Miracles

David and I on a boda in town

A few months ago I had been riding on the back of a bodaboda (a public motorcycle) when a car came up from a side street and slammed straight into my knee. I could feel the full pressure of the car and the incredible weight as my knee was dragged through with the motion of the boda going forward and then tipping over. Instantly a mob of people came thinking that I had been seriously injured and getting ready to grab the car driver to punish him. The car had hit my knee and calf so hard that it's paint had actually rubbed off onto my jeans in big white smears (to this day I am unable to get it off) and dented the boda where my foot was. 

I got up and walked. It was truly a miracle. Other than massive bruising, I was completely unharmed yet I should have shattered my knee and crushed my leg. The entire ride home, shaking with... trauma? I am not quite sure, I kept thanking God over and over again for sparing my leg and allowing me the gift of walking. 

For the last couple of weeks in our church and bible study group we have been going over, "The Miracles of Jesus".  I have been learning a lot and have been very encouraged. In our bible study last week we were discussing the question, "Has God ever performed a miracle for you?" and every single person in the room shared a miraculous miracle that God performed for them, restoring their eyesight, miraculous healing and so forth. 

In America, if you get sick, you take medicine. If the medicine doesn't work then you go to the doctor. If the doctor is unable to help you, then you go to a specialist. In Uganda, if you get sick, you pray! Without the cushion of money, medicine and free education, Ugandans have to rely so much more on their faith to get through life. Many parents here do not have the luxury of putting their second grader in school because they cannot afford the school fees, uniform and books. Families worry about if they will have enough food to eat if the rain does not come in time and in the correct amount for their crops to grow. 

Praying to God or going to see the witchdoctor at the shrine is often the only options people feel like they have here. Spiritual warfare is right in front of everyone's faces. A battle for souls that people can practically see. And since we serve a miraculous God who is creator of the stars and the sky and everything walking under it, miracles abound. God loves his people and He takes care of them.  

I am convinced with all of the people that drive sleepy, drunk and distracted in the US that if someone were to research all drivers in the US and the total number of accidents, that they would find that statistically, many more people should get in and die in car accidents than actually do. I have always felt that God's hand of protection is over the roads there, invisible to the rest of America, but nonetheless powerful. 

I am proud to be an American, I truly am. To be honest, I feel a little insulted when I am walking down the street here in Uganda and someone calls out to me, "European!" or "Indian!" (which happens a lot for some reason) because I am very proud to be an American. God has richly blessed America. However, I think in some ways that our money and influence has made us spiritually sleepy. There is a line in a movie that says, "The greatest lie that satan ever told was to make people believe that he did not exist." I think that there is a lot of truth to that. 

In Uganda, I have seen God work miracles in so many ways. I have seen miraculous deliverance from snake bites, injuries, demon possession, and the slow but steady turning of heart from stone to flesh. As much as the devil and bad people can scare us, God is always in control. God is mighty, and we can take refuge in him. We can also count on Him to deliver us when we need it. 

Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.



Don't fall asleep.

Great job Dissan!

 

Dissan when we resettled him with his grandma (in Uganda people don't always smile for pics)

 

Street children are sure a complicated bunch. They are cute and scrappy, but the longer I work with them the more I realize how very different their reasons for being on the street are and how each one has a unique need for what they need to get off of the street. For many their families have abused and abandoned them. Some got lost in Kampala when visiting a relative. For others, their families were poor and  they came to the streets in hope of finding a way to go back to school.

Dissan is a boy that we resettled home with his grandmother last February. He had run away from home, where he had been staying with his grandmother simply because there was no money for school fees and he really wanted to study. We paid his school fees, provided him with school supplies and started a  "pig project" to keep him busy and to also give him a way in the future to be able to pay for his own school fees.

Recently we went back to visit him and to pay his school fees again and provide him with his needed school supplies, as his piglets are still too young to be sold.

Dissan with some of his school supplies

Dissan is doing great at home! He is loving school and enjoys being with and helping to take care of his grandmother. He was overjoyed when we came to visit and to pay his school fees again. He is taking great care of his pigs! Below is a short video we took of him when we went to visit

Dissan showing us his pig pen

His piglets

It brings so much joy to my heart to see the beaming face of a street child that was able to successfully get off of the streets and reunited with his family!

 On another note, please be praying for the street children in our street outreach programs. There is a man named Isma who keeps coming and horribly beating the children at night, especially the smaller boys. Boys have been beaten too badly to walk and with belt welts infected across their backs. Please pray that God will change his heart.

An April Update

Easter

Hakim painting an egg

Monday (one of the April birthday boys) and Frank

Some people have asked what we do here for Easter. In Uganda, Christians celebrate Easter by going to church in the morning, gathering together with family and friends and eating a very large lunch and dinner together. Last week at the homes, we celebrated April birthdays on Saturday with games, egg decorating, words of affirmation and cake. Then on Sunday, we had an Easter Sunday service and then gathered for a big lunch (and later dinner) of chicken, matoke (boiled and mashed bananas), rice, dodo (collared greens), and peanut sauce. The boys loved it! =-) We had a beautiful day together celebrating Christ and His resurrection!

Tortoises =-)

Ibra feeding Daisy and Mr Slow mushrooms

I have a love of anything that breathes. However, primarily due to the influence of my father and repeated trips to the reptile shop to purchase pets growing up, I have a special love of reptiles of any sort. Once, about two years ago, David was on a marshy farm when there was a turtle that people found swimming around. David waded on in and for the next hour attempted to catch me a pet turtle that he pre-named, “Mr Slow”. Unfortunately, the slippery little fellow got away. Since then, David has been looking for a turtle that he can get for me. A few weeks ago, as David was sitting in a traffic jam trying to drive out to the homes, a street vendor came up to the ministry van selling... tortoises! David bought me 3 so that they would not be lonely- Chip, Daisy and... Mr Slow. I thought it would  be best to share the tortoises and so we brought them out to Bombo for the boys! They have been a huge hit!

Ibra Mawanda has always been a boy that I can easily connect with, we both are introverted and love nature. Most Saturday's we have been going on, "nature walks" to see birds, monkeys, bugs even rat trails that Ibra points out with a lot of excitement. Before bringing the tortoises I had asked if he would be interested in having them as pets and helping to take care of them. He was very excited! The day that we brought them in, he walked for almost a mile to get a special kind of "turtle grass" that grows on a big hill by the boys homes. He dug up several bunches of it very carefully and then replanted them in the tortoises enclosure. He also discovered that the tortoises love mushrooms and has been giving it to them every day since his discovery! 

Reagan

Last week one of the boys in our homes named Reagan was climbing a mango tree when he jumped out of a low-hanging branch onto his friend. The friend, seeing him coming, stepped out of the way and Reagan ended up falling down and putting his weight on both of his wrists. Reagan's wrists immediately swelled up and looked disfigured, we rushed him to the hospital and found that he had dislocated bones in both of his wrists. They were able to set the bones and put him in casts but it was a very scary and painful ordeal for sweet little Reagan. The doctor says that Reagan will be in the casts for one and a half months. Please pray that he heals well and quickly and that God keeps him encouraged, it is hard for him to even be able to take care of himself with both of his hands in casts up to his elbows! 

 

When I first came to Africa, I was young and thought in extremely black and white terms. I had come to serve street children, and so street children I would serve! Since being here however, God has taught me so much about more about seeing the problem of street children from a broader perspective and to put more effort into working with Ugandan families to educate and empower them so that they can take better care of their children and prevent children from running to the streets. 

Reaching out to the women in our community

Our homes are situated in Kikubampagi, Kalule, Luwero District. We live in an area of Uganda with a high Muslim population where there is also a lot of which craft and poverty. The majority of our neighbors are illiterate and impoverished. We have begun working with individual families in our neighborhood but we have been wanting to do more for the spiritual needs of the women in our community. Several weeks ago we started a bible study for the women in our community. Each week the number continues to rise, and we currently have 60 women coming on a regular basis! We also have an increase in community members attending church on Sunday mornings and had several people from the community accept Christ last month.

Mending the Soul

Nora and Shannel the two trainers that did a terrific job!

Women at the conference

We were very blessed to have a Mending the Soul conference with the women in our community this month. 80 women from the community were able to attend and learn more of God's love for them and how to heal from abuse. I am also looking forward to my parents coming back into Uganda next month to spend time with David and I, our kids and for my wise mom to work with our caregivers. 

Margaret

Margaret

 

There is a sweet lady in our village named Margaret who was trying to provide all by herself for her children. Her mud hut was flooded several months ago and so we have been trying to help her and her family as we can including providing medical care for her family and education for her children (thank you to those of you sponsoring her family!) After talking with her about what she would be interested in doing, Margaret said she would like to be able to sew. We were able to purchase a sewing machine for her and she has begun tailoring lessons this week, making school uniforms for the children in our home school program and next African outfits for our boys, (they are going to look so cute!) In the end we will continue hiring her to help with outfits for the boys but she will also be able to provide tailoring services for people in the community as there is currently no close tailor!  

The best part...

Without a doubt, my favorite part of the week is church on Sunday!

After a hard week, there is nothing that fills my heart with more joy than watching our boys get dressed and translate, sing and dance and just worship the Lord! Watching boys that had lived such terrible lives on the streets looking so handsome and smart and just, well,  happy make my heart want to burst with joy!

A few highlights of church are:

-Little Richard and Aaron tucking their button down shirts up to mid-rib cage into their slacks and walking around like mini business men.

-Big 'ol Monday coming up with crazy dance moves in the choir at church and watching all the small boys around him do their best to copy them (this happens every single Sunday)

-Yusuf  translating in his African outfit.

-Amos leading praise and worship regardless of his singing abilities but simply based on his love of praising the Lord!

-Watching members from our community come and also learn of the love of the Lord! Last month we had 7 community members accept Christ into their hearts and many more attending church with us!

I posted a video here where you can watch ALL of these things play out! Sorry that it is not the best quality!

Lots of love!

Abby K.

Changes

Dear Friends,

                                  

While you’re experiencing a change of seasons in America, we’re also experiencing changes here at A Perfect Injustice. To begin with, March marked the launch of our new programs in Nateete Kutaano! In the past month, we have held street program in Kutaano once a week, seeing an increase in boys every week. Starting with 35 children, we’re now seeing nearly 50 children every outreach; we expect to regularly serve even more in the near future, as we begin holding our outreaches in the slum three times a week in the month of April!

As we move into Kutaano, we have decided to transition out of Makerere Kivulu, the slum we’ve called our home for the last 6 years. While a difficult choice, we’re feeling God’s hand guiding us through this transition. Since beginning work in Kivulu in 2008, we have seen God work wonder upon wonder. Starting with the 14 boys in our first home, located in the heart of Kivulu, we have successfully brought more than 35 boys into our homes. Just as amazingly, we’ve conducted 100 successful home resettlements, reuniting street children with their biological families and communities. Our partnership with Grace Fellowship Church has been a blessing for us and for them, and we’re continuing to help sponsor their own boys’ home.

In the past month alone, we have conducted 2 home resettlements and served over 200 meals to the street children of Kivulu, children who otherwise wouldn’t be eating. When we started, no other ministries were working toward the redemption of street children in Kivulu; by God’s grace, Kivulu today hosts several excellent ministries working toward that end. While it’s hard saying goodbye to the boys we’ve come to know and love, we’ve fulfilled our commission to Kivulu and God is moving us to exciting new frontiers.

Being the first ministry to reach the street children of Kutaano, we’ve found these kids even hungrier. In just 3 street outreaches, we served over 120 meals to the children of Kutaano. Kutaano’s children are a special group; they are young, drug-free, and full of potential. They’ve already become active participants in the street program, becoming friends with uncles and aunts alike. The meals we provide these children are essential to attracting them to the program, and this is especially true in drawing new children. Please be praying for the boys and ministries continuing Kivulu, as well as the new relationships that are forming in Kutaano. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We look forward to introducing you to our new boys!

While we’re saying goodbye to the children in Kivulu, we would appreciate if you would join us in prayer for the new programs and for this time of transition. Please also pray for David and I as there is so much going on and many big decisions that we need to make and things are feeling a little overwhelming. 

We love you all! Thank you so very much for joining hands with us in this ministry!

God bless

Abby and David K.

Aaron and Frank

I am often asked how the boys in our home respond when we bring in a new boy and my answer is, "they rejoice!"

Frank welcoming Aaron home

 Recently in the street programs there was an adorable little guy named Aaron who had been dropped off on the streets by his parents. I remembered the day I seriously began considering him, I went to the programs thinking, "God please show me, if this is the right child to bring into our family..." About 5 minutes later, Aaron shot a stone in my face using an improvised toothbrush slingshot after watching his friends shooting people with them first. About 10 minutes later he was playing the worst game of soccer I had ever seen and 15 minutes later he was on the very bottom of a dog pile, crying for the next 10 minutes because people had smushed him. 

Aaron had picked up with a bunch of wild street kids for protection and was quickly showing two things, 1) He makes a lousy street child, he does not have a "tough" bone in his body and 2) he was quickly adapting the not so great habits of his buddies in order to survive on the streets. He needed a good role model, but there was none in sight.

We prayed about it more and knew that God was calling us to bring him into our home.

We had talked to the boys before Aaron went on his home visit saying that there was a little boy who might be coming into the home soon, the boys cheered and Richard asked, "is he going to be my size?" He was very happy to find out that he was.

 Afterwards we  pulled Frank aside, a great kid of around 14 and asked if he would be willing to help be responsible for Aaron and to be his big brother. We asked if Frank could make sure that everyone was nice to him, he learned how the home runs and the expectations as well as playing with him and helping him to make friends. Frank, looking extremely serious nodded and said yes, he would be willing to take on that responsibility. 

The day that Aaron came into the home Frank came swaggering up with a big smile on his face, put an arm around his shoulders and showed him to their room. He then, with only one hand as he had recently broken his arm falling in a soccer game, helped him unpack his suitcase and put his things away talking to him the whole time. Frank had waited to eat lunch so that he could eat with Aaron so as soon as Aaron's things were put away he brought out their food to the table and sat with him, being cool and caring the entire time. Aaron didn't know how to use a salt shaker so Frank salted his food, got him a fork, and then went to get him a cup of water as well. When mid-meal, Aaron lay down and fell asleep (yes, he was that tired) Frank tapped his hand and asked if perhaps he should go to sleep and finish eating later. 

It was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen, the entire time I felt like my heart was going to explode with love and pride for Frank and that big 'ol beautiful heart of his. 

Richard and Aaron on Aaron's first day

Several months ago, we had been talking about forgiveness with the boys in devotions and what that looks like. We told them about God's love and forgiveness and how forgiving someone is hard, and does not mean necessarily that they will change and should be allowed back into your life (if they are abusive and are not wanting to change for instance) but that it can allow you to be released from that person through God's strength who helps us to forgive. Frank said he could never forgive his father for what he had done. 

Through prayer and time spent talking with Uncle David, the house uncle of Stephen's House Frank said that he wanted to see his dad and tell him that he wanted to forgive him for mistreating him growing up. Frank asked David and I to go with him. I was honored but nervous for Frank, not sure of what would come of such a conversation and what his dad might say.

We went with Frank who found his dad who was already smelling of alcohol and was working in a garage in a slum in downtown Kampala. After introductions David and I stayed close but gave Frank and his father some privacy to talk. After about 15 minutes, Frank and his father came up to us and his father full of enthusiasm told us how much he loved Frank, his oldest son that he is so happy for what Frank had come to tell him, and that he was sorry for the mistakes he had made and for not always treating his son the way that he should have.

I was blown away by God's goodness and so happy that Frank got should a good response when telling his father that he forgave him for how he had wronged him. 

As we got into the car Frank had a huge smile on his face, looking more peaceful than I had ever seen him. 

At Frank's last birthday party, everyone kept saying what a great dad he would be one day, and the truth is, he will be, Frank will be a wonderful father, and that is a beautiful thing.

I see so many amazing things in Frank. I don't even know how to put it into words but Frank is simply good-hearted in a way that I rarely see in this world. God is mightily at work in his heart and his life. Even when in the street programs, although I had hardly known Frank one day I knew God was telling me extremely clearly that Frank was to come into our home. I am so glad that I listened to His voice.

Frank loves people and he is so compassionate with children, babies, animals, anything that is smaller or weaker than he is. He loves God and he loves to learn. He is athletic and super cool, but he is humble and always including others. Whenever I see Frank I can hardly believe the wonderful blessing that it is to have the opportunity to raise him and to watch as he grows up into a good and godly young man.

Amos and Frank

Frank and Jessie

Hosana