The Sun Will Soon Shine

Last week on Tuesday was my birthday. It was the first time in my adulthood when I felt like it was very okay if I got nothing at all for my birthday. Why? Because God had already given me the best gift ever; I started a new job at my dream workplace on July 1, 2023. For the first time ever, I had a job that ticks all my boxes. This place offers numerous incredible fringe benefits on top of a generous salary. The cherry on top is that we get a number of days off within the week just to rest. This job is so fulfilling and rewarding because it’s one that permits me to have direct impact.

When I was praying and fasting for this job, I said to God, “I know that everyone that showed up for the interview is very qualified, talented and capable. But please choose me, make the panel hire me”.
And they hired me. What luck!
I feel beyond blessed to be here. I have such amazing leaders. Matter of fact, the Executive Director and member of the Board of Directors called on my birthday just to wish me well and to check up on me. At first I thought I was being pranked by a Ugandan faking an American accent. However, when he mentioned his name and where he works, -having met him before, I actually figured that it was all very real. In that moment, I felt the excitement of someone that had just won a million dollars.

All praise and honor all go back to my Lord Jesus Christ because who would have guessed? This time last year, I was mostly broke, angry, depressed and on the verge of being homeless. Many a times I woke up with panic attacks _ or even screaming from a bad dream. In just one year alone, I bounced from one place to another just to keep a roof over my head and food in my stomach. Those few months felt like it was five years wrapped into one. For the benefit of my new readers, let me summarize the last year, from September 2022 to September 2023, when I was 27 years old.

Honestly, I was working so hard but the money was not manifesting. Unable to keep up with the pressure from paying rent and bills, I started staying with friends, bouncing from one place to another. First, I stayed in Mukono for 5 days with my friend’s cousin Alvin. He was good to me, but as a Christian unmarried young lady, I knew I had no business being there.

From Mukono I went to Wakiso, where I grew up in a children’s home. That place was my home for 20 years, from when I was seven years old. Considering the rules and policies governing the place, I ended up leaving after one week. Visitors were not allowed to stay for more than 3 days. However, given the fact that I was once a child there, I was given a week. On the last day, my foster mom told me to go to the office and request for an extra week if I needed one. Instead, I just packed my things and left. I have never liked begging.

That day, I called my longtime friend Pascal and asked if he could house me for a week. “We were already waiting for you!” he said. That’s how I found myself in Kajjansi with Pascal and his wife Pamela. They fed me, looked after me and allowed me to rest. This way, they nourished me back to my proper state of mind. Towards the end of the week I had requested for, Pascal told me I could stay for a month.
“What you need is to settle down, plan and think. You can’t do that while shifting and moving to a new location every week,” he said. He was right and I was grateful for the offer. My one month with them did wonders.  While there I hatched and pursued a plan to return to Kanungu, my birth place. I believed I needed a fresh start, and resolved that Kanungu would do the trick. Both Pamela and Pascal were in support of the plan.

Now that my mind was made up about Kanungu, I told my friend Tinka about it in a phone call. Unknown to me at the time, Tinka begged her parents to allow me to stay with them. Lucky for me, they opened up the doors to their home to me. Her mom personally reached out to me with the offer and I took it. That lady is a woman of faith. She was convinced that sooner than later, God was going to do something wonderful for me and she was willing to host me until then.

When my month in Kajjansi ended, I moved to Kisaasi with Tinka’s family. My stay there was therapeutic. Don’t ask me what I was thinking, but somehow I fell for Tinka’s brother Ethan. I tried everything humanly possible to hide it because there is a universal unwritten law against falling for your friend’s brother. I knew the whole family suspected something, but I never admitted it to anyone for the whole time I was there. Ethan was very kind to me and he made me laugh. Earlier when my heart got broken in 2021, I told God to prove to me that I could heal, love again and that there were better guys out there. Ethan was the answer to all those prayers. I was in Kisaasi for nearly two months then went to Muyenga.

Tinka’s mom has an aunt in Muyenga. Arrangements were made and I found myself there. Everyone was happy for me because in Muyenga, I had a chance at a better life. In Muyenga, I learnt how to eat healthy, work hard and mind my own business. I learnt a thing or two about the lifestyle of rich people.
To my surprise, the man of the home was a kind Muslim man. He changed my view on Islam. Heaven aside, religion always boils down to being humaine. That man was simply nicer than most Christians I know. I left Muyenga around end of February, 2023. From there, I stayed with Tinka’s aunt and her family for five days as I prepared to go to Jinja. They too were very kind and hospitable.

In Jinja, I stayed with a lady I have known for more than 15 years. A teacher by calling and by profession, that lady taught me in primary. Later she got her masters and also taught me in highschool. In Jinja, I stayed with her for 3 months. While there, I fell in love with the place and asked God for a job in Jinja so that I could stay. God listened and he answered.

The job I got came with housing. It’s ironic how from being homeless, I currently stay alone in a 3_bedroom house that comes with a spacious sitting room, bathroom with hot and cold water, a modern toilet in a room next to it and a beautiful kitchen with all the equipment you can think of. The house comes complete with the furniture, utensils and everything someone needs in a home. Did I mention the free meals? Well, I also get to have three meals a day. I can assure you, there is nothing better than food I did not cook!
This is the first workplace I know where someone can come penniless and they still thrive and excel because everything is provided. Do you know the best part? Best part is that these people pay all the bills. I am a lover of nature and one great thing about this place is that it’s big, spacious and a preserver of nature. It’s tranquil, quiet and peaceful. It’s like I just died and went to heaven.

So yes, this year, I don’t have anything on my wish list. I am more than grateful to God for blessing me beyond my wildest dreams. And if I ever get to leave this job, I know it will be to go to a better place. No doubt, my best days are certainly ahead of me! From here, one can only go higher; from glory to glory.
Praise the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord, for his love and mercy endure forever.

The End.

Disclaimer: The names that feature in this story are fictitious. They were made up to protect the identity and privacy of those involved.

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