applin have committed to work with team for writing curriculum based on the Ugandan content and best practices for education. In December, Jen and her husband, Andy followed Lisa back to Uganda and visited Our Call Missions where Jen and Lisa conducted the first Ongoing Professional Development Conference for Teachers.  The purpose for this conference was to introduce the Language and Literacy development portion of the curriculum, and train the teachers in its use. Six schools were represented and the conference was very successful.



Gulu Uganda was in the main track of a rare solar eclipse in early November.  Someone donated some safety glasses for people all over the country to be able to view the eclipse.  Although there was no school because it was Sunday, many of the children came to the school to see the eclipse.  Keith explained to the children what was happening by using some balls of various sizes to illustrate the eclipse.  He shared with the children how amazing God's creation is! And that this was a once in a lifetime event for them.



 
The school year ended in November with our annual Kindergarten graduation celebration. As a blessing each year, our Sponsorship Organization, Childcare International bless the children with Love Packs for Christmas.  The sponsors of our children are so loving and attentive and the children and we are blessed.

  


After the school closed, and the conference for the teachers had ended, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas celebration week with our son, Elisha, and our dear Missionary friends from Kitgum, the Gooden family and Ryan McCabe.  We have known Ryan for 12 years. He started his ministry in Jinja at the same time we did.
We had a service of music and a message from God’s word as we praised and celebrated our Savior, Jesus!!

This ends our report for the year 2013.  If we were to write all that the Lord did during this year it would be a book, so we only included the highlights.  We cannot thank our Father enough for the privilege and honor in serving Him here in Uganda.  There are many hard times and lots of tears, Laughter, joy, encouragement and yet Our joy is complete in Him.

Thank you to all of our supporters, donors, prayer partners and encouragers, we are indeed together with you as a team for the Lord. We love our little children so much, and we delight in knowing that our Father loves them more!!!

Please join us in prayer and in service as we continue yet another year here in Uganda.
In Jesus’ Name,
Keith and Lisa Coggin

If you would like to support us or sponsor a child, please contact us at klcoggin@gmail.com or send a check to Shepherd's Staff Mission Facilitator Account #6052. 






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