Her name is Promise.  She was one of ABIDE’s first female students.  She knew some of ABIDE’s alumni, and had seen the impact the program had made on their lives.  She prayed that someday ABIDE would have a program for girls.  The time finally came in July of 2013, and Promise was not going to miss it.

Promise is one of 11 children: 10 girls, and finally one boy.  She falls somewhere in the middle.  She was the only born-again Christian in her family.  As she tells it, she was grazing her father’s cows  one day when she decided to give her life to Jesus.  That is when she first trusted God’s promise for her salvation.

Though she was really hungry for God’s Word and wanted to learn so much, Promise came to ABIDE in the midst of doubting God’s promises for her.  The first few weeks in this house full of other girls were not easy.  Promise refused to tell anyone her age for quite awhile.  She was embarrassed to have been out of high school for a few years, but not yet starting university.  She wanted to study so badly, but felt like God had abandoned her by not making it possible for her to go.

It didn’t take long to see change.  Promise was a very serious student, always making sure she had done the readings for class, and taking good notes during lectures.  She was memorizing everything she could, including all of John 15.  Promise began to recognize that God had never abandoned her at all, but simply had different plans for her than she had for herself.  It was not uncommon to hear Promise quoting Colossians 1:16 at any time during the day–For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through I’m and for him.

When Promise took us to her home village, we saw her family gain incredible respect for her as she led a mission in her community.  You can read more about that mission in a previous blog post by clicking here.  Jesus has definitely made significant impact on Promise’s family through her commitment to living for Him.

Promise graduated from ABIDE in December of 2013, not knowing what was next, but confident in God’s plan for her future…That was something she wouldn’t have been able to claim a few short months before.

Well, want to know what’s happening with Promise now?  She had the opportunity to live with her ABIDE host family for several months after graduating.  (I think she is still living there!)  This family has truly become her second family, loving her like their own daughter.  Through that she has gained a close-up view of what it means to live in a Christ-centered home.  Also, she has been given a good job working in the office for Juna Amagara’s New Times Primary School nearby ABIDE.  Now that she has a good job, she has been able to save some money and in September she finally had the opportunity to begin attending classes at a university in town.  She continues to grow in her faith and seek opportunities to be involved in ministry as well.  The joy of the Lord just flows from Promise when you talk with her.  She wants nothing more than to honor Him with her life.

If you saw Promise before she was an ABIDE student, and you saw her again today, you wouldn’t recognize her…Well, she doesn’t look too different (other than the much more frequent smile on her face), but she is truly a different person through and through.

But I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this…Let’s look at her words.  Here are just a few of the things she had to say about how ABIDE has impacted her life:

Before joining ABIDE, I was always believing that my future was the worst, but now I know and am very sure that my future is the best.  And I am unique in my family because God holds my future; my background has no power over my future.

ABIDE has paved the way for me to go back to school (Oh my! This was a dream!)  Sometimes when I am at the university I doubt whether it is really me and not a different person!

ABIDE has made it easy for me to preach the Gospel, feeling at ease and without fear because I am confident about what I am saying.  The confidence is through reading the Scriptures, interpreting them, using concordances and commentaries, and prayer (using the steps of exegesis).

Also, my family moved to a different step since when ABIDE came to visit.

ABIDE helped me to know that GOD loves me so much through the gospel of John where Jesus washed His disciples feet. This has greatly encouraged me to share His love with others, through preaching the gospel with zeal and even helping with material things where I can manage.

I’ve got much passion for ministry because of the training I got from ABIDE. ABIDE has greatly changed my way of thinking, doing things, talking, etc.  There are so many ways that ABIDE has impacted me that  I cannot write them all!

Promise is just one story.  One story out of 112 of the impact ABIDE  has made on the students who have passed through.  I’m so privileged to be a part of this incredible ministry.  I’m looking forward to getting to know the students who will be coming in January.

Will you partner with me in this ministry of discipling young people in Uganda?

Will you pray for the students and staff as we anticipate a new year beginning soon?

Will you consider joining my financial support team?  My first goal is $2,000/month for my living expenses.  On top of that, I’m trusting God to use people like you to make monthly contributions for an additional $2,000/month that will be applied directly to ABIDE expenses.  Check out my donate tab  for more details on how to get involved, or send me an email at golisaobrien@gmail.com.