My Raven by the Brook

PRECIOUS COLETTE KEMIGISHA

A note from College Church missionary John Maust.

Can you describe a time when a Christian friend gave you hope when you most needed it? That was the prompt for a writing contest organized by Media Associates International (MAI) in anticipation of its April LittWorld 2022 conference in Hungary, for which College Church provided generous scholarship support through its Thanksgiving offering.

Precious Colette Kemigisha of Uganda won first prize with her article, “My Raven by the Book,” which tells the story of an unexpected friendship that warmed her heart in frigid Scotland as a lonely international student. Notified of her award, Precious said, “I can think of no better way to end the year than knowing that my story touched the hearts of the judges and will also bring hope to many of your readers who will get to read it!”

As Colette’s story reminds us, that person sitting beside you in church just might need a “raven by the brook.” You could be that “raven,” in God’s grace.

The crunch of the snow beneath my feet as I walked the few blocks to my new friend Natasha’s house on that December evening was the furthest thing from what I was used to.

Under the brilliant sunshine of Kampala, the dust would seep into all the pores of my skin and hair with silent precision. I was used to that, the brown dirt and intense heat, so the cold in Edinburgh was still a shock even after a year of living there as I pursued my master’s degree in Literature.

The past few months had passed by in a blur of writing my dissertation and working at the local theatre in the evenings and weekends to make ends meet. While I liked my course and the unexpected perk of getting to enjoy plays for free during my shifts, my homesickness was like a choking grip on my heart that sucked out all the joy and turned each day grey.

In church on Sundays, tears streaked my cheeks as I turned towards the wall and worshiped the only friend I had, my father God. The sadness made it hard to open up to anyone but him because I wasn’t sure people would understand.

One Sunday, having arrived early to make sure I grabbed my usual seat on the mezzanine level of the church, right next to the wall, I saw a young lady walk down the row and sit a chair away from me. I turned to the wall and rolled my eyes in irritation, wondering why she had decided to come as close to me as possible when there were tons of other empty seats to choose from.

Then, to my utter dismay, she turned to me with a huge smile and started chatting! Oh, God! Couldn’t she see that I just wanted to be left alone? I had mastered the art of the artificial smile from my job, so I used it as I plotted my escape.

However, my interest soon grew into curiosity as Natasha told me she had moved from Belarus and had no family or friends in Edinburgh so the church was her main solace. I saw that her smile reached her eyes, and she was sincerely interested in what I had to say. So, when she asked me if I wanted to come to her place for lunch after the service, to my surprise I said, “Yes!”

I didn’t know how starved I was for true friendship but, of course, my good Father knew and as we ate her traditional beetroot soup that afternoon, I found myself opening up like a flower in bloom under the rays of the summer sun.

As I had walked to Natasha’s that December day, I smiled. I felt a tingle of joy as I anticipated the hot meal that she’d prepared for us. I was grateful that I hadn’t run away to my cave of solitude that fateful Sunday when the tall, pretty lady came to sit near me!

Her friendship was like an oasis in the desert of my loneliness. I looked up at the dusk sky and thanked God for sending me my very own raven to feed my aching heart just like He had sent ravens to feed Elijah as he hid in the cave by the brook. He knew that I needed hope and had sent me a friend to offer hot meals, companionship and, mainly, laughter, just when I needed it most! I quickened my pace. Life was meaningful and good once again!