Finding Strength: A God Story
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I’ve received so many beautiful emails and stories in the last few weeks about my new release, One More Step. I just had to share with you today:
Thank you for the prerelease copy of One More Step. I immediately started reading it and was so absorbed my husband asked if it was that good.Yes, for me it is that good. Twelve years ago I was depressed and felt so useless, helpless,and worthless. I tried to kill myself. It seems I heard a hundred times that a person is about as happy as they decide they want to be. That isn’t the exact quote, but I am sure you have heard it as well. I tried, but that was not helpful. As well, there was plenty of “snap out of it” and “just pull yourself together advice.” GOD got me through it! While I was diagnosed with clinical depression and now take antidepressants, what keeps me on track is walking with Jesus every day, prayer and Bible study. It is so refreshing to read your experience and know I am not the only one. Finally, someone who understands where I have been, and what I have felt – and that is only in the first 18 pages! – Julie F.
I love her emphasis on God’s work in her life!!
Today’s Bible reading challenge passage included this verse:
You have clothed me with strength for battle; You subdue my adversaries beneath me. Psalm 18:39
What if what YOU did today could make such a difference in the life of someone who needs more strength AND was a gorgeous reminder of the above verse?
Today I wanted to share the work of my friends at Fashion & Compassion and the heart of Celeste Bundy. Talk about “finding strength when you feel like giving up!?!”
A story of beautiful friends from Uganda
Meet Josepine Oyugi, a petite young woman thinks she is about 37 years old (she grew in a rural village in Northern Uganda where birthdays are not recorded). Josepine has a shy smile and a reserved disposition but when she speaks of her 3 children (2 boys and 1 girl) and the 5 orphans (2 boys and 3 girls) that are in her care, a spark shines in her eyes. Josepine only completed 2 years of primary school (which is the equivalent of 1st grade), her dream for her children – all 8 of them – is that they finish their studies so they may have a home of their own. Unfortunately, one of the obstacles that stand in the way of the children’s education is medical bills. Josepine’s husband is mentally disturbed requiring regular treatment and her youngest daughter, Concy who is 9 years old, suffers from a TERRIBLE intestinal problem: Each time she uses the bathroom, her intestines exit her body and they must be physically inserted back into her.
Being able to pay Josephine a fair wage for the BEAUTIFUL recycled magazine paper jewelry that she creates enables her to pay their medical bills and fulfill her dream of educating her children. This is only part of the answer for me…I want to help Josepine find a cure for Concy’s intestinal problem. Hearing Josepine’s story and more specifically, learning about Concy’s sickness has put a “fire in my belly.” Josepine is a Mom and so am I. Josephine wants the same things for her daughter as I want for mine – for her to be healthy, to finish school, and to have a home of her own at some point in the future. Surely, that’s not too much to ask.
Concy can be cured by a simple medical procedure that Josephine can’t afford AND send her 8 children to school.
I LOVE the work of Fashion and Compassion. Their jewelry matches their hearts in purity and beauty. Their products would make beautiful gifts for those on your Christmas shopping list AND make a difference in lives.
Head over to Fashion and Compassion and
continue to discover strength in Him today!
Rachel
