I’m so happy that DiAnn Mills is sharing a story of a strong woman of Africa today.
Here’s DiAnn:

The Courage to Take a Stand

When I think of courageous women, I think of Rosemary of Kenya. I first met her at a Christian guest house in Nairobi in November 2006. My husband had arranged for her to escort me into Southern Sudan so I could research a novel. I was excited about the trip, and she’d done all the leg work to make it happen. With a smile and a genuine hug, we became fast friends.

I didn’t assume a journey into a third world country would be easy. But with Rosemary having made several trips into Southern Sudan, I knew I was in capable and loving hands. She and I had our share of adventures. Once, while driving beyond the city limits of Juba, Sudan, our driver ran out of gas. I swallowed my apprehension and modeled my behavior after calm Rosemary. I prayed hard, and the situation worked out fine. Another time, we were in a car and suddenly found ourselves trapped by several vehicles. Just like the hub of a bicycle wheel, the spokes had us trapped. Again, I modeled my behavior after Rosemary, and a vehicle finally moved to allow us to pass.

One evening, several of us were sitting outside our compound. A man began to tease Rosemary about her heroic feats during the two decade long civil war between northern and southern Sudan. Rosemary had journeyed to the northernmost province of southern Sudan to bring food and medical aid to the suffering people. Amidst gunfire from enemy soldiers, she had to choose between diving into a snake-infested shelter and dodging bullets. She chose the snakes.

Today, Rosemary is hard at work helping the people of Boma, Sudan. Initially, she approached this primitive tribe of mountain people for permission to build a school. Once that was obtained, she gathered teachers to show them how to make bricks for the building, construct a mill for grinding grain, and lay out other buildings in the community. Through her leadership, the children of Boma are obtaining an education, and the people have learned about nutrition, sanitation, and Jesus. Did I mention she is a single parent rearing four daughters? All four girls are devoted to missions and the cause of Christ.

Who knows what tomorrow may bring for Rosemary? But one thing I know for sure is she will not allow a threat of danger to stop her from following God’s will.

You can read about Rosemary’s work at http://www.sea-partners.org/.