News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Devon and Amity Calvin offered a musical “Taste of Scotland.
The Sisters Act provided an enjoyable evening of entertainment for folks in Sisters on Saturday night. But its true purpose - benefiting the work of Good Samaritan Ministries (GSM) in Uganda - was greater than the evening's fun.
That purpose was brought home in moving fashion by Betty Nakaweesi Hill, who described the impact that Good Samaritan Ministries had upon her life.
Born to a family of subsistence farmers in the Masaka District of Uganda, Nakaweesi grew up poor but happy.
"It was a small family, but we worked together; we loved each other, respected our parents," she told a rapt Sisters Act audience.
At the age of eight, tragedy struck her family. Her father died of AIDS, then (and still) rampant in Africa. A year later, her mother also died. Her sister had married very young and Nakaweesi and her younger brothers and sister moved in with her. Then, when Nakaweesi was 11, her sister's husband succumbed to the disease, followed by her sister.
The young girl had no idea how she would survive and take care of her remaining family in a world that had become very dark and lonely.
At her sister's burial, a young evangelist turned up; he was the director of Good Samaritan Ministries in Uganda. Nakaweesi discovered that her sister had willed her and her remaining siblings into his care.
The young evangelist, part of a large family, took the young orphans in and set them on a path to a better life.
"This man took us in; he accepted the responsibility," she said. "They welcomed us and they raised us up."
Through schooling made possible by Good Samaritan Ministries - and the financial sponsorship of a couple from Talent, Oregon - Nakaweesi went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in business administration and is now studying for a nursing degree.
Nakaweesi recognized GSM founder Bettie Mitchell and her husband Jerry, who were in the audience for the show.
"I want to thank you, Mama Bettie," she said. "I am what I am because of you."
Nakaweesi was profuse with her thanks for everyone involved in the fundraising event, from organizer Theresa Slavkovsky to the people who shared their talents.
"It is not something you should take for granted," she said. "I will just quote the Bible: You reap what you sow. You are sowing a good seed."
GSM's goal for the event was to raise $6,000 to support the Nambirizi School in Uganda. That is sufficient to cover the salaries of all 10 teachers at the 300-student school for one year. Without funding, the school is in danger of closing.
The school not only provides education for 300 orphans; it is for most of them the source of their only hot meal of the day.
Donations to GSM may be sent to Good Samaritan Ministries, P.O. Box 752, Sisters, OR 97759. For more information, contact Theresa Slavkovsky at 541-549-1149 and visit http://goodsamministries.com.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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