Three brothers. One cow. A great honor.

My brothers, Timothy (15), Thaddeus (14), and Zachary (10), raised 1000 US dollars to purchase a cow to give to a family here in Uganda. They told me before I came here that they wanted me to help deliver it to the family. Me? ME?! Why me?! I feel so so so honored to be a part of this adventure!! 

A teacher for the 6th grade class at the Molalla middle school named Becky Bryan started the cow project. Several years back, she helped her class raise money to purchase a cow through Next Generation Ministries. The first cow was impregnated and given to Abdu's mother, Sarah.
The first heifer the cow births is given back to the project, so that the giving can continue, but all the rest of the offspring and milk are for the family to keep.
Becky died of cancer on Christmas Eve a few years ago. We all miss her so much, but her legacy lives on in Uganda through each cow that's donated.  

walking Jessica

Thursday night, all night, I slept with the sound of pouring rain and distant thunder as my lullaby. The flashes of lightning making the room brighter than day for split seconds. So when Uncle Paul, Abdu, Sarah, Rose, and I arrived in Naminya Friday morning, there was red mud everywhere... sticking to our shoes and just about everything else :)

"What's over there?"

"I have no idea!"

Ronald and Herbert were waiting at the highway where we parked the van with the cow (the 8th given), pregnant and ready for a new home. We started down a very African dirt (or should I say mud) road trailing along after the men leading the cow.
The joy on their faces when we arrived at Mzee (moo-zay... a respected person) Joshua and Mama Beatrice's home... oh, it was so beautiful to behold!! We gave big hugs, took pictures... the whole time I felt like a little kid at Christmas, but this time, I was delivering the gift, not receiving it.

Happy faces :)

We walked up behind the house, up the hill to a clearing in the in trees. There was a cement pad with a pole structure and some tin sheets forming a shelter. A feed box overflowing with vegetation and several cement water troughs.

shelter

Uncle Paul asked them what they wanted to call their cow. After a conversation in Luganda, they agreed on the name Jessica.
Mzee and Mama told us that Big John, a corrupted "pastor" of a church in Naminya and former husband of their daughter Adisa, had bought them a cow years before. They had built the shelter we were seeing for that cow. The cow had two babies. And then Big John came back, took all the cows, and sold them. Joshua and Beatrice didn't get one shilling from the sale of the cows.
They said they shed many tears over that loss, but Jessica's arrival washed all those tears away.
God works in mysterious ways.... and we never know all of His reasons. But I believe He wanted to demonstrate His love to Joshua and Beatrice, who have gone through some really hard things, in a tangible way.

Cannon

Uncle Paul and Abdu

Abdu and their son Cannon gave instruction on how to care for the cow. Rose took tons of pictures. Sarah laughed with me as joy spilled out and love overflowed. I prayed over Mzee and Mama.... for their future with Jessica.
It was a sweet morning. A moment I'm sooooo thankful I got to be a part of. God was in all of it.

Praying

Thank you Timothy, Thaddeus, and Zachary for giving me the opportunity to witness God at work. You have no idea how much this means to me that you asked me to help deliver this cow. You also have no idea the difference you are making in Uganda. I pray that Father God blesses you for your servant hearts. I love you all so much.