This is Brenda’s story, via Facebook messenger, edited only to reflect language differences. English is her second language, and she is learning it beautifully!
This story moved and challenged me. I hope God uses it to do the same for you. Her heart posture of thankfulness is convicting and inspiring. This is a young woman who has endured immense pain and deep suffering, and she is living with joy because of her faith. May we all have such joy.
(For more context, please read my prior post before continuing!)
“Okay, I am now starting, it was really a great time with you, and I believe God is faithful. First of all, I would like to thank you so much for the time you gave me yesterday. It is really not easy for people like you come to this place, and this is where I stay with the one I call my auntie. She has been there for my life and I am so grateful. When I was young, I used to stay with my parents, but time came and they passed away. For real, my life became hard. I couldn’t dream of tomorrow really because I was young, but I had hope in me.
So my mum died and my dad too. I could admire those with families, but I would be sad always thinking of my life, not knowing then that God really loved me. Then I met Save Street Children Uganda (SASCU) when I was 10 years old. SASCU took care of me, and I started living there with so many children! My happiness came from there, and I grew up while studying.
I am sharing this story because life hasn’t been easy. My survival was so small, like I never believed that God would make me what I am today. I am grateful for SASCU. There I started believing that God knew me before. First of all, I never got that love for a kid with her parents. Whenever I think of that, life sucks. Honestly, I never even knew how they passed away because of being young. So I kept on being at SASCU, but couldn’t settle just because whenever I would hear someone talking about their family, I would cry and ask my God, “Why me at this age?”
SASCU gave me hope and they were like, “You can make it.” So I believed too. Mum Erika, life wasn’t easy for Brenda to survive, and everyone who will read this message, please know there is hope. Sometimes I would be alone and think of so much stuff, but still I couldn’t lose hope, because the Bible says our hope comes from the Lord (Psalm 121). So life went on, and I am now 18 years old and am studying teaching.
I loved children just because I grew up with them, and I admired Dad Innocent (Innocent is the founder of SASCU and a former street boy himself). He’s a good man. Then I sat and dreamt of being like him. I am sure my God is able. I dream of building up an orphanage for the kids. I know life out there is not good at all. I imagined the life I went through when I was young, but I came out with something through my suffering.
Okay, I am still on my dream. I stick to it and write about it too. My dreams are also in the US. I really love that country, and my organization/orphanage has to be international.
I was happy when you guys asked me to write this story of mine. I am sometimes funny, hahahaha. I like music because it takes my mind, and I can write a book about what life means, so I was happy yesterday when I was reading to you.
I wasn’t able to tell all the story but hope you share it, Mum Erika. Thanks a lot that you were touched with what I wrote. I am now moving on and am happy because I have someone on my side. God’s love is always there, so in my heart, I believe that God saved me. I think if it wasn’t Him, I would have maybe gone with my beloved mum and dad, but He knew me before.
That’s why I am living, having life and hope. The family I am staying with is just helping me, but one day one time I will be the one I want. Some people could think am going to die, but I said, “Naaah. I serve a very big God.”
After I had known that God can make my dream come true by faith, I believed. So I am now alive and I believe God will work out things. I love God.
Anyway, that’s all I can say, and the last thing is that I really love you all, and I pray that God helps you in everything you want. Let Him bless you as well, and Africa loves you too. I am so happy and excited to write all this.
Greetings to everyone. If anyone would ask anything about me, it is okay. Be blessed, and love you so much.”
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—AMU—
AMU —AR— ERV-AR NAV —AWA— ERV-AWA —BG— BG1940 BULG ERV-BG CBT BPB —CCO— CCO —CEB— APSD-CEB —CHR— CHR —CKW— CKW —CS— B21 SNC —CY— BWM —DA— BPH DN1933 —DE— HOF LUTH1545 NGU-DE SCH1951 SCH2000 —EN— KJ21 ASV AMP AMPC BRG CEB CJB CEV DARBY DLNT DRA ERV ESV ESVUK EXB GNV GW GNT HCSB ICB ISV PHILLIPS JUB KJV AKJV LEB TLB MSG MEV MOUNCE NOG NABRE NASB NCV NET NIRV NIV NIVUK NKJV NLV NLT NRSV NRSVA NRSVACE NRSVCE OJB RSV RSVCE TLV VOICE WEB WE WYC YLT —ES— LBLA DHH JBS NBD NBLH NTV NVI CST PDT BLP BLPH RVA-2015 RVC RVR1960 RVR1977 RVR1995 RVA SRV-BRG TLA —FI— R1933 —FR— BDS LSG NEG1979 SG21 —GRC— TR1550 WHNU TR1894 SBLGNT —HE— HHH WLC —HI— ERV-HI —HIL— HLGN —HR— HNZ-RI CRO —HT— HCV —HU— KAR ERV-HU NT-HU —HWC— HWP —IS— ICELAND —IT— BDG CEI LND NR1994 NR2006 —JAC— JAC —KEK— KEK —LA— VULGATE —MI— MAORI —MK— MNT —MR— ERV-MR —MVC— MVC —MVJ— MVJ —NDS— REIMER —NE— ERV-NE —NGU— NGU —NL— HTB —NO— DNB1930 LB —OR— ERV-OR —PA— ERV-PA —PL— NP SZ-PL UBG —PPL— NBTN —PT— ARC NTLH NVI-PT OL VFL —QU— MTDS —QUT— QUT —RO— RMNN NTLR —RU— NRT CARS CARST CARSA ERV-RU RUSV —SK— NPK —SO— SOM —SQ— ALB —SR— ERV-SR —SV— SVL SV1917 SFB SFB15 —SW— SNT —TA— ERV-TA —TH— TNCV ERV-TH —TL— FSV ADB1905 SND MBBTAG —TWI— NA-TWI —UK— UKR ERV-UK —UR— ERV-UR —USP— USP —VI— VIET BD2011 NVB BPT —ZH— CCB ERV-ZH CNVS CNVT CSBS CSBT CUVS CUV CUVMPS CUVMPT —Amuzgo de Guerrero (AMU)— Amuzgo de Guerrero (AMU) —??????? 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(PA)— Punjabi Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-PA) —Polski (PL)— Nowe Przymierze (NP) Slowo Zycia (SZ-PL) Updated Gdansk Bible (UBG) —Nawat (PPL)— Ne Bibliaj Tik Nawat (NBTN) —Português (PT)— Almeida Revista e Corrigida 2009 (ARC) Nova Tradu?ão na Linguagem de Hoje 2000 (NTLH) Nova Versão Internacional (NVI-PT) O Livro (OL) Portuguese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (VFL) —Quichua (QU)— Mushuj Testamento Diospaj Shimi (MTDS) —Quiché, Centro Occidenta (QUT)— Quiché, Centro Occidental (QUT) —Româna (RO)— Cornilescu 1924 – Revised 2010, 2014 (RMNN) Noua Traducere În Limba Româna (NTLR) —??????? (RU)— New Russian Translation (NRT) ????????? ??????? (????????? ???????) (CARS) ????????? ??????? (????????? ???????), ?????? ??? ???????????? (CARST) ????????? ??????? (????????? ???????), ?????? ? «???????» (CARSA) Russian New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-RU) Russian Synodal Version (RUSV) —Slovencina (SK)— Nádej pre kazdého (NPK) —Somali (SO)— Somali Bible (SOM) —Shqip (SQ)— Albanian Bible (ALB) —?????? (SR)— Serbian New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-SR) —Svenska (SV)— Nya Levande Bibeln (SVL) Svenska 1917 (SV1917) Svenska Folkbibeln (SFB) Svenska Folkbibeln 2015 (SFB15) —Kiswahili (SW)— Neno: Bibilia Takatifu (SNT) —????? (TA)— Tamil Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-TA) —??????? (TH)— Thai New Contemporary Bible (TNCV) Thai New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-TH) —Tagalog (TL)— Ang Bagong Tipan: Filipino Standard Version (FSV) Ang Dating Biblia (1905) (ADB1905) Ang Salita ng Diyos (SND) Magandang Balita Biblia (MBBTAG) —Twi (TWI)— Nkwa Asem (NA-TWI) —?????????? (UK)— Ukrainian Bible (UKR) Ukrainian New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-UK) —???? (UR)— Urdu Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-UR) —Uspanteco (USP)— Uspanteco (USP) —Tiêng Viêt (VI)— 1934 Vietnamese Bible (VIET) B?n D?ch 2011 (BD2011) New Vietnamese Bible (NVB) Vietnamese Bible: Easy-to-Read Version (BPT) —?? (ZH)— Chinese Contemporary Bible (CCB) Chinese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (ERV-ZH) Chinese New Version (Simplified) (CNVS) Chinese New Version (Traditional) (CNVT) Chinese Standard Bible (Simplified) (CSBS) Chinese Standard Bible (Traditional) (CSBT) Chinese Union Version (Simplified) (CUVS) Chinese Union Version (Traditional) (CUV) Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS) Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Traditional) (CUVMPT) Psalm 121A song of ascents.1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— 3 He will not let your foot slip— 5 The Lord watches over you— 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— |
