MIRRORING THE FATHER’S LOVE

Barbara Katende is a Latter-day Saint in Uganda and shared her personal history and testimony with the LDS Women Project.

I am Nalweyiso Barbara Katende Ojera, born in Kampala, Uganda to Jonathan Katende Bakiranze and Nakibuuka Lovinsa Katende on 10th December 1973. In the family hierarchy, I am the last born to my mother whose first marriage had failed before she met my father to whom I became the firstborn. This unique position made me a darling to both of my parents. My father was a teacher by profession and guided my early educational pursuit with loving strictness. On the other hand, my mother was a businesswoman who dealt in second-hand clothes, predictably therefore, you can imagine how smartly dressed I always was and I learned the virtue of neatness in my early years.

As the case is with most African converts into religion, I automatically belonged to the Anglican Church together with my parents. Life was bliss, but when I turned 16, my father was poisoned and he passed on. I had gone to the village home for a school holiday 62 miles from the capital, Kampala, when the tragic news was announced on radio. My young mind could not comprehend fully the news and that drove me to return all the way to Kampala on a bus without realizing I didn’t have my shoes and was barefoot, in an attempt to find facts for myself that he had actually died. We never learned who was responsible for my father’s death, or why. I missed my father so dearly and wish he could see me grow into an adult and become the responsible woman I am.

Being a teacher himself, my father ensured I went to Bat Valley Primary School, one of the best at the time, and I proceeded for secondary education at Light College, an Adventist school from 1987- 1990, that greatly influenced my belief. I became religiously very active, including being a Choir member. In Uganda Certificate of Education final exams in 1990, I was the best student and earned a scholarship from the school, which I turned down due to a strong desire to change schools. Instead, I went to Kitante Hill secondary school in Kampala for my Advanced level education, completed in 1993, and joined Light Bureau of Accountancy where I pursued a Diploma in Accountancy, a profession I had always longed to pursue. This readily prepared me for the job market and I worked part-time in Standard Chartered Bank headquarters before joining Police Children School as an assistant Bursar.

In January 1996, I rented an apartment in a housing estate in Kibuye. I took notice of a young man, James, who was visiting his cousin there when he displayed a keen interest in the children in the estate, coupled with his great sense of humor. I enquired about him from the cousin who told me he worked in the bank, where interestingly the school where I worked held an account. He also noticed me because we had the same interest in loving children. I was touched by how he related to them and that’s how we started interacting. It didn’t take long before we started dating and the rest is history.

At one period, we rented a two-room house in Makindye near the Makindye Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every evening, James sat outside on the verandah reading his books and noticed two smartly dressed young men pass by and gleefully wave to him. By and by, he took interest and invited them over. They turned out to be missionaries from the Church, and James, true to form, engaged them in hearty discussions. The visits continued and when I was invited to join the discussions, I roundly refused without even knowing what I was missing. At the time, I was attending a Pentecostal church and I loved it there, while James went to the Catholic Church. To accord me respect, James and ‘his missionaries’ (as I used to refer to them) shifted their discussions to the Church premises.

After some time, James announced to me that he was going to be baptized. On the appointed day, I packed what he would need for his baptism and he joyfully left to receive the ordinance. Shortly, he came back looking so disappointed. “What’s the problem? Were you baptized? Why are you looking so sad?” I rained questions at him. He calmly entered the house, took a seat, and said, “No. I have been denied baptism on account of cohabitating with you.” I couldn’t help but sympathize with him, and eventually allowed the missionaries to teach me if only to make James feel good. In the end, I got a personal testimony, and we were baptized together on 1st November 2003.

We became very dedicated members of the Church and my first calling was a teacher for Youth Class, and this helped me to search more in the scriptures for fear of being challenged by the youth. I realized how much Heavenly Father had always been on our side and regretted that I had wasted a lot of time. I endeavored to always live by and renewed my covenant every Sabbath. In 2004, I went to Namibia where I stayed for four years; when there, I didn’t have the opportunity to attend church since the location where I was staying had no Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. When I came back to Uganda in 2008, the Relief Society sisters of Makindye Branch warmly welcomed me and indeed I felt at home. I was called to serve as a 2nd Counselor in the Young Women, a responsibility I embraced with enthusiasm. I was later to serve as a secretary to the Stake Primary Presidency, and 1st Counselor to the Stake Relief Society Presidency and was released when Kampala Stake was divided into North and South Stakes. I was recently released as a Relief Society counselor and I am eagerly waiting for the next calling.

To pave way for our wedding, James had to comply with our cultural norms of traditional marriage known as kwanjula, a colorful and joyous ceremony in which the man comes to the woman’s parents’ home with an escort of friends and relatives. They come in a convoy to meet the parents of the woman and when they arrive, there are lots of tents. The man’s group sits on one side, and the woman’s side sits on another. The parents come and greet the men and entertain them. The men are welcomed into the woman’s home and thereafter the parents consent to having him as a son too. In Buganda (the central region of Uganda), bride price is not apportioned but the men bring gifts in appreciation to the girl’s parents for nurturing her. In my case, lots of gifts were brought including a cow, goats, a water tank, clothing, and many others. After the men have been accepted, the party starts—lots of food, music, and merrymaking activities. This was done at my parents’ home on 19th December 2009.

Thereafter, we got wedded at the Church’s Kololo Stake Center on 11th September 2010. One year later, a most treasured event happened in our lives when we were blessed to travel to the Johannesburg Temple in South Africa with our three children (we had a fourth child after) and were sealed. We performed temple work for our departed parents and grandparents as well.

During my sojourn in Namibia, I observed social workers attending to the needs of vulnerable people, including myself as a foreigner. This touched me so profoundly and I developed a strong desire to become a social worker and help put a smile on people’s faces. In 2010, I enrolled for a degree course in Social Works and Social Administration, paid for by my loving husband alongside competing demands, and I graduated from Kampala International University with First-Class Honors in 2013.

In one of the field visits during our study program, one elderly person, Kulabako, hugely touched me by her dedication toiling to look after her grandchildren, provide for and sustain them. On this particular visit, I realized they had no food and other basic needs, and even though I was a student myself, I offered to buy her some food. To my chagrin, she roundly refused but instead requested that if I could raise 50,000 shillings ($13 US dollars), she would be able to start a small-scale charcoal business that would sustain them beyond the food offer. I promptly mobilized the money from my friends and we handed it to her. When we next visited, she had successfully established the business and expressed much appreciation.

We visited many other older persons who complained of isolation, and the children they live with, and were motivated to form an organization to cater for the needs of these vulnerable people. Eventually, we established and registered AVEC International (Assistance Vulnerability Elderly and Children) as a non-governmental organization. The establishment and work with AVEC International have fulfilled the yearning I craved to always do good and serve Heavenly Father’s people, and put a smile on their faces, which triggers me to strive to do more. In keeping with the organization’s mission to transform the lives of the people both socially and economically, we encourage, counsel, share, and teach the vulnerable groups to be self-reliant. In this wise, we have been able to positively change lives, and we attribute all these to the loving care our Heavenly Father has for His children.

When AVEC was ready to expand, we wanted to open another office location. Because of logistics, we started a second organization, called the OBEMA Center for Elderly and Children (OCEAN). Obema means “great and brave.” Our humble work is limited by our small outreach capacity so far, but we cherish the opportunity to reach out where we can. I am currently the Executive Director and Officer in charge of the children, two positions. Our office is in Maganjo, and we have a Facebook presence.

My family, husband, and children, fully understand my passion and are quite supportive of my work even if it does not offer me any reasonable pay, for which I am extremely grateful.

I testify that if we mirror the profound love our Heavenly Father bestowed upon us and extend it to others, the world will be a better place for all as we prepare to go back and live with Him for time and eternity.

AT A GLANCE

Nalweyiso Barbara Katende Ojera

Age: 50

Location: Kawanda, Wakiso District, Uganda

Marital History: Married to James Ojera Latigo, sealed in the Johannesburg Temple in 2012

Children: Four children, three boys and one girl

Occupation: Social Worker, currently Executive Director/Officer in charge of OVC (orphans and vulnerable children)

Convert to the Church: baptized 3rd November, 2003

Schools Attended: Kampala International University, B.A. social work and social administration

Languages Spoken At Home: English, Luganda, Luo (Acholi)

Favorite Hymn: I Know That My Redeemer Lives

At A Glance

Interview Produced By: Trina Caudle