Do You Know What A Rooster is Worth?

“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Psalms 119: 50


Today I traveled out past the bustling city of Kampala to the beautiful forest of Kasangombe. It was a picturesque drive. There were lush green banana trees and crops and grasses of all kinds as far as the eye could see. Everything was a perfect color of green which was a beautiful contrast to the deep rust red of the soil. As I watched the beauty of Uganda pass me by, I thought about how great it was to be in the Pearl of Africa. It is such a place of infinite beauty. With all this grandeur around me, how could it be possible that inside those lush banana groves there lies deep human suffering?

As we entered the village I suddenly became very aware of the lack of resources at this communities disposal. Children looked malnourished and adults looked weary and tired. This place saw the worst fighting during the bush war—the great war where Musevini took power over Uganda. Nearly, the entire infrastructure was destroyed thrusting the people into chaos and poverty. Now nearly twenty years later little has changed. World Vision has now stepped into the community to rebuild schools, clinics, homes and most importantly people. They have trained counselors that meet with community members in order to help people overcome the trauma of their past and to open to the great possibility of the future.

We suddenly turned off the main road onto a footpath that would now serve as a road for our vehicle. We were headed to Charles Kalema’s home. Charles is being sponsored by my brother and sister in law. As we drove deep into the bush we saw a home that had just been built by World Vision for a group of siblings whose parents had just died. The 15 year old is now the head of the household and caring for all her siblings alone. We saw homes built for widows who were barely surviving. Then we arrived at a simple mud hut with a thatched roof. A young woman came shyly forward to meet me. She introduced herself as Charles’s mother and then walked me around their compound. They had one group of sticks that formed a shield where they bathed every day. They had one small mud structure where they cooked the food for the day. It was simple. It was poverty at it’s best.

Quietly, Charles appeared from the other side of the home. He was quite skinny and small for his age, which is one marker of malnutrition. He was so reserved, but smiled broadly when I showed him pictures of his sponsors. He took the book made for him by my brother and sister in law and held it close to his chest. He gripped it tightly and seemed to hold on to it like a security blanket. Then he took the book and the other items I gave him into the hut and carefully, one by one, put them into a plastic sack. He then walked me over to the garden his family cultivates and showed me well kept banana trees, cassava plants and eggplants. With the help of World Vision they were now beginning to eat better. They were able to plant more vegetables and to sell some for some little money. His sponsorship was also keeping him in school and giving him access to medical care, but it is not enough to pull him out of poverty or to allow him to live in a house that doesn’t melt every time it rains. Because Charles still has his mother and father, he is not as vulnerable as those who are single and double orphans, so they will not receive a new concrete home. There just simply isn’t enough money to build every family a home, so they must pick only the neediest of the neediest.

His mother graciously invited me into her home, washed my hands and gave me the most delicious cup of African tea and bread. As we ate this love gift, I talked to her. I learned where she grew up, when she met her husband and what she loved most about her son. As we were speaking she suddenly stood up and went into the other room and came back out with a huge stack of papers. She handed them to me with such care that I knew they were certainly something special. Looking down I realized that they were Charles’s report cards and schoolwork. I oohed and ahhed over each page and celebrated his success with her. She was so proud of him. I could see it in her eyes.

After we talked for some time, I asked her what her biggest challenge was. As soon as I asked the question, her shoulders slumped and she seemed to deflate a little. Then she answered quietly that four of her children had died before they were 6 months old and they last one they buried only a few months ago. Her eyes turned a deep red and her face struggled to hold back the tears. All I could say was a sympathetic, “Sorry, I am so sorry.” Then she almost whispered, “I am wondering if I am cursed.” I looked at her and recognized the signs of deep pain and despair. This woman was locked in emotional hell and was struggling to hold on. I quickly changed the subject to remove some of the pressure and we finished out tea. As we took our last sips, I asked if I could pray for her and her family. She readily accepted and I closed my eyes and waited for the words to come. I then heard myself ask God to give her comfort in her mourning, to break all the curses that the evil one had put into place and to protect her from all spirits that would come to destroy her. I asked the Holy Spirit to come and be with her—to invade her spirit with great amounts of love and peace. I reminded the Lord that he loves the poor and that he longs to comfort those who mourn. It was a holy moment full of pain and promise.

As we walked through the lace fabric separating the inside from the outside, I noticed that the father had been to the garden and was preparing something for me. Before I left to see what it was, I turned and hugged Charles’s mother. I wanted her to know that God dwells in the pain with us and that God’s people love those in pain. I hoped that hug communicated that and encouraged her to know that there are people that love her. I hugged Charles and then turned to see what they had prepared. The father had collected several bunches of fresh sweet bananas from his garden and taken their rooster in his arms. He then handed me their rooster and I stood in awe at this great gift.

This rooster is a necessary part of their farm life. A rooster is needed to create more hens to sell at the market. He gave me a dearly expensive gift without any fanfare and with a gentle graciousness. I had loved and listened to his wife and now he was loving me by giving me something precious to him. Could any of us give something precious to us to a stranger at our door? Would we dare love so extravagantly? Maybe that is why God says that the poor will indeed see the kingdom of God.

Update on the Widows:

I have made it my personal mission to visit each widow in her own home before I leave. It is a massive undertaking, but I feel up to the challenge. I visited four widows this week and I was left feeling overwhelmed. The first woman I visited was a schoolteacher in a respected school in town before HIV/AIDS took her eyesight, now she lies inside her small house while her children look after her. The next widow has now been left paralyzed by AIDS and can barely talk. It is difficult to understand her, but through her garbled words, I know her mind is still sharp. AIDS is such a nasty disease. It takes everything from you—your beauty, your dignity, and your ability to be independent. It is grotesque and impossible to ignore.

Two women came to the widows meeting this week complaining of severe pain in their “private parts.” AIDS has caused a fungus to grow inside them that is literally eating them from the inside out. Rosemary came to me right away before the meeting began and introduced me to these women who just stood and cried. I asked if they had seen a doctor. Rosemary said yes and then produced a prescription from her pocket. She informed me that they are supposed to take this medicine to clear up the infection, but that they had no money to get the medicine. It was so obvious these women were in pain and they even offered for me to see their wound, but I just couldn’t look. It was too much for me, so I asked how much the medicine cost. It was just under $12 so I gave freely and without even thinking about it and it felt so good. My selfishness seems to be lessening and God seems to be giving me hands that are not gripped so tightly to what I have. God is good! More importantly, I heard from one of the widows today that they woman now has her medication. Praise the Lord!!

The widows have been looking at some properties and now in the process of writing a proposal complete with itemized costs. I will let you know when that part of the project is finalized so we can begin funding their future! Thank you again to those of you partnering with this dear lady!

We also met with a pastor of another local church here in town about starting another widows group. He wholeheartedly agreed so we will now be involved with two widows groups. God is growing this by leaps and bounds! It will be fun to see what happens!

Update on my life:

I have settled into a routine here at Simon’s house and it is nice to have such an inviting place to come back to. It is also nice to have a ride into and back from Cornerstone. Simon and I have worked out a deal of sorts…he kills all cockroaches and I cook dinner every night. Mary—I am doing what I promised and cooking for your husband!

I am also more and more feeling like I am finally “home.” I can’t explain exactly what I mean by that other then I feel like God has finally put me in a place where I have peace. Where somewhere deep down I know I am in exactly the place created for me. It is a great feeling and one I am breathing in deeply with the time I have remaining.
I am also feeling so much more comfortable with the city itself. I can take public buses and (rarely, although sometimes) get lost. I know the names of streets and areas of the city. When people talk about places in the city I know where they are talking about. I love the independence it is giving me—I can travel alone around the city and feel confident that I know where I am going and where to get off the bus. I am understanding more L’Ugandan everyday and even some, though very little, of the Angel’s language (the language spoken in Gulu). All in all, I feel settled here and it is great!

I also have made some incredible friends. God always seems to give me the best people for me to love and to love me back. I am blessed beyond measure by that!

This week I will see Kirk & Lindsey’s other sponsored child, visit more widows in their homes and teach English at Kibuli Boys Home—it will be a full week, but a good one. I am also going to a wedding of one the Cornerstone guys this Saturday which will be a lot of fun. Last weekend, I went to my first rugby game. Uganda was playing Namibia and guess what? Uganda won!!! It was very exciting and a lot of fun!

I will try to upload photos of the sponsored child visits as well as the rugby game this week so keep checking my pictures link!

Love to you all!
Kari