Thursday, July 17, 2008

Peace At Last

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him! O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears he will answer you.” Isaiah 30: 18-19

Last week evil launched an attack on us that was wild, fierce and loud. Reports from every media source…the newspapers, the television, the radio…repeated the threats of the government official to evacuate the slum area or risk being violently removed. Defeat seemed to hang in the air. Fear tried to set up house in the deepest part of our hearts. The intense battle forced us to our knees. All that was left was to close our eyes and pray to our mighty warrior, the Lion of Judah. With our eyes closed tight, we could still hear the shouts of eviction and the whispers of hopelessness, but we continued to pray. Finally, all became quiet…the voices had been silenced. Slowly, we opened our eyes and as the dust settled on the battlefield, we noticed that God’s beloved had escaped unharmed. Our mighty warrior had rescued us from all that meant to do us harm. Our great lover had protected us and given us back the peace we had longed for.

Last Thursday, I approached the church where the widows had gathered eager to hear the latest news about Otafire’s threat of eviction. Otafire, a retired general, is the top government official in charge of redeveloping the slum areas of Kampala. He was recently quoted in the local paper as saying, “The poor will never enter heaven. They are lazy and useless and even God doesn’t want them.” He ran an ad in the paper last month stating that all those that reside in the slum areas of Nakawa and Nanguru must evacuate by July 12th or risk being forcibly removed. So, here we were on July 10th meeting together and staring eviction in the face.

The ladies were somber when I arrived. We greeted each other and then Rosemary began the meeting. The ladies explained that Otafire had continued to issue his threat of violence if they didn’t leave by Saturday, but that the IGG (Attorney General of Uganda) had also come to the quarters to tell them to say put until the case against Otafire was resolved. The IGG had accused Otafire of evicting the people of the quarters without providing adequate lower income housing for them to move into. These two government officials began to publicly attack each other; each asking the president to intervene on their behalf. As of yet the president has remained quiet or at least not made any public statement.

So, the ladies looked at me and asked, “What do we do? Where do we go?” I had no answer, “I don’t know,” I said as I shook my head and stared intently at the ground at my feet, “I don’t know. God is the only one who can help you now. He is the only one who can make a way out of this mess.” As soon as I uttered those words, a couple of the ladies stood up and encouraged the other women saying, “God can do anything. He is mighty and powerful. He will intervene for us. We are his beloved. A husband always protects his wife. God is more powerful than any man. We don’t need to fear, we need to fast and pray.” Suddenly a chorus of “amen’s” erupted from the ladies. Then we all stood up joined hands and began to cry out to God for a miracle. There we stood praying in at least 3 different languages asking the same God to protect his women.

The next day, I went back to the quarters to be with my friends as this ominous deadline approached. The police had spent the morning walking through the quarters carrying their rifles and warning people to move or face the consequences. They only stayed a couple of hours but they had made their point crystal clear. I sat with Joyce in her small sitting room as we both wondered what the next day would be like. “What will you do if they come and chase you?’ I asked. She looked at me, smiled and sighed. “What can we do? I have a bag packed just in case and if God decides to move me, I will move to where he tells me to go. But, in the mean time, I will go live on the lawn of the Parliament building. We have all decided that we will live there until the government listens to us.” “I hope it doesn’t come to that,” I said back to her. She laughed again, “Kari, God has kept me for 10 years and has never left me in the cold. I am not worried. I’m trusting in him. He will take care of me.” I smiled back at her, but wondered deep inside my heart how she could look so calm. My own insides were shaking with worry as I thought of what tomorrow might hold. Before I left I spent time in prayer with her and with her neighbor asking God to protect these dear friends of mine. As I went to bed that night, my stomach felt tied in knots and I drifted between sleep and prayer all night long. I begged God to keep my friends safe, to somehow allow them to stay where they were.

As the sun came up on Saturday, July 12th my heart was pounding inside my chest. I continued to ask God to intervene and I read every scripture I could find on God’s love and mercy for his widows. Joyce said she would call me and let me know what was happening, but when I hadn’t heard from her by 10am I decided to call her. My hand was shaking as I held the phone and my heart was beating in my ears as the phone began to ring. Suddenly, I heard her voice, ”My daughter, how are you?” Her voice was light and happy. “I’m fine. What’s happening?” I blurted out. She very simply said, “Nothing. No one has come and the IGG has said that nothing is to happen until Otafire’s case is resolved. See, I told you God would protect us.” She said it so matter of factly…like God’s miracles were an every day occurrence. I was stunned. This general had been threatening these people on every media outlet for over a month and had sent the police to intimidate the residents just yesterday, so all of sudden today he decides to listen to the IGG? I was simply shocked at what God had done. He had stopped the eviction of 7,000 of the poorest people in Kampala…overnight!

I waited to see what would happen in the days that followed. Was Otafire waiting for the element of surprise to evict all these people or had God in fact saved his beloved? Sunday, Monday and Tuesday went by with no word from Otafire or the IGG, but all remained quiet…peaceful. Finally, early this morning we received word that the residents would indeed need to move from the quarters, but that it would be a slow 3-month peaceful process. I have been sitting here all day amazed at the power of God. To think that he stopped violence in its tracks…he changed the tactics of a ruthless man…all in a few hours…it is absolutely incredible. The ladies will have to find new housing, but God has given us time to do it. And now that I have seen his mighty power and compassion, I have no fear that He will find a place for each every one of these dear friends of mine.

For I have learned that our great lover is also our great warrior. When evil rages against us, he will swing his sword and defend us. He will protect us from even the most powerful of earthly men. Like a mighty lion, he will make his presence known causing fear and trembling to all that would dare to come against him. He is the mighty conqueror…the all-powerful king and the lover of our souls.

Update on the widows: (www.dorcaswidows.org)

Wow! What a week-what a roller coaster of emotion! I want to say a BIG thank you to all of you who prayed for the ladies this last week! It was your prayers that moved God is such a powerful way on their behalf. It is so beautiful when we can all come together to love each other! As you have now heard, the ladies will need to relocate. We are very close to purchasing a piece of land. In fact, we are only waiting for the green light from the director of Cornerstone, as the money is located in a Cornerstone account. At the moment, he is in Arusha, Tanzania. He will be back next Wednesday, so it is our hope to finalize our purchase at that time. Then we will be fundraising like crazy to build some homes for the ladies to live in. As this property is about 30 minutes outside of Kampala, some of the ladies who have employment in the city may wish to find a room to rent in town. We will do the best we can to help each of them find a place they can afford. Please keep us in your prayers!

Another HUGE prayer was answered this week—Jane was able to find some TB medication to hold her over until the new shipment arrives. Last week, all the hospitals ran out of TB medication…many pharmacies as well. In fact, we looked every day for almost 2 weeks for this medication. This medication is supposed to be given free of charge, but some unscrupulous people have been selling it to patients instead. We had to buy this medicine, but we had to have it. TB treatment is very regimented and if you miss one day, you have to begin the 8-month treatment again, so we were thrilled to have found this medication. Now we are praying a new shipment arrives soon!

Emergency fund: I was able to help 3 women this week. Jane received money for the purchase of her TB drugs and Rosemary & Joyce received money for housing and feeding, and medical treatment. This emergency fund truly does “fill the gap” for women who are desperate. Thank you so much to those of you who have donated! If you would like to donate to this fund either visit our website www.dorcaswidows.org or contact Lisa Tschetter at lisatschetter@comcast.net

Beaded Jewelry: This week the women filled one order; which totaled 590 beaded necklaces from some recent visitors. We were able to pay 47 women for their work! It has been a reason for great celebration as these women want to work—they want to be able to care for their families. An American missionary living here in Uganda is putting in a new order this week, so God continues to provide business for these women! If you want to order necklaces, please contact Carol Daly Vogt at dalyvogt@hotmail.com

School Sponsorship: The Ugandan School year is coming to a close in August. At that time many students will be back home with their mothers/guardians for the holiday break. Many of these children would not be schooling at all if it weren’t for your generosity. We do still have children of these widows who are unable to attend school, so if you are interested in sponsoring a child of one of our widows, please contact Lisa Tschetter at lisatschetter@comcast.net

Land & Housing: It is our hope to purchase 3 acres of land to build a widow’s community. On this land we want to build 30 homes where the ladies can live rent free in order to help them achieve self-sufficiency. We have already raised $20,000 to purchase the land and are now raising money to build the homes. We are very close to finalizing a purchase. If you are interested in learning more about this project please contact Carol Daly Vogt at dalyvogt@hotmail.com or check out our website at www.dorcaswidows.org/

Monday, July 7, 2008

Conquerors

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37

The battle seems fierce this week. Everything that seemed peaceful now seems chaotic. Everything that seemed safe is now full of uncertainty. Relationships that seemed solid as an oak now seem to be planted in shifting sand. The forces of evil are raging war all around me and it is exhausting. And to make matters worse, I am not handling it well. Fear and worry have whispered in my ear and I have listened to them. As the battle rages around me, I feel more like a coward then a conqueror.

Many of the ladies live in the Nanguru and Nakawa Housing Estates located just outside the city center of Kampala. Recently, the government authorized the sale of these estates and gave all the residents until July 12th to vacate their homes. Many of the women have nowhere else to go and cannot afford to rent even a small one-room home in town. We have been actively looking for land for the ladies to settle on, but have not yet been successful for various reasons. This week, I have felt so angry at so many people…the government, the new owners of the land, the brokers who have not yet found a good land for us, at God for being so slow in this process and at myself. I raised money for this land a year ago and have failed to find anything. The other day, I was talking with a group of the widows about my anger and frustration. I was admittedly throwing a temper tantrum. I was getting so worked up…throwing insults, shaking my fists, raising my voice. Suddenly, I felt one the woman put her hand on my shoulder. I stopped my tantrum momentarily to look at her. She cocked her head to one side smiled and said, “Kari, the Lord took care of us before we lived in these estates and will take care of us long after we are chased out. We don’t need to worry, we need to pray.” At that instant I felt so shamed at my decision to cling to fear and to lead others into fear’s grasp. “You’re right, “ I whispered back to her.

At Thursday’s widow’s meeting, I greeted Jostine as she approached the group. She was forcing a smile, but I could sense that something was disturbing her. “Are you okay?” I asked as she came up to greet me. “I am overwhelmed with thoughts. I feel I can’t think straight, but with God’s help I will manage,” she replied. With all the other ladies arriving and so much to discuss in the meeting, our conversation was interrupted. As the meeting was ending, she asked if she could share a prayer request with the group. She stood in front of the group looked down and then began talking, “I am taking care of my brother’s children as he was paralyzed in an accident several years ago. One of his boys is 10 years old. That boy went with friends to watch a nearby rugby match. As he was crossing the road, a motor car hit him killing him instantly.” The whole group gasped and began to murmur, “Oh Lord Jesus, Oh Lord Jesus.” Jostine told us that the man who hit the boy refused to give them even one coin towards the burial of the boy. So in the last week, she borrowed money from every relative and friend she has to get his body to Apach for burial. They hired a car to take his body, but it was too small to fit the paralyzed father as well, so the father was unable to attend the funeral. Her voice trembled when she explained why the boy’s father could not attend the funeral of his young son. Then the very day she got back from the funeral, she received a call from the headmaster at her child’s school saying that he was extremely sick. She went to get the boy from school only to find him vomiting and shaking with fever. He had not eaten anything in several days. She thought it might be malaria, but had no money left to treat him. “Ladies,” she said, “only God can help me now.” As she sat down, the other women began to comfort her. They prayed for her, for her brother and for her sick child. I prayed for her too. Then I gave her some money from our emergency fund to help treat the boy and cover some of the costs of the burial. I left that meeting wondering why such tragedy has to happen to people already so beaten down. I come to that same place where I shake my fists at God and accuse him of being the absent father…the negligent husband. Why can’t he take care of them? Then, when I am done accusing him of his absence, he whispers in my ear, “My dear, I’m not absent…I sent you.”

I got a call from Lovincer on Thursday asking for some help with her daughter. Her 8 year old was violently sick with malaria. Her fever was very high and she had been vomiting all night. I got dressed quickly and met her early in the morning to give her some money for treatment. As we talked, she told me that her employer had not been happy that her child was sick, so she wanted to take the child to work with her. I advised her against it, but she felt certain that that her employer would not allow her to miss one more day of work.

Her employers are an American missionary couple who just moved to Uganda in order to “love the poor and the oppressed.” They had met me one day at the Cornerstone office and had asked to employ one of the widows in the group as their housemaid. They said that they really wanted to bless someone who needed it. I was delighted and immediately introduced them to Lovincer. She was honest and upfront about her HIV status telling them that she had lived positive now for 6 years. She also told them that she was the mother of 6 children all under the age of 14. The missionary couple hired her on the spot. Lovincer was overjoyed and took her new employment very seriously.

About 3 weeks after they hired her Lovincer fell sick with the flu. She was worried about missing work, but her employers assured her that her job was secure. After a couple trips to the hospital, she regained her strength 10 days later. Again, she worked diligently for this couple and their children. This month two of her children have come down with serious cases of malaria causing her to miss work in order to take care of them. This last Thursday, she felt particularly bad about missing work again for her sick little girl. So, she brought the child to work. She cleaned their home, did all their ironing, washed all their clothes while she tried to also nurse her sick child. It was not easy. Then at the end of the work day, the missionary couple asked to meet with her.

She sat down with them and was completely taken by surprise when they told her that they were not happy with the amount of days she had missed recently due to the illnesses of her sick children. They felt her absence this month had hindered the amount of ministry they were able to accomplish. So, they gave her some money and sent her home. They fired her. She called me sobbing. It was hard to even understand her at times. Over and over again, she said, “How can fellow Christians do this to me?” Her heart was broken. She had worked hard for them; her only fault had been caring for her sick children. The missionaries also called telling me that her inconsistency this month kept them from doing what they wanted to do...kept them from their “ministry to the poor.” Apparently, you need a clean house every day in order to do ministry to the poor. I was furious, actually furious seems like too timid a word to describe how I felt. How could they get rid of her just because her children had been sick? Without a job how will she feed her kids? Treat them when they are sick? Pay house rent? This woman is “the poor” that they “came to serve” and yet they had no compassion for her. It made me sick to my stomach. I was livid. They are living in a gated community in the wealthiest part of the city and yet they wouldn’t even provide lunch for her during her work day. How could these people not feed an HIV positive woman? She worked 8 hours a day with no food! All of a sudden I couldn’t see straight and I think steam was actually coming out of my ears.

I called Lovincer early Saturday morning ready to demean this missionary couple with every ounce of energy I had. I wanted to curse them, but when I tried to talk to Lovincer about it. She simply said, “The life of a widow is not easy. I hope God helps them see the pain us women go through. We just have to let God speak to them.” I stayed quiet on the other end of the phone and shook my head. I wasn’t ready to play nice with them and offer them grace. Finally, when I talked to her on Sunday, she was calmly telling me that God’s plans are always good and that he would take care of her. I was calm enough to agree with her. I know God has good things for those he loves and I know he loves Lovincer, but I am still struggling to have grace for the missionaries. I am struggling to forgive them for the callous decision they made. I am struggling to understand how they can preach God’s love in one breath and fire Lovincer in the next. As I sat fuming about all that had happened, a whisp of a memory came floating through my mind. I remembered the first time I met my friend Jane. Her body was riddled with HIV and TB and she had not eaten in two days. I was asked to give out of my resources to help her and I gave very little. It was one of the most shameful moments of my life. I think God allowed that memory to enter my consciousness to remind me that I have not always loved well. My heart is still angry with them, but the light of forgiveness and grace is starting to soften my angry heart.

As I look back over this last week, I have never felt so full of failure. I have been angry, frustrated, irritated and despaired. I have felt the full weight of my humanness and have forgotten that I am God’s beloved conqueror. Yet, even in the battle, even despite my bad choices, the Lord still loves me and calls me a conqueror. He still teaches me about himself. He still provides me with an opportunity to say NO to all the evil and despair in my circumstances and in my own heart. The battle has indeed been fierce this week for myself and the ladies, but the love God has for us will conquer whatever evil the demons of hell throw our way. In the end, God will provide for the women he loves and love will indeed conquer all.

Update on the Widows: (www.dorcaswidows.org)

A BIG THANK YOU to Wendy, Marsha, Holly, Casey and Sarah for providing the widows with new chemically treated mosquito nets and reading glasses. Wendy, her mother and her friends came to Kampala from Minneapolis to encourage the Dorcas Widows Group and believe me they did! Wendy was able to get two grants to buy each widow a new top of the line mosquito net. She organized a “Net Party” for the women which was such a blessing for the them. They even did a very informative and might I say hilarious skit explaining how to best use the nets. After the skit, all the women were chanting, “No More Malaria, no more malaria!” The women truly loved having them around and showered them with gifts and affection at a goodbye party they arranged for them. Love was in the air! They also bought many beaded necklaces from the women which gave them some much needed income. Wendy’s family and friends have been a great support to our ministry and I just wanted to publicly thank them for their kind tender hearts! We love you!

We are waiting to hear from the lawyers this week concerning the land we are looking to purchase. If the land title is valid, we will begin the bargaining process this week. Currently, the ladies are expected to leave their homes by next weekend, so unless the government intervenes…there will be mass chaos next week. It is possible that they date will be extended as the IGG (top legal office in Uganda) is accusing the Land developers of misleading the parliament and the president. Originally, the developers promised to build low income housing for the residents to move to before removing them from their homes, but have failed to do so therefore it is possible that the parliament may force them to keep their word. Only God know!! Keep praying for this situation…it is only God who can help them now!

Emergency fund: I was able to help 3 women this week. Jostine’s family received money for burial and Rosemary & Lovincer received money for medical treatment. This emergency fund truly does “fill the gap” for women who are desperate. Thank you so much to those of you who have donated! If you would like to donate to this fund either visit our website www.dorcaswidows.org or contact Lisa Tschetter at lisatschetter@comcast.net

Beaded Jewelry: This week the women filled one order; which totaled 150 beaded necklaces from some recent visitors. We were able to pay 36 women for their work! It has been a reason for great celebration as these women want to work—they want to be able to care for their families. An American boy visiting Uganda is putting in a new order this week, so God continues to provide business for these women! If you want to order necklaces, please contact Carol Daly Vogt at dalyvogt@hotmail.com

School Sponsorship: A new school term just began and through our sponsors we were able to send 13 children back to school! Many of those children had been at home as their mothers had no money to pay for school. When I tell these children that they now have a sponsor and will be able to attend school again, they jump up and down, smile, and hug me tight. I wish you all could be here to experience that kind of gratitude. If you are interested in sponsoring a child of one of our widows, please contact Lisa Tschetter at lisatschetter@comcast.net

Land & Housing: It is our hope to purchase 3to 5 acres of land to build a widow’s community. On this land we want to build 30 homes where the ladies can live rent free in order to help them achieve self-sufficiency. We have already raised $20,000 to purchase the land and are now raising money to build the homes. We are still looking at properties and hope to finalize a purchase in the next couple of months. If you are interested in learning more about this project please contact Carol Daly Vogt at dalyvogt@hotmail.com or check out our website at www.dorcaswidows.org/