“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” Isaiah 58:6-9
Have you ever been in a place and seen the Bible come alive? When the words written on sometimes dusty pages become dynamic, full of life and three-dimensional. They aren’t words uttered by the old prophets of the past. They are descriptors of the present reality. Those ancient words seem to describe what is happening at this very moment. I can tell you that when you find your self living those ancient words, it makes all the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention. Your eyes open in childlike wonder and awe and you long for the moment to last forever. God seems to whisper in your ear, “Here am I.”
I heard that whisper this week. Today I went to the Corner Stone Youth Core Home for boys who have been found living on the street in the slums of Kampala. This home is for the boys who are new to Corner Stone. Many are fresh from the street. These boys are tough. They have had to be to survive. They range in age from 12-18. To say they were destitute is an overstatement. I sat with these former street boys today and I listened as three of them shared the journey of their lives with me. It was hard to comprehend how traumatic and painful their past had been and even harder to believe they were sitting with me laughing over my attempts at L’Ugandan. I showed them pictures of my family. I told them about myself. I was vulnerable, open and free, hoping to send a quiet invitation of God’s love.
They called me “Mama” as is customary for a lady older than they are. “Mama, will you come back?” “Mama will you stick with us? Really will you come every week?” It is hard for them to believe that a lady would come into this den of young men and consistently care for them. Each time they called me “Mama” I wondered if they longed for their own mothers who have long since died. I noticed as the boys were talking to me, one of the youngest came and sat shoulder to shoulder with me. The soft maternal side of me could discern his quiet yearning for a mother’s touch. In this house of testosterone there was a quiet longing for something maternal, a mother’s love long lost. So, I sat there with this boy leaning hard against my shoulder. I made no sudden moves nor did I call attention to it. I understood his need and sank into the moment.
As I sat there, one of the boys stood up and paced in front of me as he told me his story. He was from a small village west of the city. It was a rural area with many cows. It was peaceful and he was from a good family. In 1999 a false pastor came to his village and began to tell the people that God was going to come back in the year 2000. This pastor was very convincing and many, many people stopped planting new crops. They gave their property to “God” –really to the false pastor. When January 1st, 2000 came the pastor invited all the people into the church asking them to bring their most prized possessions. The pastor took the possessions and told the people that God would come with fire and to not be afraid. As the people were meeting, two boys were sent to tie up the cattle that had been left grazing. The pastor then locked the people in the church and set fire to it killing all the villagers except these two young boys. This boy was one of those survivors. He watched helplessly as his family was burned alive. He then was juggled from one relative to another. None of whom had any resources to care for him. Finally, he left his relatives and at 13 he began to live on the streets of Kampala. He begged for food. He stole regularly to meet his needs. He was alone and he was hopeless.
Then one day, one of the mentors who cares for these street boys found this frantic boy on the street and invited him back to the house. The Corner Stone mentor, himself a former street boy, gave him water for bathing, gave him clothes to wear, fed him and gave him a space to sleep in the house. This boy has now been in the house for two years. He is back in school and is one of the students I will be teaching for the next 3 months. He said that after coming to Corner Stone, he found a new “family” that cares about him and has given him his hope back.
As I sat under the shade of that tree, I listened intently to each boy’s story. Their stories followed the same pattern: death of those that loved them, relatives that could not or would not care for them, the authorities picking them up for stealing and then Corner Stone staff rescuing them from a hopeless existence. They were painful stories of trauma and then powerful stories of rescue. As I listened I felt the heavy weight of their past and the glimmer of healing that will lead to their future.
In the middle of this Kampala slum at this simple concrete home these boys are beginning to find Jesus. The one who loves street boys. The one who worships his father by clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless, and setting those oppressed by hopelessness free. Suddenly, in that moment there was a whisper of “Here am I.”
Update on my life:
What a week! I feel like I have so many stories to tell, but only so much time to sit down and write them. I am trying to pick the stories that move me the most and communicate them as best I can. I hope they are not just used consumed. I hope they sit inside your soul and move you to fast as Isaiah did by loving the poor and hopeless in your midst. The cries of these orphans will be heard by God, the question is will you hear them and respond?
This last Wednesday I spent the morning with the staff at International Justice Mission. We spent the first hour of our time together discussing the scripture and then praying for the orphans and widows they are seeking to help. There are currently 16 open cases. Most of the cases have to do with land grabbing. When parents or a spouse die, as they often do here, the land or property is sometimes taken by unscrupulous relatives or neighbors leaving the widow or orphans with no where to live. IJM is seeking to find justice for these widows and orphans. They win or mediate a favorable settlement for almost all of their cases. I will be spending some more time helping them create a way to teach villagers about wills and budgeting. Hopefully, my teaching skills will be well used.
Late Wednesday afternoon, I left with other Corner Stone staff to spend the night 3 hours away at the Leadership Academy for Young Men at what is called “the ranch.” It is called a ranch because there is a great herd of cattle there. They milk the cows and sell the milk in Kampala in order to pay for the operation of the Leadership Academy. The ranch also holds a primary and secondary school for the poorest children in the neighboring villages. CPC supports 11 students at the secondary school. I was fortunate enough to meet these beautiful girls and boys. We sat under an African shade tree and I told them how much we loved them. I encouraged them to work hard and to stay focused. I told them how much God loves them and that they were created for a great purpose. I talked to the girls about staying sexually pure and not seeking a husband while they are in school. Many girls in this poor region get married at 16 or younger, so I wanted them to know that God had given them a great chance for education and to use it wisely. So far, no girl at the secondary school has gotten pregnant which is astounding in this area.
The students also told me what they were learning on the ranch. They are taught leadership principles as well as how to love and follow Christ. The girls especially had learned that they are valuable to God. They now know that they have great worth and they have the power to say no to the advances of men in the community. The boys talked about their excitement over finding a “family” to belong to. Many of these children are orphans and Corner Stone is now their family. It is a place where they belong and are loved. It was a beautiful moment of knowing and being known!
This Sunday Veronica and I met with some widows who are trying to create income for themselves by making laquered jewelry. Ruth is the coordinator of a group of about 80 widows who are desperately trying to survive in Kampala. Thirty of them are HIV positive. Almost all of them are from the north where the fighting is the worst. We went to church with them and then spent the afternoon eating lunch with the pastor who is caring for this group of women. These widows are totally dependent on God and each other. I will meet with the whole group of widows on Thursday afternoon. I am sure there will be a story to tell.
On Monday, I will meet with some World Vision staff here in town and hopefully visit the abandon babies home. On Tuesday & Friday I will l return to the boys home to teach English to those dear street boys. On Wednesday I have an interview at the International School of Uganda. I don’t know exactly why I am interviewing or what God wants to communicate to me through this opportunity. If I take this job I will be here for another year. Please pray for me! I need discernment. The school is amazing and as God would have it I have been trained in the very curriculum this school is teaching. Essentially, they are looking for me. Anyway, it is an interesting thing to think about.
Like every other week here, anything can happen and probably will. It is interesting this week we have had more days with electricity, but they have shut off the water. We have had two days with no water. Apparently the landlord is feuding with one of the tenants so she is shutting off the water for everyone here. For the last 24 hours the water has been on so maybe the feud is over. Anyway, I am happy. I am beginning to feel like “I am home” and I am LOVING being with Veronica. Please continue to pray blessing into her life! Well, I love hearing from you so feel free to email me. Also, be sure to click the pictures link to see the newly added photos. I included pictures of IJM, the ranch, the girls leadership school, and Cornerstone. Enjoy! If you have time drop me an email. I love hearing what is happening in your life too!
Much love,
Kari
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