Mama Lightness Update

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.  What a privilege it is carry everything to God in prayer.

Life is looking a lot different for Mama Lightness since my last blog post.

Within minutes of posting, I started receiving Venmo donations for Lightness and her family.  $30, $50, $100, even a $500 donation was sent.  We were once again overwhelmed at the way that God works through the hearts of His people to make a difference in the world.  

But once we had the resources, it wasn’t a simple matter of giving Mama Lightness the money.  We had to sit and discuss and decide the best way to use these funds to really help her and her family.  The more we talked with Mama Lightness, the clearer the picture of her situation became.  The father of her children had left them, coming around only on occasion and offering little to no support.  He had sold all of their belongings to get money, leaving them with not even a bedsheet.  When we asked Mama Lightness if they had formally divorced, she laughed.  “We were never married.  How can we divorce?” 

As much as Mama Lightness insisted that they were separated and he wasn’t around, it was obvious that he was still part of their lives, and could show up at any time, especially if he saw that his children and their mother were receiving support.  Mama Lightness recognized that it wasn’t safe for her to keep any large amount of money in their room, and that any specific items they needed, we should purchase and take to her directly.  Joseph and Abella went to town and purchased a large mattress, sheets, heavy blankets, clothes for all of the boys, and a small phone for Mama Lightness.  We also got supplies for Lightness like soap, lotion, a toothbrush and toothpaste, sandals, and school shoes.  

When it came to her starting a business, she decided that she could set up a small stand outside their room, near the road.  The area she lives is far from any markets or shops, so there is a high demand for popular items like bananas, onions, charcoal, and tomatoes.  She started with those items and checked back in with us after a week.  While she had made a profit, it wasn’t enough to sustain her and the four boys without the other assistance of food and rent money we had given her, so she started thinking of other items that would bring in more profit.  She asked if we could purchase some cases of juice, cookies, water, and soap in bulk, that she could then sell individually.  She also recognized that if she really wanted to separate herself from Lightness’s father and start a new life for herself, she needed to move.  She told us that she would start asking around about which areas were safe, good for business, within a short walking distance of KEMPS, and had good rent prices, so that at the beginning of December she could relocate.  

During our discussion we were able to let her know that we had already received support to send her three oldest boys to boarding school at KEMPS with Lightness in January.  I could actually see her relief as a huge smile spread across her face.  She covered her eyes, shaking her head as she thanked us again and again.  “Things are going to change for us.  God bless you.” She said.  

I still worry about Mama Lightness and her boys.  I worry if what we are doing is the best way to help them.  I worry about staying in contact with them when we move in December.  I worry about Lightness’s father coming back.  But those worries – as normal as they are – suggest that I actually have control over the protection and provision of God, and Lord knows I don’t.  If it weren’t for God whispering to my heart to have a conversation with my students that day, we would never have known about Mama Lightness or Baraka or Ayoub, Amos, and Emmanuel.  If it weren’t for the generosity of God in the hearts of those who read her story and freely gave, they would still be sleeping on the floor with empty bellies.  God has worked in the most unexpected ways to cross their story with mine, and He has not done so in order for me or my friends to become their savior.  He has done so for the same reason that He has done all things – to glorify His name.  To show that He is indeed capable of making the impossible, possible.  To make known that He is the way when it seems there is no way.  And yet even after He has made His presence in this situation as clear as day, I still worry?  

I’m still working on turning my worry into prayer, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that.  But thankfully, our God is the God of grace and forgiveness, not perfection.  Keep praying for Mama Lightness and her children, and when your mind wanders to other worries, pray for those, too.  God hasn’t brought us this far to leave us.  

Mungu akubariki,
Allee

If you would like to donate towards my work in Tanzania, you can send donations electronically using: 

Venmo: @Alison-Gomulka

Cash App: $AlisonGomulka

PayPal: PayPal.Me/AlisonRGomulka

Zelle: alisonrg24@gmail.com

If you would prefer to send a check, you can mail it to:

Alison Gomulka

15601 Shady Brook Lane, College Station, TX 77845 

Mama Lightness holding Baraka, next to Emmanuel, and twins Ayoub and Amos