Olivia's Story
It is always moving to hear the testimonies of the children. I just heard a most remarkable story that I would like to share. Olivia was 13 years old when she left home. Her parents are alcoholics and abused her seriously. An aunt realized that the situation had reached a crisis level and she intervened. She talked to Olivia and told her she feared for her life. The aunt's solution was to send Olivia to Kampala (about 3 hours away by car) to work as a housemaid.
One of our staff members was needing domestic help and arranged for someone to come from the village to work for him. He was surprised and dismayed when he arrived at the taxi park to pick her up and found that she was a young girl. He discussed the situation with other staff members and they organized a trip to visit the girl's home. What they found there was terrible. There were many other neglected children in the small community. There was also a lot of alcoholism and abuse. Olivia's situation was discussed with the family and the local authorities. It was agreed that she would come under the supervision of Divine Care. She was taken to Divine Grace School and placed in the dormitory for housing.
Before too long someone from middle Tennessee chose Olivia for sponsorship. When the sponsor visited Uganda she generously showered her with love. A dramatic transformation occurred in Olivia; you can see it in her countenance!
Our staff continued to visit the community and rescued other children. They identified a pastor and his family who lived there. We began working together to bring the gospel to the community.
We are now sponsoring about 13 children from the area. The children as well as the pastor’s wife (pictured in the yellow dress) were at our recent youth rally at Divine Grace School. To show their gratitude they presented us with a goat as well as potatoes and beans from their gardens. We demonstrated our appreciation of the gifts by eating them the following day. They were delicious!
Transformed lives and transformed communities are goals of Divine Care Ministries.
