Lalam Monica

Lalam Monica grew up without her mother and father. She was just a baby when they were killed by the rebels in war. She doesn’t know what her mother looked like and has never even seen a photograph of her. She began to grow up with her grandfather in Kinene. As the war intensified, she went to Paicho IDP Camp where she dug in a garden to earn money for food which was delivered to the camp once a month. There was a shortage of food and water and no medicines or vaccines. Many died while in the camp because of the conditions there. One night the rebels entered the camp and took her and five others, tying them together with ropes connected to rocks. The government troops arrived and in the exchange of gunfire, Monica and the other girls ran into a hut. The army dispersed and left them in the house. Monica now knows it was God who saved them that day.

After her time at the camp, she was sent to Kampala for a time to work as a house helper at a young age. She returned to the Gulu area at age 14 and lived with her older brother. Life continued to be hard for them because they were so young and on their own. In 2005, at the age of 16, she ended up in a relationship looking for help and in 2005 had her first son.

Eventually that marriage ended, and she came back to her brother. Monica was then married to her second husband and gave birth to a son and life continued with the same hardships.

In 2013 when Life Beads started, Monica was able to get a job with the ministry. She had already learned some of the paper rolling skills during her time at the Paicho IDP Camp during the war, so she was able to start her job with a little experience. When she joined Life Beads her life became much easier. Monica now has four children and while none of her husbands have ever helped her support them, with Life Beads, she can support them herself. Life Beads is helping her so much because she can pay medical bills, school fees and other needs. She no longer has to labor all day for one meal. She can provide for her full family. She now owns her own home in Kinene and hosts a Bible study for teen girls her daughters' age each week. The Word of God has come to her through Life Beads, and she is thankful. The Gospel being shared and the encouragement through the time together in scripture helps when times are hard because she always has a group to share and pray with. Monica found Christ in this job. She often says that life isn’t easy but when you stick to the Word of God, things are bearable, and you can do it with joy. Monica loves the missionaries and visitors from the states and their excitement to share the Word of God that has encouraged her.