Amazing Story #2

I'm going to have to update this blog more often if I'm going to keep up with all the Amazing Stories! I can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post. This amazing story is about a couple from another church in Alabama who went on a short-term mission trip with IMFC earlier last year, just like the one I went on with my church in July. Actually, only the husband went on the trip, but this story is about both him and his wife. He met Aggie in Uganda as the team from his church worked with the team there, and his heart went out to her and her kids. He decided to sponsor all 5 of them so that they could go to school! I think that they had been in and out of school over the years as Aggie could afford to send them.

When I was there over Christmas, Aggie was telling me that she was a bit worried that when she told this couple that we were engaged, they might stop supporting her. I said that I doubted that (having a glimpse of their heart through what they was doing for Aggie and her family), although I thought they would probably stop when we got married. Aggie emailed them and told them the news, trusting it all with God. They emailed back and said that they wanted to keep supporting Aggie in this way even WHEN we get married, and that they would only stop when we asked them to! Wow, how's that for trust and generosity! That blew me away, and we both saw this as part of God's provision for us as a family when I returned to Uganda.

You'll probably remember in my post of Feb 16 that Aggie and her kids and I travelled up to Kotido in the Karamojong region of NE Uganda. The reason we went was to take the kids to a boarding school up there, which is what Aggie (and most Ugandan parents) has really wanted for her kids. She did this in faith, believing that God was giving her the go-ahead, and that He was going to provide for her to keep them there.

Back in the US, I called the couple who were supporting Aggie's kids - to meet them, and also to update them on Aggie's situation. They had sponsored the kids for schooling in Kampala, which was about half the cost of their school fees at boarding school. I talked to the husband and he was awesome - he was so excited about me and Aggie being engaged and when I told him about the schooling changes, he thought about it, and then said that they wanted DOUBLE the support they were sending Aggie and pay for all their boarding school fees! Holy Shnikeys!! And he said again that they would do this even when we get married and would only stop if we asked them to. Amazing story #2! God's provision for me and Aggie! Katonda mulungi nnyo (God is very good)!

Aggie's youngest son, Joshua, topped his class at school in Kampala in the term before they went to boarding school. He wants to study to be a medical doctor. Brian wants to be an engineer. Sarah's favorite subject is English. Later, Aggie told me that when we were up in Kotido, she heard Brian, the oldest, saying to his brothers and sisters something like "We've been given this opportunity, let's not mess this up!". These are amazing kids and it's so good to see them have this opportunity to get an education and pursue their passions, and to think that this will enable them to be lifted out of a future of poverty. Katonda mulungi!

Ok, this is a pretty long post, but one more thing! It looks like God has opened up the immigration door for me to go back to Uganda! IMFC has talked to their lawyers over there and have said that getting a work permit for me through them in Uganda is not going to be an issue. Excellent! That's one big hurdle down! Now I'm focussing my efforts on the financial side of things, trusting God to guide and provide and bring everything together in His time.

Tujaka laba gana! (we shall meet again! - not sure if I spelt it right though, *grin*)

P.S. The picture with this blog entry is outside the gates to the new school that Aggie's kids are now at in Kotido.