Endings & New Beginnings

After a great deal of prayer, consideration, and counsel, Morgan and Mason Satterfield have faith that God is calling them home to the US. The Satterfields currently serve as our Country Directors, and with this move they will be stepping down from those positions. They have officially returned stateside, and will reside in Georgia near their families.

Mason has been affiliated with Simone’s Kids for nearly nine years. The last five years of service for Mason has been boots on the ground working on campus in Nakaseke, Uganda. Mason has a servant heart and has contributed nearly a third of his life to helping Simone pursue the vision and mission of our organization. During his tenure, Mason has seen Simone’s Kids grow from 100 to nearly 1,000 students, and he participated in the onboarding of many talented faculty and staff. He also contributed to the expansion of the campus and provided oversight as Simone added a medical facility, education buildings, a pavilion and dorms. We’ve also seen him work diligently to develop strategic relationships in the community and with the Ministry of Education. Most importantly, Mason witnessed countless kids and community members to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Mason and Morgan’s departure is the end of a long and productive season for Simone’s Kids. We are confident that the Satterfields will continue to be part of the Simone’s Kids family. Their service and contributions to our vision and mission have made an eternal impact here in Uganda–we will be forever grateful for their time with us!

Rest assured that God has been working on the next phase of this transition, even before we knew what we needed! The Lord has quickly brought and prepared someone to take their place, as the Holy Spirit always does.

We are ecstatic to welcome Steve and Sharon Burke to our team as Country Director and Curriculum Director. The Burkes are a recently retired couple who have been closely volunteering with Simone’s Kids over the past year. Steve has been coaching and overseeing the soccer program at God’s Hope and Sharon has been working with program development. The Lord led them to Simone’s Kids a few years ago to be long-term volunteers, and now they feel called to step up and serve full-time in Uganda. 

Both Steve and Sharon bring an immense amount of experience to the table. Steve worked in administration at Judson University for 34 years, where he was the Director of Athletics for 22 years and coached the men’s soccer team. His administration and aged experience will ultimately bring new growth to God’s Hope.

Sharon will step in as our Curriculum Director, where she will help implement and improve our new curriculum program. Sharon has 20+ years of teaching experience that covers a wide range of grades, mostly from elementary through middle school. Sharon is looking forward to working alongside our Ugandan teachers to better our education program. 

On top of their years of experience, The Burkes have a heart for Jesus and for the people of Nakeske, Uganda. Over the past year they have been actively building relationships with the students, staff, and members of the community in Uganda. They have started small groups and built their own home, which they intend to be a safe place for the students to continue building community. The Lord has worked in miraculous ways to place Steve and Sharon in this position to willingly serve for Simone’s Kids. We cannot wait to see how they further the kingdom. 

We pray for this new transition. Send a warm welcome to the Burkes as they begin this new adventure and join our team!