Awhile back a family member of mine said he would like to support SOVCO with a gift of $1,000. Wow! Tonny and I are always writing back and forth about the things that SOVCO needs for its operations. Things like a motorbike to make visiting families easier, or maybe just another bike. Cupboards for the office. A rain suit for when volunteers have to visit families and it's raining. A little more pay for the mentors who have helped Tonny on a volunteer basis for so long. Materials or equipment for the Women of Hope. Starting a tutoring program for the children of the community. Upgrading the sponsored children to better schools. I could have spent that money many times over!
I was praying about it, and I asked Tonny to pray about it for awhile, too, figuring maybe we would then come up with the same idea. But that's not how it worked. After a few days of dreaming of motorbikes and all, I asked Tonny what he was thinking:
"Well Mum, I am thinking that the donated money could be used to help a newly formed community school founded by the disadvantaged community members of Onyona Parish. This is a Primary School called St. Jude Aboka Primary School, which is in great problems of lack of school facilities, like there are no blackboards, no chalk, no desks for the pupils, no chairs for the teachers, no office for the Headteacher, and the children there are very vulnerable and even there are some orphans there too. Maybe we could use half of the money for this, Mum. What do you think?"
Tonny gives materials to the school, while the children's fathers and SOVCO volunteers look on
After I dragged my head away from the motorbikes and rainsuits, I realized that this was a lesson for me. I'm reading a book that says in Africa, when a person gets a windfall, they look around and see who needs help the most. That's what Tonny was doing, and who was I to insist on new cupboards? Somehow the African way sounds more like what Jesus would suggest.
So half the money was sent to help supply the school with blackboards, teachers' desks and chairs, and school supplies for the children. And when I go to Uganda in a few weeks, we will figure out what to do with the rest of the money. I am so excited to be part of this venture, and I hope you are, too!
Let me remind you that if you are sending a gift, please do so soon, so that I can pack them and see how much else I can add.
