May Uganda Prayer & Praise
A STORY OF FAITH & HER CHILDREN
We have a prayer request, a story of family and a need in this 3-minute read from Gary, a long-time supporter and friend who went to Uganda with us.
This story began eleven years ago when a small group of people from the United States went to Uganda and was whisked off to the little town of Rushere in southern Uganda. After the team spoke and ministered at a Pastor’s Conference, Pastor Stephen Buwembo took the team to minister to a woman named Faith.
Faith had recently become a single mom. Her husband had left her (she was no longer desirable as a wife) after a series of amputations to her leg. What remained of the leg was an infected stump that needed an immediate treatment of antibiotics to save her life. A member of the team stepped forward to pay for the antibiotic treatment. The Samaritan community in Rushere stepped forward to help make sure that the family had food and shelter. Faith’s health recovered and she started thriving. She lived her life going forward as a Samaritan.
The day before the team left the states for the most trip Patty received a call from Pastor Stephen. Faith had passed away from AIDS. She left behind two adult daughters, who were in another village living with their father, and four children who were all in school and who were living with her. One of our planned stops on this recent trip was to pay our respects to Faith’s children.
When we arrived in Rushere the bus stopped in front of a row of shops. On the end was a dress shop owned by Pastor Grace. Behind the shop were “houses” – small rooms where people lived in tight quarters and narrow alley ways to access the homes. This is where we found three out of the four children. The oldest, Faith, was in Senior 4 and school was too important to miss. Joshua, the 16-year-old was in the process of leaving school in order to work so that he could buy food and pay rent. A few days before we arrived, a man in the community heard about the orphans and propositioned Pastor Grace for the 9-year-old girl to come to work for him. The Samaritan Pastors of the community rallied together and said, “NO!” As they knew what kind of work the man had planned for her. Enoch, the 7-year-old, was confused and delighted about these strangers that came to see the family. He was home from school that day and this could be a permanent reality if he to has to work for the daily survival of his family.
On the bus ride back to the Good Samaritan Ministries School in Masaka the conversation turned to, “what is the appropriate way to help these children?” The American team and Ugandan Team began a conversation that lasted off and on for the remainder of our time in Uganda. Hannah said that the ministry helped her and her siblings after their mother passed away. It was the only way they survived. If she could have we would have loaded up the children on the bus and took them to the school, but that was not possible. Conversations needed to be had by the head the office staff, the Rushere Samaritans, and Faith’s children. Before the American team departed Uganda there were three offers of school sponsorship at the school in Masaka, if that was the decision.
Ultimately, it was decided that in the long-term best interest of Faith, Joshua, Ruth, and Enoch that their new home was to be at the GSM School and Orphanage. They will move in early May and start classes at the beginning of the next semester.
God has a plan for these children. He has orchestrated the USA team to be involved with this family over the years. We have prayed for each other. We have connected on visits. And now, we get to move from acquaintances to family. We have room for one more person or family or church to sponsor one of these children and walk beside the children on this journey if any of you are willing to step up and step in.
I am reminded of the fact that we celebrated and trained on the “Power of One” over twenty years ago. This most trip recent showed the continued the growth of this “oneness” in and through our Lord. The ability to move quickly to get these children from an unsafe and unstable situation to a place of safety where they have a hope and future would not have been possible without this team working as one.
To sponsor one of these children, connect with our church office at office@sherwoodfriends.church.
