Coveralls
This picture makes me smile! These are our boys in “Coveralls” – the Ugandan auto mechanic’s uniform.
Meet Caleb (left, 22 years old) and Aron his brother (right, 19 years old) who are finishing up vocational school apprenticeships in auto repair this year. I know these young men well. They grab me up in big hugs with their giant smiles when I visit. They were among the first 6 children to be sponsored in the MCM program back in 2013. These brothers lost their father in 2008 as boys. As happens regularly, their Mum, Kate, a manual laborer on others’ farms, dug up weeds and planted for a living.
Although she worked very hard, she did not earn enough on her own as a widow to send their four children to school.
This is a familiar story for MCM children. When the vulnerable children of these peasant farmers lose a parent and are orphaned, they not only suffer the loss of an irreplaceable person in their lives, they lose their future too. Peasants in our village earn very little working the fields of the landowners. They can barely feed their children much less afford the costs of tuition, uniforms, shoes, school supplies and extracurricular fees. When a parent dies or falls ill, the school tuition is the first to go. Their children are literally chased out of school for lack of fees.
Their future without school is one of continuing on in the same perpetual poverty rut, quite literally digging mud for others.
This picture makes me smile because Caleb and Aron escaped that cycle of poverty. Wayne VonderHeide and Michael Dirkse are their sponsors and because of their generosity and kindness the boys have experienced first hand that they matter to God and He cares about their daily needs. The boys are not destined to dig for the rest of their lives either. They are using their God-given talents and abilities to do work they find interesting and will earn a better living for their families someday.
When each young man graduates MCM will provide tools of the auto repair trade to start a new way of life.
And what of their Mum, Kate?
Well, this fine, hard working, godly lady became MCM’s Farm Project Manager. For each of her four children that were sponsored, she compassionately took in another hurting village child that needed help! Now all 8 living with her are also sponsored! Kate is also now a Jajaa (a Grandma) and yes, that makes me smile too!
God is showing Himself to be faithful and trustworthy to this sweet family. He has demonstrated, like coveralls, He “covers-all” our needs! His Love is visible through those of you who help to support Mountain Children’s Ministry.
Thank you!!