My Teachers (part 1)

I love how God has drawn my heart to the elderly community here in Lira. I just seem to gravitate towards them and have learned countless lessons from listening to them share their heart. I thought I would do a post on some of the individuals that have impacted me in a deep way. Every time I leave them I am inspired and challenged. They get so much more than I ever will and have such a vast understanding of God’s character that I hope someday to attain.



Lucy

Woman of Forgiveness

We were out with the Colorado team doing home visits. We stopped to visit a gal, Margaret, who is in her early 20’s and is taking care of 2 of her own children plus 8 (I might not be correct on the exact number) of her siblings. She left her marriage to take care of her siblings due to both of her parents dying.

We walk up to a couple of huts and I see an elder lady sitting off in the distance, under a tree on a straw mat. I am greeted by a huge smile and a hug. I sit down next to her and begin to hear her story. She tells me that she lost all of her children and her husband to the LRA. Margaret is her granddaughter. She recounts the day that the LRA came and abducted her children and killed her husband. She lied to them when they asked her where her husband was because she knew what would happen if they found him. They tore inside her hut and found him there. Because she lied, they came and sliced off her big toe. She tried to get up and run away, but when she did she broke all of her toes on her right foot and they are now all bent at a 90 degree angle.

I looked her in the eyes and asked her “how do you get up every day?” “How do you keep moving forward?” Her answer, “God keeps me going and I forgave the rebels for what they did”

I am in awe and ask “How did you forgive?”

Lucy replies, “Because God tells us to. I forgive because God tells me to forgive. Those rebels knew not what they were doing. They were children, forced to kill.”

We ended our time with some singing and praying. I walked away wanting to forgive like Lucy forgives. I still get to see Lucy often and she is truly free because she chose to forgive. There is no other way that I can explain her radiance and her joy.

Thank you Lucy for choosing to do the hard thing…..you will reap such a great reward.

 

Pilda
 

Woman of Faith

It was the third time that I had visited the Barlyonyo Massacre Memorial Site (post on this to come later). This time I was there with the Dallas team. Every time that I go I hear a REALLY hard story and leave so angry and confused, wondering how this all ever happened. To be honest, I wasn’t really looking forward to going on this day because I didn’t want to hear another story. But God always has different plans for me J

The team was listening to some of the local leaders share about the happenings on this day and since I heard it a couple of times before I decided to walk around a bit. There are often many individuals from the community that come when we arrive and my eyes fell on this lady, Pilda.

I knew there was a story to be told as I scanned her body and saw scar after scar and such deformation of her skin. From head to toe she was wrapped in a terrible memory. Before she said a word I was already fighting back tears.

I began to get to know her and her story started coming out. She shared with me that she was in the displacement camp when the rebels came. The rebels entered her hut where she and her husband were staying. They forced them both to lie down and they put grass on top of them and lit them on fire. They left and then set the hut up in blaze. Pilda was miraculously able to escape, but with tears in her eyes she talks about then watching the hut burn knowing that her husband was inside.

“How do you keep living?” The only question I know how to ask after I hear such a story.

"God” “I am thankful that I am alive and He keeps me going”

I look at Pilda and I share with her how at times, people in America, such as me, often begin to blame God and get very mad at God when bad things happen. She gasps! The thought was absurd to her. “No! God is ALWAYS good!” she says.

We take a short walk and I slip her some money to get some new sandals and some food. She looks at me and says “See, I knew God would take care of me today and He did because He sent you.”

Wow, such amazing Faith. Thank you Pilda; for modeling and teaching me what it looks like to never doubt God and His goodness.