Really BIG news!!!

This month marks our 1 year anniversary with Helping Hands!  God has done so much in us.  We have seen His provision and we have seen Him working around the world.  This is definitely a journey, a road, God has called us to.  He is faithful in showing each new step and we are so excited about the next step God has for us!  So, here’s our news…

We are moving to AFRICA!

There seems to be so much to tell and so many prayer requests to ask for as we prepare for this huge step.  It is impossible to fit everything in one newsletter, so we’ll start from the beginning.

We have been praying about this for a while, not in real specific terms, but knowing God was up to something.  We feel this has been confirmed in both of our hearts and with the leadership and staff at Helping Hands.  God has flung open the doors for us, and we are going!  We really have a peace in our hearts and an excitement about all that awaits us.

Sarah will be working at the schools we are operating and supporting in Uganda.  We have one school in Busia with about 800 children, and we have five other bush schools we are supporting with about 1000 children.  She will be working with the teachers and staff at each school to provide training, leadership, discipleship, direction, and financial accountability.

Mike will be coordinating and directing the different ministries Helping Hands has going on in Africa.  He will be working closely with pastors and church plants in Uganda, Kenya, Congo, and Tanzania.  He will be working on our medical ministry with the children at our schools and the community around us.  And he will still be leading mission teams who come to serve with us.

Right now, we are to be in Uganda as previously planned for the 2 months of September and October.  We already had plans back in America for November and December, so we will keep that scheduled.  There is a mission team scheduled to go over to Uganda right after Christmas into the New Year.  So, that is when we will plan to move.  We will probably travel with the team a few days after Christmas and start our new year and a new season of life in Africa!

We will be living here, at our mission compound.

There is so, so, so much to be done before we move.  We will be setting up basic home necessities in our temporary basement apartment, boxing up extras, and selling what we can.  We are constantly thinking of things we need to do before we leave and have quite the list going!  We really need your prayer as we prepare.  Please pray that, as we prepare physically, we also continue to allow God to prepare our hearts for what He has planned.

During our trip in September and October, we will begin taking on our new roles and laying ground work for the new year.  Please pray for wisdom and understanding as we dive into all the intricacies of a new culture and new roles.

With a move like this, we have many extra expenses (such as visas, immunizations, etc) as we set up ministry and life in a new country.  We also need to buy plane tickets right away, which are about $1800 each.  If you are able to give a special donation to help us with these extra costs, it would be greatly appreciated!  

We also need more people, churches, and businesses to partner with us on a monthly or yearly basis so we can budget to meet our personal and ministry needs.  Currently we have raised about 37% of our budget.  We want to be at 100% before we leave in December.

We will keep you updated as our plans develop.  We are excited for all God has planned and are so blessed to have you on this journey with us!  

If you would like to make a donation to our ministry with HHFM, please send a check made out to Helping Hands Foreign Missions and mail to:

1715 Cleveland Highway

Gainesville, GA 30501

Please note that it is for Mike and Sarah McCord

Or you can donate online at

https://www.helpinghandsmissions.org/ways-to-help/donate-now/