I wish that I could show you faces and tell you the stories of every pregnant woman we met in Uganda. Whether it was at an event at a church, or at a pregnancy crisis center, or even at a random fruit stand on the side of the road…you need to see and know them to truly understand this.
Words fail me. I’m not articulate enough to paint a vivid enough picture of these women and their need for His kind of love.
This is the reason we went. And this is why I knew I needed to actually go and not just offer support from Kansas. It’s amazing to hear Melissa tell what it’s like, to hear the stories and witness things that way, but until you see them…until you hear their stories…until you see the look in their eyes when you offer them a prayer, some pre-natal care info, and a $7 kit of birthing supplies…you won’t really understand.
*Sunday, Sept 23rd – Muyenga Baptist Church
Our church events were great. We got to start off the week with a gathering at Muyenga Baptist Church just a few hours after arriving in Uganda. We loved on the kids and attended their church service. Then, the men cleared out so that we could have the ladies to ourselves. They provided us with our first African lunch of the week, which was great, and then we got down to business.
The women at this event appreciated some pre-natal care advice from our nurse friend Agnes and another health care professional who shared with them. Melissa shared her story with these women and we then offered them prayer and a mama kit each, along with some other goodies (sugar, tea, & soap) that we had bagged up that morning. We got to spend some really good time fellowshipping with these women and seeing the excitement in their faces over this gathering and these gifts. It was a great way to hit the ground running.
*Saturday, Sept 29th – Mbale (Doko)
We ended the week by the holding our other women’s event in Mbale, in the slum area of Doko, where a revival was being held by a team from TX and Pearl Haven Christian Center of Mbale.
This event was very different from our afternoon at Muyenga. We were speaking specifically to the pregnant women, but there quite a few women there that weren’t pregnant. The women here were different than the women we served in Kampala. Most of the expectant mamas seemed to not have had any pre-natal care before and soaked up the information that was given by the nurse that was with us there. They asked a lot of questions, which we were all so thankful for. They were thrilled about the mama kits.
A couple of the girls on our team shared with the women and it was incredible how they held the attention of that large crowd even while there were loud noises everywhere around us. These women needed to hear the hearts of these people that were here to minister to them. The women, pregnant or not, ate it up. They needed it. They needed someone to be open and honest with them and show them God’s love in that way. We then prayed over the entire group and then gave out the mama kits to them in a frenzy of trying to determine who was pregnant and who wasn’t, which is always interesting! J
I thought these two events were great. It gave us a way to minister to these women in a practical way while giving us a way to pray for them specifically and know where their needs are. They need care, they need birthing supplies, they need guidance on motherhood and who couldn’t use some encouragement and prayer for their relationships with God? It was encouraging to see how excited they were about these opportunities and to hear them ask as many questions as they did. We wanted so desperately for them to get the information that they needed and wanted, and I think we left knowing that they did.
*Pregnancy Crisis Centers (Wakisa, Comforter Center, Mirembe House), Monday, Sept 24th
Now to the part that I’m having trouble with…a part of the week that overwhelms me with a range of emotions and that I find hard to put into words.
Our visits to the pregnancy crisis centers, while similar in program, were very different from our women’s events at Muyenga and in Mbale. These are different women (read: girls) in different circumstances and stages of life. They have different needs, both physically and spiritually.
These girls are broken when they come to these places…having painful stories that need to be told and dealt with.
They are young. They are on their own, having been kicked out of their homes or abandoned by husbands, etc. They have been raped. They have been abused, physically and emotionally. They have wounds and scars that we can’t see. They have heartbreak that I can’t even begin to imagine.
They live in a place where the maternal mortality rate is astounding and frightening for this 27 year old to swallow, much less a 12 year old who didn’t ask for the small being growing in her belly.
And they’ve found these places…where healing happens and hope is given. Where the Gospel is taught gently and Christ’s love is shown through directors who love these girls and want to see them gain peace and purpose.
We stepped into each place, just for a couple of hours. To share with these girls. To let them know that they matter. To give them another piece of hope and some extra love. We entered to overwhelmed faces, probably wondering what the next couple of hours would hold. We shared our names and a few personal details and they did the same in return. My stomach seized as the ages that came out of their mouths got younger and younger.
A 12 year old girl in the group smiled shyly as she looked away from our smiles. She disappeared for a few minutes in the middle of our talks and came back with a plastic dinosaur toy to play with on her lap.
My heart broke...my mind ran crazy....imagining how this girl and all of her housemates ended up here. I managed to focus my energy on the task at ahnd while reigning in those thoughts.
Kim shared a beautiful devotion on motherhood with the girls and Melissa shared a bit about Mercy for Mamas. Then Agnes gave the girls some pre-natal info and answered the girls' questions.
After our talk, we broke into groups to talk with the girls, pray for them, and then do some crafts for their babies. As we split into groups, I found myself sitting down with this beautiful, pregnant 12 year old girl. My heart just jumped as I could almost audibly hear God telling me that, as much as I had tried to imagine her circumstances, I was nowhere close...I had no idea...
Her 17 year old friend pulled up a chair next to her. Again...I knew I had no idea how deep her wounds were. With the help of a volunteer at the center who translated well, Janet & I got to hear these girls stories and pray for them.
They broke my heart.
The 17 year old had been lured to her father's house on the understanding that he would put her through school. Instead, her father took advantage of her and raped her. Then he kicked her out and that's how she ended up at Wakisa.
The 12 year old had been raped by a stranger hiding in the bushes while she walked to the store one evening to get her family some food. She was brave enough to come forward and the man ended up in jail, but she wasn't allowed to stay with her family while she was pregnant.
She shared everything and I had to bite back the flood of tears that wanted to break free. Then she said that, since coming here, she had peace. And she is hopeful because of God and Wakisa.
Our next stop was at Comforter's Center where we met the amazing founder Victoria and the amazing women there. We heard incredible stories...my heart was torn for these women that fought over whether to keep their babies when they were in dire situations. To hear them talk about deciding not to abort their babies...to hear them talk about having nowhere to go...to hear them share their hearts...was bittersweet.
There is one woman that I will never forget. Just by looking, it seemed that she had attempted to abort her sweet little girl that she held in her arms as she started to share her story. She talked about how, when her baby was first born, she didn't love her....but that God had showed her how to love her baby...and then she broke down into tears as she squeezed her little girl tight to her chest. I'll never forget the look in her eyes when she looked down at her little girl....how much that look spoke to God's grace, forgiveness, and love.
I loved praying over these girls and women. I loved sharing those sweet, sacred moments with them. We all loved doing crafts with them and giving them their mama kits.
But most of all, I loved hearing the peace in their voice...seeing the hope in their eyes as they told you their stories. These ladies are beautiful. Their wounds are being healed. They are meeting their Heavenly Father and receiving His love and care through these centers.
And THAT is why we had to go.
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