The same day I ran this race to stop human trafficking, I won a motorcycle at an auction supporting the same cause.  Little did I know that the events of this day would take my level of commitment to serve the underprivileged, those at risk, in poverty, and orphans, to a whole new level. The motorcycle has the birth and death year of a man who has been my mentor for 20 years.

 

His name is D. Gary Young.  Gary’s vision was to change every home in the world no matter what resources or abilities they had.  His life’s work and giving has changed my life and the lives of millions.  He traveled the world and provided tools and solutions for individuals, families, and communities to live better lives.  D. Gary Young was a radical WORLD CHANGER.  I experienced some important wake up calls in the days and months following his death in May of 2018 that would lead me across the globe to 71 orphans in Jinja, Uganda.

 

 

Several years ago, two women, Jennifer Strickland and Wendy Clayton, followed Gary’s vision to change the world.  At that time, the Uganda Orphan Childcare Ministries in Jinja, Uganda was struggling to feed the children daily and basic needs were going unmet.  At that time, 32 of the orphans were living in foster homes because there simply was not enough room for them all after their move to Jinja from a village over an hour away.  The community members who agreed to foster these children treated most of them like slaves.

Jennifer, Wendy, and 41 families stepped up to fund the basic needs of the children, paying for their schooling, building proper toilets and showers, and most recently, getting a dormitory built so that the fostered orphans could come home.

This past January, those women and a service group from the US were able to ReUNITE all the “fostered” children with their “brothers and sisters” at the orphanage.  Watching these beautiful children via Facebook videos and pics, be so happy with such simple things, was a daily tear jerker.

• get the orphanage two new toilets and showers that they so desperately need,
• build a fence to prevent robbers from attempting to steal metal from the building and keep the children safe from sex traffickers, and
• fund their self-sustaining chicken project because the Uganda Orphan Child Care Ministries in Jinja, Uganda doesn’t just want a hand out, but want to work. 

My mentor, D. Gary Young, traveled the world not just seeing what it had to offer, but he traveled the world to CHANGE THE WORLD.  In August, I will travel to Jinja, Uganda to see these 71 faces.  From now until August, I want to look at these kids’ faces and know that I did my best for them.  I am stepping up to be a WORLD CHANGER.  Will you join me?  Let’s help 71 orphans not just survive, but THRIVE.  Let’s uphold my mentor’s legacy.

Want to help build two more bathrooms that are desperately needed now that all the kids are back in the orphanage?  You can contribute to this POTTY PROJECT by purchasing a raffle ticket for just $5 and you could win some amazing Young Living essential oils. 

Love, bless, write, and sponsor a child in the orphanage.  Nine kids still need sponsors.  Until all the kids have sponsors, there is no way to provide the food that gives the kids all the vitamins and minerals they need daily.  Once this financial goal is met, there will be funds to purchase healthier vegetables and meat more than once a week.

Imagine your family, you and your extended family, or your team loving on a child by providing just $75 a month, writing, praying for, and loving on your child.  Sponsors are so important to kids both financially and emotionally.  This amount pays for their basic needs, food, and schooling for one month.

I pray that you will become a WORLD CHANGER with me.  It’s not hard, you just have to DO IT!

I believe in you,

Mary Starr Carter
The Total Wellness Doc and Mom