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Takia

 

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(Above is Takia in her own design)

Meet Takia, one of the three girls we help support in their career paths. She is going to tailoring school after struggling through high school and finally dropping out. We were worried about what she would do going forward and she came one day to tell us goodbye. She was on her way to start tailoring school. The third week she came home and had made Christian, Raelee and me clothes, nicely sewn clothes that fit without having our measurements! We were so proud of her and happy she found something she is good at and can possibly have a better future with the skills she is learning. She also found she has some artistic creativity and with her own designs that will set her apart from the many, many seamstresses and tailors here. She can be a successsful designer if she keeps striving at it. Because we were so surprised and proud of her we told her we would give her support since she has to buy all the materials she uses in her classes.

About four weeks into school she brought me about fifteen little skirts and asked me to put them up as she was going to keep sewing until we had enough to give all the children that come to Sunday School. She has now been in school six months and should have graduated in December but because at least half her class could not pass the exam they extended everyone until March. Which is very unfair to the ones, including Takia, that passed. It is a hardship just to pay for schooling and training so they have to come up with more money because of the ones who didn’t pass. Over the past six months she has occasionally brought little piles of skirts and shorts for me to put up.

On the Sunday before Christmas I already had the boxes for the children and we had many children that don’t usually come. Takia had come home with yet another box of clothes. We decided to wait until the next Sunday to see if we could give them out. There were about ninety-seven children. We counted the clothing and she was short about seven but we had t-shirts that had been sent with the baby blankets from the great ladies in America so we also gave them out. I can’t even tell you how excited these children were at receiving new clothes. She had made dresses and skirts for the older girls. We did run short a few on shorts for the babies so they gave the baby boys skirts. Baby Christian, who is usually either naked or with just a shirt on as he was that day, got a skirt and he was so happy! Someone laughed about him wearing a skirt and I said when he was only a couple months old his mama had brought him over in a frilly yellow dress. Confused me to say the least! It doesn’t matter when they are little but it is hard to tell which are boys and which are girls!

Everyone was giving me and Christian the credit for the clothes and I told them all that we only helped supply her materials but Takia did all the work and did it because she loves her village and all the children that come to Sunday School.  She is using the gifts and talents God has given her to bless others. She isn’t keeping that talent to only benefit herself. She said her schoolmates laughed at her and questioned why she would do that when she could be making clothes for herself and also sell clothing she makes. She told me that we have taught her to have a giving heart, she’s been helped so it makes her want to pass that on. I give her and her sisters my clothes and she knows how that feels, and wants others to feel the same way. We are just so proud of her accomplishments, I have to admit we were a little skeptical since she didn’t do so well in high school.

Please pray for Takia, as she has had her schooling extended. That she be an example to her classmates but also to the children she blessed so greatly. We plan on putting her to work on our Hope for Girls project so that she can earn her own sewing machine. I believe she will take full advantage of the opportunity given her, we have seen big changes in her personality already so I know she has a good future in front of her. And I am relieved that now I know what we can do next Christmas and take the pressure off of me trying to get 150-200 gifts for the children!

Baby Christian was thrilled with his new skirt! (he was pantless as usual!)

More Babies On The Way!

The past year we gave away over 50 receiving blankets to pregnant moms and were able to speak to them and pray over their blankets for them and their babies. Last week we gave the rest of the blankets to nineteen more pregnant ladies. I got to see the last of the first round of fifteen babies this week! So I will have nineteen more to look forward to this year! They loved getting the blankets that were under one condition – they had to bring their baby when it was born so that I could see him or her! I think they like that even more, to show off their babies. I just love getting to hold them all!

Thanks again to all the ladies that contributed the blankets!

Preaching The Gospel

In the last few months Christian has had the opportunity to preach in many places. Every week he goes to the prison near us and preaches and teaches to over one hundred men. In the few months since he started going there fourteen men have given their lives to follow Christ. He has been able to give out close to one hundred bibles to the men there and audio bibles in their language that they can listen to. He takes razors, soap and for their literacy program we give notebooks and pens.

Last month he was able to go to Kampala and preach in a slum where there are many drug addicts and prostitutes. Raelee and I stayed at a hotel, it is hard for me to not be with him when he preaches but it is harder to sit among hundreds of people and half of them sit staring at us instead of hearing what is being preached! Even in our church services where there aren’t many people, I sit in the back and many of the people sit through the service turned around staring at me. It is uncomfortable to say the least, both because it is awkward to be stared at but also because it takes away from them hearing the word of God.

There were eight people saved at that conference. We are thankful that Christian is able to travel and preach. We feel God is calling him to preach the word not only in our community but all over Uganda. He will be speaking at a youth conference in November and has been asked to go way up north to a very poor area to preach in the future.

Right now he is preparing to teach classes to Pastors how to study their Bibles. There have been so many outside influences here, many denominations come in and the result is many people take a little from this and a little from that and then mix in the Muslim culture, while still holding on to what the witch doctors teach. There is way too much wealth and prosperity preaching. A lot of Pastors don’t even know scripture well enough to teach it. The challenge for Christian as he prepares this is finding the materials to teach from. He would like to teach them how to study with resources like concordances so that they can really get an understanding of scripture but so far we can’t even find actual study Bibles. We are praying God provides everything he needs to help these men to deepen their knowledge of the word and be able to go back to their churches and really begin to teach and disciple their congregations.

If you would like to help with Bibles and audio Bibles or contribute to the ministry as Christian travels please visit themandate.com

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Receiving Blankets

Thanks to the generosity of the ladies of Good Hope Baptist Church in Anacoco, Louisiana in August I was able to give out receiving blankets to forty-five pregnant women so far. They donated about 200 blankets I believe. I have to say it has been very challenging to give them out – it is always challenging to give anything away, I usually try to wait until there are visitors to give things away. It takes the pressure off of me, when I run out of things to give there are always rumors and doubts that I really have more but am hoarding them for myself! I also told the women that I often buy mats to help out, I would much rather buy something than for someone to come and just ask for a handout. I have bought fifteen mats so far. There was a condition to receiving the blankets, when the babies were born they had to bring them by so that we could see the new bundles of joy! I have had some come by and am waiting to see the rest as they come into the world!

Thank you ladies for your giving hearts and all the work you have done with dolls, pads for the girls and the blankets. I know that as you make them you pray over everyone thing you are working on! I believe those prayers, the work of your hands and joy you get from making and buying things for people here won’t go to waste in God’s Kingdom!

 

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,and one who waters will himself be watered.  Proverbs 11:24-25

New Update Ndianga

We went to visit Ndianga at his home on Tuesday before he went for his last visit to the doctor who did the surgery in August. He has been going every month to see how his progress is coming along. He and his wife were so happy we came to see them, she brought out enough food to feed about eight Americans – we do not eat as much as they do! He is so very grateful to us and the Mandate for allowing him to have this surgery. We were mistaken about when he had the wreck that left him cripple, instead of five years ago it had actually been twelve years. So for twelve years he has had pain and trouble walking. His therapy and healing is coming along well, he says he is so happy that he had the surgery. He has a little ways to go before he is one hundred percent, he still has a limp but yesterday at his check-up the doctor told him that because he has had the limp and uneven leg length that his hip and buttock muscles had atrophied so much that it will take a little while of walking to strengthen those muscles and be able to walk normally. On Tuesday he still had the crutch but when he went back on Wednesday the doctor took the crutch and told him he needs to walk slowly with small steps without it. He doesn’t have to go back for six months unless he has problems. When he stopped by Wednesday on the way home from the check-up he walked for us without the crutch. It has been such a blessing to see the joy in him for the gift of healing him from something he has had to deal with for twelve years. He looks so much healthier, I told him he is fat now, his face is filled out and looks so good. He laughed and laughed at that!

We told him that it is God that has blessed him, and we are His hands and feet. We explained to him that we have grown to love him and that his character and honesty and the fact we can depend on him for anything we need is what has brought that blessing to him. We continue to pray for him and wait for the day he is back to driving the tipper and we get to see his smiling face everyday!

 

On a side note, I am sorry I don’t get posts up regularly. Just for this post it has taken me and hour and a half just to get the picture, video clip and paragraph. With all I have to do in a day it is hard to sit down and upload pictures and write so I end up just posting our daily life on Facebook and Instagram. I do not friend many people on Facebook – mainly close friends and family. But I can be followed on Instagram at roxxiheart64!

 

Update Ndianga

On Sunday Ndianga had his surgery, all went well. We made it to the hospital an hour before surgery, praying the entire way we would. The Dr. had told us it would be on Monday but if he got admitted early enough on Saturday they may do it Sunday. We got the call Saturday night they would be doing it Sunday. Because of fears of hospitals they don’t tell patients what time their surgery is. The Dr said because they get too stressed out. Not knowing would stress me out more I think! Also because of fear they mostly don’t put patients under, the fear is great about not waking up again. So, with local anesthesia he made it through and we went in and prayed with him again before we left. He wanted me to take a picture and tell everyone that helped make his surgery possible that he is so grateful and thank you very much! On Monday and Tuesday they had him up and walking with nurses supporting him. Tuesday they stopped the hard pain killers and the update today was he slept all night last night! If all keeps going so well he will come home on Sunday or Monday. Keep him in your prayers for his ongoing recovery and again many thanks for helping our friend.

The New Chairman

We finally got to meet the new Chairman of the village. He is a businessman, doesn’t speak English but very friendly and seems to be happy to work alongside us. We talked about leaving the past in the past and starting fresh with him, he said he didn’t know anything about the past before us so we really would have a fresh start! We are praying for a good friendship with him, that he is a good leader to the people in our community and that we can work together. One thing that was encouraging to us…he and his family eat rabbit! We’ll see what comes out of that, he could be a big influence to the community and our project.

Prayers For Ndianga

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‘Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!’

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Many of you know Ndianga, he has been our friend since the day we came to Uganda. He was our personal driver for the first six months we lived here, until Christian started driving. We got the tipper truck specifically for him to drive and support himself and every week he paid us the amount we asked for to go towards repairs and such for the truck. He never missed a payment on time and was always honest about what he made. We love him very much, and even though he speaks very little English (more now than when we met him) we have developed a strong friendship with him. We can get information from him in an honest way, he is very humble and meek. He is held in high dsc06223esteem in the village; we told him recently when his mother passed that it was a testament to his and his family’s character that one thousand or more people came from all over Uganda to mourn and pay their respects.

When we moved here, Ndianga had his own car and hired out to drive for people. A year before we moved he was in an accident and broke his pelvis and leg. He couldn’t afford the operation he needed so his injuries healed incorrectly. For the past two years he had one crutch and about a year ago our doctor told him that it hasn’t helped his problem at all. We helped him to get new crutches that helped some but with so much damage already done both from the accident and the crutches the pain finally became unbearable. It came to a point that he had to be carried to the car to get him to the hospital, while he cried in pain. That was hard to witness from a man who has been independent, strong and always smiling even with the disability he lives with everyday. He hasn’t driven the tipper and it has been very hard on him because he has always taken care of his family and not asked for handouts. Because of The Mandate’s long friendship and respect for him we have been helping him physically and financially for the past six months or so to get to doctors and physical therapy that hasn’t helped. It has all come down to having to have surgery – a hip replacement. Because the bone didn’t heal correctly and crutches that didn’t help his posture he has disc’s in his back that are bulging and the only way to correct that is to replace the damaged hip. After much prayer The Mandate and friends of The Mandate have generously given the $4600. for the surgery. We prayed that if the money was given that he would go ahead with the surgery, so many fear hospitals and surgeries so they don’t have them when they do need them. But the pain and suffering and not being able to work has gotten him to the place where he knows he won’t have a better quality of life unless he has it.

After about four different hospitals and as many doctors his friend told him about an orthopedic surgery hospital a couple hours away. He went and was very encouraged by the Dr. and the hospital. It is a far cry from the government hospitals and Dr’s. He decided that is where he wanted to have the surgery done but he wanted us to go first and speak with the Dr. and see the hospital. We were going a couple weeks ago and his mother died so it was put off until this week. We went and met the Dr. who is very friendly, articulate and answered all of our questions about the surgery, recovery and rehabilitation. We joked that Christian told Ndianga after he was healed they would race. The Dr. didn’t get it as a joke and asked Ndianga if he was a runner – why is it so important that he be able to run. And that at his age that wasn’t a good idea because he could fall and break it again. He asked him why he wanted to have the surgery. When we explained that was all in fun he high fived us and laughed. Ndianga told him that he wanted the surgery because of the pain and the inability to work. We felt good and at peace with his decision to have it done there, with that Dr.

Ndianga will go to the hospital on this Saturday, August 11 to get settled and ready for the surgery which will be on Monday, August 13. We don’t know the time of the surgery yet but please pray with us that all goes well with the surgery. that God would touch him with His healing hand and give him the comfort and peace he needs to get through. He should stay in the hospital for one week, go home for a week and then go back to be checked. Then over about three months he will heal and have rehabilitation. Surgery for anyone is a big deal, even in America, but so much more here. Over all the hospitals and doctors we have experienced here this one is the best we’ve seen but it is still scary.

He wants to let everyone who has helped to make this possible how very grateful and humbled he is. He is not a Christian and we pray always that every kindness, every example we set before him will be a witness and bring him closer to being a believer in Jesus Christ. Every opportunity we have we tell him that it is not us, it is not The Mandate that supplies all of our needs but our Savior and our faithfulness and obedience to Him.

The surgery isn’t as expensive as it would be in America, by a long shot, but it is still a lot of money and any donations toward that would be a great help to The Mandate so that we can help others who want to but can’t help themselves. Visit themandate.com and donate to any of our projects or the general fund. And God bless all who have helped in many ways to enable us to help those in our community.

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 36-38