God has shown up in some HUGE ways this week and I can't help but share it with the world to give God all the glory! His provision is always above and beyond what we even ask for.
Let me start by introducing the two lovely ladies in the picture above - Florence on the left and Susan in the middle. They are sisters and members of our church here in Adjumani but originally from South Sudan. We're sponsoring them to go to a good school in Kampala, the big city. Florence wants to be a women's rights lawyer and Susan wants to be a vet. These young ladies are world changers let me tell you!
This last week we were in Kampala to pick up our older boys who were all coming home for Christmas (the month of December). I went to a doctor appt for Susan because she's had squint since she was young but didn't realize corrective surgery was a possibility. She's been seeing this eye doctor all year. Finally they said they were ready to operate so I went with her on Tuesday. We waited FIVE hours to see the doctor. Miracle #1: there was one slot left for surgery the very next day which was ideal because I wanted to be there with her and we were planning to travel back north soon.
That evening I told Eli how much the eye surgery was going to cost. We didn't know until Tuesday but the beautiful thing was that we didn't even have to discuss it. We planned to pay for it out of our own pockets. Wednesday morning I met Susan and her sister Florence at the hospital for surgery. Miracle #2: While we were sitting in the waiting room, before I'd even paid, I got a notification on my phone from a dear friend that she'd sent a very generous amount of money (even more than the surgery cost!) for whatever needs we might have at the end of the year. I couldn't believe it. I called Eli right away! Then I turned to Susan and said, "Someone just paid for your surgery. God just sent the money!" We both sat there with surprised and stunned grins from ear to ear.
Miracle #3: While we were waiting for Susan's name to be called I overheard some ladies speaking in Arabic and smiled to myself thinking, "Oh, they must be South Sudanese." Fast forward an hour or so and Susan was called back at the same time as one of the Sudanese women with her young son. We sat in the same little cubicle to get IV's put in for the anesthesia. The doctor started asking the young mother questions about her son and quickly realized she didn't speak English. I asked the lady in Arabic if she spoke Arabic and she said yes so Susan and I were able to translate for her. Such a God thing right? The cool thing is that the nurse called Susan back a few more times to help with the other Sudanese patients because they too didn't speak English. I love how God coordinated for us to be there on the same day so we could help translate!
That was Wednesday.
Today's Miracle:
Yesterday (Thursday) evening Eli came home from the office to tell me he'd received an email from good friends in the States who had read our last newsletter and wanted to send money to help some young people with their educational needs. It was easy for Eli to think of who we wanted to give that money to - 2 different young students in our church. One is a young man on fire for the Lord who tirelessly works with the kids ministry, teaching Sunday school and leading the children's choir. His father died earlier this year and he had to drop out of school. Another gal just started her first year of university which is an incredible feat for young ladies in our Northern Uganda. Her tuition is covered by scholarship but living cost in the city has been expensive so we thought we could offer to pay her rent each month for the next 6 months. I emailed the couple today to explain who and how we hoped to help with the money they gave. Today they wrote back saying they are going to DOUBLE the amount they sent! I can't tell you how our hearts are bursting with praise and thanks to our God. He is encouraging the hearts of so many dear people who love Him and follow Him and it is such an honor to be the middle man and see the joy and blessing that it is for them.
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