Good news!

A bit of background:  Normally when I receive a phone call, especially from an unknown number, somebody wants something. They have a need, they don’t know why I haven’t visited... legitimate points to raise, but can be a bit of an onslaught. I brace myself to see if I will even remember who they are and to give a prompt nice answer to explain why I haven’t fulfilled whatever it is I was ‘supposed’ to have done, and am unlikely to do so but they could try a, b, c.

 Culture:  Our good friend Joe read Bryan and I a funny story about a group of Africans asking a group of missionaries for drugs they didn’t need, and then throwing them in the bushes. They had asked for drugs to esteem the missionaries, because it’s a ‘privilege’ to be the go-to person.  So if I was a Ugandan I’d perhaps find all these calls a compliment.

I just got a phone call from an old friend. She is the mother of a girl ISA used to support. ‘Used to’ because the mum’s emotional, social and economic state was drastic and the girl was falling sick every time. Then one day, the mum came to us and said she’d like to take back full responsibility of her daughter, and that an aunt was going to help with school fees. We didn’t agree initially, and gave a little time to ensure the new living conditions were indeed steadied. We visited the new room she was staying in, the neighbours around, and confirmed the income available. The girl was now strong; the mum was now well and able... so after a bunch of paperwork and counselling the girl, the return of parental responsibility was made.

She ended up studying, along with her siblings, in a school where I used to teach – St Moses. She is still there, she is in boarding school, and the mum is going to visit for visitation day (the first Sunday of each month in most schools). The family no longer lives in Jinja, but has moved closer to the aunts and uncles. All have put their resources together to buy land and the construction of their home to be is already underway. She thanked me for being a friend during her hard times, and gave all glory to God for the complete change in her and in her situation since.

Now that’s a phone call I like to receive!

That’s the praise report, but let me expand on two points from that testimony:

1)      Boarding school is considered a good thing here. Parents like it because they feel their child will have good study discipline, achieve better results, and so have a better chance of future employment. Teachers like it because the children are on time for class, can attend evening classes, and aren’t distracted by household chores (especially girls) like fetching water and caring for babies.

2)      It was actually very difficult signing a child we’d cared for, who was part of the CARE4Kids family, back to her family. I definitely believe it is the right thing for a child to be with their family wherever possible! So I guess I was just saying that because doing the right and better thing still is hard where you have to detach yourself from someone you love.