December 5, 2023

After being here in Uganda for 10 weeks, we have a lot to update on.

But for now, I'm actually just going to stick to two things that happened in week 1.

First.

It was the Wednesday of our first week at Ekisa Ministries, and I (Taylor) was invited to sit in on a meeting. It was with the family of one of the children living at Ekisa. The family had abandoned the child because of the child's disability, but Ekisa was able to find out who they were, contact them, and invite them to come for a meeting.

At the end of the meeting, the family agreed to see the child, so the child was brought in.

For the sake of the child's privacy, I won't share the details, but I saw firsthand the amount of rejection that many of these children face - primarily coming from the parents in this specific case - and it was heartbreaking. Needless to say, they didn't show much intention or desire to take the child back into their home.

But the whole time, I couldn't help but continue to glance at the cross that was worn around the grandmother's neck, and watch as she struggled with how to feel about this child. I didn't know where she was spiritually, but in that moment, I could only pray that through this child she would be granted a more full understanding of the gospel, and that the Lord would give her a love for this child that far outweighs the social stigma and shame that she would face in associating herself with the child.

In the weeks since then, the Spirit has been working in her heart - and the story is developing. Please be praying for her.

And second.

The next day, I arrived to Ekisa and began to ask how everyone was doing, but I was met with the sad news that one of the children had passed away during the night. Her name was Victory, and she was just 7 years old. She had been abandoned by her parents without a trace because of her disability. After years of searching, not a single relative had been identified.

But that afternoon, during her burial, it became clear that she had a very large family - the family of God - as I watched so many believers from Ekisa gather, shed many tears, and celebrate her life - and her new life.

At the end of that first week, as hard as it was, Lizzy and I were both so thankful for the work that God is doing through the people of Ekisa in the lives of the children and the community.

Please continue to pray! We love you.

p.s. Baby B is walking now... and always has a rock in hand :)