and Christian School
Our Mission
Precious Beloved Children Ministries and Christian School is dedicated to transforming the lives of our students through Christian education, discipleship and economic empowerment.
Our Vision
Bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Uganda through education and evangelism.
Our History
- In July of 2022, the Hon. Dr. Betty Udongo Pacutho hosted a team of American missionaries visiting Uganda and brought them to her ancestral village of Kwio Akuru, located in the savannas of the West Nile region of northern Uganda.
- During their 3 hour visit, the missionaries worshipped, sang, and prayed for the sick of this community. The team saw several healings in Jesus’ name. This visit left an indelible impression on Dr. Vrielink.
- Six weeks after his return to Michigan, Dr. Vrielink called Dr. Betty and asked what the community needed. She replied “a school.”
- The Covid-19 lockdown had permanently closed the Parents Teacher School for two years. Teachers were sent home without pay and no one in the area had the ability or interest to reopen it. The previous school had ceased to exist.
- Together Dr. Jeff and Dr. Betty decided to open a new school, which they named Precious Beloved Children Christian School.
- During the first two years motivated students studied under the Nunga trees. When it rained they would hide under their wooden desks.
- In 2024 generous supporters funded a 270 foot deep solar powered well and the construction of two steel framed and roofed structures that serve as classrooms.
- Since then we have added an administrative block with solar panels to power the lights and equipment. It is the first building with electric power in the community.
- PBC Ministries and Christian School is a non-denominational organization. All students are taught in English. Education gives them hope for a better future.
- By providing our students with a Christian education, we aim to evangelize and disciple them to carry out the Great Commission to go into ALL the world to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
- We started a Child Sponsorship Program to pay the school fees for disadvantaged children who otherwise would not have access to education.
One of our goals is to become self sufficient in the next few years for our operational costs.
Our Team
Jeffrey J. Vrielink, M.D
Founder and Executive Director
Volunteer Unpaid Position
Dr. Jeffrey Vrielink’s international upbringing in four different countries of western Europe prepared him well for the multicultural experience of traveling and living abroad.
After his family moved to Texas, he continued his education and graduated from medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX in 1992, on a full Navy scholarship. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1999, having served as a Flight Surgeon aboard the USS Independence, a forward deployed aircraft carrier in Japan, and as the Senior Flight Surgeon for five helicopter squadrons at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
While in the Navy, Dr. Vrielink received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior on April 3rd, 1994. He immediately started evangelizing and discipling people wherever he was stationed or employed.
During his Psychiatric residency at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, OK he took his first missionary trip in 2000 to Honduras with Baptist Medical Missions International. It was a life changing event and whet his appetite for missions.
During his 10 years’ service at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Vrielink took a 14-month sabbatical to New Zealand where he worked with U.N. Refugees from the Horn of Africa, Middle East, and Far East, as well as with Māori’s, and Pacific Islanders. While in New Zealand he joined the prison ministry of Baptist Bible Church Wellington. During his vacation with his family in Fiji, he volunteered 5 days of ministry to the Suva Women’s Prison and shared Christ with the guards and imprisoned women.
Upon his return to West Michigan, Dr. Vrielink was reemployed by Pine Rest for 3 years prior to starting his private Christian Psychiatric Practice, Veritas Psychiatry. Prior to Covid-19, Dr. Vrielink preached for nearly 10 years on a monthly basis with his preaching partner at the Gratiot County Jail in Ithaca, Michigan. In December of 2025, he closed Veritas in order to devote the rest of his life to full time missionary work in Uganda.
Dr. Vrielink was married for 20 years, has 7 children and 3 grandchildren whom he deeply loves and will miss while in Uganda.
He has supported the education of disadvantaged children in Uganda for the past ten years. He made his first trip to Uganda in 2022, where he met and befriended the Hon. Dr. Betty Udongo. As co-founder of Precious Beloved Children Christian School, Dr. Betty opened the school on September 9th, 2022 in Dr. Vrielink’s absence.
PBC has more than doubled in size over the past four years during which Dr. Vrielink has served as the Executive Director on a volunteer, unpaid basis.
So far, Dr. Vrielink has made 3 trips to Uganda and has plans to expand the school, ministry, Child Sponsorship Program, the evangelistic and church planting efforts in Uganda.
Currently Dr. Vrielink is raising support for the rapidly growing school and ministry in Kwio Akuru, Uganda.
Hon. Dr. Betty Udongo Pacutho
Co-founder and Ministry Advisor
The Honorable Dr. Betty Udongo Pacutho is a Co-founder of PBC Christian School and serves as a respected advisor to our ministry and school.
She has a remarkable history, in that she is the first girl in her village to attend the university and obtain a PhD in a tri-state area (Districts of Nebbi, Pakwach, and Zombo).
She served several years as a legislator in the Parliament of Uganda and ran a school for girls in Nebbi before retiring from politics and moving to West Michigan.
During her 10 years in Kalamazoo, Dr. Betty attained her Doctorate degree in Botany and taught at West Michigan University.
Dr. Betty and her husband, Albert, ran a faith based counseling center called the Prayer Center in Kalamazoo before returning to Uganda to reopen her school and start a new ministry in Nebbi.
Dr. Betty serves as the Executive Director of New Generation Healing and Empowerment Centre, which she opened in 2022 to minister to young unwed mothers in need of education and skills to support themselves and their babies.
She is truly a remarkable person and highly respected for her leadership skills and philanthropy.
PBC is blessed to have her as a co-founder and valued ministry advisor. I am grateful to have her as a trusted mentor and friend.
PBC Operations Manager
Brian Mungu Jakisa is a remarkable, energetic, and talented young man who joined PBC in July of 2024. His creativity has resulted in the PBC brochure, business cards, and ministry cards used for fundraising purposes. As the Operations Manager for the ministry, Brian has helped PBC grow. I am immensely grateful for his many positive contributions towards the ministry.
Mudah Mugalula
PBC Financial Manager
Mudah is astoundingly insightful when it comes to business and financial matters. He is a professor at the Metropolitan International University in Kampala, pursuing his Master's degree in Public Administration and Management. He serves PBC as our Financial Manager on a volunteer basis. He recently traveled 10 hours across country to perform an audit free of charge for his services. His professionalism, integrity and commitment to our ministry are refreshing.
Marvin Ssentaba
PBC Chaplain and Pastor in Training
True Life Bible Church East Africa
Here is our remarkable young evangelist, Marvin Ssentaba. He has made an amazing impact during his school holidays, by traveling 16 hours by bus from across the country to evangelize and disciple the student body at PBC. As a senior in high school, Marvin disciples 30+ students several times a week. In his free time Marvin goes door knocking to share Christ in different communities, and preaches on WhatsApp twice a week to an audience of over 200. He is responsible for the revival taking place at PBC. Sixty eight students and several teachers at PBC have continued his evangelistic efforts, leading over 150 people from 7 different communities to Christ in several months. Marvin will graduate from high school in December 2026. He is concurrently studying at Global Baptist Bible College, an online Bible College based in Fargo, North Dakota, USA. In December he will serve as the PBC Chaplain and as our Pastor for True Life Bible Church East Africa.
George Pifoch
PBC Medical Consultant
George Pifoch has faithfully served PBC since December 2022, providing free medical care to students twice a year. Together with Dr. Jeff, he is working to establish the Christ-centered Gift of God School of Nursing and Midwifery in Nebbi, serving young mothers and their babies. He is pursuing his medical degree at Uganda Christian University School of Medicine and plans to serve as PBC’s Medical Director after graduating in December 2026.
Our Beliefs
The Scriptures are the timeless, inspired, and infallible Word of God. We believe in one eternal God Who, like water and light, has a tri-une nature and exists in 3 distinct persons to give us spiritual life. God the Father is the creator, sustainer, and judge of the Universe. Jesus, the Son of God, was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, and as “the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world,” willingly died on the cross as our substitute. Jesus paid the sin debt we are incapable of paying on our own. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses at one time. He fulfilled over 300 prophecies about the coming Messiah, the Anointed One. His many miracles, healings, and resurrection from the dead proved Jesus to be the fulfillment of the scriptures as our Savior and Redeemer. Jesus is the only sufficient sacrifice of God to reconcile repentant sinners back to the Father. All self effort is insufficient and will fail. Jesus ascended into Heaven to intercede for us and judge mankind. The Holy Spirit indwells the born again believer to empower, guide, and direct us to live a holy life. Baptism by immersion is an outward expression of repentance and of being born again from above by faith in Christ alone. At a time known only to the Father, Jesus will rapture His bride, the universal church of believers, and judge the unrepentant sinners left behind. After the Great Tribulation Jesus will return in power and glory to rule the earth from Jerusalem. After the final battle, Satan is thrown into the abyss for eternal punishment. God judges all of mankind and recreates the world and universe. The redeemed (saints) will spend eternity in His presence. All previous suffering, pain, and sorrow will be replaced by unspeakable joy. Eternity never ever ends.