Oh Happy Day

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in the past few days. We have been out of town for the past two days (in Fort Portal and Kamwenge), and when we returned, no power here.

I am going to blog a little out of sequence since I am most excited about my meeting the Olive and Aaron, the family Christina and I sponsor. This is my second attempt to send this blog since the Internet decided to quit on my first try (and I didn’t type it in Word first so I lost it all).

We took the two-hour trip from Fort Portal to Kamwenge yesterday, which put my stomach to the test (rough road, tossing my stomach around the whole time).


Here I am meeting Olive for the first time. Olive has a very interesting story. She is a widow, who was actually dead for an hour. The village started preparing to bury her when she started coughing and came back. Then last year, with her and Aaron really bad off, ill, owning no property, no home, no livestock, and having no prospects for the future, Olive attempted to take her own life by drinking acid. When she didn’t die this second time, Olive believed that God kept her alive and had a purpose for her.

A few months later, her sponsorship started coming from my family. With this money, she has purchased the room in house she lives in (like a small condo). She has purchased a school uniform and Aaron attends school at the Primary 4 level (4th grade). They have livestock that includes 3 goats and a pig. Olive has started a sorghum beer brewing business and sells beer to the villagers for an income. Most of all, she has a bight future and a relationship with God.

Here we are in their home. I brought gifts and they were so appreciative. It was a wonderful experience. Every time I gave Aaron a gift, he had a smiled and gave me a hug.

Here are their goats.

Olive disappeared, then returned in her new dress. Aaron sang in the choir in a small celebration the village through for our arrival (picture on right - blue shirt, back left).

Here is Olive presenting me with gifts that included a gourd that she painted for me, a hand-woven mat, and a gourd full of honey.

Then, the ultimate in giving, Aaron gave me his largest rooster. A twelve year-old child gave me something that would be of huge value to him. He must have been very proud to be able to give such a gift.

The cost of sponsorship for a family in reality is very little to us but means so much to them. I am so proud of what Olive and Aaron have done with what they have received. There is such a huge need here in Uganda, with lack of food, medical care, and hope for an unbelievable amount of people. If you would be interested in changing the lives of a family here, please visit http://www.globalfamilyrescue.org/ for more information on family sponsorship.

Here is a excerpt from a speech Olive wrote:

"I Oliva Mbarame wish to thank God for his mercy, that he has enabled me to survive up to this day. I had once died, but I am alive by the mercy of the Almighty God. People came to my place to bury me having heard that I was dead, but I came to life instantly due to God's mercy.

Now I am deaf, I can't hear any speech or any spoken word from my friends. However, I am able to talk. Praise the Lord! God is feeding me and he give me some porraige to drink. I had totally despaired, but now I have hope. I appreciate the work done by the Americans who usually send me money to sustain my life. May God bless the Americans."