Thank you! Thank you!

From Mama Jane! (this is a GOOD story, PLEASE read!!)

I must thank every single one of you that supported my trip financially (and in other ways). As you know, I received more than I needed to live on.

So I said, “Lord show me how to use this extra money while I’m there!”

Well, as you can imagine, there has been lots of things I could use it on here at Bethany Village surrounded by 177 orphans.

Last week, most of the Bethany kids were sent home from school because they did not have socks on. And socks are part of the dress code. (it was just one of those days that the teachers decided to crack down.) Well Uncle Francis sorted it out with them, so that they could go back the next day.

He told me that, yes of course he knew they needed socks—they also need underwear, and have for a little while now. But it cost about $500 to by socks and underwear for 177 kids and they just haven’t had the money. Currently, they were about $175 short, so he was going to see what he could do to scrounge that up in order to get the needed items next week.

Well of course I hear this number and I think, ‘uhhh is this something to use the money on, Lord?’

Well the next day, a mission team came here to do a VBS. I was talking to one of the ladies about how amazing this orphanage is and how there are so many specific needs that I learn about every week and its so overwhelming because all I do is think about all the money I have and all the money my friends and family have and how just a few hundred dollars can make SUCH a difference here.

And I said, “Like the kids need socks. That’s only $175. I have that in my account. Should I give it to them?”

And she says, “Wait, is this like a legit need they need right now? Because my dad gave me $200 to give away while I’m here and I’ve just been looking for something particular to give it to. . . .Can you find out if I can just give that to Uncle Francis or what?”

BOOM! DONE!

This was incredible to me.

Okay so, how to use my money, Lord?

Well Mama Jane has a son named Raymond who has gotten accepted into University. This is huge here. But what is even more huge is the cost of university. It is only like $450 U.S. dollars, but that is a ginormous amount to an African, especially a single-mother African. About 3 weeks ago, upon being asked, I started praying that the Lord would provide government assistance for Raymond (which is very rare here). Last week, we found out he got it!!!!!!!!!!! It was incredible for me to see the Lord answer the specific prayer.

Mama Jane was exuberant.

Well on Thursday I came home and Mama looked distraught. This woman is the type that wears her emotions on her sleeve. So when she is happy, she is REALLY happy. And when she is, she is really sad. It broke my heart to see her like this. She finally found enough strength to tell me that Raymond’s government assistance was only covering some of the costs of school. And he had to have $200 the nedt day in order to enroll.

She had planned on going into town that day to enroll her precious son in a bright future. To give him a chance at a real career. To allow him to fulfill his desire to LEARN, LEARN, and LEARN. To give him a chance to “do something more.”

But now her hopes were crushed. There was no way she could provide for him. She already owed her employer money for paying her other daughter’s high school fees. And her other daughter is “sponsored” by Africa Renewal Ministries to go to high school cause she can’t afford those fees. . .

She just can’t make it.

So I prayed. Then I talked to Uncle Francis about if I could help. (they will still need to find a way to pay a smaller fee every semester, but at least the big bulk of it will be taken cared of)

Just as sad as that woman was earlier in the day was as happy as she was when I handed her the $220 to bring to her son the next day. I told her the Lord gave me extra money through all my friends and family to bless someone with and this seemed to be the time.

I did gave it to her right before devotional that night, so you can imagine the sounds of praise that were coming from the Alma house that night. The children didn’t even know what was going on, but even they were praising louder simply because they could feel the change in their mother.

It was beautiful.

“God really brought you here for a reason, mwande wange!” (“my daughter”—she likes to call me this)

Going to university in Uganda is not like going to university in America. Raymond will have a completely different future. And so will his mother and sisters now.

I felt like my life was different now too.

I felt like the Lord had provided for me.

I feel connected to Raymond very deeply, though I have never met him, simply because the Lord brought me to live with his mother for a while.

I couldn’t help but praise the Lord for the opportunity to not just send some money to an organization for a child to go to school, but to be right there in the heart of it.

My friend and mother needed something. And I had it. So I gave it.

If someone needs, and you have, you give. So simple.

Yet so many times, we just don’t know what people actually need. Or we don’t actually know the people who need a bunch of things so it feels weird to give what we do have.

Real, live people with real, live stories need things every moment. But if you’re not next to them, it’s hard to know what they need or how you can help.

But if you move yourself closer to those in need, it’s AMAZING how you can be used.

How can you can be blown away.

How you can be truly and deeply, beyond words, blessed—like I was tonight.

If you feel like you want more. If you feel like you need more blessings. . . .

Move your body, your heart, your mind to those that have less and let yourself be a blessing.

You will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.

But if you don’t move, in some way, you may never know.

(thank you again to all of you for providing this opportunity for us—you, me, and them!)