PART 1
After being in Nairobi for many weeks, feeling somewhat settled and adjusted to life, I started having the longing to get back out into the field. While the desire to serve in Africa has been growing on my heart over the past several years, I always thought I would be out in more rural areas interacting on a day to day basis with the people. So, when I arrived in Nairobi and was faced with a strong work load in the office, I had to adapt to the need. This took me to a place of realizing and accepting that where God has me is not necessarily where I envisioned I would be. So, after submitting and embracing my role in the office and giving God the reins once again to do as He sees fit in my life, low and behold He answered my longing to be in the field. Literally, the following morning after accepting this is where I am and this is where I am suppose to be, He provided a wonderful opportunity to travel to Uganda and visit ALARM’s Women and Children Ministries in Kampala and northern Uganda. Yes, He is so very faithful and does answer the desires of our hearts!
So, a week or so later I was on a plane heading to Entebbe, Uganda. I was very excited, yet once again feeling inadequate for what I was about to encounter. The unknown of what was coming next was daunting, yet I longed to be hands-on. Yes, what came next was a wide variety of feelings and emotions, that normally would not be mixed together, but some how fit like a glove.
Once arriving in Uganda, I was greeted by the amazing staff of ALARM. Yes, they are all WONDERFUL!! I learned very quick that they needed to retrieve and track personal data of all the women in their projects. Wow, this seemed like a ton of work for just a few days in several different locations. Again, God has a way of working that ends up making you smile because there is no other way it all could have happened. So, we created a template for reporting the women’s personal information and we were off to meet them face to face.
The Ugandan Bead Ladies (the name I have chosen to give them!) in Kampala were the first group to visit. Yes, 104 women to cover in 1 1/2 days!?! The first 10 women took 4 hours and sent my emotions on a roller coaster ride that I did not quite know how to handle. It was such an amazing feeling being in their company once again after my visit back in July, yet their stories were absolutely heart breaking. Many of the women are HIV Positive because of the horrible physical brutality they received and endured while in the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps in northern Uganda. How do you continue to take down their personal stories, testimonies and history when all you want to do is put the paperwork down and embrace them with all your strength giving them the biggest, most comforting hug you can manage?... To tell them everything will be okay and their families will be taken care of... That they are wonderful human beings that deserve happiness and love. It was this push and pull feeling where I longed to embrace and love them, yet I was angry at their situation and the hardships they have experienced without a choice. I know God has a purpose for this also, however, it is almost near impossible to understand this when you are in the presence of such heartache and pain. It is almost like the positive and negative feelings I was experiencing they are also experiencing. Even though they have endured really difficult times and the scars run deep in their minds, they also have an inner light and hope for the future. Their perseverance is unbelievable and their desire to survive is so great. So, yes, I shed many tears for these women and pray that their beautiful beads will continue to sell because these beads are providing opportunity and hope in a place where hope was almost lost.
PART 2
Next, we ventured to Gulu in northern Uganda. During our 6 hour car ride, we stopped at a Piggery Project, which was so fun to see. After wanting a pig for a pet while growing up, I have realized now that a potential pet for one person is a life changing animal to someone else. Amazingly, this project is proposed to help 200 women and their families over the next few years and this number will continue to multiply at a fast rate every consecutive year. Wow!!!
Continuing the drive, we came to the Nile...one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. The feeling, the strength, the power was completely engulfing. I knew we were going to cross the Nile on the drive, but had no idea it was going to have this sort of impact on me. Quinto pulled the van over and I was out the door before we came to a stop. It was like this magnetic pull to look closer, to feel the strength, to glimpse at a creation our Father made and used for His glory. I had to take a quick picture because photographs were prohibited in the area, which dates back to the time of the war and continues to be enforced. Once I got back into the van, the emotion started flowing. Tears were literally springing from my eyes and the feeling of Our Lord’s greatness and faithfulness absolutely overwhelmed me. The power of the water was enormous, the power of its history so monumental and the spiritual feeling of this magnitude of greatness was completely unspeakable.
While in Gulu, we interviewed the second bead making group and also the women in a goat rearing group. Once again, the stories were difficult to hear, however, the women were finding much success from selling the beads and their livelihoods have definitely increased after joining the group. They have been able to save monthly (which is required in this group) and have opened additional businesses to expand their source of income. These women are smart, have a BIG drive to be successful and just needed a little help to get started. Living in the displacement camps for so many years, the horrible treatment they encountered and the everlasting impact it will have on their health and lives, is slowly fading into the past and they are seeing a brighter future.
The women who have received the goats are not prospering as well and many are still resorting to digging (which is the same as farming). They mainly dig in other people’s gardens in order to earn a very small amount. This is incredibly tough work and requires a great deal of physical strength. Many are sick (HIV Positive or other illnesses) and are not able to be consistent in their work effort. These women have found great strength, comfort and solidarity within their group and have prospered by having the other members to lean on. The rebels killed many of these women’s families, so the group dynamic has provided a positive family structure that many of these women have been missing. They work together as one unit and help each other during times of need.
PART 3
In the midst of gathering the women’s profiles, we visited two child headed homes. The first visit was absolutely heartbreaking and will never leave my mind. This family of four young children lost both their parents a few years ago. The father was a guard and was killed while on night duty and their mother passed away due to AIDS. They do not have any other family to care for them, so they were left on their own to survive. The oldest son, Sunday, is now 14 years old and is the head of their home. He has kept the family together for the past 2 years and is doing everything possible to protect his siblings; brother Denis is 13 years old, sister Scovia is 9 years old and sister Mercy is 6 years old. Denis has been severely traumatized by the experience and has withdrawn from any interaction. He is just now starting to open up and communicate with others. From what I have been told the two boys would initially cry the entire time you spent with them, unable to control their heartache and pain.
Through much strength and determination, Sunday and Scovia built a new home for themselves because their old home was completely deteriorated. This structure is truly impressive to see knowing how young they were when they built it with their own hands. Sunday is the father figure and Scovia has stepped into the motherly role. She is the one who is outgoing and willing to communicate how the family is truly doing. Their roof leaks, so now that it is rainy season they often are up all night sitting through the rain. Yes, sitting through the entire night with cold rain pouring on them (and pouring rain is putting it lightly when describing and African storm). They do not have a mattress and most supplies they are giving are taken by the neighbors. They are vulnerable and are preyed on by others. The youngest girl only has one shredded skirt and nothing else to wear. They have planted a garden with potatoes and cassava from one hoe, but the garden is not producing well due to the lack of knowledge of the children as how they should tend the garden. Their childhood has been stripped from them and they carry responsibilities that no child at their age should face. They have just recently been found by ALARM and are not yet in the program. The staff on the ground is helping as much as possible even though there are no funds for addition families at this point. When the staff is confronted with these serious situations they sacrifice personally to help...completely humbling.
The second home is a family of four brothers, who have been on their own for 5 years. Patrick, who is 17 years old, is the head of the home. Their father was killed by the rebels and their mother passed away due to AIDS. They are now being mentored by an ALARM volunteer and are being provided basic needs. They have acquired a few more goods in their home, however, they are still in great need. Both of these families were left with their parents’ land, so they have been able to continue living in their homes. The neighbors of this particular family are more supportive and help the children versus harming them. Child headed homes are abundant in northern Uganda because of the devastating impact of the rebels’ killing sprees in the land. Either people were directly killed by the rebels are have passed away due to HIV/AIDS from the numerous rapes and physical abuse. The staff has many volunteers helping mentor these families which is truly a gift from God. All of the help and support others are able to provide is greatly needed and appreciated. The need is huge and the means are small, but God has an incredible way of multiplying so we pray He continues to provide!
PART 4
Lastly, we headed further north to Pader, which is an area severely impacted by the rebels. Many of the children and young adults were captured by the rebels and forced into being child soldiers or were abducted and held for different means (many experienced extreme brutality is different manners). These individuals have mental and emotional scars and have very little trust in others. They have lived a life of great fear and uncertainty, and are now left on their own to survive. ALARM has started a vocational training facility that is currently teaching many of these young adults a skill that will allow them to become self-sustaining and provide hope for their future. After being in the school for roughly 4 months, they have just started smiling and trusting the staff. They are learning bit by bit that the staff truly has their best interest at heart. This is a work in progress and has a long way to go. The vision is huge and hopes to touch hundreds of children impacted by the war over the years to come. God is making huge strides and providing means to prosper individuals who have had no opportunity in the past. The area has entered an era of making new footprints and providing the potential for positive growth and healing. ALARM has realized the need and is answering the calling! Please join me in praying that the staff stays healthy and strong, God provides the means and fruit needed to prosper this area and that the mentality of the community stays positive in their hopes for a better future.
A verse that was shared during the Sunday service at Deliverance Church in Gulu was Lamentations 3:33 ~ “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” Yes, this country’s past has been terrorized by the Rebels and it is going to take many years to recover from the devastating effects, but the Lord is good. Each little bit helps and a saying that keeps coming to my mind is: In order to climb a mountain, one needs to start at a slow and steady pace.
Throughout this trip, I experienced more than I ever imagined I would see or hear. I was confronted firsthand with the harsh reality of other’s hardships, and that the difficult situations I have experienced while in Africa only proceeded to intensify during my time in northern Uganda. The need here is so big and the heartache and suffering is so sever. These people’s hearts are crying out. If this touches anyone and you would like to make a donation to a specific area or program ALARM is sponsoring, please let me know or visit ALARM’s website at www.alarm-inc.org, where you are able to make a donation. Every little bit helps and the need is wide. Sharing the blessings God has provided is extending His kingdom! Mungu akubariki (God bless you)!
“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
~ Psalm 40:1-2
