So I had an amazing day in Gulu today, which averaging out with most days here, is a pretty big deal. Usually you get about two out of the ten things that you wanted to get done in a day and most often not with the result you intended. So I have to share God’s amazingness while its fresh and before tomorrow takes away some of my enthusiasm
Amazing feat by God Number 1:
Stella, one of our girls here who is incredible, has two kids that were still with her ex-husband and he had refused for the last 2 years for her to even see them. I told Stella that we needed to pray for justice and that God would help us get her kids back (yeah, I was stepping out in faith, gulp) So Stella went to child welfare who was largely unhelpful and made her sign a document saying she would go back to live with her “husband” for the good of the children, even though he has since remarried and the stepmom is the one who has been abusing the children. (Can you believe these people?) I went back with her and the meeting was crushing–they said that the agreement was final and she had no choice even though she didn’t want to go back to live with him. So we prayed.
Today Stella and I went to go meet with her ex to see if we could persuade him to change his mind. It was as though God changed his heart overnight. He was drunk at the time, but he started telling me how he wants me to pray for him that he could be come a mulokoli (a born-again christian) and that he has decided Stella can have the children. I must have sat there open-mouthed I was so shocked. I said we could pray right there, but he declined (but his name is Richard and we need to pray for him) We signed an agreement saying he would release the children on Monday to stella and we agreed we would help pay their school fees. We are helping Stella with a transition plan. She has a job and has opened a savings account to save money so we can help her find an apartment in a few months.
As we were leaving, Stella was so happy she told me, “I prayed so hard. God has answered my prayers. Last night I had a dream that he would give me my children and today it has happened.” It was so amazing. The impossible became possible. And it was truly only God.
Amazing feat Number 2:
So for the last few months I have been trying to get 5 of my girls into a vocational school for skills training but the school has been delayed time and time again and I was struggling to find other options for them. I told the girls to keep praying and I would try to get to the bottom of things. I met with the administrator of the school and was able to register all 5 of the girls and school starts Monday and lasts thru September. When they leave they will be given start-up materials to help them with a business. The girls are so excited! I realized that when I stopped striving and started just bringing all my worries to God in prayer, He has moved so much faster and with so much more goodness than I ever expected–its just a testimony to walking in my new “sonship” in God.
Amazing feat Number 3:
Becoming an NGO here is a ton of work. At the end you would just rather pay off a bunch of people than have to go through the long process (in the end you do have to pay off some people) but my friend Walter and I have been chipping away at it for the last few months. Today he texted me and told me he took the last of the letters from the local government officials to the office and that we received our certificate! I’m sort of holding my breath thinking its too good to be true, but its so amazing that God has done it so fast these last few days.
Amazing feat Number 4:
I visited our Congolese girls today who are really thriving. They are doing so well that they have started a Swahili service at their church and are now the ones leading the worship team. It’s truly incredible how much they have changed in such a short time. One of our girls, Bebe, who has been a prostitute for years, had an amazing testimony. She was given a ring by a woman several years back but there is so much weird witchcraft here that the ring had been dedicated to demons. A few nights ago Bebe had a dream that a man was trying to attack her and have sex with her again, but she said no, she was for Jesus now. When she woke up, the ring was off of her finger and she realized that a lot of the spiritual oppression she had been under was due to the ring, so she took it to Miriam and they burned it. Since then, Miriam says Bebe has changed so much–she is such a leader in the house and is encouraging her other friends to leave prostitution and come to our house to start a new life. It’s pretty amazing.
I just had to share these stories with you and thank you for all your prayers. Your prayers work and they matter so much. God is moving here in Gulu and you are a HUGE part of that.
So happy to be serving alongside of you all,
with love,
Sarita
