11 April 2011

                                                              Photo By Patrick Butler
The Rev. Emmanuel Nnyanzi, of Uganda, arrives Saturday at the home of Dr. Mark Barret to a red-carpet welcome. Nnyanzi cares for 500 orphans at Parental Care Ministries in Mbarara, Uganda, an organization he founded about a decade ago.

A Texas minister said he hopes a poor Ugandan pastor will inspire his congregation with “faith, passion and power” as he offers comfort and aid to hundreds of orphans in his country. The Rev. Doug Clark of the multisite Grace Community Church in Tyler, Texas, was part of a party to welcome the man from rural Uganda.

With tears in his eyes, the Rev. Emmanuel Nnyanzi of Uganda pastor Emmy to his friends was warmly welcomed by his supporters Saturday into the home of Dr. Mark Barret, a local pediatrician. Barret is the executive director of Parental Care Ministries, which Nnyanzi founded to assist orphans in Uganda about 10 years ago.

Barret visited Africa a few years ago because he felt “God was telling me that I had to go,” and met Nnyanzi. The two men developed an Internet relationship; with Barret finally bring Emmy to America to share his vision of “Parental Care” for children in Uganda as the outcome.

“This is too much,” said Nnyanzi, smiling through his tears, as two rows of about 25 applauding supporters lined both sides of a red carpet leading up to the Barret home.

“This is beyond anything I expected,” Nnyanzi said. “I am so humbled to be here, my friends, and finally see you.”

Nnyanzi oversees three elementary schools in Uganda and nearly 500 children

Supporters and board members of Parental Care embraced Nnyanzi as he reached out and took time to hug every person before addressing the group at the top of the steps.

“Coming here and receiving this welcome from you, after the years of rejection I faced as a child in my country, means so much to me,” Nnyanzi said. “I have lots to say, and now will have plenty of time to say it.”  

A series of meetings and messages are planned by Parental Care organizers “to share the really remarkable story of this man and his work,” Barret said. ResonateNews.com will follow the progress of those meetings.

Nnyanzi cares for about 250 orphans in Mbarara village in Uganda and about the same number in two other locations, said Justin Hayes, director of ministry operations for Parental Care Ministries. Nnyanzi also oversees about 40 pastors in Uganda.

“He and his wife, Sara, had filled their own home with orphans and had no more room,” Hayes said. “Feeling he was led by God, Nnyanzi sold his house and car in order to make a deposit on the land that the orphanage now sits on. In our society, we would call that unwise. But in his society, it was a sign of his faith. That’s the kind of faith we need to see more of here in America, where people trust what God is leading them to do and for the provision to do it. Dr. Barret’s step of faith to go to Africa and meet Pastor Emmy has led to such wonderful things being done for the orphans there.”  

Clark agreed. Nnyanzi is set to speak in a series of meetings at Grace and Clark   who has been to Nnyanzi’s workplace in Uganda   has high hopes.

“I’m just praying that the Holy Spirit come and motivate our people and inspire them with this man’s faith, passion and power,” said Clark, who attended the welcome gathering at the Barret home.  “Parental Care has all the facets of a successful ministry; a good network of supporters, a humble leader and strategy. Emmy is so humble, and what he is doing to love on those kids, educate and feed them is fantastic.”

To learn more about the work of Parental Care Ministries, visit the Web at www.pcmonline.org

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