To be quite honest, I don’t even know where to start with this blog post. Even as I type I sit here with eyes full of tears..
This blog post is about a girl who has truly captured my heart.
One that welcomed me the most when I first arrived here in Uganda. (Besides Aly, of course.)
Maureen is 21 years old. She turned 21 on January 14th of this year. God placed Maureen in my life back in 2011, but it wasn’t until this year that our friendship really started to grow. Her story is touching, and to make a long story short- for her entire life she walked with crutches or with help. She had many problems with her legs, and even had pins put in them many times before. The scars tell a story. She lost her parents at such a young age, and now all she has left is her older sister of whom she has not seen in a little over 3 years. She comes from a far village in Bugongi out west, but lives here at Upendo to get a good education at a secondary school close by. And I thought leaving home for 6.5 months was going to be hard...
I can’t even imagine being forced to leave home, and live at a school full of primary kids. Kids who aren’t my age. Living somewhere that doesn’t really have anyone I can relate to at my age. I can’t imagine not being able to go where I would like to go, not having a drivers license, not knowing when I will be able to go home again, and being stuck in one place except for when I am taken elsewhere (which is very seldom). Now..don’t get me wrong here. If it weren’t for AMG, Maureen would be in bad shape today. And life would be a lot harder for her. This option is the best one for her. But I see why God has placed me in her life. During this time, God has used me to reach out to Maureen. To be a friend to her that is willing to listen and love her..
You see, Maureen is unique, and her love for God radiates to all. For all her life she wasn’t able to walk until just recently. Since Christmas, she was walking with just one crutch and in the past couple of months she walks with no help. No crutches. Nothing. It truly is a miracle! Now all I see is Maureen walking around on her own. She walks up the hill to the gate to say hello to the guards. She walks up the hill to our home. She walks to the teacher’s home. She walks to help out others. She walked around the mall the day we took a few of the girls. SHE WALKS. It is something that many people have been praying about for a very long time. And with God, ALL things are possible!
We spent both of our 21st birthdays together. We spent Christmas and Easter together. And there has been many afternoons and evenings spent under the mango tree together. We would sit for hours venting, talking, laughing, and singing. She would teach me Luganda and the language of Munyankole back where she is from. We would share life stories and struggles. It has amazed me that God has knit together a close friendship between two girls from two completely different places in this world.
After a couple months of being here in Uganda, I started a journal with Maureen. During the week she would be busy at school from early morning until around 7pm in the evening. In other words, we had very little time to spend together except for afternoon and evenings on Saturday and Sunday. I figured the journal would be a good way to get to know each other faster. We write back and forth. It has definitely brought us closer in our friendship.
I have made many friends here, and have been blessed beyond measure. But, I never expected to grow this close to someone from a different place...a different culture..a different world. Someone who is miles and miles away. We live lives that are NOTHING alike. We think differently, act differently, and talk differently with different accents. It’s one of the biggest blessings in my life, but it’s also one of the hardest things in my life. Because, Maureen will be one of the hardest to leave. However, I know our friendship doesn’t stop at Upendo or even in Uganda at that. I know I’ll see her again after my time in Uganda is up..
What. A. Blessing.
- Kaitlyn
