This month, my team worked in Goshenland. Everyday, I would see young girls taking care of their care of their toddler aged siblings. And that's what was happening the first time I met fourteen year old Susan. She was toting her 1 and a half year old sister, Esther, on her back.
Susan is a lot like other Ugandan girls her age. She likes school, has big dreams for her future, and loves to run around and play games with her friends. And like most girls her age, she also comes from a big family and has to help with chores, like cooking and watching her younger siblings. But unlike most of her friends, it isn't familial responsibilities that hold her back from having fun.
I first learned about Susan's heart condition during a game of soccer. Usually, if a girl disappeared from the soccer field for a few minutes, it was because their mothers needed help or their toddler aged siblings had begun crying. Instead, I found Susan sitting on the sidelines, barely able to speak. Her friend, Pavine, told me that Susan has had a heart condition for quite some time, and sometimes it gets bad enough where she must go to the hospital. I took this chance to pray over Susan and speak life into her. Over the next three weeks, Susan and I continued to hang out, talk about God, and pray for her heart. Susan even got to attend the woman's day, where she got to hear about how she is a daughter of God. Everyday, after soccer, Susan and her friends would walk me home. By the last week, Susan would stop by our house at dinner time to say goodnight and ask for prayer.
Although healing didn't happen while I was there, I firmly believe that God wants to heal Susan. Please pray for her. Before I left, I gave Susan and her siblings a soccer ball. It is my prayer that she will get to enjoy being a teenager and live a full life, with a new heart that beats for God. Please pray for Susan- pray for her heart and pray for her future. She has big dreams and enjoys school because she knows it will help her future.
