Sewing for Survival
My African family is sewing for their mere survival. Even the back story behind the story tells of their resistance and fortitude.
My African family is sewing for their mere survival. Even the back story behind the story tells of their resistance and fortitude.
At last we have leveled the playing field. Once a year the US has a Diversity Lottery to allow immigrants from around the world the slim chance to obtain the coveted United States Visa in order to immigrate to freedom.
Jerry Mbokani is my refugee son from Africa. The COVID-19 shutdown in Uganda where he is currently exiled has hit the urban refugee community in ways few of us can possibly imagine. If you are a refugee in the city, you work and then you eat. With all industry shut down, the refugee does not …
I have a dear friend who attended high school with me. He is an outstanding photographer and one of the finest men I know. Once “social distancing” started and he was unable to continue his business travel, he started posting some of his favorite photos and tells stories about them. I wanted to share his …
Has your brook dried up? Is there a drought in the land so severe you have no idea where to turn. This is where Lukendo found himself, just like the prophet Elijah. The brook which supplied sustenance to them both simply dried up. God was about to do a new thing.
What do machine guns and women’s underwear have to do with sending filmmaking equipment to Africa? My missionary friend saw my post from Walmart that I was buying crates to make a shipment to Africa. He sent me a warning that corrupt customs officials were confiscating items of value and holding them for ransom. It …
Not even a power outage could dampen the spirits of Jerry’s family as they eagerly surrounded a big red crate full of Christmas gifts from their American grandmother. The gifts went from Indiana to New Mexico to Uganda with a detour to the African bush and then made the journey to Jerry’s house via hours …
At age 62, Mother’s Day took on significant meaning when I was adopted into the Bushi tribe in Africa. My new sons pronounced me Mwamikazi “Queen Mother.” I have never been one to take the traditional path. In fact, I feel a little like Abraham when God told him in his old age, he would …
Jerry is my friend living in exile in Uganda. He is a refugee who escaped the barbaric acts of the corrupt government officials in his homeland of DRC – Democratic Republic of Congo. Trust me, there is no democracy there. Through our many months of daily messages on WhatsApp, I have come to love this …
There is a family I have gotten to know via long distance communication who live in exile in Uganda as refugees 8000 miles away from Indiana in a foreign land of a foreign culture in the most extreme conditions. This is Jerry’s family. Zawadi is his wife, and their four children range in age from …