Don't Quit

A picture which hangs at the convent next door

This past Tuesday, Derek and I went to visit St. Anthony school, in a small village called Kasanje, where I will be spending most of my time. I was introduced to this school last time I visited Uganda, and it made a great impression on me. The small staff at the school is passionate and dedicated, although none of them are qualified to teach. The owners of this school, Paul and Mary, have faced a continuous struggle in their efforts to keep the school afloat, but as the children are unable to pay their full school fees, they have often been left with large debts. In addition, there are disputes about the land which make them fear losing the school property they have worked so hard to build and maintain. To many, the situation seems hopeless.

When we arrived, the children welcomed us with a short drill and some songs. I have heard the routine before, but they really captured my heart in a new way this time. My eyes welled up as I listened to them. I want them to succeed. I want to see those bright little faces at P-7 graduation, and not to see them among the 63% who never complete primary school. I want them to become physically, mentally, and spiritually mature young men and women, able to develop to their full potential.

But how can they get a quality education without qualified teachers? And how can the school secure qualified teachers (or help teachers gain qualifications) without money to pay them? And how can they get money if they children cannot pay their school fees? And how can they make the money to pay their school fees? What comes first: the chicken or the egg?

Tuesday's Gospel reading was the story of the woman with hemorrhages. We read, “There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse...” (Mk. 5:25-26) Believing that some cure is available and possible, she invests her whole self in searching for it, but instead finds only greater suffering and the added problem of debt. I am sure, to many, her situation seemed hopeless.

But she continues to have faith, and her great faith is rewarded when she meets the Lord. She touches his cloak, and in a single moment, everything changes.

Similarly, the Lord has inspired Paul and Mary with great faith to persevere despite many challenges, setbacks and sufferings. He knows the plans He has in mind for these children, plans to give them a future full of hope. As His heart was moved with compassion for the woman who came to him for healing, and as He desired to grant her heart’s request, I am sure He is so moved by the prayers and heart-cries of the students of St. Anthony.

This poem hangs on the wall of the woman I stay with. Seems very fitting:

DON’T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill
When funds are low and debts are high
And you want to smile but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns
As everyone of us sometimes learns
And may a person turns about
When they might have won had they stuck it out
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow
You may succeed with another blow

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup
And he learned too late when the night came down
How close he was to the golden crown

Success is failure turned inside out
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you musn’t quit.