Omara, Stephen and their mother Grace’s Testimony
During the COVID-19 period, life was very difficult for Omara and Stephen’s mother. She was unable to pay rent for their house, and as a result, the landlord asked her to leave. She had nowhere to go, but thankfully, some of her friends took her in for a few days. Despite facing these challenges, Omara and Stephen’s mother continued to drink alcohol, as she had an alcohol problem for years. She shared that during the COVID-19 period, the government encouraged everyone to take the vaccine. She followed their advice and got vaccinated. However, after receiving the vaccine, she returned home and was drinking alcohol as before. After some time, she realized that she couldn’t walk and felt extremely sick, to the point of almost passing away. In that critical moment, she pleaded with God to save her life, promising that if He did, she would stop drinking. Miraculously, God saved her life, and true to her word, she stopped drinking alcohol and surrendered her life to Christ and she is still sober to this day. Such a marvelous testimony as the boys and their mother used to live in the slums and the boys many times rummaged through the garbage piles to find a little something to eat. Omara was 16 years old, and Stephen was 10 years old when they came to live at the mission house. They are now 20 years old and 14 years old. Stephen had never been to school, so when he came to Reaching Beyond Words, we had to start him in primary school, but he began to learn very quickly and has excelled at school. When the two brothers entered the program, they were malnourished and behind in school. Now the brothers are doing well and rejoicing to see the change in their mother. Since the boys came to Reaching Beyond Words different ones from RBW have gone to the slums to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, ( see picture below, Grace is standing in doorway) and in the boy’s mother’s darkest hour those words came back to her. She also had Omara and his brother praying faithfully for her. God answers prayer!!
It’s great that Omara and Stephen’s mother has made such positive changes in her life by quitting drinking alcohol and receiving Jesus as her savior. It’s a joyous occasion for Omara and Stephen to visit their mother and see her doing well and helping in the garden and harvesting ground nuts together, what a lovely way to spend time with their mother during the school break.
Daphine’s business
This is a praise report of Daphine’s business of selling samosas and chapattis. Daphine was one of the first to join the Reaching Beyond Words mission house back in 2017. Her mother had passed away and the person that she was then living with did not really take care of Daphine. Daphine has just turned 18 and has finished senior 4 class. During her senior year she took a catering class and became very good at cooking. She is now enrolled in a 2-year vocational catering program to perfect her skills.
The vocational school is in downtown Kampala and not close to the mission house, which makes transportation expensive. Daphine began to pray about a way to earn enough money to pay for her transportation from the mission house. Samosas and chapattis are very popular in Kampala, so Daphine prayed about opening her own business. Despite the initial lack of capital, she trusted in God and believed that the school would allow her to sell her products. It’s great that she received both the capital and the placement to sell her samosas and chapattis. We are so grateful for the generous provision from the McEwen’s towards the initial starting costs for the business.
And not only is Daphine selling her goodies at the school, but we found another shop that allows her to sell her chapattis without renting the space. This shows the support and kindness of others towards her business. Stephen Ahimbisibwe (one of the sponsored children) also helps market the chapattis at his school, and Melvin Dismas assists with delivering the chapattis and picking up the containers after they are sold, Melvin’s earns 2000 Uganda shillings ($.53 daily) and Stephen earns 500 Uganda schillings ($.13).
During examination periods, Daphine doesn’t sell samosas at school to focus on her studies. As the business started to do well, she began paying for her own transport, which was the main objective of the business. sometimes the business doesn’t sell out, resulting in losses. However, Daphine remains faithful and learns to trust in God, who provides favor with people who love her samosas and chapattis.
It’s crucial to keep encouraging Daphine not to give up, despite the challenges she may face. Ups and downs are a part of any business, but with determination and faith, she continues to overcome them.
