Dear Friends,
You are reading the first Hurley Family update written since…well, we can’t remember. We have snuck in little family excerpts in our general SOS Ministries Newsletter in recent years, but we wanted to take a moment to write a more personal message.
Let us start by expressing all the gratitude we have for each of you, even some of whom we don’t know as intimately as we would like. We feel so loved by all of you. Due to the size the ministry as grown, we often have neglected to love you as we should. But that has not stopped any of you from faithfully giving to our family. We have now been in Uganda for over 16 years and some of you have been right alongside us this whole journey. We feel comforted and surrounded by our loving supporters in ways that words can’t express. Thank you for all the love and kindness you ongoingly render to us.
THE KIDS
To catch you up, we had the joy of seeing our oldest daughter, Emma, marry Stephen Painter in October, 2020. We have thoroughly enjoyed adding this godly son-in-law to our family! Stephen and Emma live in The Woodlands, Texas.
Our next oldest daughter, Elisa, graduated from The Master’s University last year and now enjoys teaching at Legacy Christian Academy in Santa Clarita, California.
Our two sons, Ezekiel and Ethan have been accepted to attend The Master’s University and have been offered positions on the men’s soccer team.
Evan, age 16, will graduate high school this May and plans to spend another year home in Uganda, taking college courses online, interning with Shannon, and working in the accounting department at SOS.
Ella (19), Emmitt (13), and Elijah (7) are continuing to be homeschooled and all enjoy sports and music.
We can’t believe how time has flown and how rich and full our family has become! We came to Uganda when our children were ages 6, 3, and 3 months! Now, they are all moving on and God has allowed us to officially adopt 5 Ugandan children. We praise the Lord that God has saved our older children and allowed them to be such incredible God-fearing young adults!
HURLEY EXTENDED FAMILY
Several months ago, 4 Legacy Christian Academy Uganda students were brought to our home since their mother left them to work in the Middle East. We have taken three of them in as permanent foster children (ages 13, 12, and 9), and one of our grown “sons” and his wife have taken the youngest child as their own permanent foster child.
As many of you know, over the years, abandoned children (whom we refer to as the Hurley extended family) have grown up in our home when they are not in boarding school. These young adults live with us until they complete university or vocational training. Then they often get hired to work at SOS and begin families of their own.
Currently, some of our best staff are our grown children, and we are reaping the fruit of the next generation whose children call us “grandpa and grammy.” These young families are now beginning to invite foster children into their homes to continue the legacy of discipleship.
We never could have imagined the blessing these children would become! This year, we have 9 graduates working on staff, 12 university students, 4 vocational students, 1 STC student, 15 high school boarding students, and 6 Legacy Christian Academy students. When everyone is home, our house feels like a boarding school! It is filled with laughter and loud voices! We are blessed.
There is so much joy in endurance. Occasionally, these extra children have caused us to feel spent and at times overwhelmed. We have often encouraged our hearts to love a little longer, just prepare one more meal, and remember that our current sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come. Now we have become amazed at the work God was doing to impact our community and our own lives through each young life sitting at our dinner table.
SHANNON & DANIELLE
So what does life look like for Shannon and Danielle? Shannon leads the day-to-day ministry, working closely with the 4 other missionaries and 12 managers who are overseeing nearly 150 full-time employees. He also teaches classes at STC, consults for the Baptist Union of Uganda, preaches regularly at our local church, and plays a key role in fundraising for SOS. Danielle spends most of her time homeschooling, cooking, and mothering our community. She enjoys mentoring and investing in the next generation of women’s Bible study teachers and mothers.
We love our lives! We would both describe our lives as “rich.” The reward of watching our children love and serve Christ more than compensates any small sacrifice we make. And receiving the gifts many of you generously donate blesses us immensely. We daily experience God’s love through the hands and feet of His saints.
We thank you for your love and support which enables us to serve here in Uganda. We pray that you will be strengthened as you continue to love and serve our King wherever you are!
With much love and gratitude,
Shannon & Danielle
