Arise Talents


As much as I would love to share everything about our trip to Uganda serving alongside Sole Hope, right now I want to share a need and offer you a tangible way you could come alongside and provide for a child an opportunity for a better education. 

 During our time in Uganda we got to meet Dickson Nabiru, a local distinguished artist and friend to Dru and Asher Collee (director and founder of Sole Hope) who has a heart for older orphaned children. Before being orphaned himself, at the age of 15, Dickson’s father taught him many different skills of art and also impressed upon him the importance of helping those in need. With his artistic ability and heart of service, Dickson has created a ministry called Arise Talents. At Arise orphaned children come, they are given shelter, food and an opportunity for an education. While the children are at Arise, Dickson also teaches them the skills he knows as an artist, which is a very rare sacrifice because your trade is your livelihood. 

Dickson and some of his amazing art

Samuel, Sasha, Dickson, Jesse, Trevour with the new Arise Talents logo

In Africa, education is not free and is a luxury many cannot afford. As Dickson takes in children, not only is he providing for their immediate needs, but he is also putting them through school. Right now the children are in a classroom setting of 80-100 students to 1 teacher. His hope is to send them to a school with a better student to teacher ratio which would give them a better education and provide for them more opportunities. 

 We got the privilege of spending time with Dickson and the children of Arise Talent. My heart was immediately drawn to them as a group and individually - getting to know their names, smiles and laughter was such a joy. 
(our team with Dickson and the Arise Talent kids)

 The school Dickson desires the children to be enrolled in consists of three terms in a school year at $220 a term, $660 a year; to provide his children with the education he desires, an education they deserve.

 So I ask, would you prayerfully consider as an individual, a house, a group, a family, or as a couple supporting the education of an Arise Talent child for a school year? 

 A monthly sponsorship would be $60 a month over an 11-month time frame or any one time donation to help a child get an education. 

 Contact me here for more information and to set up your support for an Arise Talent student or consider a one-time donation. 

 Arise Talents kids:

 Jesse Mwesigina – 15 years old

Samuel Waiswa– 13 years old

Trevour Muwanguzi – 10 years old

Sasha Kisakye – 14 years old 

Victoria – 15 years old (photo to come)


 Send an email here for more information and to set up your support for an Arise Talents child. 

The Arise Talents kids sing and pray before every meal, expressing gratitude to the Lord. During our time there they sang and perfomed for us. What a sweet thing it was to hear their voices and see the gratitude in their faces. 
"If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in." Isaiah 58:10-12

Posted in: on Friday, January 31, 2014 at 0 comments

What do I have to offer?

What do I have to offer?...Have you ever wondered that?

This question would be and often is a question echoing from the haunting walls in my life from the enemy. What do I have to offer?
If you've read through the pages of scripture it doesn't take you long to see what people the Lord choose to use - the lowly, outcast, unexpected, inadequate, under qualified, ordinary... do I need to go on? We get it. We can see and hear that God loves using the ordinary to display something extraordinary. I think our nature often desires to feel adequate, qualified, useful, extraordinary.
"You give them something to eat...we only have five loaves here and two fish...bring them here to me." Matthew 14:16,17,18

When reading Mathew 14:13-21 I see Jesus have compassion to feed the multitude and the disciples’ inadequacy in what they had to "offer" to feed the people. I think we often view ourselves that way with the needs around us. In the hands of Jesus, He breaks us, uses, blesses, and multiples when we are willing to give and be used. After feeding all the people, not only was the multitude “satisfied” from the disciples’ shortage, but there also was 12 baskets full (for each disciple) of broken pieces of food. Bring what fish and loaves you had and watch what He will do with your willing obedience and how you walk away filled abundantly in Him.

The reality is I don't have much to offer in and of myself, but I'm willing. To step out in faith and discomfort and insecurities and face the accusing claims from the enemy that I don't have anything to offer. I'm willing, doesn't mean I always do. I'm sometimes immobilized by fear or insecurities. My willingness often carries with it the enemy’s accusations, but if I'm willing to be go with Him anways, He shows Himself all the more to me and through me.

"Cursed by everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." Galatians 3:10,13,14

So I embrace the enemy’s accusations and point him to the cross - he's right - Jesus saves!

I could listen to all the enemy’s accusations against me - that I have nothing to offer, that I'm in adequate, not enough, lack wisdom or giftings, life experience, etc.

Bring what you have.
Offer what you have.
Watch the Good Shepherd break it, bless it, multiple it...do with it far more than you imagined. He has written your story with great purpose.

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