MEDINA — In March, I reported on LifeStone Ministries' efforts to collect thousands of books to build several libraries and learning centers for schoolchildren in Mukono, Uganda.
Justin Brenenstuhl, the mission's director for the Christian publishing company based in Middleburg Heights, said the goal was to raise at least 5,000 books by June 1.
He said schools, public libraries, churches and private individuals had been collecting books and making donations on their behalf.
He said that after the story aired on News 5, calls and donations poured in.
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"Not only did we meet the goal, but we surpassed that goal beyond any imagination," Brenenstuhl said.
"I think we're gonna end up around 40,000 to 50,000 books."
Students at Medina Christian Academy are responsible for collecting about 20,000 books.
“This is a lot of work going on right now,” Brenenstuhl said while standing in the gym of the school where hundreds of kids were sorting through stacks upon stacks of hardcover and paperback books.
They were tasked with checking the books' condition and content before scanning them into a library catalog system.
“I think God pointed us to be a part of something bigger,” Brenenstuhl said. “And each of these kids- each time they touch a book that is a life that’s going to be impacted.”
Brenenstuhl has seen first-hand classrooms in Uganda that more often than not are bare of reading materials, let alone something for students to take home for a few days.
"(They’re) resourceful, smart, bright kids… want to learn but they just don’t have the resources,” Brenenstuhl said.
He sees the future libraries serving as beacons of academic growth, igniting children’s imagination and helping them discover their full potential.
Cora Wolny is a junior at Medina Christian Academy.
“It’s going to impact a lot of people in ways that we can never even imagine and Jesus is going to do a lot with this,” Wolny said. “So, I’m excited to see how far it can go. We’re just doing a small part that we can do... giving what we have."
It’s a lesson teacher Jake Lucien is proud to see students grasping. He’s a theology teacher and director of spiritual formations at Medina Christian Academy.
“Earlier, we were having an assembly and one of the two things I shared with them is that love looks like service,” Lucien said. “And the other thing is to use what you have. Whatever we think is small in God’s hand is really big and can be really impactful to everyone."
By early 2026, the first libraries are set to open.
It’s the start of a new story connecting Northeast Ohioans to Ugandans.
“It’s awesome to see people just doing their part,” Brenenstuhl said. “God calls us to do our part. He doesn't call me to do somebody else's part. He calls us to do our part.”
He said it’s all about building a legacy to empower Ugandan students and communities for generations to come.
“We want them to be equipped to be all that they can be… that God has designed them to be,” Brenenstuhl said.
