Meet Esther & David…
and their eclectic family of street kids and former prostitutes (not all pictured)
This amazing couple is a living example of what it means to live by faith, sharing the love of Christ. This is their story…
Esther grew up in Rwanda, losing her family in the genocide when she was around 10 years old. On the day her family was murdered, she was returning home with a friend from her uncle’s wedding near her home. She heard much commotion in her home only to find that her family had been slain, so she and her friend ran as men chased them, passing by the wedding only to see that the entire wedding party had also been murdered. They ran to her friend’s home where the mother hid Esther overnight in a tall cement structure for storing water, but the mother warned the girls to run away because the men would return to kill them. Esther made her way to the border of Uganda, where a woman took her in as a house girl for the next [10 or so] years of her life. Esther was then taken to a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base in Jinja, Uganda where she would spend the next years of her life healing, being trained, and working in hospitality.
Esther’s husband David also has quite the testimony. His parents were Christian pastors who were heavily persecuted, kidnapped by the government and imprisoned when David was only 10 years old. Fearing that he would also be taken from his home, he ran away and lived the next 10 years of his life on the streets. His life on the streets took him through drug abuse, self-mutilation, sleeping in public toilets, and more. Throughout this dark time, David remembered his father’s sermons that spoke of a loving and protective heavenly father. As evangelists would reach out to David and the other street boys, he was reminded of Jesus. Although he questioned his circumstances and God at the time, he would eventually see God’s redeeming grace and mercy in his future. Once there was finally freedom of religion in Uganda years later, David’s parents were freed and they were eventually reunited with their son. God never left their sides & he protected this entire family during 10 years of injustice and pain.
Esther and David are undoubtedly soul mates. Although they’ve both experienced great hardships and pain, their testimonies have saved the lives and souls of many. They are now parents to a baby boy (with another child on the way) as well as 12 former street boys and two orphan girls, providing them with food, shelter & an opportunity for education. Since David is a former street boy himself, he has a special way of interacting with the boys and encouraging them to change their lives and live for Jesus. All of the boys have given their lives to Christ, some even having converted from Islam, which is very prevalent in the area.
Esther has also started a powerful ministry of reaching out to local prostitutes and teaching them to make jewelry. She has opened a shop in the post office where she sells the crafts made by these women to help support her ministry and family. Two of the women & their children live with Esther & David, while other women are a part of her ministry and weekly fellowship.
Esther & David took us to their home to share their stories with us and introduce us to their patchwork family. Before arriving to their home, we made a pit-stop in the area where the local prostitution takes place. Behind a row of shops sits a building where people play pool, get drunk & watch movies including adult films. The owner of this establishment allegedly has ties to Saudi Arabia and Iran, where he is involved in trafficking some of the local Ugandan girls from the surrounding villages with the promise of job opportunities. This man owns a large home nearby, where there is also known to be a large drug operation. The police chief once conducted a raid at the home and arrested some of the boys involved, but there is much corruption. There is even question of whether the government may be involved in the sex trade operation since these girls are receiving visas in a country like Uganda (where pastors I’ve met can not even get through all of the red tape to get a visa.) One woman we met outside of this establishment stood on the corner open for business, with her toddler child at her side (a product of prostitution, she doesn’t know the father). Esther has befriended her and offered her the chance at a new life, but she is hardened by her life and doesn’t wish to change. We were told the women sell themselves for as little as 500 shillings (about 20 cents). Some of the women are abused to the point of near death, raped, and infected with aids. As Esther and David have become more involved in rescuing girls from this area to teach them a trade and give them an opportunity for change, they have received many threats from the men who run this operation; their home has even been broken into.
Every Friday, Esther meets with the women for fellowship at her home while David and the neighborhood kids play soccer and read bible stories in the yard. Sitting underneath their mango tree, they pray and share testimonies. They have an open door policy at their home, welcoming all who need the love of Christ. The neighborhood prostitutes come to them on the days when they need advice or haven’t made enough money to feed their babies. Please pray for God's provision and blessings for this couple as they reach out to their community with the hands of Jesus.
