Timothy

When we met Timothy, he came to Buganda field where we were having street reach. He had malaria and was shaking so badly, Katie could barely get a thermometer in his mouth. We ended up taking him to the clinic to get him treated for malaria. So began our friendship with this beautiful boy. 

A couple weeks after we met him and we had been watching him at several different programs, We decided that we really wanted to sponsor him and put him in school in January. He’s a brilliant kid. Whenever they have lessons, he’s the one telling the kids around him to behave and shush, so that he can listen. He is the homeless kid who puts money in the offering on Sundays at church. 

We had decided to sponsor him and put him in a boarding school in January, but we hadn’t told him that yet. The day that we wanted to tell him, we had no time, there were too many kids around - too much going on, no translator. 

That same day we hadn’t told him yet - Mallory found herself walking with him and a group of kids through the slum, and the conversation went something like this...

Timothy: When I go back to school in January...

Mallory interrupts: You’re going to back school in January? 

Timothy: Yeah, I am

Mallory: Who is putting you in school?

Timothy: I don’t know

Mallory: Well how do you know that you are going back to school? 

Timothy: God told me. I was praying about going back to school, and God told me that someone was going to put me in school in January. 

The Holy Spirit moves through this boy. 

He drops everything to be in church on Sunday, even if that means not going to collect scrap and make money. 

2 weeks ago, he didn’t show up to the program. We asked Bwanika where he was, and he told us that TImothy had gone home. We were both confused and worried. 

The following friday, Timothy shows up to our tutoring session with his brother and his mom. 

His mom wanted to speak with us - at first we didn’t know if she was angry or thankful - but we were leaning towards angry. Turns out, she was thankful. She confirmed Timothy’s story that he told us, that his dad abused him, and she had been gone for awhile and while she was gone Timothy ran away. 

She asked us to meet with her and their pastor the next day. To make a long story somewhat shorter: We meet with her and her pastor the next day, and the pastor translated more so we could really find out what was going on. Mom had been looking for Timothy for awhile, but couldn’t find him. The pastor had been working with this family for years now, the dad is terribly abusive and the pastor told us that it was a good thing that Timothy ran away when he did, because if he hadn’t he probably would have died. 

Humbly, his mom asked is we would still be willing to sponsor Timothy into school. We told her that we still wanted to. 

She asked where he would stay on holidays, could he stay with us? 

Both of us, at first were confused and maybe a little upset. We don’t want to be the mzungus that get taken advantage of, and if a kid can be at home - then he should be at home. 

Then we realized that this mom loves her son so much that she doesn’t want him on the streets. 

She also loves her son so much that she knows that he is not safe at home. 

She loves her son so much that she knows she wouldn’t ever be able to provide for him on her own. 

Together with their pastor, a loving and unselfish mother, we made a plan for our friend Timothy. The next month and a half he will be at home - where he will stay with lots of prayer and lots of places and people to go if things turn bad. Then boarding school with a home to stay in over the holidays, where mom can come visit as much as she wants. 

Please be praying for our friend Timothy. For discernment, for safety, to continue to growing into the man of God that he is. For his mom, that she knows that she is beautiful and treasured and that God will provide everything that she needs. For his dad - for conviction and change, for gentility and love to overflow out of him. For a sponsor for our friend Timothy to go to school. For relationships with that family. For their pastor, who works closely with them. For HOPE. For all 7 of Timothy’s brothers.  For God to love that family exactly the way that he wants to. 

We also ask that you pray for us to have discernment and wisdom through all of this.  Above everything though we don’t want to put limits on how Jesus loves.  His love is like a sea without a shore, and we are supposed to be like Jesus.  He brings restoration and life, and we will continue to live in that promise and proclaim it to this nation. We are new at this whole thing, heck we are new at life, and we realize our great need for Jesus in EVERYTHING.  We are thankful for you friends, for your prayers, for the fact that you are reading this, and fighting for love, mercy, and justice.  It is worth the fight.