Gabriel's Older Sister

About 2 weeks back we received an addition to our home. Our niece Carol, from our late sister Delphine has come to live with us. She finished her S4 exams (Secondary Level 4/ roughly a grade 10), and life had become very difficult for her. Difficult in a way too complex to explain right now.

As the Lord was preparing our hearts to bring Carol home to be with us, though we weren’t yet aware, Diane, a lady who has been helping us with hand washing clothes and a bunch of other household tasks slowly has been cutting her hours with us, as she’s been needed fulltime at her other workplace, a Babies home called Bethany House.

Diane had been with us since we came back from Canada after Gabriel was born and she grew with us. Eventually she began caring for Gabriel, allowing me to do errands in town and giving Trophi and I the freedom to have the occasional date night! When Gabriel and I travelled to Canada this past Summer, Diane wasn’t needed as much and as she was also getting married, it was the beginning of a transition for all of us!

Upon returning from Canada, Diane’s hours at Bethany House had been increased, and so I was needing more help in the home. The dust in Uganda is impossible to control, meaning it’s vital that our floors are washed at least every other day, not to mention the dusting of furniture, cleaning of toilets, hand washing and ironing of all clothes as well that makes a household function. Diane had become a wonderful part of our family, however, she’d married and was soon needed fulltime at Bethany House.

That meant I no longer had help and I was trying to manage everything on my own. My fingers were raw & bloody from handwashing, and I was dreading washing dishes or making my hands wet, the burning from soap was so bad. Ironing was left to pile up, and the house was in a dusty state! I wasn’t managing well at all!

It was at that point that Trophi told me how Carol was writing exams and had been asking if she could come to be with us. Had it not been for the Lord preparing my heart to have someone else live with us, I would have said ‘No’ without any other questions. At that point I was also desperate, yes literally, to have some help!

Live in house helps are the norm here in Uganda, and it’s always something I knew I couldn’t do. But Carol was different. She is our daughter, a family member and she was needing a change of scenery; having written her exams and no longer wanting to finish her Secondary Studies, we felt the need to bring her home. Sure enough, within a week she’d come to Kampala and now is a part of our home and we are loving it!

Carol is a young woman full of love, kindness, and many other qualities that make her fit right in here at home! She is fun, willing to learn and loves playing with Gabriel! He too has come to love her and the Lord has done a mighty work in our home, especially in me. I never saw myself doing something like this. But the Lord softened me and as I share with you now, I’m cooking supper, Carol is resting on the couch, humming away, Gabriel is asleep for the night and Trophi is up in Soroti for work. Carol; though still adjusting to our way of life in the city, has settled in well and has brought great joy to our home! Praise the Lord!

I’ve come to enjoy having someone else in the house with me, it’s helped me to keep myself in check, and work hard to set an example for her also, as well as teaching her many things about our life here, caring for Gabriel and all the minor details to life in Kampala!

Carol, though in Western terms would be called our niece, is in Ugandan Culture, our daughter. A Son or Daughter in Uganda is a broad term, which adds to the beauty of Uganda’s Rich Culture! Since Carol is our daughter, that makes her Gabriel’s older sister!