FROM AN OPEN DOOR TO A DWELLING PLACE November 2002

Very warm greetings to you all from Kampala – Uganda. The time has come again for me to try and share some of what is happening here. I always find the start the most difficult but I have to just put finger to keyboard and begin! MUCH has been happening since my last newsletter and again I am struck by the huge task of giving a balanced picture of the joys and also the challenges of this work. Let me begin with the joys...

The children continue to be a huge joy to me, we are blessed to have 76 kids with us in the Rehabilitation Home, all ages from babies to 16 years. Many of them have been off the streets for most of this year and longer so we have been able to see massive changes in them. It can seem like little things when I try and explain but if you could have seen these children living on the streets, you would share my use of the word 'massive'. These children now sleep in beds, they bathe, they eat food from a plate, they go to school and sit and study well, they have good manners (some of the time!), and they love to sing and praise and pray. They are far from perfect, as anyone who knows kids can testify, but we can see such amazing changes in them, by helping to meet some of their basic needs.

This work needs double and even triple helpings of patience and strength but most of all love, beyond all measure. I can say my relationships with these and many other children still on the streets has been by far the best aspect of my work here. I know I came out here as a nurse and that is what my work still focuses on, but I have realised what these kids need more than medicine and health care is love, and most importantly the love of God.

These children of all ages on the streets desperately need our love, in all the little and big ways, our babies need to be held and comforted and fed, our little boys and girls need all that too and also joy of playing and just being children, our teenagers really have my heart, they are so needy yet so difficult at times. They have had, and for many continue to have an unbelievably difficult life on the streets, filled with fear, abuse, hunger, violence, and maybe worst of all a disregard or apathy for the importance of their own lives. Somebody once said 'It can take a day to take a child of the streets, but it can take years to take the street out of a child'. That is so true. It is difficult for them to trust, to settle, and to even start believing that they are important. We have teenage twins Nakato and Wasswa that were born on the streets, they are both Christians and attending mainstream education now but it is a long journey for them to cleanse their minds from all they have seen and heard for 16 years - that is God's work, only He can change them, and He does! That's a real joy to see that happening to His beautiful children.

As I change to the challenges, I'm struck by my last sentence that I had initially written 'our' children. It has been difficult to trust God with them and with this work. We have many challenges in this work, to work on the streets in Africa is not easy, it's hot, noisy, polluted, many of these kids are drunk or high on drugs, we see some of the same kids every day just wasting their lives there, and not being willing or able to come off. Also we are still challenged by the ongoing policy of the authorities of 'rounding-up' the children and putting them in a remand centre - I don't know what else to say about that, it just breaks my heart as it is so wrong! We also need more resources and the 'right' kind of people for this work, and that is only from God.

Another challenge is to try and explain my opening title. Our organisation is now called 'Dwelling Places'; it is the same work, same vision, same Ugandan leader (Rita Nkemba) with many of the same Ugandan team, and many of the same children. It has been a very difficult time of transition for us and we are still feeling the ripples after the storm, most of all it has been difficult for the children. Please continue to pray for us, that there may be peace between Dwelling Places and the work that is continuing as Open Door with other leadership. This has been done with the full knowledge and blessing of AIM who support Rita and her work.

I think it's time to go back to the joys! I am having a holiday this month! My language study is going fairly well! I have moved into my own flat (it's looking quite bare but I love it!). I am well and have had only 1 road accident - which is nothing short of a miracle living here! I celebrated my '1 year old in Africa' with my kids on 20th September, we had a great day.

If there is a theme of this newsletter it's 'TRUST'. I find it so difficult at times to understand why these children suffer so much in this life. This verse in Proverbs 3 v 5,6 has been a mantra to me these last months; 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.'
For those who have heard this verse a million times, and also for those who have never heard it, I ask you to just take a moment and say each word slowly and carefully and let it sink deep inside you, and rest on it.

To all of you who really are partners in this work, whether you pray or write or are just interested, I give you my heartfelt thanks and also from my team and many, many children here who would love to see you all!

WITH ALL MY LOVE FROM AFRICA, MARSALI

To contact Marsali; PO BOX 4008, KAMPALA, UGANDA or Email - marsali@infocom.co.ug

If you would like any more information about AIM contact
AIM-UK: 2 Vorley Road, London N19 5HE • 020 7281 1184 • uk@aim-eur.org• www.aim-eur.org

For those who wish to give donations for this work through AIM, please allocate under one or more of these categories;
For Marsali Campbell - Living costs in Africa

For the work of Marsali Campbell - Medical care for the street children and slum area work

For a vehicle for Marsali Campbell - To transport children to hospital and clinics.

For 'Children in Crisis - Dwelling Places' - For general needs (although you are free to designate funds as you wish)in the organisation, like food, school fees, clothing, rent.