Be the hands and feet: Every good and perfect gift is from above.........

This is Patrick. Father of Margaret. The first infant who was part of the formula program. Margaret's mother was one of two wives. She passed away during the delivery of baby Margaret, leaving behind several other children. Margaret was likely close to death when we first met her. Sick with pneumonia, feeding on cows milk and not thriving. Harriet, Patricks other wife, has accepted baby Margaret as her own, something that typically doesn’t happen in this culture. Today at 10 months, Margaret is thriving and won’t even let us hold her anymore; She only wants her mommy! Margaret's brother Godfrey is enrolled in the orphan scholarship program at St. Paul School.

Godfrey

I think he has the best smile of anyone I know. He is sweet and a little shy until you get to know him. Last week, we were traveling from the village back to Jinja, already several kilometers from Naigobya, when we spotted Patrick pushing his bike up a hill. A basket full of eggplant on the back, he moved his bike up the dirt road. His brow was covered in sweat. We offered to put his bike on our van and take him to the next town center where he would be selling his eggplant. He sells the eggplant; 5 for 200 shillings. To give you a better idea, if Patrick sold all the approximate 150 eggplant that was in his basket, he would come home with 6,000 shillings at the end of the night. This is equivelant to just a little over 2 US dollars. Despite the many miles Patrick pushed his bike to this market this day, he also spent many hours planting and caring for the garden he harvested this eggplant from. He does this because he cares about his family and he wants to provide food, shelter, and schooling for his 11 children. They have nothing extra. They struggle to clothe their children. But they have joy and thankful hearts despite the struggles they face daily. It is evident each time we visit. I am so thankful for what this family has taught me. To love, to work hard, and to do the best with what you are given. I remember one of the first times we visited Harriet. We asked her if her husband cared for her, helped her as we sat there trying to imagine caring for this many children in a village such as this. She laughed and smiled and said, “yes he cares for me. We have little, but we do what we can.” They are beautiful examples of this and I am so thankful we have been called to encourage them and assist them with formula and school scholarship.

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Thank You Jesus!