August 2011

Thankfulness Trumps Despair

A grandma on the brink of homelessness displays courage and faith

Meet Natalie
In a small village near Kampala, Uganda, an old widow cares for her three grandchildren. When our Mercy Network partners first met her, Natalie was very weak, unable to work, and her living conditions were run down, even compared with the other mud houses in the slum where she lives. She faced the threat of eviction because she could not pay rent.

In Uganda, we had the privilege of visiting Natalie and other families you have helped. We spent time in her seven-by-seven-foot mud home and listened as Natalie told us her story.

In Her Words

Praise God! I am an elderly poor lady. A widow. I beget children and all of them died. I have 3 grandchildren...and I look after them. Even the owner of this house chased me out, because I don’t have money for rent. I am jobless. I am just there on the mercy of God, and I am very weak. There was a young lady who was taking care of me, but she abandoned me...and the landlord is demanding rent and I don’t have any means. I am so grateful because in that poverty which I was in, they considered me and enrolled me in the Mercy Network and started giving me food. They give me something to eat now. They give me something to survive on. Even today, I bless God for this meal I’ve got. I could not sleep wondering where to get what to eat next, but now at least I am assured of some food. It is the power God. Even though my son’s leg was amputated after an accident, but being alive still is the power of God. And I am not very worried because of rent. I know God is there, who will make a way.

Be encouraged by Natalie’s story! Your gifts touch the lives of children and families throughout Uganda. The Uganda Mercy Network, our longest standing church network, continues to help women like Natalie feed their children every day.

This article came from a recent issue of FrontLines. Download the full issue.
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