The Best Plot Twist Ever

Uganda, Africa

A father wrongly accused of robbery is stoned to death in his own community.

His widowed wife is left with no status, no income and five children. What little she does have is pilfered through and picked over by neighbors. “Your husband stole this from us; we’re taking it back,” they say. The family has no defense, no proof that anything they had was actually theirs. So they lose it all.

It sounds like something out of a movie, but it was and is very real for a Ugandan boy named Timothy and his siblings.

Evicted, outcast from their community, unable to pay for schooling on their own, all while grieving the unimaginable loss of their father, Timothy and his brothers and sisters had to scrape together the gumption to attend school, where rumors flew and bullying became routine.

What was there to hope for? Relief? Maybe. Just some moments of relief.

When Awana discipleship began at Timothy’s school through the Africa Child & School Initiative, that relief began to take shape. Once a week, the condemnation from his peers seemed to pause. Timothy says the Bible program offered “a non-judgmental invitation to games and learning about God. Everyone was treated equally, with love and dignity.”

Praise God, that’s what we want for every child: respite when it’s needed and to feel God’s love fully. We’re grateful for the compassion of our donors who make that possible.

But Timothy’s story didn’t end with feeling accepted and loved. When he engaged with his Awana leaders and discovered what God’s Word meant for his life, he lit up inside for the first time since his father had died. His hope and confidence were rebuilt on the foundation of Jesus, whom he accepted wholeheartedly as his Savior.

Today Timothy is a confident, bold believer whose mother says “encourages the entire family to love God.” He wants to be a pastor to love people who feel unloved, just like his Awana teacher, Denis, loved him. This is the power of biblical child discipleship. One life is changed, but the ripple repeats for miles and generations. We’re blessed to be on this mission with you.