On Sunday, I was able to attend the church in Madoya, the community I work in. The room was extremely small so only around twenty of us fit. I was able to help run the children's service, which was a ton of fun. What was really exciting is that one of the kids knew my name, although I've never met him. I love that the community is beginning to remember me!
This week I began teaching! I have been working in the grade five classroom for the English lesson. I have loved it so much! Although it is only around a half an hour long, the children are such great listeners and are respectful towards me. I love how they all call me Teacher Kristen.
The rest of the day I have been working alongside my new friends Fidelis and Peter. They are the social workers at Madoya and have been so accepting and loving towards me. I love going to the homes of the students at the school and being able to connect with them and their individual stories.
This week I met a beautiful girl, named Mary, who has a very difficult story and situation. Her father was raping her for a while, and it wasn't until a teacher noticed a difference in her attitude that it was caught. Although the father is going to be in jail for a short time, the mother has decided to send her away to Joska, the boarding school of MOHI, so that it won't happen again. Also, during the holidays, she won't be coming home but will visit family. In some ways it is like Mary is being punished for her fathers doing by being sent away, but the mother can't provide for the rest of her children without him. In the slums, most wives will not leave their husband, no matter how harsh the situations, because of their inability to find jobs. There is nothing I can do to change the situation for Mary, but I was able to talk with her and give her encouragement. In all honestly, I had no idea what to say or how to help her, but God gave me words that I could have never thought of on my own. I felt so much love for her and somehow I was able to express it through prayer with her and a hug that I'll never forget. I hope to see her again and that our friendship will continue.
On Friday, I spent the day helping out in another community called Mathre North, where a short term medical team was working. I stayed in a small room where families came in asking for prayer. At first I was nervous about saying the right words and trying to be as encouraging as possible, but I realized as the day went on that asking more personal questions and getting to know each person individually made it much easier, and I even helped lead a young girl to Christ! Her name is Priscilla, she is 16 years old, had recently dropped out of school, and is pregnant. She doesn't have a job and she is frightened that her boyfriend might leave her, but it's so incredible that in such a stressful time of her life she is choosing to have God alongside her!
God is soo good and this week has been the perfect testament to that! Please continue to pray for the families living in the slums. Words can't describe how much it means to them and what a difference it can make! Although sometimes there is nothing we can do to change the situation, we can pray for their hearts to be turned to The Lord.
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