Jen's Story
as shared by one of the Sixty Feet staff in Uganda
Sixty Feet provided the opportunity for me to help tell Jen’s story. Thank you for listening! 🩷
“There was a young girl under our care a while ago. We will call her ‘Jen’ for the purpose of protecting her identity. When she was little, her mother mistreated Jen. This happened after the father left the family. In fact, the mother would allow men to use Jen in their own house in exchange for money. It was very difficult for Jen, but fortunately, God intervened because one of the neighbors noticed what was happening. She called in the authorities, who took Jen away. Her mother was later put in prison.
Jen was taken to a children’s facility, which is like a children’s home, for care and protection. This children’s home was partnering with us. Our Sixty Feet team went there—and we still visit on a weekly basis. This looks like a team of social workers serving the kids as well as a team of medical personnel. It is through visits like this that Sixty Feet became in touch with Jen. The team worked alongside this young girl through counseling her, and praying with her, and teaching her about Jesus.
Gradually, she began to heal. She began to open up. You could see that change in her coming. She even expressed the desire to go back to school. Sixty Feet decided to enroll her in school, assisted with requirements, and made sure that she was settling in well.
She started out in Primary Two. As the years went by, the authorities allowed Sixty Feet to support Jen and give her an alternative place to live. So, we took her away from the children’s home, and placed her in another different home—as well as a church—that was safer and better than the previous home. In a Christian environment where spiritual values were embraced, her life turned around. She studied diligently—and passed both her primary and her ordinary levels. She kept saying her dream was to become a teacher. Sixty Feet helped her enroll in a primary teacher’s college where she graduated after two and a half years with a certificate.
Jen must have experienced a beautiful full circle moment as she started teaching in the school where she used to study. She decided to continue her education so she saved some money. Jen acquired a diploma, continued in school, and acquired a degree in primary teaching. She is now in the highest standard school where she is getting better pay.
And the sweetest part of this is that she reconciled with her mother. They are close now. They talk more often. On occasion, Jen even supports her.
When we look at Jen’s story, you see how God can take someone who is experiencing deep suffering and bring them to a place of hope. Think of this powerful contrast…
A child came from a background of being abused. Now, she has grown up to be a teacher. Glory be to God!”
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Stories like this are impactful because they stir the heart. The kids Sixty Feet serves each have lives, names, and are worthy of being offered the same hope Jen tasted. God is using this ministry to help kids like her to overcome difficulties and pursue a life of purpose. Her story is an example of healing and redemption as well as the wonders of education. Joining hands with Sixty Feet is really like taking a little hand in yours and walking the red dirt soil of Uganda alongside these children, because you enable them to. Thank you for advocating compassionately on their behalf!
It mattered for Jen…and it will matter for the next child, too.
