Sarah Nakigozi loves teaching children and encouraging teachers. That is why supervising the five kindergarten classes at Legacy Christian Academy is the perfect fit for Sarah. Sarah enjoys nurturing this year’s 144 K1 and K2 students, knowing that the love these children receive at LCA is the only love that some of them ever experience.
Sarah can relate firsthand, as her own parents gave her up at the age of three to be raised by a distant aunt. Her mother never came to check on her, so it was difficult to comprehend at age 11 when she met a stranger who introduced herself as “your mom.” Sarah remembers, “It was weird” even though she was craving to know her real mom. Sarah met her dad when she was 18 years old. He requested to see her when he was sick in the hospital and died two days after meeting her.
But looking back, Sarah can now see many blessings in her strange childhood. She says, “When I compare myself to my siblings, I see it was God’s plan, since my siblings didn’t attain to the education level I did. And in terms of care, I got better care since my (biological) mom wasn’t always at home, and they weren’t cared for well. But my auntie was always home.”
One of Sarah’s greatest challenges has been learning to forgive her mom. She explains, “God has been training my heart to forgive. We are ok now.” She attributes this newfound forgiveness to the Bible studies at SOS Ministries, beginning with a women’s conference on Titus 2 shortly after coming to SOS. She realized, “how a God-fearing woman must behave” and is thankful God used the Word to soften her heart. She says, “I last saw my mom in January. Our relationship is growing now.”
Education wasn’t always easy. After Sarah’s third year in secondary school, her aunt couldn’t afford to continue her education, forcing Sarah to suspend learning. When the pastor of the church she attended heard about it, he graciously sponsored her to resume high school and even sponsored her college education.
Sarah began attending a Pentecostal church near her college. The church had assigned a mentor to Sarah who explained to her that going to church was not enough to save someone. “She asked if I had repented of my sin. She told me about my Adamic sin. Then I felt like I had never repented of sin. In Pentecostal churches we prayed, but I didn’t know the Word of God very much. I was just listening. She (my mentor) didn’t guide me well on how to read (or study the Bible), so I used to depend on her. Yes, I repented. But to know who Jesus really is didn’t happen until I came to SOS.”
Sarah is thankful to have learned how to study her Bible in context in women’s Bible studies. She is also thankful for the Sunday sermons at Community Bible Church of Kubamitwe, which she explains is different from her Pentecostal background. “I was used to the pastor picking out one verse—spiritualizing each verse to his own purposes. But here, they explain verse by verse, not jumping from here to there.”
Toward the end of college, two SOS staff members, Damon Cupp and Solomon Kavuma, came to her campus, recruiting teachers for Legacy Christian Academy. Sarah applied shortly thereafter and was hired as a kindergarten assistant teacher. She held this position for one year before being promoted to a third grade main teacher. She enjoyed this role until her promotion to kindergarten supervisor last year. Sarah currently supervises five kindergarten classes and is responsible for encouraging her ten teachers to grow professionally and spiritually. She is looking forward to starting a Bible study with them soon.
Sarah is so thankful for the unique environment at LCA, specifically, “the love that is among the teachers. There is that love. You can see it. No one has enemies. God is working in the hearts of people.” She also appreciates the supportive leadership. “This is my first workplace, but my friends have told me about their bosses in other places, and those aren’t the kinds of bosses I want to work for. I am thankful for the leadership at Legacy.”
She is grateful to be part of a ministry under SOS Ministries. She is thankful for the emphasis on the Bible at SOS. She explains, “I was giving a tour for some visitors, and I told them my favorite thing about SOS is the Bible. At each corner, there is Bible. You go to choir…Bible. You go home… Bible studies. The Word of God is everywhere.” Sarah loves singing in the choir, leading her weekly Bible study, and spending time with her closest friends, her fellow teachers.
Sarah believes that the Word of God has impacted our entire community. As a CBCK women’s Bible study leader in Kubamitwe, Sarah is involved in shepherding the women in our community. Acknowledging that our community is far from perfect, Sarah expounds, “Of course there are some challenges in it, but the Word of God brings that love among people. In our Bible study, two ladies were having a conflict and had heard gossip about each other. The Word of God brought them together. I shared Matthew 18:15 and they each saw their mistakes and apologized to each other. The Word of God has impacted the entire community with love.”
Please pray for Sarah as she daily pours out her life for her students, teachers, church family, and community. Sarah shared these specific requests with us:
- To remain faithful to the Lord.
- For my mom’s salvation—and my entire family’s salvation. My siblings go to Pentecostal churches, but I’m not sure they are real believers.
- For God’s wisdom as I lead those teachers.
- For my relationship life—that the Lord would bring me that partner that is right for me.
Thank you for praying for Sarah. And thank you for enabling SOS Ministries to hire ministers such as Sarah to invest in LCA and our community!
