Pricilla, a voice of love
I met Pricilla by way of my teammates. She was the teacher for their three young children. I liked her immediately. Pricilla is very approachable. You can tell by the way she sits with her feet crisscrossed at the ankles, hands resting open in her lap, silently inviting you to sit next her. Her face shows wisdom and strength of life experience. Her deep brown eyes radiate kindness, understanding, and perhaps a glimmer of mischief! She carries herself with confidence at a slow pace, not missing a single detail around her.
Pricilla is a Kenya native. In Kenya, she worked with street boys and under-privileged families in Nairobi. Later, Pricilla came to Uganda and began helping some friends start a school in Jinja. Her connections there led her north to our city.
She settled in and began looking for ways to be in the community. She met Nancy P. at the church they both attended, St. Phillips. Nancy P. had an NGO called Freely Give Ministries. Named from Matthew 10:8, Freely Give is a ministry to the homeless people staying in the city. Nancy P. invited her to come see how Freely Give worked in the community. With her heart still wanting to work with street boys and under-privileged families, Pricilla jumped at the chance to go.
That first day Pricilla was a little nervous. Everyone knew Nancy P. and she greeted everyone with a hug. She and her team knew where to find the homeless that are scattered about in the city. They brought snacks to give to each person – chapatti, g-nuts, and a boiled egg.
After that day, Pricilla and Nancy P. walked up and down the streets each Monday and Saturday checking on their friend’s health and safety and giving out snacks.
How does someone become homeless in Uganda? Drug/alcohol abuse, divorce, trauma, men just not taking responsibility in life, witchcraft. If a person is thought to be a witch or under the influence of witchcraft, the family will chase them away. A woman can become homeless for all the reasons above, but also if her husband dies or if she is in a marriage where there are multiple wives. If her husband dies and she is not living close to her family, the husband’s family may not accept her back into the family. Her home is returned to the husband’s family, leaving the widow homeless. If her husband dies and she is in close distance to her family, they may not take her back either. If she is allowed to return to her family, she likely will not have a way of earning money to help provide for the family again. If a woman is in a marriage with multiple wives, mistreatment of her or of her children from the other wives can cause her to run away.
Nancy P. has since moved back to the States and Pricilla continues to run Freely Give.
Freely Give was able to purchase land with some money Nancy P. left in a fund. They are working on raising and saving up to be able to build a shelter for the homeless where they can receive help with minor medical issues, receive food and changes of clothes, and learn life skills.
Freely Give Ministries has grown much in the five years under Pricilla’s care and guidance. They still go out on Mondays and Saturdays. Instead of snacks, they are armed with 40 fully cooked meals that a teammate cooks at her small, make-shift restaurant in town. The meals are packed with: a bottle of water, beans, rice, cassava - a root with the consistency of a potato without flavor. It’s a filler much like posho.
Freely Give also helps admit Freely Give Friends to the hospital if it’s necessary. They help with transport to the hospital for the person who is bringing the person, alert family members or friends of the situation, and sometimes they can help with purchasing medicine, food, and providing a change of clothes at the hospital for the patient.
As part of Freely Give Ministries, Pricilla started giving talks on the radio! She reached out to Sherry M., a missionary with Radio Pacis - which is the Catholic radio station here – and she teaches Trauma Healing each Saturday from 8:30 – 9:00. Pricilla loves it because Freely Give reaches more people through the radio talk. Listeners can also call in to ask questions or ask if a certain topic can be discussed.
Pricilla and her Freely Give Team are on call almost 24/7. Her love for working with homeless still includes the street boys. Her vision for serving the street boys has not changed. She has hopes of have a homeless shelter of sorts and a place to teach the boys life skills, such as driving, tailoring, mechanics, etc.
As I talked to Pricilla, I noticed humbleness in the way she told her story. She doesn’t like attention drawn to her. She said, “God squeezes you out and fills you again. I’m positioned in a place here I can help. It’s easy to lose focus on what you’re called to do if the attention is on you.
Pricilla did not ask for me to share the story of her ministry, but graciously agreed to my ask of wanting to share it for her. Her ministry is challenging and encouraging. I wanted you to be see her love for the people she serves and the beauty of her humble heart. She and her team bring the homeless goodness and life each week.
So, what about us? Where are we positioned? What can we do to help others “as we go*” along living our normal, daily life?
We all freely give more easily when we remember we are part of those who have freely received.
“And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”
Matthew 10:7-8
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