By Missionary Phyllis Hall in Uganda

Josephine is one of our smallest orphans. She came to live with us in December of 2005. This is the story of how God’s love can change the lives of people and turn evil into good.

When I first came to Soroti in January of 2002, the orphanage was still a vision. I was active in ministry with the children and ladies. As I visited with ladies in the area, I had the opportunity to minister to some who were dying of AIDS.

One lady I helped in her last days was named Margaret. When she died, I was contacted and expected to attend the funeral. The day before the funeral has important cultural significance. People gather from near and far to pay their respects. I attended the event with some of our Bible Institute students. We were given the seats of honor, right in front of the casket.

On the way home, one of the girls that had accompanied us asked if I had seen the girl with AIDS. I told her that I didn’t know what she was talking about. Before the service, some ladies were taunting this girl and telling her that soon she would be like Margaret. The girl broke into tears. I felt moved to find this girl and witness to her.

We soon discovered that the girl’s name was Vickie. She was 17 or 18 years old. She lived in a remote village off the Moroto Road. At that time I had a little Toyota Corolla. I was afraid that I would tear the bottom out of my car and get stuck. Vickie lived alone in an isolated little hut. She had a year old baby with a small swollen stomach. Although Vickie had suffered alone, that was all about to change. That day, Vickie accepted Christ as her personal Savior.

I was unable to visit Vickie and help her like I had helped Margaret, because of her remote village. It was not really a place my car could go. Missionary Jewel Wright took me to visit Vickie one day in her four-wheel drive truck. Vickie was in pain and very uncomfortable and discouraged. We gave her an Ateso Bible, knowing that she could find comfort in the Scriptures. We wrote down some special verses for her. We didn’t know that it would be the last time we would see her alive.

It did not take very long for Vicki to die. I was surprised when someone came to my compound and informed us of her death. I accompanied Pastor Wright to the funeral. Again we had the seats of honor, but this time there was no casket—just this young woman lying on a mat with a sheet over her body. Even though her body was very thin, and her head was nearly bald, I was struck by her beauty.

After the funeral, they put her body in a coffin and drove to the grave. I walked to the place where they had dug her grave. It was some distance away. Along the way, one of the ladies told me Vickie’s tragic story.

When Vickie was about 15 years old, her sister was living with a man who had AIDS. When Vickie’s sister died, the man petitioned the clan to allow Vickie to stay to take care of the baby. He forced Vickie and she eventually became pregnant. In time, both her sister’s baby and the man died. Young Vickie was left alone with a baby of her own—sad story.

After we buried Vickie, the clan brought Vickie’s little baby girl, Josephine, to Pastor Wright. They informed him that Vickie’s dying request was for us to raise her baby. I don’t think they knew it was in our plan to start an orphanage. Pastor said that we were not legally prepared to start an orphanage yet, but he would try to find someone to take care of Josephine.

As it turned out, one of Vickie’s other sisters, Auntie, took Josephine. I went to tell her about Christ. She was supporting her family by making homemade beer. She refused to ask the Lord to save her. The rebel attacks in 2003 made it impossible to visit her again. Nearly a year would pass before I would see Josephine again.

Someone brought a dying child to my compound in 2004. It was little Josephine. She had severe malaria, pneumonia and worms. I went to visit her after the initial treatment. She was sitting up and improving. I was shocked that she was alive. I marveled at God’s grace and felt in my heart that she would be okay.

Only two weeks later, Josephine was back in our care again. She was very weak and could not stand. The doctor’s diagnosis was TB of the spine. This was one of many diseases that I’d never seen before. When TB settles in the spine, a distinctive hump develops on the back. Growth is seriously stunted and the child cannot walk until treated. I could feel the hump developing on the child’s back. As if that wasn’t serious enough, the doctor was also concerned that she might have AIDS.

We immediately started Josephine on medicine for the TB. At first she worsened and couldn’t even sit up. I found her lying naked under a tree when I went to visit. When I tried to get her tested for AIDS, I found that there was a law forbidding the testing of children. When we eventually started the orphanage, we were able to arrange for the AIDS test. To the glory of God she did not have AIDS!

Many months later, I visited Josephine at her house. She was still not walking. The possibility that this poor child might never walk again was downright depressing. Even though she lived in destitute conditions, she seemed to be the favorite child of the neighborhood. The adults and children of her village all loved her immensely. She was sitting in the dirt in front of her house pretending to cook— “mingling posho”­—as the women call it. She was stirring the sand in which she sat with a metal stick. The sight broke my heart.

The news came one day like a special gift—Josephine can walk! I arranged to visit her house to see for myself. When I arrived I was almost afraid to see her. But there she was—walking without any help. She simply woke up one morning and was able to stand. Her Auntie helped her out of the hut. Everyone was so happy. They walked her to a neighbor’s hut. She walked back by herself. She’s been walking without help since that very day.

I told Auntie that I wanted to take Josephine to church the next day. She was happy and agreed. The next day I was delighted to see the Auntie, Josphine and several other children arrive for church. Better yet, Auntie got saved that day!

Sometime later, Josephine was granted official acceptance at the orphanage. She is growing and thriving in our care. Her mother, Vickie, has finally received her dying request.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

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