Meet Opito Judith, an original teacher at Living Stones Christian School

Opito Judith has experienced God’s grace and mercy throughout her life, from the time she made the decision to follow Him to the time He opened doors for her to become a teacher. She praises God for giving her new life and for her passion to teach. Judith is one of three original teachers at Living Stones Christian School. She, along with Nyaromo Sofie and Onen Joseph Mark, have taught at the school since it first opened in 2016. Now they are part of a team of 21 teachers and school staff employees. 

Judith, 49, is Lango by tribe from the north-central region of Uganda. Her native language is Lango. Both of her parents passed away when she was still very young, so she grew up moving around to live with different people, which wasn’t easy for her.

“I ended up in not a good way. If my life was not okay, I was doing things that doesn’t please God. No one was there to guide me. I was just on my own by then. By that time, people were not even concerned about God. No one was there to parent me,” she said. “So, the reason why I am here today is because of God’s grace.”

Judith remembers the day a woman, who was going door to door to spread the gospel, came to her home. Judith welcomed the woman inside, and they sat and talked. The woman shared scripture with Judith, specifically John chapter 3 where Jesus is teaching Nicodemus how to be born again to enter the Kingdom of God.

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again,’” John 3:5-7.

The woman continued to teach Judith through this passage.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son,” John 3:16-18.

After listening to all of this, Judith told the women she needed time to think about all that she’d heard and asked the woman to come back again another day. For three days, the scripture was on Judith’s mind and the Holy Spirit was working on her heart. On the fourth day, the woman returned, and Judith was ready to give her life to Christ.

“Now I know Christ. He died for my sins,” she said. “When something is burdening me, I run to the Bible, get in the Word of God, read, and meditate on the Word.”

Judith had the opportunity to go back to school, and after completing her training at Loro Senior School, she moved to Gulu to teach. On Saturday’s, she and her four children dug in gardens to earn more income. Judith and her husband were divorced, so she raised her children as a single mother. Her first-born daughter is now a primary 3 teacher at another school, her other two daughters are going to school to earn certificates, and her son is currently in primary 6 at LSCS.

“I decided to become a teacher because I love children. It was my calling. I thought, if I don’t become a teacher, maybe I will become a policewoman. Those were my ambitions, and then God drove me to become a teacher,” she said.

The second school Judith taught at in Gulu, Sanctuary of Grace, eventually closed down, but her missionary friend, Lisa, helped her find another school where she could teach. Lisa connected Judith to Four Corners Ministries, and she went to Abaana’s Hope in 2015 to become a teacher for Living Stones Christian School, which was under development.

“It was all because of God’s mercy and grace upon me. God’s grace brought me here. I love being here because of the gospel of God. These two schools where I was teaching were not teaching the way we do here. Here we are teaching in a biblical way,” Judith said.

The typical Ugandan student is taught using rote memory techniques that fail to equip students to think for themselves and solve complicated problems. Teachers at LSCS, like Judith, are trained to equip students to see the world through a Christian worldview, teaching each student how to think instead of what to think. Using an integrated Christian curriculum designed especially for Ugandan children, LSCS is providing a top-quality education for its students.

Judith has a passion for teaching phonics and language development. Those are her favorite subjects. Through phonics, she teaches the children to read, and through language development, she teaches them the English language. Every day she is encouraged to see her students learning and to hear parents share that their children are practicing at home.

“I just love it. I want them also to know how to read and how to speak,” she said. “English helps open the door, and I want their foundation to be strong.”

In Uganda, every tribe has their own language, which can make communication difficult. There are about 56 tribes in the country, which means over 50 languages. After gaining independence from the British in 1962, this predicament led Uganda to declare English as the country’s official language. English is now used for business, government affairs, and education. 

In January, Judith and the other teachers prepared for over 200 students to return to class on February 3. The term ends on May 5, and the next term will begin in June. This year, Judith has 32 students in her class. 

“The first day is always very exciting. These children love the school. You see how they love it,” she said. “In other primary schools, if the children are few, they don’t teach. The teacher will just come and sit under the tree, but in private school, even if there are few, we teach them. Every Tuesday here we also have chapel in the church for all the children.”

Judith asks for prayers for the school and the teachers, specifically that God will give them wisdom and the fruits of the spirit. Please pray for Judith as she works to provide for her four children and for her health.