Tenacity

TENACITY IN SERVING OTHERS
You know, I have noticed a consistent characteristic among some of my friends that bares mentioning. Maybe you all can help me to understand how to describe it. It came up again today for the umpteenth time.

I had this burden for Okiror Geofrey (SOASK) for the last 4 days and a sense that his life was in danger (again). We are close like that so I'm not going to try and explain that. This time that sense didn't go away. No communication at all for over 4 days. I get a chat popup today and although he was too weak to chat much it was a relief to "hear" from him for a few minutes. He had come down with Malaria. Here not so much a problem. There in Uganda? Untreated? - Deadly. He told me that his relatives had found him in bad condition at his new quarters and carried him for treatment and now was at a relatives still being treated. That was a very close call. But the real clincher is this. I was telling him that his needs must be taken care of and that we need to really pray that through. His things and bed got stolen from his old place so he has been sleeping on the concrete at the new location where they found him. His last chat line before he got cut off chat?:

"Please pray for the children. My life is nothing seeing that I am doing well (now)". (Translation: Never mind me. Pray for the children.)

Almost 24 years old. Dedicated in heart. Loves the children, the widows, the poor. Driven by it. I've observed it time after time. More than I have room to express here although it would make good reading. Maybe even conviction.

Then there is Mukulu Jonathan (OOCM). Five years and running. Ups and downs, Bouts with malaria, Provision slowing down to a trickle, People get really sick, Some die, more are orphaned, Thick and thin I have observed him get back up from every potential crisis and go at it again. "God will do it... Prayer!.." I can hardly count the amount of times that I have tried to mention his needs to him and he will come back with,

"Focus on the children, the orphans, the widows, the destitute, Prayer, God will provide, It will get better... I know."

 I thought I knew something about tenacity before meeting him but I have learned more from him than I have given. There have been times when I have said in my heart, "Oh my God! This can't be happening." and he is under more pressure and hurting and yet he will come back from that experience ready to fight the good fight. He is like a cheerleader in the villages there cheering people on when sometimes it seems hopeless. Somebody from Uganda once said about him, "He loves those children." And there are a lot of them.

Then there is Luthy Monica a young nursing student in her twenties. I actually met Mukulu through her for which I owe her a debt of gratitude. She actually and amazingly got to go to nursing school for at least a year. but her "groom" mother fell ill of a debilitating long term illness and so her needs and that of her younger brothers fell in her lap making it even more of a struggle.

One thing became apparent that in her mind and heart, they come first. As much as it is her dream to become a nurse she will constantly choose to put others first. If I mention Mukulu and the children she has some inner priority that she will immediately turn attention on them even though she has serious needs herself. Ironically, Mukulu does the same thing when I mention Luthy. I mentioned her struggles to become a nurse once to Okiror (who doesn't even know her) and and his response surprised me. "Then she needs to be take care of first!" They know the value of a nurse. They know the struggle between life and death. Luthy was orphaned at a young age. She has that same quality about her. Others come first. The children come first. Yet, she is tenacious in her seemingly impossible pursuit to become a nurse. Not surprisingly, those seem like the qualities of a good nurse as well.