FAQ

Why missions and why Uganda?

Brandon and I have both felt called to missions for a long time.

My family had the amazing opportunity to go to Rwanda, Africa in 1990. I was eleven years old. It was there I felt my heart being molded and shaped in a way I had never felt before and it was there that God very evidently and in a HUGE way placed His call to missions in my life. I know, I was very young, but God chooses to work in His own timing.

Brandon made a few trips to Mexico with his church as a teen. It was in high school that he fell in love with Latin America and its people. On one of his trips he was in a church service and it was at that time he felt God moving in his heart and calling him into missions.

We met at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was a sophomore and he was a freshman. It was evident within two weeks of getting to know each other that we both had the call to missions and we both knew it was highly likely we would get married. We had the opportunity to go to Mexico with Brandon's home church once while we were dating and once shortly after we were married. It was on our last trip to Mexico that we knew God was not calling us to Mexico and that he had other plans for us.

We felt strongly it would be important for Brandon to further his education and in the fall of 2003 Brandon became a full-time student at Denver Seminary. He graduated in May of 2007 with his Masters of Divinity.

It was during our time in Denver that Argentina came into the picture. Brandon had to fulfill an eight week internship overseas. We wanted to do this through WorldVenture - an organization we had come to love and one that had a fabulous reputation. We started out with three choices - Venezuela, Italy, or Argentina. After spending time in prayer we moved forward with plans to go to Argentina.

We spent the summer of 2006 in Argentina. It was a difficult and long. We struggled as a couple, we struggled with the language, and we struggled with God's call on our lives. But it was during this time we saw a HUGE need in northwest Argentina for theological education. Brandon felt God leading us to return there and work with the Argentine people.

I was a little more difficult and stubborn. I had begun to dig my heels in and argue with God about the right location for us. I bargained and pleaded with Him. I was even bold enough to tell Him that if he didn't call us overseas that I would be willing to move anywhere in the continental United States. But one afternoon while sitting in the backseat of a car driving through a rain forest setting in Argentina God very clearly let me know that we needed to pursue returning to Argentina as full-time missionaries. I continued fighting and used the last bit of ammo I felt I had against God - children. I was told when I was 19 that having children would be difficult if not impossible. Brandon and I never pursued options before leaving for Argentina and had planned on doing so when he was done with his schooling. So as I stepped out of the car on that afternoon, as my feet hit the sidewalk I told God, "No. And don't tell me again. You know the desire of my heart to be a mother, and being a missionary in a foreign country would limit if not make our options to have children impossible. No God! I won't do this. I will find another way to serve you!" Five days later we found out we were pregnant. On that day as we sat in our apartment in Argentina, stunned, shocked, and dumbfounded, we both felt as if God was saying, "Okay, will you listen and follow me now?"

In the five years that have passed since we left Argentina, God has worked in mighty ways.  We welcomed our first son Patrick into our family and three years later, Henry was born.  During this time God used some specific events in our lives to guide our lives towards children's ministry and even more specifically towards Uganda.  If you want to know more about that calling, use the search engine here to look for the keyword Uganda.  After spending three weeks in Africa this summer, God opened wide the door to working in Uganda with Hope Alive!  We can't wait to get back there and beginning working.

Tell us about Uganda, where is it and what language do they speak? (Taken from the WorldVenture website)


Uganda is a land of infinite variety. Described as the "Pearl of Africa" by Winston Churchill, Uganda is characterized by rolling green plains, volcanoes and snowy mountain peaks, and impenetrable forests. The country lays astride the equator, yet its average altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level results in a temperate climate. Lake Victoria, on the country’s southern border with Tanzania, is the world’s second largest freshwater lake.

Unfortunately, the people of this beautiful country have experienced much hardship. Having achieved independence from Great Britain in 1962, Uganda struggled under the dictatorial rule of Idi Amin in the 1970s. Estimates hold that 1 to 2 million Ugandans died under Amin’s brutal reign, ensuing civil wars and tribal battles, and displacement, famine and disease that followed. One bright note is that after many years of focused effort, Uganda has gone from having the highest known incidence of HIV/AIDS of any nation in the world to among the lowest in Africa.

Factors including a median life expectance of 45 years, 50% of the population aged 15 and younger, over half the population living in poverty, and an average birth rate of seven children per woman, leave Ugandans desperate for encouragement and a hope for the future.


There are many languages spoken in Uganda.  English is very commonly used in Kampala, where we will be living, but we will also study the two very common languages of Lungandan and Luo. 


What will you be doing there?

We will be working with a relief organization called Hope Alive!  I highly encourage you to visit their website to learn more.  Brandon's official title will be Spiritual Impact Specialist.  Our goal is to impact the lives of Hope Alive! children through spiritual formation by engaging relationships, offering bible studies and developing curriculum.

When are you leaving?

We hope to leave for Uganda in August of 2012, so that Patrick can begin his kindergarten year of school there.

How long will you be in Uganda?

We will be there as career missionaries. This means our plans are to stay there as long as God wills it for our lives. We will return to the states on home assignment about once every four years. Home assignment is typically about one year long.

How can I be involved?

We realize that God does not call all people into overseas ministry. We also know that he has given people the heart to give abundantly from His blessings to them. We need a really strong team around us that will commit to pray and pray and pray. We also need financial support.

If you are interested in becoming a part of our team we would encourage you to continue to check our blog from time to time and leave comments of thoughts and encouragements. We also would encourage you to let us know if you would like our newsletters and regular prayer request emails. And the last and final thing would be, PLEASE let us know HOW WE CAN BE PRAYING FOR YOU. Our desire as you come along side us is to help encourage and uplift you in prayer as well.

If I am going to give, how much should I give?

Anything. We have two accounts that need to be at 100% before we can leave for the field.

Many people feel like small donations of $5, $10, $15 monthly won't matter, but they do! Every amount matters and gets us closer to working side by side with Argentine nationals. NO GIFT IS TOO SMALL.

What are the two accounts?

We have both a monthly support account and a one-time expense account.

The one-time expense account take those special or one-time gifts people send in and will assist us when we arrive on the field. It will help us set up our home, buy a car, and do all the basic things that will need to be done when we arrive for the first time in Uganda to live.

The monthly support account takes what we call ongoing gifts. An ongoing gift is a gift that people commit to us monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. The money in this account goes towards our month to month living on the field. It also goes towards medical care, children's education, etc.

How can I give to your ongoing support?

We call this monthly support, but as I said above it can be given as many or as few times throughout the year as you would like. Ongoing implies that you continue to give. Those gifts can be given both through writing a check to WorldVenture or through Electronic Funds Transfer. If you are interested in doing EFT or have other questions regarding giving, click HERE to read more about it. If you would like to sign up to become a regular financial partner in our ministry, click HERE.  If you are interested in writing a check you can  mail it in.  If that isn't enough click HERE, for even more detailed information about all the ways you can give.

WorldVenture
Attn: Receipting Dept.
1501 W. Mineral Ave.
Littleton, CO 80120-5612

And if that isn't enough, all of this is available at WorldVenture.com by clicking on the keywords MAKE A COMMITMENT.

If you are interested in donating to our monthly support please be sure to include our names and missionary ID numbers on all communication with WorldVenture.

Brandon and Elizabeth Heersink
Missionary ID # 063

How can I give to your one-time expenses?

The same way as above, just designate your gift as a one-time gift.

When should we start giving?

You can commit to give at any time. But it is really important that you start giving as soon as possible.

All the monthly support that comes in now goes towards our one-time expense account because we are not drawing a salary yet. Because, as I have stated above, we have to be at 100% supported in both accounts, it is very important to us that you start giving as soon as you can.

If I decide to give to your monthly support, how long do I have to commit to that?

There is no time frame for this. You can give as long as you feel led and as long as you are able.

Are all gifts tax deductible?

Yes, they are.

So what are you doing right now?

In many ways, life goes on as normal. I am a stay-at-home mom to Patrick and Henry and Brandon is currently working as a full-time bellman at a hotel in Salt Lake City. We are still involved in church ministry as well. Our lives are very full and very busy, but we take advantage of the time we have now with family and friends because we know that all too soon our lives will be dramatically different.  You'll find this blog to be a variety of things.  I cover parenting, recipes, my thoughts and beliefs about God, our impending move to Uganda, and many other things here.  Thanks for visiting.

If you would like to pray for us, we have posted our monthly prayer requests in another tab.