Rebecca Kwagala Matovu

A few days ago we celebrated your birthday. 

I have not forgotten you and the role you played in my life. Without your input I would never have made the trip to Texas where I attended a bible school that was responsible for the better part of my adult development. Here there was an intense focus on practical Christian Ministry. I also fondly remember the music that you brought when you visited Kenya which included sounds from the Brownsville Revival in Florida. The American experience was not made to be forgotten and you played a major role in making sure that I was comfortable. I remember the money that you sent me in the my new home in Mission, Texas, the generous gifts of clothes that were part of my first few days in what at the time was a strange country. I remember my first trip up state and the encounter with snow. I remember hearty meals in your house and the counsel you shared while we were together. I remember how you facilitated my trips to North Carolina and Ohio and all the useful tips that you shared. In retrospect I now see why your sudden departure may have played a role the bouts of sadness that characterized my stay in the U.S from that day on. 

I guess you understood why I had come to that great country and some of the steps that I needed to take to progress and advance.

You have left me pleasant memories watching how you mothered your children and loved on them. I am thankful that we have three perfect representations that you have given us to remind us of who your are and what we can all be. Liz, Vicky and Gil are all people that we now treasure and the children and families that they have now become a part of a amazing gifts that we can now richly share. 

Your departure is a mystery that belongs to the all knowing one. All our hope rests in a better more peaceful place devoid of fear, worry and doubt. But we have to balance those aspirations with the massive gap that is left in our hearts. The inability to show you physically what we have become, the fruit of all your prayer and faith, the end result of all your labor. 

You are missed, cherished and not forgotten.