On Exams by Faith . . . .

We first met Ndyezika Edison when he was about 11. He was living in a tiny mud room with his mentally disturbed brother, orphaned and on his own. His father had long ago died, and when his mother remarried the new husband did not take Ndyezika in, as commonly happens. He had been befriended by the Herrons, and we sort of inherited the relationship. I have a picture of him our first Christmas (1993), sitting on our couch with a big smile because we had bought him used tennis shoes. He became a great friend to our children over the years as we sponsored him in school and generally looked out for his life. We’ve been with him through significant life events, and he with us. He entered Christ School’s inaugural class in 1999. Academics have always been a struggle, though he is a diligent student he probably has a learning disability of some sort that would have been diagnosed and treated in a better world. Here he has just put in plain hard work, repeating years of school until he could get it right. In all that he remained humble and hopeful, very popular with teachers in spite of his low grades, because of his great attitude. He became a Christian, and we have seen real spiritual growth. After graduating from Christ School we sponsored him in a training school for Laboratory Technicians. There he again struggled with the testing, repeating years of study. My kids love him so much they even convinced my mom to sponsor his last year of school when we were running out of resources and patience ourselves! Now he’s at the end of the school road (again), awaiting the final exams which will qualify him to work as a lab tech in Bundibugyo. He can do the work—he’s been working in our lab on vacations for several years, and does a great job. His ability to perform the tasks is clear, but he can’t get a government position and salary to to this work unless he passes the tests. And exams have been a life-long struggle for him.

Monday to Wednesday August 6-8, and Sunday/Monday August 19/20 Ndyezika will sit for the final qualifying exams for becoming a laboratory technician. The first three days are written tests administered at his school, the second two days are oral and practical exams at the national referral hospital in Kampala.

Would you please join us in praying for him??? We love this boy, and we believe he will be a solid part of the Kingdom of God in Bundibugyo, serving patients and loving God. Our parental hearts have watched him persevere through failure and continue to try. He has, as far as we know, consistently chosen the right path, caring for his widowed (again) mother and for his siblings, acting honorably towards a young woman he would like to marry if he can pass exams and get a job (he’s 25 now). Please implore God to give Ndyezika the ability to remember and write what he’s learned, to not panic, to have favor in the examiners’ eyes. Maybe others will pay bribes, maybe the whole system is corrupt, we don’t know. But we remember when Jonah had to take the University entrance exams twice, and by God’s grace he was allowed to pass the second time. Please pray that Ndyezika would not fail.

Lots of other important things are happening here. I am accompanying the Massos and some other team mates to Sudan the very days Ndyezika is testing in the coming week. We are setting up ministry opportunities for Stu and Ruth Ann Batstone and Donovan Graham, who will be with us for much of the rest of the month to engage people in issues of education, parenting, the Gospel, and grace! There is a major Kwejuna Project distribution a week from Monday. Scott is starting to work with Pat (hopefully) on a new program to increase outreach and education in villages related to HIV and AIDS. Christ School and RMS are in the final weeks of the term of school, with exams and projects and goodbyes pending. But nothing seems as crucial to my heart right now as Ndyezika passing exams.