Kyabakuza, Uganda
How I wish you could be here with me! I don't know if you would like eating matoke (mashed plantains) at every meal…or only being able to use a squatty potty…or taking cold bucket showers outside, but one thing I know for sure.
You would love the people.
This is Hope. Although she looks (and often acts) like a three year old, she is, in fact, six. Her mother disappeared soon after her birth and her father suffers from mental illness. Hope was often left at home alone to fend for herself and had become severely malnourished. This year, she was rescued from that home, but she is now struggling to catch up physically, emotionally, and academically. Hope's teacher has no time to give her the attention she needs, especially since she has no desire to learn. She only wants to be held.
Pastor John's wife, Grace, had just been taken to the hospital the day I arrived in Kyabakuza. She gave birth to David Mark that evening and came home the next morning, offering me a warm welcome as soon as she stepped out of the car. We were all impressed with Grace's speedy recovery, but she has since been having difficulty. She is in a lot of pain and having trouble sitting, standing and walking. She is concerned since this is not normal for her and is unable to help with any of the cooking and cleaning for her family.
This is the woman who took Hope in. Joann is also helping to care for Grace's family while she recovers. As a single woman, Joann already has six of her own children to raise, but has somehow found the time to put extra love on Hope and cook and clean for an extra family. In exchange for her help, Pastor John has been able to aid in renting a small house for Joann and her family.
Although Akim is attending a Christian school and loves to worship Jesus, his family is Muslim. School is the one place where he can show his devotion to Jesus freely and that is exactly what he does! Akim wrote notes to us to thank us for being here and letting us know that he is praying for God to bless us and our families. Thank you, Akim! We call him "Little Pastor".
Natasha is Pastor John and Grace's daughter. She is also very much in love with Jesus. I often wake up and fall asleep to the sound of her high pitched giggles. When the time was given for testimonies on Sunday, she jumped up without hesitation to let the congregation know that she had prepared a song. Her voice is beautiful.
And this is Pastor John. He only shared the needs of the Liberty school/orphanage when we specifically asked. And even then, he shared while declaring God's goodness. There are eight orphans currently living at the school. Two don't have mattresses to sleep on. Many of the families who send their children to school do not have money for uniforms. The school has been having uniforms specially made for cheap, but their bill with the seamstress is steadily growing. Many of the children show up to school without shoes, pencils, or books. They are going on a three week break starting next week and Pastor John is anticipating hearing complaints from parents. The cup of porridge that the school offers the children each day is often all the child will receive. While on break, many families cannot afford to feed their children.
I have been so impacted by the people of this village. I don't think I will ever get tired of the shouts, smiles, and waves as I walk down the dirt road. The people are already grateful for simply our presence here, but there is a need greater than what we can meet through serving and encouraging. As a team, we are fundraising on behalf of Liberty School. If you would like to help meet some of the needs of the school and the orphanage, you can donate to my paypal account by using the button below:
Thank you for joining us in this!
Update: We were able to give Pastor John $125 towards mattresses for the children who live at the orphanage and shoes for some of the students. Thank you for giving!
