Things are moving on well here.
This week we have had the team working hard at the YSU property! They have been a great blessing in building a chicken coop, as well as helping finish the wall around the property.
They also got to visit and meet the tailoring girls, and lots of dancing was done on both sides.
The other day we had an unfortunate event take place across the road from us. Agnes and I were outside when we heard screams coming from our neighbors house, which is across the road from us.
We ran over to see what was happening, and there in the front yard of our neighbors house, in broad daylight for everyone to see, were three men holding down a little 13 year old girl, and belting her with sticks.
The men beating her were her uncles, and the main man doing the beating (our neighbor) was her grandfather (who isn't very old, maybe 50).
The beatings were very serious, the kind that would leave scars and bruises, and I could see a lot of anger coming out of those men (especially the neighbor)
Everyone on the road was just standing and watching, and instinctively without taking a second thought I ran over yelling at them to stop, and then grabbed one of the men to try and push him off the girl.
The next thing I knew there was a bit of a scuffle between me and the man I had pushed, as well as lots of yelling. It all happened very fast, but I remember feeling a blow to my back from the neighbors stick, and then a second one that just missed my face. The neighbor had then turned on me, and had given me a good whack with his stick across my back (which was a bit tender and sore for a few days after)
I remember the neighbor with so much hatred in his eyes screaming at me with his raised stick ready to hit me again (and from what I have heard afterwards, this neighbor is quite a bitter, miserable, angry man)
I managed to avoid being beaten again, while pleading with them to stop hitting the girl, and trying to stop it from happening.
There was a big crowd at this point, and Agnes had been yelling at the men that she was going to call the police. Even the mother to the child being beaten told me to call the police, and so I threatened the men that I was going to do such.
The other men rode off on their motor bikes after hearing this threat, while the main man (our neighbor) locked the girl in the house and disappeared himself.
I ended up calling Robert K and we went to the police station to report everything that had happened. The child protection branch of the police came down and investigated the man and the young girl and took them back to the station.
The man was claiming that he only gave the young girl a few small smacks, and that I tried to fight them and assault them, and that I accidentally got in the way of his stick.
But the young girl had marks and bruises all over her body and told the police that I was not fighting anyone but came to help her.
So this neighbor of ours ended up spending a night in the cell.
The thing which I find so frustrating and disappointing, is that I thought that perhaps the people in the community would think well of me for trying to defend the young girl. This was not really the case.
Many people were gossiping saying it was wrong of me for getting involved in family matters. Even when the beating was taking place and I was having the scuffle with the men, many of our young tailoring girls were telling Agnes to explain to me that the girl had ran away from home and had been promiscuous (and do you really have to wonder why? when you are living with such a man, what young girl wouldn't want to run away from home)
In their mind, the beating was justified.
Later Farouk, Agnes and I explained to them that we didn't care what she had done to provoke the beating, but three grown men belting a little thirteen year old girl like that, is inherently wrong.
We asked the tailoring girls if they had never messed around with boys, to which they all went quiet (because many of them had children at young ages) and we explained that they should also be willing to extend grace towards others, especially the weak and vulnerable.
But the mentality here is that many times people view it is ok to physically abuse someone who has misbehaved. The community here would rather turn a blind eye, then to step in and cause a disturbance in the community .. which would shake up the peace. Even some fellow village women would agree and approve with the severe beating.
Challenging older men in the community is something that is looked down upon. There has been mixed reactions in the community (along with lots of gossip) and many people have divided opinions over it. Some saying what I did was wrong, but others being sympathetic for me.
For all the people that have been sympathetic for me, they all have expressed anger at the fact that the men turned on me and beat me when I was trying to help.
Again, what is disappointing is that not many people have expressed anger or concern that a 13 year girl was being beaten like that, by three fully grown men.
They were just angry that I also got beaten ... because I am a prominent person in the community, and I am also a male ... and I am white.
It is something I struggle with and feel so disheartened by. It has been rare to find someone (beside my house hold and other close Christian friends) who actually thought what happened was bad.
The fact that the police arrested the man and checked the bruises over the girls body should say enough.
We live in a community where so much violence towards women and children takes place.
Refreshingly the brother to the man who beat me, as well as other family members, came and spoke with me afterwards.
They were very sorry that I got hit, and they even thanked me for helping the girl. They asked me if I was going to press chargers (they were a bit worried for their brother) which I told them I had no intention of doing so. I told them that I forgive the man for hitting me, and that my intention was just to stop them from hitting the young girl.
All in all, I know I did the right thing, even though I have surely made some enemies in the community now. I still feel terrible for the young girl, and the man only spent a night in the police cell before being released. But there is not much you can do in this culture, besides continuing to try and educate and change hearts and minds. I have been encouraged by the younger generation coming up, they are beginning to see things in a different way. And I pray for more men to become protectors and nurturers of the women in their community, instead of abusers.
It is not all bad news though, we continue to see God working in many ways in the community.
We ask that you continue to pray for us here in Uganda, as sometimes situation can be quite tense when working within the community.
I would also just briefly like to add, onto the end of this blog, a request for anyone who felt they would like to contribute towards YSU, and for something that we specifically need.
I never like to outright ask for donations, but we have noticed that one thing we really need in our ministry right now is some transportation for getting around the community. Often Farouk and I spent a lot of money on transport for hiring motorbike taxi's around the place. Since we make multiple trips back and forth to our new property, and will be continuing to do so in the months to come, we realize that an investment into a boda boda (local motor bike used for transporting people) would help us a lot. It would save us money on petrol and hiring local boda boda's, and we see it as something we would a use lot in the future, since the nature of our work often involves us moving around the community quite often. A new boda boda here goes for around about $1750, and all donations can be tax deductible through HopeBuilders international. If you feel you would love to help you can contact Andrew Boonstra on aboonstra1@gmail.com
Otherwise we want to thank all those people who have continued to support us and love us. Your support means a lot to us, and has continued to allow us to do what we do here.
We love all of you who pray for us and encourage us. Thank you and God bless.
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