Ten Years of Gem - looking back to the beginning…
The Gem's see the land for the very first time - February 2017
Back to the very beginning...
When opening Gem, we prayed earnestly for a home to meet the needs and the Lord led me to the original Gem home in the city of Kampala. It was a giant two-story home in need of lots of repair. After some fresh coats of paint and the repairs done, Gem was ready to open!
On July 10th, 2014, Gem officially opened its doors and by God's grace, I (Emma) welcomed 11 precious Gems. Initially, I thought maybe the Gem would care for 15 Gems that first year, however, immediately the phone calls for abandonment cases came rolling in. With hearts wide open, I said yes!! In less than eleven months, Gem had grown to 30 incredible Gems! We knew we were quickly outgrowing the home and needed land to build an accessible home. Having a two-story meant carrying children up and down stairs and wheelchairs; it was difficult but we made it work.
With the pressing need, we began to feel the Lord stir our hearts to begin the hunt for land. That search took us all around Uganda as we prayed and sought the perfect place God had for us! By God's grace, God saved us several times from fraudulent pieces of land. We even fundraised for one piece that looked perfect on paper, and at the last minute, before any money was transferred we found that the land was actually a forest reserve! God was faithful and protected us!
Then, one day, after many land searches, Josh visited what was known as a “chili farm.” Emma came to see it later, and she could picture it all! The land was better than our wildest dreams. Within a close distance of Kampala, it was a gently rolling 88-acre fertile farmland, complete with beautiful big trees. It was exactly what we had been praying for!
In April 2016, we officially signed the papers, and the Gem land became ours!! Before long, we partnered with EMI, who brought a team of experts from around the globe to help us master the plan and dream of what we call today “The Gem Village.”
In July 2020, with the first homes complete, our Gems officially moved to their new home - a beautiful, accessible village designed just for them! Our beautiful Gem Village is a dream come true and an answer to countless prayers! God has been so faithful, and we are so humbled that we get to love, care for, and advocate for our precious Gems!
We honestly couldn’t have done it without all of our donors and their incredible love and support! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts on behalf of all our incredible Gems!
A decade down and forever to go! We can’t wait to see what the next ten years will hold.
