Visiting with Ja-ja

I visited with an 87 year old "Ja-Ja" (grandma) yesterday.  She was a sweet woman who lived in a room with nothing but a bed and a bible.  She spent her life taking care of her children and grandchildren.  This Ja-ja was special to me.  When she was younger, she saw a 14 year old boy crying outside of a school with a mattress and paper.  She asked the boy what was wrong and he said he had no place to stay while he attended school and his mother lived far away.  Ja-ja asked him, "Are you a good boy"?  He said, "Yes ma'am".  She took him in with her other children and treated him like he was her own.  Now that boy is an adviser to the President of Uganda.

 I sat down on Ja-ja's floor and she asked a girl to read in Isaiah for me

 Ja-ja held my hand as we listened to the girl reading from the Bible

I listened to the translation and listened to Ja-ja tell me what the scripture meant.  She told me that she was a woman who drank a lot before she knew God.  Now she was glad that she turned to God and became free.  She told me that I had the a "smile like the word of God". 

After we talked I asked her to come outside with me

Ja-ja loved my smile

She couldn't see very well but loved my necklace.  She kept touching it and saying how pretty it was.  I put it on her neck and told her she could have it and always remember me.  She was so happy and told me, "Now I have a white daughter too"!  I am so glad I met her!  She even begged me to let Hope stay with her a while.  I laughed and said, "But Ja-Ja, she needs her mommy too!"

Saying Good-bye to Ja-ja