When COVID-19 shut down ordinary life, a generation of Ugandan teenagers suddenly had nothing to do and nowhere to turn.
ABWE missionaries Denny and Cassie Nuwagaba saw this need and launched Tendo Bible Camp—a Bible-based community center that has expanded to a thriving, multifaceted ministry reaching children and youth in Ugandan villages.
Denny and Cassie, along with their five children, have served full-time in Uganda—Denny’s home nation—since 2021. They recently described how God is using their day-to-day ministry to lead people of all ages to Christ.
Where do you serve, and what does ministry look like in your context?
We serve in Namayumba village, Wakiso District, in central Uganda. In August 2021, we started Tendo Bible Camp to reach youth and children. We noticed that many teens in our community were drifting into depression and aimlessness, especially during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and we knew we had to act. What began as a youth ministry with 20 students has grown into a ministry that reaches the whole community in partnership with local pastors and churches.
We now run three holiday Bible camps a year, during the school breaks in January, May, and August, each hosting 300 to 400 campers every day. In addition, we have weekly gatherings, including a children’s and teens’ fellowship on Saturdays, a women’s fellowship, Wednesday Bible clubs in two local schools, and a Wednesday counseling session at Tendo. Each month, we hold a fellowship meeting for young adults and sports outreach tournaments. We also run a skills project for teens and offer training for pastors and leaders.
How would you describe the general spiritual need of the Ugandan population?
People in our community come from many religious backgrounds—Catholic, Muslim, Seventh-day Adventist, and Pentecostal—and a good number follow no religion at all. The greatest need is for sound doctrine, so each person can hear the true message of Christ.
What is the state of the local church where you serve?
There are many churches in our community, but few that teach the Bible or train their members to read it for themselves. Pastors and leaders often lack biblical literacy, and that gap in understanding passes down to the congregation. Believers depend heavily on their pastors to tell them what to do.
How have you recently seen God at work through your ministry?
Earlier this year, pastors from around Uganda began asking us to come train their Sunday school teachers and launch children’s programs in their churches. They—and the surrounding communities—have seen the impact of the gospel on children, teens, and young adults since we started this ministry.
So far, we have held 12 camps. We have launched a children’s camp in Busunju village (which has hosted about 500 campers a year since 2023) and in the Semuto and Seganga communities. Requests keep coming, and the Lord is stirring people to reach young people and involve them in kingdom work.
Can you share about any specific people whose lives have been impacted through the ministry?
The women who come to the Saturday Bible study had never heard the Bible explained in a way they could understand. Now as they finally have the opportunity to learn it, it is changing their lives. One woman read the book of Genesis for the first time in our study, and it grew her faith.
We have also watched one of the first teens we worked with, Emmanuel, grow in his faith and begin serving in his home church. This year, he told us the Lord was leading him to start Bible clubs in schools near his hometown. He remembered how Tendo Bible Camp led him to follow Christ, and that inspired him to reach young people himself. He asked for materials, and he is now serving God and preaching the gospel to children in local schools.
How can believers in the US pray for you, your team, and the people you serve?
- Pray that we could expand the work into surrounding communities that have requested children’s ministry. We plan to add Bible clubs in two more schools and hope to hold evangelistic soccer and volleyball tournaments each December.
- Pray for our new skills program for youth, designed to help many who have dropped out of school learn to provide for themselves. The program teaches brick making, baking and cooking, videography, handicrafts, music, and poultry farming. Pray that we can obtain the equipment we need.
- Pray for biblically sound churches and for resources in the local language; we are working to acquire Luganda Bibles and other Luganda materials.
