I have walked in Samuel's village, and have seen the mud hut that he helped to build as a toddler, I have seen the war camps, and I have even crawled through the tall grass with a camera, imagining what it was like to play "hide-and seek" when the enemy attacked. I have touched his scars, and in writing, I have vicariously lived this story, writing each page while imagining myself to be Samuel, and his story to be my own. This book will bring you through the joys of childhood in the simplicity of Ugandan village life, the traumas of war, and the struggles of life, that have molded Samuel into the Ambassador -the missionary - that he is today; a testimony of the profound healing that comes through forgiveness.In a torture chamber, back in 2002, Samuel promised that, if God would free him, he would share that testimony with the world. This book is a means to that end. "Enter into the difficult life circumstances of Samuel Okurut and be compelled by his triumph over his painful past, made possible through his faith in Jesus. Then, be stirred to action to help he and his wife, Charity, live out their calling to help orphaned children in El Salvador. You'll be inspired!"-Katy Luehm (First Edition, Kindle)_______________________________________"A very touching story. Well written too!"-Laura Yankov (First Edition, Kindle)___________________________________________"Oh, yes! This is one of those books! One of those books that you can't put aside. The way the stories are shared make you feel like you are right there in every moment Samuel experienced. You feel the anxiety, frustration, discomfort, and pain, but also cries of joy and celebration when God worked each and every one of the miracles shared. The words used, the testimonies shared, their ministry and testimonies add up to a wonderful and quick-reading book, that will bless your life! It is one of those few books where you can still feel God's peace and care while reading! It inspires! It encourages! It gives you hope for healing, and to trust the Lord! I'm blessed to be able to call them my brother and sister in Christ. Samuel and Charity, may God continue to use and guide your ways! Love, Gelmarie Missionery from Puerto Rico in El Salvador (2001)" (First Edition, Kindle) Thank you for looking at our book! We hope that this story will be an encouragement and blessing to you! This book will bring you back with me (Samuel) to my childhood: to the joys of being a young boy on my Papa's farm in Uganda, to the traumas of war and the struggles of life that have brought me to where I am today.  The purpose of writing this book is to be a testimony, bringing glory to God. Through every adversity, through all of the trials and testing of my faith, God was there and He was on His throne. He is there in your life too.  My life story includes descriptions of war and torture, so is not suitable for young children.  Sensitive readers may wish to skim over chapters fourteen and fifteen. In the middle of a torture chamber in 2002, Samuel promised that if God would free him, he would tell everyone that he met about what God had done. We hope to fulfill that promise in an even greater way, through print - declaring God's power and His mighty acts, even to generations to come. I (Charity) was there in Uganda, the evening when Samuel first shared about how he had been harbouring unforgivingness toward those who had orchestrated three and a half months of torture for him and his cousins. I could see the pain on his face and hear the bitterness of his soul as he wept and confessed the hurt, and hatred that he carried. I could also see some of the scars from his torture, the most obvious one being a large keloid on his neck, the size of his thumb, which he explained had come from a whip. While I was impacted by Samuel's story, the depth of his grief and the struggle to forgive, I could not know the profundity of the healing that began that day, nor how my own story would become so intertwined with his. That was 15 years ago, and our stories have since become one. This is Samuel's story. I have heard him tell it so many times, I have sat with his family and heard their perspectives, I have walked through the war camps, and crawled through the grass where he was forced to "play" hide-and-seek when the enemy attacked. I have vicariously lived this story through writing; reliving Samuel's past as if it was my own. May you be impacted and encouraged by this testimony of the saving power of God , and of the profound healing that comes through forgiveness. Born in Canada in May 1981, Charity is a homeschooling momma and missionary wife. She loves discipleship, research, writing, time at the beach, and sipping (good organic) coffee with a good friend. Her greatest joy is in seeing a child come to know who God is and who they are in Him.     She also reads and researches on a wide variety of subjects such as: theology, nutrition, childcare, orphan care, leadership, and biblical cou