January 5

On Sunday evening Norah’s husband died.
Norah is a 19 year old mother who lives right outside the gates of my compound. Her daughter Catherine is about 2. Norah is very poor and I was able to give her small jobs in Sept-November to assist her. I paid her about $8.00 a month to come and sweep and wash a few clothes. She was always so grateful and loved coming here. She was the first person to come and welcome me on New Year’s Day when I arrived. At that time, she told me her husband had just been released from the hospital after 9 days but was no better. The diagnosis was what 90% usually are, malaria and/or typhoid. Saturday he went back into the hospital and died on Sunday.
January, the compound guard, came this morning to inform me that as neighbors it is customary for us to attend the burial. He also said it was a custom to write a note and make a donation to the family. We wrote a note from Mityana Baptist Church and I donated the recommended 10,000 shillings, $5.00. January, Henry, and two women neighbors and I left to travel deep into the village for the burial. Since it took us over an hour to get there, the burial had just taken place when we arrived. There were about 200 people there and the women were serving food.
Norah saw us right away and came over. She seemed so pleased that we would come. Her husband had/has two other wives. I am told that he was in the process of divorcing the other two. Regardless, he was not able to provide for Norah and Catherine very well and I don’t know what she will do now. Her rent is about $10.00 a month, and some days she and Catherine went without food. I will try to give her work if she wants to continue and some of the girls from the church and I will go to visit and encourage her. Hopefully, we will be able to minister to her and share Christ’s love.

The drive was quite interesting; one any young teenage boy with a pickup or Jeep would have loved. An hour’s drive of dirt road/path full of holes to dodge, water to drive through and
washboard road conditions. The Rav 4 handled it all and I did a good job myself!! I now might be ready to tackle the highway to Kampala.

We are beginning to make plans for book distribution and ministry work. I will keep you posted.