He Paid the Price

Our first group of Priceless Girls was recognized in an awards ceremony 2 weeks ago for completing the abstinence course and committing to abstain. We were all so blessed to witness the girl’s excitement at completing the course and being a part of something that could heal their country. – They were absolutely beaming!

The ceremony was carried out in the traditional, formal Ugandan style, so much so that I was actually nervous when it was my turn to speak! But Shaunessy was our honored guest speaker, and the girls felt special to receive such a high congratulations. The parents who attended were also thanked for their support of their daughters and challenged to support the girls in their decisions to abstain.

After stressing that the choice to abstain was a personal decision that only they themselves could make, each girl chose to sign a pledge card to remain pure from this day forward until marriage. Praise God! They now fully understand the importance of their actions and how it affects themselves, their community, and their relationships with God, and they all chose to take that important step of faith and believe God for their future.

We also had each write out a prayer request so that we and all our supporters back home could pray for them more specifically. Bonny, who has been my translator, told the girls that God was right there inside the prayer box, just waiting for their prayers so he could answer them. So each girl wrote a direct prayer to God and after having them translated, the prayers went straight to my heart. God hears their cries and all the other prayers on their behalf. The following are a few specific prayers from some of my girls. I thought this might help to personalize the girls that I know some of you are so diligently praying for.

"God I thank you for protecting me up to today and I ask you to continue protecting me at all times…God I thank you for making me an orphan. God I request you to just continue to keep me because it is you who took away my father because you saw that it was good to do like that. So God, it is you who will continue to protect me, to keep me…" - Jillian

"…God I thank you for giving me life. My God I beg you to do this for me. Help me not to have the desires for sex in my life until the right time that you have appointed for me…" - Sarah

"God forgive me. I want to be saved." – Babyra

"... I ask you to help those who are sick. Inject them with a syringe that comes from heaven. Stretch your hand that is so forgiving and allow them to get healed so that they may come back to the church and worship you. I ask you with faith and trust in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen." – Gloria

On Tuesday, Bethany and I were able to go to Opeta and deliver the white PRICELESS bracelets to all the girls who committed. We drove to the schools and walked through the bush to their homes and were blessed to witness the excitement and pride on their faces as we put the bracelets on their wrists. The bracelets are so bright and bold against their dark skin and surely will evoke many questions from the community on the meaning of the bracelet.
Please pray that they will teach and testify to their community, and also continue praying for the girls' safety and their convictions and courage to make the right choice. We will be seeing the girls frequently to encourage and mentor them.

We are having a teacher training next week in Otwal. Once the training is complete, the teachers will begin a session in Opeta while we begin teaching another group of students in Otwal with some of the future teachers observing. Three of the older girls in Bethany's class came forward and want to be trained as teachers. This is our hope - that the girls who are trained will want to spread the word and train others, and that the choice to follow Jesus will spread like wildfire.
Thanks to everyone for your tremendous support and for serving our Lord.

-MariAnne