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COVE USA Returns To St. Jerome COVE Center
At the end of May, 2010, COVE USA Vice Chair, Darlene Frantonius, and long time members Carolyn Reinertson, Evelyn Fischesser, and Carol Armstrong embarked on their annual visit to Uganda. The trip was premised on three major objectives:
1. To deliver much needed supplies (particularly books, clothing and medical supplies). These much needed supplies have been made possible by the continued support of our COVE USA  membership and will be used to help raise the level of primary education for the younger children so they can better engage in our secondary programs. Basic medical and clothing needs allow for the students to focus in their work, excelling in all areas of their studies.
2. To gather information on needed HIV education for our sponsored children. This information will be used by COVE Uganda and USA to tackle the crushing rates of HIV/AIDS exposure for the young so that our students can look forward to a healthy and long life.
3. To research the rules and regulations that govern agriculture in Uganda. COVE USA has begun to understand just how many restrictions on pesticides and fertilizers that the Ugandan Government imposes on its agricultural lands. This means that COVE Uganda might not be able to use the genetically altered seeds from the USA at the COVE Center. That said, COVE does  plan to buy orange trees in Uganda and plant them at the center while figuring out how to work within the laws of Uganda. COVE has a lot to learn about land usage, where to buy seeds, how they store the harvested maze, and what kind of tools they use to cultivate the land. Despite these legalities, COVE is fortunate that Uganda has two rainy seasons and therefore lends itself to two planting seasons. As you can see from the picture they have already begun to teach the children to cultivate and plant seeds. Planting began in 2008 with maze (corn). We hope for bumper crops for years to come!
Though the trip will revolve around these three core objectives, it will also give the visiting group an important opportunity to spend time with the sponsored children and get a first hand view of the progress being made by COVE. In discussing the group's scheduled spare time activities, delegate Carol Armstrong noted "We plan to continue painting, spending time with the children, teaching in the classrooms, and touring an HIV clinic. Oh, and they have also planned a competition between us and the high school children in a game of volleyball! Wish us luck!"
The group left for Uganda on May 26th and would like to thank all who have donated supplies and have supported the delegates with prayer.
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Dream BIG: How COVE Helped Teens Realize Dream to Visit Africa
When the Holy Spirit is at work, anything is possible. Recently, a group of high school teens from St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross parish in Bright, Indiana learned this valuable lesson. For months, the group had been asking their youth minister to go on a mission trip, suggesting they do something "BIG" that would truly help children in need. Though they knew what they wanted to achieve and they knew they would have to go far to achieve it, they lacked a contact to make it all possible. Without that connection, how could they even start to plan something?
When the students presented the "BIG" dream to their pastor, Fr. Tom Kovatch, his immediate response was, "Where would you like to go?" In overwhelming enthusiasm, the students replied, "AFRICA!" Fr. Kovatch sat back in his chair, smiled, and told the students about a friend and classmate of his, Fr. Hilary, who had a project for children in Uganda! The group had finally found a contact and a destination to make their "BIG" mission a reality. Amazingly, the bond of two friends from the seminary created the connection needed to make their dream a reality!
Using the COVE website, the students discovered that Fr. Hilary would be in the states next month for his annual fundraising trip! They contacted Darlene Frantonius and arranged for Fr. Hilary to visit Bright, Indiana to meet the group. On April 6th, Darlene and Carol Armstrong traveled with Fr. Hilary to Bright. With that, two old friends were reunited and many new friends were made as the students shared their dream to COVE.
The students learned the story of Fr. Hilary and the promises he made in prayer to God to return to Uganda as a priest and help the children there. They saw pictures of the progress of the St. Jerome COVE Center. They witnessed the love and passion shared by Darlene and Carol for the people of Uganda. All of this made the teens and adults at St. Teresa Benedicta confident that the connection they had been wishing for could be realized through COVE Alliance. The St. Jerome COVE Center would be their destination and helping the children of Uganda would be their "BIG DREAM"!
The students have since been hard at work organizing and collecting information to make the trip a success; checking into immunizations, comparing travel costs, and publicizing their idea to connect with the children of Uganda! Though the group will have to do fundraising and look for grants, they are determined to have the trip to Uganda fully planned and funded by the summer of 2011!
Kim Sprague, youth minister at the mission group's parish, trusts the trip will happen because she is certain the Holy Spirit is the driving presence behind the teens' enthusiasm and the connections that have been made. Said Kim, "This mission trip is BIGGER than any one of us and I am grateful to witness God's presence in the lives of our teens and in the work being done at COVE." Kim plans to be a part of the summer 2011 trip to Uganda! |
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Letter From a Sponsored Child | | |
Our vision is of a world of hopeful, responsible human beings who respect human dignity and are in a position to sustain themselves and their families in the future.
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For more information about COVE Alliance, contact:
(847) 438-4780
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