Meet Our Teacher

---

I was born in the village Nyakabanga in the Mbarara district of Uganda in 1984.  My parents, Silver and Grace Mutungi, both died of HIV/AIDS.  My mother died in 1987, when I was three years old, and my brother and I were sent to live with my father’s older brother, as my father could not keep us and work.  My father also died of HIV/AIDS when I was 12 years old. My uncle had many children of his own, so my early life was one of grief, losing both parents and feeling like an orphan in many ways.  I also lost my brother to a sudden illness in 2001; he died basically due to lack of medical care.My life as an orphan changed drastically in 1998. I remember clearly.  I was 14 years old. It was a Saturday in November around 9:30 a.m.  I walked to the gate of Nick and Renee Fouts, missionaries who had just come to Uganda, and I asked to work for them for money to pay school fees.  Nick was leaving and traveling then, and he asked me to come back in three days, so we could talk some more.  I assured him that I would.  When we met again, Nick said that I could work with the man who was installing a generator on his house.  My heart leaped within me at that good news.  I could hardly believe it!  Now, I think Nick must have been watching me work, and he saw that I was working well on the job.  After that job was finished, he said that I could continue working in their compound with his shamba man, Bernard.  In 2000, Nick and Renee said I could stay at their compound permanently, as I really didn’t have a place to call my own.  I was so blessed, as Nick and Renee paid my school fees in junior technical school and later in high school. Then they paid for me to go to driving school.  I was so amazed at this blessing! I will always remember all of this, as this changed my life from grief to joy.  While still living with the Fouts, I continued my education at Bishop Stuart University in Mbarara after High School with private sponsorship. It was during these years that I came to know the Lord.  Although I had gone to church before, I never knew how to read the Bible and have a close relationship with the Lord.  Nick and Renee read the Bible with me and mentored me in the ways of God, and we went to church together.  I looked to Nick as a role model for a Christian man.  I thought of Renee as my American mother.  My faith became real and solid and growing under their teaching.  It was during these years that I met Eva and Jim Rose, parents of Renee Fouts.  After visiting Uganda several times, Eva was impacted by the number of orphans and the poverty she witnessed.  We would talk about ways to help these children.  The Fouts left Uganda in 2007 and Eva and I stayed in touch by email and we kept praying and trying to figure out a way to start a baby orphanage.  The years slowly went by, and our passion and interest remained, but we could not figure out how to begin.  In 2012, Eva said that she felt God was leading her to just begin…. We thought the most important thing to do would be to teach the children the Word of God.  We did not need a building or any major funding to do that.Eva asked if I could just gather children to study God’s Word.  I did just that, and Logos, One by One began….  We started with one class and after some time, we added another, and then, we moved to villages.  We are growing and as of 2017, we are teaching 12 classes.  God has led us, opened doors, and blessed this ministry.During this time, I also married my dearest friend, Gracious Kembabazi, a sister of my very good friend, Seth.  I met her in 2004, and we married in 2014.  She studied Procurement and Chain Supply Management at the Makerere University in Kampala. We have a daughter, Gabriella, almost 2 years old, and we are due to have another baby in March, 2018.The ministry is growing and we are excited about our future goals.  With God’s strength and leading, I devote myself to teaching and counseling both the children and often the parents.  I try to have prayer time with families as we are able in visitations. God is blessing these children, and we want to bring Glory to Him in all we do.