"A father to the fatherless,
a defender of widows,
is God in his holy dwelling.
God sets the lonely in families,
he leads out the prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."
Psalm 68:5-6
This is a beautiful picture of the God of all who is also Father of all. Even
those who have lost the dearest ones in the world to them are not alone.
In Christ they are given a new family. I think about this description
of our Lord all the time we work among the people of Uganda.
times just to greet us, often for prayer and assistance for spiritual and physical needs.
Last Tuesday, three people that I met with stood out to me. One had never known his parents.
Another had lost both parents by the age of 6 and had to grow up in a house of her grandfather who had six wives with children in one house.
The third had lost both parents to AIDS and was forced to drop out of school by the time he was 15.
Similar stories could be multiplied
by the dozens among our church members and university students. So many have endured more than their fair share of hardships early in life.
As a couple in our mid-50's, Laurie and I find ourselves
being looked upon here in Uganda as old (!) and wise (!!)
We have the privilege of building relationships and speaking hope into
the lives of people who have had very few healthy adult role models.
The good news is that people are finding family connections through
God's people. Two of those young mentioned above are pursuing BA
studies at LivingStone International University (LIU).
The third is now ministering at
a church and has a wife and new baby of his own.
It is our prayer that they will all continue to experience "new life" that will be very different than what they have known in the past.
Prayers of Thanksgiving for:
1) Safe arrival of two new team families!
~Rick and Marinda Trull have arrived in Mbale and Rick is the new President or Vice Chancellor (as they are called here in Uganda) of LivingStone International University (LIU)
~Leland and Gina Sawyer and their daughter Adalyn arrived shortly afther the Trulls and have recently moved into their house after making some renovations.
2) Generous gifts
~300 Bibles for Mbale Church of Christ that came on the Sawyers container
~ Building materials to add a needed room onto the house of a church member
3) Peaceful election process in Uganda
Thank you for praying for us and sending us to be a part of this mission.
Daryl and Laurie
