MITYANA, Uganda—When Joseph Eunice learned about a need in Uganda, he knew he had to respond to orphaned and vulnerable children there.
Eunice, a graduate of the physical therapy program at Hardin-Simmons University, is director of operations for Just a Guy Ministries. In that role, he raises funds to provide food, school fees, wells, homes, livestock and vaccinations for orphans in Mityana, Uganda.
The ministry began in 2017 when Eunice was reading his Bible. He could not shake the idea of working with orphanages. Although he had no idea how to make it happen, he committed to praying about the ministry.
Soon after, a friend connected him with Pastor Patrick, a Ugandan minister who was caring for 38 orphans in Mityana. When Eunice realized that Pastor Patrick had no steady income to provide for the children, he decided to begin Just a Guy Ministries.
The organization draws its name from Acts 4:13, a New Testament verse that says people recognized the apostles Peter and John as ordinary people who had been with Jesus.
“The name is to remind everyone that God still uses ordinary people to do amazing things. We just have to say yes,” Eunice said. “When I first started putting everything together, people would always say things like: ‘That’s so cool. I wish I could do something like that!’ And I would always respond with, ‘Well, I’m just a guy who said yes to a need, so there is nothing stopping you.’”
In addition to accepting year-round donations, Eunice plans three large fundraising events a year.
“I knew nothing about fundraising, nonprofits or really anything that was being asked of me when God put it on my heart to stand up and provide for these orphans,” he said. “I’ve just been learning on the go—just trusting God to show up and be faithful in what he has called me to do.”
A trip to Peru with the physical therapy program at HSU helped Eunice develop a servant’s heart, he said. In Peru, Eunice cared for individuals with special needs and their families.
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Working with Joni and Friends and Wheels for the World, Eunice was able to share the gospel and fit mobility devices for those in need.
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