God has been there, especially in time of need

When I walked into Dorothy’s house, there was a peace there that was God breathed. Her daughter, Shalom, was home early from school, and I was so glad we got to meet her. Dorothy conveyed her story…her husband died 10 years ago and left her with five children. She quickly passed over the past to talk about the now. I realized that the pain is indeed a part of her story, but it’s not THE story.

“I thank God, because He has been there. God has been there, especially in the time of need.”

That’s her story, the faithfulness of God. It’s not a story of sadness but one of hope and peace. She explained how, in the moment of struggling, God opened up a way. Her and her children went from living in a one room house to a four room house. Dorothy has a business of raising chickens, and although she doesn’t have a room outside for them, she keeps all 100 of them in one of the rooms in her house! She’s not waiting for the right opportunity or the right tools to do it. She’s doing it with what she has.

When we asked if she was proud of her children, she smiled big. Meeting Shalom I can see why she would be so proud. Shalom lost her dad when she was just 2 weeks old. She thanked the Lord, because she says He brought them from afar. Her dream is to one day become an accountant and her prayer is that she will do well in her studies and God will provide the money for her to go to university.

As I knelt down to pray for Dorothy and Shalom, I was overcome with the spirit of excellence and of doing things well I felt in this home. It came from a deep place of hope in Jesus, and it was simply beautiful.

I’ve been back from Uganda for almost three weeks. There’s still stories to tell, and I’m so glad that I can linger on my time there through these beautiful stories of HOPE.