Who is ready for a Dignity
Project Update?! Me! Me!
In January we were invited by
our Assistant Bishop Reverend Martin to do training at his church.
The ladies had been using our products for a few months and were eager for us
to teach them how to make the reusable pads.
Here we are with Rev. Martin,
his wife and 4 of his 6 children. Just minutes before this photo was taken I
(Jade) was asked to name their newborn son. What an honor! I named him Caleb
which means 'whole hearted'. I pray he serves Jesus with his whole heart all
the days of his life.
My good friend Caroline (the
woman on the far right) and I had a great day training these ladies! Caroline
has been such a blessing to me. She helps me shop for sewing materials, speaks
fluent Luganda (which makes the trainings a breeze!) and is a pro at sewing!
Here are the ladies shouting
in praise over their new sewing machine!
The 2.5 hour drive home from
the training was made a whole lot better since I got to sit next to this
hunk.... :)
***
In February my good friend
Andrea came to visit us. During her time here we traveled 7 hours away to a
city called Kasese for a Dignity Project training. We were invited to come by
fellow WGM missionary Meg Rambo and a group called Chalapi Uganda.
Chalapi aims 'to see a better living environment and dignity for prisoners,
ex-prisoners and the underprivileged population'. How perfect of a fit
are we?!?!
Friday evening we trained 10
people from Chalapi how to make the reusable sanitary pads so that they could
teach inmates how to make them as well as women rehabilitated from
prison.
It was such an honor getting
to know this amazing group of people! Their hearts are definitely burdened for
this cause! During our time together one of the Chalapi ladies said to me,
"We are the only friends of many of these inmates. We are the only ones
who visit them". The next day I saw evidence of that statement being true
as we visited the prison together in Kasese.
[No photos were allowed to be
taken inside the prison]
The vast majority of
prisoners here don't have access to things like snacks, extra undergarments,
books, toiletries and feminine hygiene products. Women go through truly
unimaginable circumstance on their monthly cycle; using things like dirt and
scrap cloth to get them by. I could hardly even type that sentence I just
wrote...it is just unbelievable.
Our intentions were to train
the 16 female inmates how to make the reusable pads. But God had something else
in mind! The Holy Spirit took charge from the minute we walked into the prison.
I am in my 'grace zone' when I am loving on women. I could not get to the
inmates fast enough! We gathered together under shade frees and sat on woven
grass mats together. We gave each woman 2 packages of resuable pads, new
undergarments and a hand stitched cross. I wish I could adequately describe to
you what these items meant to them. The huge smiles. The deep sighs of relief.
The tears freely flowing. It is so incredibly humbling to see a woman's dignity
restored. For several of them, it was the first pair of new undergarments they
had received since they were arrested.
After giving the ladies their
Dignity Kits and Bibles, I shared my testimony
with the ladies. "There is nothing you can do that God cannot
redeem," I spoke out of my personal story. "When we accept
Christ as our Savior, He replaces our guilt and shame with a spirit of peace,
joy and daughter-ship," I was bold and they responded with cheers.
Then by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, one-by-one eleven of
the sixteen women stoop up, repented and accepted Christ as their Savior! It
was overwhelming.
Our Chalapi friends are now
discipling these women! God is so good!
***
After we visited the prison,
Chalapi asked us to train fifty men and women from the community how to make
the reusable pads. Meg and Andrea excelled during the training! I love how we
each have a part to play in the Body of Christ!
This group of
women won 'best completed pad'. They listened to our instructions carefully and
took their time making the reusable pad. Ask anyone, I am a strict teacher.
I love their laughter and joy here! They were so proud!
***
During Andrea's visit we also
got to spend time with Meg's Bible study women. Josephine (the woman
to the far right) is an amazing seamstress and has really taken an interest
making the Dignity Kits.
***
God continues to keep me busy
with The Dignity Project. This week I met with a
missionary named Anthony who has a program that helps children who suffer from
malnutrition. The mothers and caretakers of the children stay at the clinic
with their kids for 4-6 weeks. Anthony realized that these women were suffering
through their period due to the lack of supplies. He wanted to find a solution
and that is how we connected. Now that he is aware on how to make the reusable
pads and has the supplies, he is going to train a woman in his community how to
make them. That woman will then train the ladies who come to the clinic while
they stay with their children. So cool, right?! In the weeks
to come I have been invited to teach and distribute Dignity Kits to women
in a local mental hospital. Please pray for me as I serve these
precious women.
We love you and appreciate your partnership!
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