MyDear Eugenie is a young Rwandan who SOJ has been putting through law school and we had her move in with us to help with the ministry and finish up her senior year. We helped MyDear pay for a semester for her younger brother to continue his law degree as well.

Family intact we began immediately to work on the Annual Conference we assist Humura Ministries in.

This year we focused on the Bugesera District, an area completely devastated by the genocide. The conference was a huge success and many young Rwandans gave their heart to Jesus Christ as you can see in the picture at the bottom of this letter.

Along with working as the General Manager at Fodey Security, both Douglas and I were asked to minister at a number of churches and conferences.  Douglas was asked to preach six days straight at the East African Revival Conference.

This organization has an evangelical ministry that is focused on pushing back the spread of Islam in Africa with the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Along with financially assisting Pastor Richard Gasanna with his ability to church plant out in the Eastern Providence, SOJ also took on two new orphans to support with finding jobs and school fees and making them part of the Shouts of Joy Family.  Each of the orphans we support are the heads of their households (since becoming orphans during the genocide), so we often assist them and take on the siblings they are supporting as well.

Earnest is our newest and this man has a future I have to say.  Called to Evangelism, we intend to stand beside Earnest not only through his education but also through his ministry training as well.

In July Douglas left Fodey and began working with Lakeside Fish Farm as Product Development Manager. This beautiful Fish Farm is nestled on the side of Lake Maryi also in the Bugesera District. On the land that holds the Fish Farm, Ishimwe Ministries is also located.  We got connected to Ishimwe by asking Faith Shaw, a woman I met in Church, if Sophie, Ashley and I could come play with and minister to her children.  Faith takes into her home abandoned children. When we saw her with 8 children under the age of 5 we figured she may need some relief!  In going to play with the kids, (you can see Sophie offering a soccer ball to a few of them below),  we got to be friends with Faith and found that her husband Roger needed help in the Fish Farm business suited perfectly for Douglas.  Faith also was looking for someone to assist her in her outreach at the Fish Farm, someone to preach, to teach and to help develop the bead co op and the Crisis pregnancy program.

We have been discussing and praying about joining our efforts and making the Bugesera District our hub of operations. One cool thing about joining our forces is that with Faith's babies and my older kids we have a complete family.

In October Eric Irivuzumugabe and I headed back to the States for a book tour which included the University of Minnesota, Fox Valley Technical College, and the College of the Menominee Nation in Keshena.  We have already begun to gather future venues for the next one!

All of the ministry done through Shouts of Joy here in Rwanda and back home is made possible through personal donations from people like you.  Earnest's school fees are $400.00 dollars three times in 2011 and we are still looking for someone to sponsor him.  The Conference costs every bit of $4,000.00 and the money raised this year was not enough for a bigger stadium. Kids looked in every window the entire day because there simply was no more room inside for them.  Pastor Richard's Church is in need of so many supplies, he holds church under a roof and two shipping crates.  We would like to take on at least four more orphans and raise $50,000.00 for a building to house them, the list goes on.  If you would like to support Shouts of Joy Ministries this year you can make a tax deductible donation through our secure Pay Pal account at www.shoutsofjoyministries.com or send a check to P.O. Box 41 Little Chute WI 54140 and specify what you want your donations to go towards.  Thank you and have a very Merry Christmas and a new year filled with the purpose and direction of Jesus Christ!