Sometimes the path we’re on in life is a frustrating, uphill battle. At other times, things are going so well and happening so quickly that we are in awe of the angels and opportunities that have been put in our path to help us.
Both have been true – sometimes at the same time – with regard to the work I’m involved in in Uganda.
It was October of 2011 when I took the first of four – so far – trips to Uganda with my friend Tabitha. While we were there, we visited a place called Ki-Mombasa, where many young women and girls are now trapped in a cycle of poverty and prostitution. With input from them, and with help from a number of organizations and individuals, we’ve been working since then to develop what we always thought of as a Miracle Village of Hope and Healing for the women and their children.
It’s been a struggle for much of the time we’ve been working on this, so it’s especially rewarding to see many things falling into place right now. A poultry farm – which will allow the women not only to earn money but to feed their children and themselves more nutritiously – is now being built, with the young women who will be living and working there doing much of the manual labor themselves.
Along with the poultry farm, the women will be raising and selling fish and vegetables – thanks in large part to a group of schoolchildren in Michigan who collected and donated money for us to get those projects off the ground.
And now we’ve got a sewing center in the works. This project started when a friend – a talented and enthusiastic woman who has a heart for the children of Africa – donated several sewing and knitting machines for our use, as well as hygiene kits she made that are very much needed by the women in Ki-Mombasa. Since then, other people have donated additional sewing machines, as well as knitting needles, crochet hooks, yarn, fabric, and other supplies.
A building has been donated for our use, although it still needs major renovations in order to be brought up to code. When it’s done, this will likely be the largest sewing center in Uganda, and the women working there will be able to make clothing for themselves and their children, as well as uniforms and schoolbags for other children in the area.
We still have a long way to go. There is much work yet to be done on these and other projects we plan to develop, and many resources, supplies, and services are still needed. But there’s no doubt in my mind that everything will come together, and my prayer is that it will be sooner rather than later.
Even though much of this journey is difficult and frustrating, it is one well worth taking, and I can’t imagine not being a part of it. I feel honored to be traveling this path in life, and I’m grateful for all those who are on the journey with me.
June 9, 2017
©Betty Liedtke, 2017
