RESTY & JUSTINE’S STORY

When our friends, John and Helen Burns from Relate Church in Canada, recently visited us we took them to one of our church small groups. This particular group was started by two of our Neighbourhood Mothers, Resty and Justine. When we arrived, we were welcomed by 30 ladies who warmly greeted us with their beautiful smiles, singing and ululating.

Justine began to share her story with us. Bright-eyed and well dressed, we would never have guessed the hardship this amazing woman has had to endure. A few years prior, she lost her husband and was looking after eight children—six of her own and two she had taken in. Her whole world was turned upside down when her husband died. Without a job or an education, she had to find ways to fend for her family on her own.

We were then introduced to Resty, who is full of life and bursting with creative ideas. She shared how the father of her children abandoned her and left her with no support for their two children. Our hearts broke as we learned of the rejection she felt. Not only did she feel helpless and humiliated, but she was left extremely poor, broken and bitter.

We thank God their story has turned into something incredible. Since they were embraced by Watoto Neighbourhood in 2016, they’ve experienced a love they’d never felt before—the love of Jesus—and they learned how to forgive.

Resty with her daughter Faith & son Perry

In this family, Resty and Justine found friendship and sisterhood. They were equipped with skills in tailoring and creating colorful crafts. They received basic business training and started to earn a steady income, enabling them to send their children to school. They were also taught the importance of sharing their skills and empowering their community. It’s here, Resty’s natural creative flair and Justine’s dogged determination combined to begin a beautiful story that would change not only their own lives, but the lives of many women, children and families in their neighbourhood.

Inspired by what they had been taught, Resty and Justine started a small group in their community, and began to share, not only the love of Jesus they have come to know so well, but also the skills they had learned. The group started small and rapidly grew. Today, Resty and Justine run a local business, empowering and equipping over 60 women. Their story is a beautiful picture of the love of Jesus in action. That’s why we’re here and why we do what we do.

Justine with her son Fabian & daughter Gloria