Would you sacrifice for a stranger?
Mandi JohnsonDavid’s heart said yes
Daniel, our in-country director told me about a man named David who was attending the weekly DBS in the village of Anyara Moru. As men & women were reading God’s Word and studying it together, David’s heart was changing as a result. He had heard about a horrible situation that Grace, a young lady with a severe physical disability, was in. She had been abandoned by her family and was unable to care for herself. [Read her story of being placed in an ant hill here.] It was a hopeless situation. She was probably around 20 years old at the time, she was not a child and yet completely helpless with what appears to be untreated cerebral palsy. In Uganda, disabilities have long been misunderstood, children are often shunned or abandoned. A series of tragic events all completely out of her control (parent choices, lack of medical care and knowledge, and exposure to witchcraft) had left her all alone surviving off eating grass. She had no voice and was barely surviving. Where was God? many would ask. He was there, keeping her alive and providing a way forward through David. David and his wife, Elizabeth, had prayed about Grace’s situation, and decided they were going to bring Grace to their home in spite of their own family needs and having a young son.
In November of 2021 I found myself at the home of David and Elizabeth, kneeling to meet Grace as she sat in the dusty Ugandan dirt of their homestead. I had traveled to Uganda with our intern Brooke Wallace to meet with our staff, see all the field activity, and prepare for the next year. As in-country director, Daniel, reported on all the discovery bible studies, the most remarkable testimony was the one shared about the sacrifice David and Elizabeth made to help Grace. Over the past 2 years we have visited Grace to see the continued daily care given by Elizabeth and David. The commitment was real and yet so were the many challenges and needs that come with it. In 2023, we were able to raise support for a wheelchair for Grace. Our recent mission team spent time with Grace in June and saw the overwhelming challenges of her daily care, such as the difficulty of keeping her both clean and dry when she can’t communicate or manage the restroom on her own.
How can we come alongside David and Elizabeth? Our team learned that a hut with a concrete floor instead of dirt would make a significant difference because it would provide long term lasting shelter and a clean environment. So we have come home to use our voices to tell their story and ask you to give to build Grace a hut. Go here to give now to Grace’s Hut. The other way to help this family in their sacrifice to care for a complete stranger, is to offer monthly support here for both Grace’s nutrition and medical supplies. This monthly giving would also provide adult diapers and clothing for Grace since they quickly turn to shreds from scooting along the ground and the frequent washing. Will you pray and consider coming alongside this family with monthly support for Grace?
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. ‘
Matthew 25:40
