Payson Middle School students may never have the opportunity to go to Uganda, but their stories will.

What began as a fun way for English teacher Trent Mikesell to teach the elements of short stories has turned into a service project that is touching his students' hearts.

"When I showed them a movie about the children in Uganda, the first thing they said was, "What can we do to helpfi' " Mikesell said. "They were really impatient from the beginning to get the actual books, put their stories in them and send them off."

Over the past three months, Mikesell has helped the students develop their characters, create a plot and come up with a storyboard.

"I hope they like it, and maybe they'll learn something," said Brianna Peterson, a seventh grader.

As she works to fill the pages, Peterson hopes children in the war-torn country see the big picture that she is creating.

Her fictional story revolves around two girls becoming friends, despite the fact that one of them is poor and the other is rich.

"In a way I'm the rich girl," she said. "They need something and I can give it to them."

Each of the students was required to find a theme for their stories.

"I've been impressed with what they've managed to come up with," Mikesell said.

Some of the morals the children chose included cooperation, the value of friendship, and not judging others.

"I hope they learn not to judge a book by its cover," Jessica Fields said. Her book revolves around a group of girls who love to ride horses, something that also happens to be the 12-year-old's favorite hobby.

Mikesell said he hopes to have the books finished by next Wednesday, when the kids will have an opportunity to share their stories with each other before he sends about 90 percent of them to Uganda, through a program called Books of Hope.

Books of Hope is run in conjunction with the nonprofit humanitarian organization, Association of Volunteers in International Service. According to its Web site, booksofhope.org, students are invited to make books for children in Uganda and India. The aim of the project is to help take their minds off what they are going through, including slavery and war.

"It's been fun to work on a project like this because we've been able to talk about Uganda and learn about the children there," Mikesell said.

According to unicef.org, children in Uganda leave their villages every night to find safety from the Lord's Resistance Army, a group of rebels who have been at war with the Ugandan government for more than 20 years.

The LRA are known to kidnap children, and around 40,000 children between the ages of 8 and 12 commute to the city every night and many sleep on the streets, according to Unicef.

Mikesell said it is nearly impossible to send supplies into the country because of the shipping costs.

When Mikesell sends the books, he says it will cost about $10 per pound, something he's been saving for, and says will be well worth the cost.

To get involved with Mikesell's project, call him at 465-6040 or go to avsi-usa.org to donate money to help the people in Uganda.

Brooke Barker can be reached at 344-2559 or at bbarker@heraldextra.com.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.