________________________________________________________________________ Russ and Marcia Baugh with their Ugandan son Joseph ~A Rags to Riches story~ Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 NIV Asking… The God of all creation made a call on the lives of Russ and Marcia Baugh, high school sweethearts from nominal Christian families to parent 6 children, including the adoptions of 3, and be part of His answer to the prayers of the ‘least of these’ in Africa… After several years of college and marriage they were simultaneously invited to attend local Men’s and Women’s interdenominational Bible studies called Bible Study Fellowship International. It was through the clear presentation of the Gospel and application of Biblical truths in BSF classes that they each became followers of Christ and committed to serve the Lord faithfully wherever He might call them. After several years of class membership in BSF, both Russ and Marcia were recommended for leadership in their classes. The equipping had begun! Following 10 years of BSF training, teaching and leading in Kalamazoo Michigan classes, they were approached to lead Men’s and Women’s classes and pilot a new Women’s class in Kampala Uganda, East Africa. Seeking… Then married for 27 years, with three natural children, and at the peak of their Law and Interior Design professions, in August 2000 Russ and Marcia Baugh moved in answer to God’s call to teach and serve orphans and the needy families in Uganda. In addition to Russ’ Teaching Leader and Marcia’s Substitute Teaching Leader BSF assignment in Uganda, Russ also served as Country Representative and Marcia as a Designer with a missionary team through Rafiki Foundation that put faith in action by developing and launching a 56 acre Children’s village in Wakiso, Uganda. God used these ongoing Africa-wide Rafiki and BSF ministry experiences to broaden the Baugh’s vision of possibilities for serving orphans and widows that included the life-changing call to adopt one young orphan, Joseph, who joined the family in 2002 at age two. Joseph is the Baughs’ daily reminder, on and off the mission field, of the millions of orphans still in need of hope and a future. Following two additional adoptions of their grandsons in Michigan, Russ and Marcia, now with their three adopted boys, will return to Uganda through Every Child Ministries in pursuit of their God-given passion to be an active part of God’s answer to prayers of orphans and vulnerable children for security and forever homes. God has been faithful to provide the Baugh’s the perseverance, energy, health and wisdom needed, to raise these additional three bonus ‘gifts of life’ in their golden years. They are asking the Lord to use their family as a living testimony to Him of the blessings from obedience to care for orphans through placement in secure, forever families. The years in the USA since their completed mission with Rafiki and BSF have prepared the Baugh’s to respond to their passion for orphans in Africa. The truth that ‘God always equips where He calls’ is evident in both the providential way their invitation was received and the mission that specifically incorporates their spiritual gifts of teaching and administration (Russ) and shepherding and administration (Marcia). Knocking… God has equipped this family with the gifts, passion and experience and faith to lead the development of this intervention for at-risk children and to lead the mobilization of the local church and self-sustaining business to strengthen families and care for their own in God’s way. These families, however, cannot do this alone…this God-sized project can only be accomplished by building a God-dependant team of go-ers and senders. Your help is essential…knock and the door will be opened to you ! baughsinafrica@yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ Mark & Stacy Luckey with their Ugandan daughter's Janae and Adelynn ~ Called out of the American Dream to Africa ~ Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Ephesians 3:20 We were living the American dream. Having recently celebrated our ten year anniversary in 1995, and with four children, two houses, two cars, and a secure job, the Lord did just what you might expect…. Yes, He called us into full time mission work in Africa. Soon after this calling, we landed in Zaire/Congo, East Africa, excited to start the next chapter in our lives, teaching in a small boarding school in the Blue Mountains of eastern Congo. To our surprise, a civil war broke out and we were evacuated just four months after our arrival. We all got out safely, but lost almost everything that we owned in the process. Within months however, the Lord had brought us to our next place of ministry, Tanzania. During our year long stay there we taught in a small boarding school, served as dorm parents, learned language and culture, and helped with famine relief during a severe drought. It was a great time of spiritual and professional growth! Uganda, “The Pearl Of Africa,” holds a special place in our hearts. We lived for five years there after leaving Tanzania, ministering in a Christian school in Kampala, discipling believers, encouraging the local church, and volunteering at a local orphanage. With four older children (we thought our quiver was already full!), the Lord asked us to adopt two little girls from Uganda. We cannot begin to put into words our gratitude to the Lord for allowing us to be their parents. Often people will comment on how blessed our girls are to be adopted by us. More often than not, we feel that we have been blessed the most! It has been an amazing road for us to travel. It has been seven years (including four years working in a school in North Africa and three years in the US) since we lived in Uganda. Beginning with the adoption of our girls, the Lord began developing a passion within us to help the orphans and vulnerable children of Uganda. God has placed a tremendous burden on our hearts to return to Uganda and share the WHOLE gospel with these orphans, helping them spiritually, physically, emotionally, and training the “least of these” to be great spiritual leaders in their communities. It is our desire to show the love of Jesus in word AND deed to the widows and orphans of Uganda. We are incredibly excited about how the Lord might use us to reach out to these very needy children and their caregivers! It is an awesome privilege to serve in this way. Our heartfelt desire is to be in Uganda by the end of 2011. We invite you to partner with us as we work to make a difference in the lives of those who are most in need. We cannot do it alone – we need a team! By joining our team you can help advance the cause of Christ and his Kingdom! If the Lord is leading you to serve his cause in this way, please prayerfully consider contacting us for more information. We would love to share our vision for ministry with you personally! I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the lease of these brothers of mine, you did for me…….. Matthew 25:40 luckeysinafrica@yahoo.com ______________________________________________________________________ Speak up for those that cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Proverbs 31:8 NIV ______________________________________________________________________ ~OUR MISSION DEFINED~ A community-based, family-centered intervention designed to save children who are at risk of abandonment, institutionalization, or death. Renewing minds, preserving family ... truly showing “The Way Home” Will you join us in partnership with God to minister to Orphans and vulnerable children and their families in Uganda? |
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| THE Baugh & Luckey FAMILIES |
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| an aids orphan project |
