May 21, 2025 • 59 mins
Imagine losing your parents at the age of nine and finding solace in the warmth of a godly family's embrace. Betty Simon's journey from a small Ugandan village to the United States is a testament to the power of faith and perseverance. With the support of the Good Samaritan Ministries and a compassionate sponsor couple, Betty's life was transformed from being an orphan to becoming a beacon of hope. This episode of Retreat to Peace captures Betty's remarkable story, filled with heartfelt memories of her village, the profound impact of her sponsors, and her mission to spread healing and resilience.
From the close-knit communal spirit of her village to the bustling life in Kampala, Betty's experiences are a blend of challenges and triumphs. She shares vivid descriptions of her childhood, marked by traditional foods, daily activities, and the resilience that defined her upbringing. Her journey through loss, the emotional hurdles of being an orphan, and the unwavering faith that carried her through it all are deeply moving. Betty's transition from village life to the capital city brings forth reflections on adaptability, gratitude, and the unshakeable support of a loving family and community.
Betty's adventure continues across continents, as she navigates between Uganda and the United States for education and eventually settles down, inspired by a profound spiritual calling. This episode highlights her endeavors, including her YouTube channel "God's Word for Us by Betty" and her upcoming book that aims to inspire hope through her personal experiences. Betty's heartfelt message encourages listeners to extend compassion and support to those in need, underscoring the transformative impact of kindness. Tune in for an uplifting conversation filled with words of encouragement, hope, and a powerful reminder to hold on to faith, no matter the challenges life presents.
Please visit us at: http://retreattopeace.com to find out more about the shows you love to listen to, the upcoming retreats we have planned and your favorite merchandise to help support those in need. Also, send us your testimonial of how the show or Catherine has helped you. We would love to share your story on the air.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Catherine Daniels (00:10):
Welcome to Retreat to Peace.
I'm so glad you found us.
My name is Catherine Danielsand one thing we know is nothing
is permanent except our soulsand as we travel through one
another's countries and wecreate a bridge as one people
living in this one world, Iinvite you to listen to our
(00:34):
signature talk today and hearall about the special, unique
possibilities that you may haveas you journey through your own
life.
We welcome you to go tohttps://catherinedaniels.
(01:03):
com to learn, get comfortableand cozy up as we dive into
our signature talk today.
Welcome back to retreat topeace, and this is Catherine
(01:36):
Daniels.
Today I am super excited towelcome my dear friend, betty
simon to the show.
Betty and I actually met at aconference and we sat next to
each other and we developed thisreally wonderful, unique
connection and she has such anamazing testimony that I would
(01:59):
love my audience to hear,because it just inspires so much
hope and so many things thatyou can do with your life with
perseverance and having faithand just knowing that the sky's
the limit and you're unstoppable.
So I am so, so happy to shareBetty to the world stage here on
(02:24):
Retreat to Peace.
So, betty, from one side of thecountry to the other side of
the country.
Welcome to the show.
Betty Simon (02:33):
Thank you so, so much.
Thank you for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here.
My name, like you said, it isBetty Simon.
I was born in Uganda in a very,very small village in the remote
of Masaka, and at age nine Ihad lost both my parents.
(02:55):
I was an orphan and I was takenin by a family that raised me
up and helped me to know Godmore, because it was a godly
family, and they educated methrough an organization called
Good Samaritan Ministries.
With a help, and then, throughGood Samaritan Ministries, I got
(03:17):
sponsors who are here inAmerica and they are the reason
I even came to the US, and theyare the reason I even came to
the US.
And when I got older and readyto get married, god brought a
wonderful, wonderful man.
His name is Shane Simon andwe've been married going on to
10 years and we have twin boyswho are eight years old eight
(03:48):
years old, and I'm just gratefulfor all that God has done for
me, for an orphan who washelpless, to be hopeful.
Now I want to help the world tobe hopeful, to be to know that
no matter what you're goingthrough, god can come through
for you.
Catherine Daniels (04:00):
So that's why yeah, and that's why we've been
brought together, becausethat's the mission that we have.
For everyone that is listeningto the show, it's a lot of hope
and healing and all the thingsthat come to give you that
greater peace and joy.
So, thank you for sharing alittle bit about your journey to
(04:21):
the US, and you know whatyou've gone through, but I know
you didn't even like touch,really touch on your journey,
because you've had an incrediblejourney.
So I think, um, one place we'llget started is let's just go
back to the very beginning.
I mean, as you, you were inUganda.
(04:42):
You had this remote village.
So for somebody who's listeningto the show, maybe they're in
Australia or in Iceland orCanada.
You know there's so many placesDescribe what that was like to
be a little girl in Uganda.
Betty Simon (05:03):
Yes, thank you for asking me that question.
It was beautiful, it was reallynice.
I was born in a very smallfamily and in the village where
I was born everybody was in thesame shoes.
They were all the same people.
It was a community, very, verytiny area, but people were
(05:30):
loving and kind and helpful toeach other.
It was a community Almost.
Everybody was in everyone'slives.
They were knowing each other.
We knew people from as far as Idon't even know how to describe
a little farther than even justour little village.
It was a community village.
(05:50):
So that was really good.
My parents were reallywonderful, wonderful people.
They were really really good.
The area I was born in was verypoor, you very poor.
We.
We hardly had anything, but wehad food because my parents were
subsistence farmers meant thatthey grew food that we ate and
(06:14):
then they would have just alittle bit left over to sell and
be able to buy the essentials,like salt, like paraffin which
is like gas here in America, Ithink you would call it but to
light up the little lantern thatwe used to use in the night and
soap.
We didn't have things that weare luxurious, like sugar.
(06:37):
We didn't even have sugar.
So we didn't have sugar.
Sugar to us was, oh, they'relike a wonderful thing.
You know, now that I'm grownand people are saying don't have
sugar, don't do sugar.
When we were young it wassomething I would have once in a
while.
But life was good.
We just ate normal food, likebananas and cassava.
(07:01):
We have a typical banana thatis called matoke, so we call, we
peel it.
It kind of looks like bananashere, but you, you eat it green,
you peel it, you cook it andmash it and eat it or cook with
beans, cassava, potatoes, sweetpotatoes.
But we, we grew everything.
We didn't buy any food and ifyour food was ready to harvest
(07:24):
sooner than your neighbor, youhad to share with your neighbors
.
Like the corn is ready, butsomebody's corn is not ready, so
you shared with that.
And for me as a person, I wasattacked from when I got into my
mother's womb.
That is what I can say, becausewhen my mother was pregnant
(07:46):
with me she got so, so sick theentire pregnancy.
They were so afraid that shewas going to pass away, and of
course I would have passed awaywith her.
But to cut that whole storyshort, I was born, you know, and
then, when I was born, I was sosick for the first two years of
my life.
But God was working behind sinsand even when the doctors lost
(08:09):
hope, my father lost hope, mymother held on to the hope that
I'll be all right, you know.
And then by miraculous, I gothealed at some point and things
started coming in here and there, here and there.
But I'm grateful that I had mymom who held on to hope.
(08:31):
My father held on to hope untilthe doctor said you know what?
There is nothing that we can do, just wait for the day she's
going to go.
And he kind of lost a littlehope.
But my mom told him she wasn'tgoing to lose the hope.
So anyway, I got over that andI got well, I flourished.
(08:51):
But then when I was eight yearsold, my dad died.
When I was nine, my mom diedand then it was kind of now
really hopeless, because atfirst I was like, oh, I have my
mom, I have my dad, you know,like a little young girl running
around, going to the neighbors,playing with kids, going to
fetch water.
We cooked our food on firewood,so we had to collect the
(09:16):
firewood.
So I loved doing that.
I love to go, like in theforest or in the garden and just
get some dry pieces and cookfood, and I enjoyed.
As a little girl I enjoyed mylife because I didn't know any
better.
I didn't know that I had tohave shoes, you know, because
everybody didn't have shoes, Ididn't.
I had to have nice clothesbecause everybody in the village
(09:55):
had no nice clothes.
So it was just, um, if anybodyever travels to like a third
world country and deep in thevillage, they can understand't
like good water.
You know, it was really notgood water, but that's what we
had and that's what we used andwe didn't even get that sick
from the water.
Of course there is malaria andpeople get sick and people get,
(10:17):
of course, die.
But it wasn't like, oh, as soonas you drink water you're going
to get sick or you're going todie right away.
But that's how the life was.
It was a simple, simple life butenjoyable, because you didn't
have anybody to compare yourselfwith.
You didn't have to worry that,oh, so-and-so has a car, but I
don't have a car.
Or so-and-so can afford sugar,but we can't.
(10:39):
We didn't have that.
Everybody was like that.
And if you run out of salt youcan go to the neighbor and ask
for a little salt.
They will give it to you, theywill share and they will do the
same thing.
They will send us the littleone.
Go to Mrs So-and-so and tellthem to give us a little sugar.
Sorry, salt, we didn't havesugar.
I don't know why I kept sayingsugar but salt.
(10:59):
So it was really beautiful.
Yeah, I loved it.
I loved it until I learnedabout death, and but even when
death came, god paved the wayfor me to be in another family
that took care of me, so Ienjoyed my childhood well, I'm
listening to you and, first ofall, there's people listening.
Catherine Daniels (11:22):
They don't see you.
I see you and your energy is solike light and beautiful.
And I mean you have thisbeautiful dress on with the
Uganda colors and it's sovibrant and it just really, you
know, really emulates who youare and how you, you know how
(11:47):
you present yourself to theworld, and it's really beautiful
and I see, I see so much joy asyou're sharing all of that,
which is just so beautiful initself and it's just sounds like
a much simpler, sounds like amuch simpler, freer time in your
life, and it's just wrapped inlove and you can feel all that.
(12:11):
So, as I'm listening to you,I'm also thinking.
There's so many questions Ihave because you're no longer
living in your home country,you're now living in the United
States, and what a differentlife.
That is because I'm thinkingalso in the US, like, we have
(12:36):
things to our disposal that wecan just, you know, go and get,
and it's a very differentculture, it's a very different
lifestyle, and I don't know thelast time a neighbor has offered
something.
Really, you know, like it's justin today's society and the way
(12:57):
people live, I mean, peopledon't really talk to their
neighbors anymore, they don'tengage with each other and
there's so much fear that hasbeen driven into society that
people are very, very isolated.
So when I was listening to youshare all of that, it just, it
(13:20):
just reminds me of, you know,how much is missing in
communities today, becausepeople should be taking care of
each other more often and doingthings for each other.
So that there was a very starkcontrast, you know, as you were
sharing your story but then youleft us hanging because, as you
(13:46):
said, then death came in and youknow your voice changed and you
could feel that it was a veryhard thing for you to experience
.
So are you comfortable intalking about any of that?
Betty Simon (14:11):
that about the death.
Yeah, yeah, um, death in Ugandais very uh it's.
There is a lot of death.
You know.
There is a lot of kids thathave lost their parents.
There is so many orphans inUganda.
Because the life span is veryshort, people don't live too
long.
So if you have your grandma,you thank God if you still have
your grandma.
I had my grandma for a longtime.
She's the only person thatlived a long time that I knew
(14:34):
when I was growing up.
But other than that, most ofthem were dying younger and it
is a very scary thing,especially for a child.
The first time I experienceddeath was a friend or somebody
that meant something to me.
When I was young, I wasbaptized in the Catholic church
(14:56):
and when they baptize you, youhave like a godmother, somebody
that holds you, and I was a babyso I don't know a whole lot
about that, but that is what Iwas in that, and as a child I
was baptized in the CatholicChurch.
But that person, who was mygodmother when she passed away,
(15:19):
was the first time I experienceddeath and they told me.
So I went over and I saw herbody, because the culture there
is different from the culture inAmerica, like when my adopted
father died here, the funeralpeople came over and took his
body and took it away.
(15:39):
In my culture the body is laidin the living room for everybody
to view the body for like acouple of days before they bury
that person.
So I saw that lady for thefirst time and then after that I
saw somebody when it came to myown.
It was really, really scary.
My father died really abruptly.
I want to say, now that I'molder, that maybe he had a heart
(16:04):
attack or he had a blood clotor something you know, because
it was sudden.
He just fell one day and hedidn't wake up, he didn't move
or anything Like.
A couple of days before he wasfeeling kind of not feeling well
, not feeling well.
Couple of days before he wasfeeling kind of not feeling well
(16:26):
, not feeling well.
But then the following day he'slaying out there in the sun,
because sometimes when you'resick they take you out there in
the sun and just stay on the matand just soak in the little sun
until you're like I can't takeit anymore.
Then you're going to the house.
But as he was going in thehouse, um, my mom was helping
him and he was a pretty tall guy.
He put his one foot in and thesecond foot in.
(16:48):
He just fell in the house andthat was the end of my dad.
The following day he passedaway.
So that was very scary as ayoung child.
And even when I saw people likecoming in the house, running in
and like he has, daddy has died.
I'm'm like how can he even bedead?
You know he was laying downthere.
I know he wasn't talking,wasn't moving.
(17:09):
Um, they, they had given himsome medicine, like because I
didn't say this but as uh, in mycountry when I sorry, in my
village, when I was growing up,we didn't really do uh, modern
medicine, people did like herbsfrom the garden.
They'll mix it with water, giveyou if you have malaria or if
you have a cough or something,and you just drink it and get
(17:31):
better.
That giving him some of thatstuff we're not even going
through his mouth, but I wasn'tthinking that he can die.
So dying for him was very scary.
And then they put his body inthe living room until he was
buried in a couple of days.
That was also scary.
And then they put his body inthe living room until he was
buried in a couple of days.
That was also scary becauseeverybody who came in they would
open his face and everybodywould see.
(17:52):
And then when my mom died wasthe same thing.
I'm like what is going on?
You know, it was really, reallytormenting, even up to now as
an adult.
I'm in my forties now.
Tormenting Even up to now as anadult.
I'm in my 40s now.
I'm still tormented with death.
I hate death.
(18:17):
I'm scared of death because Isaw it as a young child and it
wasn't pretty at all.
And then you see them wrappingthis person up and putting him
in the grave and putting thedirt on the person.
I was just up to night, kind ofyeah, I don't like death, I
hate death.
I wish I can cast death in thepit and death go away.
You know it was yeah, it wasyeah.
Catherine Daniels (18:40):
So as an adult, I mean that sounds very
traumatic for a small child.
And how old were you when thathappened?
Betty Simon (18:48):
When my dad died I was eight and when my mom died I
was nine.
I think she died of aheartbreak, so of course she got
sick, but I think she washeartbroken, you know, and they
told us because one of ourrelatives managed to take her to
the hospital far, far away,because we didn't even have a
hospital in the village, andthey say she had ulcers that had
(19:11):
eaten all her intestines.
So I don't know, I don't reallyknow, because they don't do a
lot of diagnosis, because,especially then, now it's a
little better.
You know, know, because, like Isaid, I'm in my 40s now and
that was a when I was eight,when I was nine, and yeah, yeah,
(19:33):
yeah, I mean it sounds verytraumatic, especially to lose
them so close in time.
Catherine Daniels (19:41):
You know, together, um and I.
I feel like as an adult now youprobably look back on it and it
probably feels and looks alittle bit different because
you're able to articulate itthrough an adult vision and lens
(20:01):
.
So, like, how has thatexperience changed at all for
you?
Like, do you feel a little bitmore at peace or do you still
struggle with that?
Betty Simon (20:14):
oh, no, I feel more at peace now.
Yeah, it has been a long time.
That is what, like um, over 30years ago.
So I'm at peace and God haspaved a way for me that so many
people, wonderful, wonderfulpeople, have been in my life,
people who have changed my life.
I wouldn't be what I am, youknow, because I would have
(20:37):
stayed in the village, I wouldhave got married at a young age,
I would have had so many kids,just like everybody was doing
over there.
So for me to have this life,that is different.
I'm grateful and I'm at peace,you know, because I can't change
anything.
I can't, even if I would haveloved my parents to be around,
(20:59):
but they're not, you know andI'm at peace.
Yeah, I'm at peace and I hopethey're with Jesus.
You know and I'm at peace.
Yeah, I'm at peace and I hopethey're with Jesus.
I hope they are.
Yeah, of course, at first, whenit had just happened, it was
pretty hard, but as time goes onand time goes on, you get to
the point and you're at peaceand I feel that way.
Catherine Daniels (21:20):
Yeah, that's good, yeah, that's good.
I know for myself.
You know, losing my grandmotherand my grandfather so close to
(21:40):
each other, they were like sodeeply and love to mourning the
loss of two people and that thatgaping hole that's in your
heart takes a long time, in long, long time.
But then you know, as you start, as you start moving through
(22:00):
the grief process, you start tobecome very aware that you were
so blessed by these people andthe blessings that they bestowed
into your life and what they'vedone for you, and it's almost
like you've graduated, becausenow it's your responsibility to
(22:23):
bestow other people with thoseblessings that they gave to you.
So you almost feel like youknow you've graduated and you've
become into a sacred place ofhonor and grace to you know move
forward for other people.
So I think it's a beautifultestimony of life.
(22:44):
You know how we can all learnfrom each other and as we're
talking right now, I'm veryaware that we're talking to a
global audience of people thathave lost loved ones in recent
years and continue to do so as aresult.
So I think it's just anopportunity, you know, to be in
(23:09):
gratitude of the blessings thatyou have with the people that
you surround yourself with andthat you love, and it's a gentle
reminder and nudge for everyonejust to continue to look at
those blessings and love thosepeople and give them that love,
even sometimes when they don'teven want it or deserve it, you
(23:33):
know, just give it to themanyway yes yeah, if you're a
mother, you understand very welloh yes, yeah, I am a mother, so
I really understand that sothis little girl, this little
girl who's now nine years old,is now without parents.
(23:55):
And was your grandmother stillalive at this point or no?
Betty Simon (24:00):
yes, she was.
She was still alive, but shewasn't really having the means
to take care of us or me.
So I was blessed.
I was blessed to have herbecause at least I knew I have a
grandmother and I'm gratefulthat she lived a longer time,
(24:21):
because then I can and as I'mpraying to God that he gives me
life, I'm also referring mygrandmother lived longer, so
it's not that everybody diedyoung.
At least I have a grandmother,because there are times when the
enemy comes in and whisperswords that are not good.
Because I look at my boys.
(24:41):
They are eight, you know, andI'm like God, please give us
life, that my boys are notorphans like ours.
That has always been my prayer.
And then I'm like God, pleasegive us life, that my boys are
not orphans like ours.
That has always been my prayer.
And then I'm like you gave mygrandma life, so give it to me
too, like you gave it to themand you gave my adopted dad and
mom longer life.
So I have that, but my grandmawouldn't have been able to
(25:05):
educate me.
She didn't have money to educateme.
She was not educated herself,you know, even my parents.
They didn't even know how toread or write.
So the life I would have had ifI was to go and live with
grandma would have beencompletely, completely harder,
(25:26):
you know, of course, because shealready had some grandkids
living with her and adding on meand my young siblings would
have been a little bit difficult.
But we were grateful.
But of course, if I didn't gethelp, if I didn't get this
gentleman with his family takingus in, of course I would have
(25:48):
lived with grandma, but I wasgrateful that I was taken in.
But I lived with half a littlebit and then I was taken in with
this family.
Yeah, because grandma justtilled the land.
So that's what we would havedone just till the land and get
food and grow up in.
Catherine Daniels (26:07):
So, just because I'm not fully aware of
what your village was like whenyou were a child, I know you
said that you were brought upwith Catholicism.
Was that something that wasvery strong in the family, that
you would, you know, go tochurch, or was that not as
(26:30):
strong?
Betty Simon (26:31):
No, it wasn't as strong.
My parents were not really intochurch for some reason.
They considered themselves.
My mother considered herselfCatholic.
My dad considered himself notPentecostal.
What are these people?
(26:52):
Now, I'm forgetting the nameProtestant, okay, yeah, sorry,
protestant, yeah, protestant,but I never really saw my dad go
to church.
I never really saw my mom go tochurch, but I was told that I
was baptized in the Catholicchurch.
I never really saw my mom go tochurch so, but I was told that
I was baptized in the Catholicchurch and I went to church as a
(27:13):
young child, here and therewith other people, here and
there, but not much.
So church wasn't really a bigdeal to us.
My grandma wasn't really intochurch, but I remember going to
church here and there, but not abig deal.
So I was grateful that thepeople that took us in were
(27:35):
Pentecostals, were on fire forGod.
They even had a church on theirproperty.
So that's where I learned moreabout God.
You know, I gave my life toChrist and I just soaked it all
in, but as a young child it wasjust go to church here and there
(27:56):
, come back.
I didn't really learn a wholelot about God in my first nine
years of life, but I knew therewas a God Right.
Catherine Daniels (28:07):
So how did you get from nine years old to
going to this family?
Betty Simon (28:15):
so my mom had asked .
There was an evangelist in thevillage that was doing
evangelism and he was part ofthe organization called Good
Samaritan Ministries, which wasbased here in the US, but they
were helping kids all over theworld can help us and give us a
(28:36):
better life.
And when she died, that's howwe got to be with this gentleman
(28:56):
, and he was a young man at thetime also, and he didn't even
have a family of his own, but hewas still living with his
mother and siblings.
So that's where he took me witha couple of my young siblings.
Catherine Daniels (29:12):
Yeah, Wow, I mean what, what an incredible
story that is that this youngman had it on his heart to you
know, take all of you in.
I mean, that's reallyastounding, not something that
you hear often.
So it sounds like.
It sounds like it was on hisheart to do something and get
(29:37):
back in such a profound way.
So where, where were you livingat this time?
Betty Simon (29:44):
So I was still living in the village before he
took us in.
But when he took us in hebrought us to the big city, to
the capital city, which iscalled Kampala.
So they lived a little bitoutside the capital city, in the
suburb of the capital city, inan area called Machindi.
So it was a different lifethere.
(30:06):
The church was right on theirproperty, they had a bigger
house, a nicer house than whereI came from, and there were so
many at the house because he hadso many siblings and his mom.
But they were all kind and allnice and loving and they just
(30:26):
embraced us.
They embraced me, they embracedme, they loved me and my life
changed.
You know, then I was able to beto see the light at the end of
the tunnel.
Let me say that you know fromthe hopeless situation, because
when my folks died I was in mymind I didn't know my mother had
(30:48):
planned this, had askedsomebody.
I didn't know that.
I was just thinking, okay, Iguess we are going to go to
grandma's house.
You know, I didn't even knowwhether maybe another relative
or I had a couple of oldersisters that had married really,
really young.
So they were in marriages thatwere also very, very poor and
(31:12):
they didn't have the ability.
Of course, we would have maybelived with them if we didn't
have any choice, if we didn'tlive with grandma, we would have
lived with them, but it wasalso really like tight quarters,
really tiny homes.
They have their kids and it wasjust a blessing that I didn't
get to stay in that situation,you know.
(31:32):
So now the life in Kampala, orthe life with my new family, was
better, was much, much better,and their love and their
dedication to us and theirwillingness to help us be better
people and to learn more aboutGod.
I remember everything that Iknow about God.
(31:54):
I learned from there becausethey were big on God and they
were big on gathering andpraying and teaching us the word
and even getting us involved,because some days it'll be like
yo, it's your turn to share theword of God and as a young child
you're like I don't even knowhow to share.
But we had to learn.
(32:14):
You know we had to learn andthat was a blessing and we had
food to eat.
We didn't have to worry thatwhere is food going to come from
.
We didn't have to worry that ifI'm sick, am I going to be able
to be taken to the doctor.
And now in the capital citythere were nurses and doctors
(32:34):
and hospitals and clinics thatyou could be able to go to.
In the village there was nonelike that.
If you had to go to thehospital you had to go a long,
long distance and the means oftransportation were not there.
So there was a lot of walkingdone or like borrowing a bicycle
from someone who had it.
But here it was easier and theclinic was not too far away.
(32:58):
If you're sick you could evenjust walk over there and they
would pay for you to be seen.
So life became better.
Life became better, of course,at the back of your mind.
You know you're an orphan.
You know this is really notyour family, they're just
helping you.
You had to behave yourself.
I don't mean don't behave, butyou had to be really like
(33:20):
watching everything because youdon't want to be thrown out of
the home.
You know they're just helpingyou so, but they were wonderful
people and they have done a lotto change my life.
I wouldn't be what I am withoutthem, so I'm so grateful yeah,
it's, it's beautiful.
Catherine Daniels (33:38):
I mean, there's someone listening right
now to your journey and they'reprobably thinking a couple of
things.
Like you know, do you stillhave a relationship with your
siblings because you moved away.
So at that time, was thisfamily willing to bring you all
(34:00):
together?
You know, because now you'vebeen displaced from your village
, from your village, so I meanthat also is a loss, because
you're grieving your parents andyour grandmother and now you're
removed from more family.
So that must have been hard too.
Were they aware of what thatmust have felt like for you?
Betty Simon (34:23):
Yes, and they were fine with us going back and
visit.
It was fine for me to go backand visit, so that opportunity
was there.
It's not that I was pulled outand never going back.
Yeah, I had the opportunity andthey would give me
transportation to go back andvisit them when I was not in
(34:43):
school.
So that part was really good.
I stayed in their lives andthey stayed in my lives.
I was just not physically withthem, but during holidays, like
time out of school, I would goand spend some time with them.
so that was good you know ofcourse, as a child, at first it
is kind of hard because you'renot used to that other
(35:06):
environment.
You're used to this environmentwhere you feel comfortable,
where you know everybody.
But then we had to learn tolearn to know everybody and to
learn to live how they live.
Like they're saying that whenwe have a saying that when you
go up to a place where they eata dog, you have to eat a dog.
(35:26):
It is just a saying.
Of course you're not going toeat a dog, but I think the
message in that is that youconform to what is going on.
Just like when I left Uganda andcame here, there were so many
changes but I had to learn andappreciate.
So that's how it was, thatinitially you're like, oh my
goodness, you know, because itis different a little bit.
(35:49):
But then with the time youlearn and you adjust and you
appreciate it and I was very,very grateful because I knew my
life is better now, you know,and it is going to continue to
be better.
So that was good, that was okay.
Catherine Daniels (36:03):
I love, I love that, that whole analogy
that you gave, because itreminds everyone to be fluid.
You know, kind of like water,like things are going to change,
and there's a saying thatchange is the only constant in
life, right?
So if, if people can learn toadapt and change as things move
(36:31):
and that really goes foranything, it goes with.
You know your environment, yourrelationships, the political
atmosphere, whatever it is.
You know it's like you have tolearn to adapt and be fluid.
You have to learn to adapt andbe fluid and that's the thing
(36:54):
that I think is really comingthrough with your testimony is
this beautiful ability of youbeing able to be adaptable and
just be fluid like water andmove through the changes, and
gratitude, a space ofappreciation of what it is that
is happening and understandingthat it could be very different.
(37:14):
Like you said, there's alwaystwo sides of the coin, right?
That's what they say.
Betty Simon (37:23):
Yes, that's true.
Catherine Daniels (37:24):
Yeah, so it's really great that you're able
to really see that.
But somehow you go from thatlife and you land in the United
States.
So what was your journey likethat brought you to the US?
Betty Simon (37:42):
So when this gentleman was taking care of us
it was through an organization Imentioned before Good Samaritan
Ministries and with that theyusually have people who sponsor
kids, who decide, just like weare doing now, we sponsor
children.
(38:03):
That's how I got somebody tosponsor me.
That's how I got somebody tosponsor me.
So this gentleman came overhere and was visiting with the
organization and talking aboutthe work that he's doing over
there because he's the head ofthe Good Summertime Ministries
down there in Uganda and he wasasking for people to sponsor
(38:23):
children and to also sponsorthese kids that he had brought
to his house, because he hadbrought even other kids.
And a gentleman and his wifefrom a little town here in
Oregon called Talent theydecided to sponsor me through
(38:44):
school.
So they were giving me tuitionbecause in Uganda you pay away.
As soon as you go in school youpay.
We had to pay for tuition, youhave to pay for books,
everything you have to pay.
So it is hard for some kids togo to school because if they
don't have anybody to help themto pay, then they can't go to
(39:04):
school.
So I was really fortunate thatthis couple they were older,
they just wanted to help me andthey told me that God, because
there was a list of all thesenames and God told them.
After a while, of course, theylistened to the speech and then
(39:24):
they went home, thought about itand prayed about it.
They were Christian people andat some point God spoke to the
gentleman and said pick the namethat is on the top to help.
And my name was on the top.
He didn't know me nothing.
And then they started sponsoringme.
They came to Uganda to see me.
(39:45):
So they are the reason theybrought me to the US.
You know, that is how myjourney was and I was really
grateful that that opportunitywas extended to me for me to
come over.
Yeah, I used to come and visitand go back and come and visit
and go back because I did mostof my education over there.
(40:05):
But once I finished they werelike, yeah, just stay, there is
no now reason to go back andforth, back and forth, yeah, so
I'm grateful for that.
Catherine Daniels (40:18):
So, betty, if that's the case, then what
happened to your siblings?
Betty Simon (40:23):
They are still there.
They're still in Uganda, yeah,but the young ones, they also
got opportunities to go toschool.
Catherine Daniels (40:31):
Okay, so they were part of the Good Samaritan
program as well.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So that's really incredible,but they chose to stay in your
home country, and how were theyfeeling?
Betty Simon (40:47):
They didn't choose.
It's just that the people whohelped them didn't give them the
opportunity to come.
Oh, ok, yeah, and they were notbeing helped by the couple that
was helping me.
The couple just picked me justby myself.
Ok yeah, now if they had achoice, they would also choose
to come over here, but theydidn't get the opportunity.
Catherine Daniels (41:11):
So how are they doing now?
Betty Simon (41:13):
They're doing pretty good.
They're doing really good.
In fact, one of them is adoctor now.
But, of course the organizationhelped them too, educated them,
and the other one is just abusinessman doing his own things
.
So they're doing pretty good,they're doing well.
Catherine Daniels (41:32):
So it's really a beautiful testimony of
how you go through all this lossand then you move into a space
of abundance and I know it's notthe same, but it really.
You know, in the thick of thedarkness, when you have no idea
what's ahead and how everythingunfolds for you, you it just
(41:55):
becomes so beautiful, and theblessings that were bestowed on
you, it's just really remarkable.
And seeing you here right now,like you are on the precipice of
doing so many important thingsbecause, as, as you told me
(42:17):
prior to you know our recordingthis god has put an assignment
on your life to do yes, so 2020.
Betty Simon (42:28):
God asked me do you know that still voice in you?
Because sometimes when you sayGod asked me people like, how is
that like?
(42:48):
But that still voice.
If you let the Holy Spiritspeak through you, you can tell
that this is from God.
So I had just joined a group.
You know how 2020 was.
We had COVID going andeverything.
We were confined.
We were in the home.
I had joined a group of myfriends to pray.
We had a prayer line.
(43:10):
They live in Germany, but wecould meet online and pray and
share the word of God and taketimes to share.
We had Bible study and all that.
So then after a couple of months, I got this still voice that I
should do videos sharing God'sword and put it on YouTube.
(43:31):
Of course, I didn't knowanything about recording myself
and this and that, but to cutthe whole story short, I started
a YouTube and its name is God'sWord for Us by Betty, and Betty
at the end is spelled with I-E,and then I started putting I
didn't start right away becauseI had all these excuses, I
(43:54):
didn't know how to do it and mytwins were four and a half at
the time.
I was busy with them and thisand that.
Anyway, I procrastinated until2023, but I started doing them.
So I'm bringing that becauseone of the reasons another
calling came on my life isbecause of that.
(44:16):
So last year, 2023, november Iremember very well it was
November 30th I was sitting hereon my dining table preparing a
message and the title wasCounting your Blessings.
So I'm writing things down.
I'm writing things down, then Isay writing things about me,
what God has done for me, andthen I started writing things
(44:39):
that I have survived death, thatthere were close calls I would
have died, and I started listingand listing.
I got to number 10, this smallvoice again came to me and said
write a book about these closecalls, just that, not all the
(45:03):
other things God has done foryou.
That, and the reason is to givehope to people.
Catherine Daniels (45:10):
Wow.
Betty Simon (45:12):
That was very clear to me.
I get out of that and I'm likeI've never even thought of being
an author.
I've never thought aboutwriting a book.
English is my second language.
How do I even start, you know?
But I know I won't go too muchin details, but I'm writing a
book and I also want to be aspeaker to share the message of
(45:36):
hope that God wants to reachpeople.
So whoever will read this bookthe message is in there is to
give hope.
So God is putting this callingon my life to be a message of
hope, sharing what I've gonethrough, what I've experienced,
the things I've survived, thethings I've seen, are the
miracles in my life, and thereason is to give hope to people
(46:00):
.
Catherine Daniels (46:01):
Wow, it's really, really remarkable All of
what is transpiring in yourlife and what God has pulled you
and called you to do, and Iknow, once this airs and gets
out there, that you're probablygoing to have something at work,
so I'm encouraging the audienceto to look for you.
(46:24):
Um, so do you have a website,or do you have anything set up
yet that people can find you?
Betty Simon (46:34):
It's going to be from orphan to inspiration.
Here I am on the journey ofinspiring others, on helping
others know that there is lightat the end of a tunnel.
Just because you're from a tiny, tiny village that doesn't even
it is not even on the map,doesn't mean you cannot come out
of there and be in the placethat was on the map when I was
(46:58):
born.
It's not even on the map.
Now I live in Oregon, usa,which is on the map.
The guy can bring that up tothere.
It doesn't matter what it mightbe that somebody is stuck in or
is going through.
We all go through a lot.
We all go through differentthings.
A friend that has become myfriend.
(47:20):
I met her.
She suggested it.
When she suggested it at firstI was a little bit scared
because I didn't want people tothink you know, maybe labeling
myself or something, but that'swho I am, am you know, I was an
orphan and I'm still an orphanbecause I don't have parents.
But now I'm older maybe I don'tthink about it much that way,
(47:44):
but she suggested it that thatwould be good because then you
can tell your story as an orphanand other things and then you
can inspire people.
It's beautiful.
Catherine Daniels (47:55):
Everything about your story is so
inspirational, and I've heardabout the good samaritan.
What's the?
The last word?
Betty Simon (48:04):
I'm missing it's called good samaritan ministries
.
It was, yeah, ministries.
It was started by a lady hername is betty mitchell, but
she's going to be with the Lorda couple of years ago and it is
based in Beaverton, oregon sothe interesting thing about that
is, like I've heard about theGood Samaritan.
Catherine Daniels (48:26):
You know um purse, I've heard about Good
Samaritan.
There's like different, thelast piece of it is like
different so that's why I wasasking for clarification of what
the last piece was for yourparticular ministry.
As you said, and it's soinspiring and wonderful to hear
(48:51):
of a person who was on a card ona church table, that has grown
up and been able to share thejourney and what it was like and
how someone else you didn'teven know, but how someone else
(49:11):
blessed your life and gave youan opportunity to thrive where
you would not have had one.
Yes, and I think, if anything,you're a testimony of the good
that people can do for anotherperson.
(49:31):
You're a testimony of how, in ahopeless situation, someone
gave you a lifeline, someonegave you hope, someone gave you
opportunity to grow and thriveand become something Like you
said.
Your brother's now a doctor.
I mean the lives that he istouching, the lives that he is
(49:53):
impacting with his lifeassignment and being able to
just really pursue the blessingsbestowed on him and give back
is so beautiful and you're doingthe same thing and I encourage
everyone who's listening, ifthere's an opportunity for you,
(50:14):
to volunteer or to donate or togive back or to do something
that can help a small child thatis in need.
Yes, and god is tugging at yourheart to do that, just like
betty was talking about.
Please, you know, look intothat opportunity to help a child
(50:36):
because, especially now morethan ever, the children of the
world need you to help them.
So I just encourage you tolisten to your heart, listen to
that still voice and give alifeline to a child if you're,
if you're able to a child, ifyou're, if you're able to and,
(51:03):
betty, I mean I'm, I'm just soin awe and inspired by you and
knowing that you have gonethrough so much, I mean even
just moving countries.
I've interviewed other people onthe show and they've shared
about, you know, their journey,moving to a new country and how,
all the changes of even that.
And, like you know, it takes awhile to get acclimated and
(51:25):
there is a mourning process thathappens leaving your old
country because you are startingsomething new country, because
you are starting something new,and it takes a fierce amount of
courage and bravery to be ableto do that, to go out into that
space.
If there's someone and maybethere's a child that is in a
(51:51):
kitchen somewhere that'soverhearing this right now, if
there was something that youcould say to that little girl or
little boy that may have gonethrough and experienced a lot of
adversity.
What would your advice be tothem?
Betty Simon (52:16):
What would your advice be to them?
That little girl was me and Iwant that little girl to know
that I'm not in that situationanymore.
So if that little girl is inthat situation, I will say to
(52:38):
her that there is hope Also topray.
Even if she doesn't have afamily that is prayerful, she
can start her own prayer herself.
She can learn to pray to Godand not to pray to idols, not to
pray to little stones or littletrees, but to lift her hands to
(53:00):
the heavens and call God andsay Lord, I need your help.
I need your help and also tocontinue behaving well, to
behave herself, to continuebehaving well, to behave herself
, so that people who might helpher will desire to help her,
(53:23):
because sometimes kids can be alittle bit difficult, that the
desire to help such a child is alittle bit lost.
You're like she is too much.
So I would say that behaveyourself, pray to God, have hope
(53:45):
.
Don't lose hope.
We don't know where the helpwill come from.
I didn't know how I was gonnabe helped.
I didn't even have an idea thatI was going to be helped.
I just thought that's the endof me having parents and now the
next chapter is just to bewherever I will be and grow up
(54:07):
and, pretty soon, just getmarried, because that's what I
was seeing with the little girlsin the villages doing getting
married like at 14, at 15, youknow, that's what I thought I
didn't know, but God was walkingbehind sins and if you don't
lose hope, god can orchestratesomething that you might not
even know where it's going tocome from.
(54:27):
How is it going to come?
Who is it going to come through?
So don't lose hope, little girl.
Life is still ahead of you.
That will be good life.
I'm not going to sit here andsay, oh, everything has been
glamorous.
I'm not going to sit here andtell you, oh, as soon as I got
help, everything worked out likeI've been on a smooth road.
(54:51):
No, I've had some bumps hereand there, but if you keep the
hope, if you keep the faith inGod and continue to behave well
because even the help that Istill get, even in my old age,
is because I have stillcontinued to be a good person,
to behave myself and not to likejust be crazy and running
(55:17):
around doing crazy stuff.
So even if you get tempted byfriends and you have some
friends are like, oh, let's dothis, let's do that.
You know, please don't,especially if you know it is not
something good.
I have heard about little kidsthat they lose hope and they
start smoking, they startdrinking, they start doing drugs
(55:39):
because other kids have toldthem that.
No please don't do that.
And also, if you get some help,somebody decides to help you,
be appreciative, thank thepeople who are helping you.
Behave yourself so those peoplecan continue to desire to help
(56:01):
you and not be like, oh mygoodness, we didn't know what we
were bringing ourselves into.
You know, because some kids arebrought into families and they
have just made the familiesalmost wish they didn't even
bring him, you know.
So I would say to that littlegirl behave yourself, trust God,
(56:22):
continue to have hope thatyou're not gonna stay in that
situation forever.
It will change.
You know, like you said, changeis the constant.
It will change.
You might be in it for a littlebit and sometimes we are in
situations for a certain timeand you feel like it's like a
(56:43):
year or two years and it's beenlike a week or two, but it feels
like it's taking forever.
But at some point breakthroughwill come, something good will
come.
Something good will comebecause it is there.
It just needs time.
You know, because I also didn'tcome from oh, everything was
(57:07):
great, things had to take time,things had to like.
I've gone through things thathave taken time to to to get to
change, but change comes.
So, my little girl, my littlefriend, my little girl down
there, or even a little boysomewhere, please hang on to
hope and to good behavior.
Catherine Daniels (57:27):
I love that.
Thank you for sharing that.
And I do have one last question.
If I were to pick up your earthangel feather off the ground,
what would your message to theworld be?
Betty Simon (57:40):
Message of hope.
Message of hope.
God gave me that message and Ialso want to pass that message
of hope.
It's a message of hope Even ifyou feel like you're drowning,
you will come through at somepoint.
Don't you lose hope.
(58:03):
And I want to share my messagethat hope is real.
You hang on to that hope.
You will float, you won't sink.
Catherine Daniels (58:15):
Thank you so much, Betty.
I appreciate you being on theshow and I'm just so grateful.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou.
Betty Simon (58:23):
Thank you so much for having me.
It has been an honor to be onyour show and I hope that the
world will learn that there isstill hope no matter what.
So God bless everyone.
God bless you.
I am so grateful that you'vehad me come on and talk to you.
(58:46):
Thank you so much.
Catherine Daniels (58:48):
Thank you.
God bless you as well and yourfamily.
For my audience, this isCatherine Daniels, reminding you
to live your authentic life inpeace and, as always, we create
the peace in you.
Welcome to Retreat to Peace.
I'm so glad you found us.
My name is Catherine Danielsand one thing we know is nothing
is permanent except our soulsand as we travel through one
another's countries and wecreate a bridge as one people
living in this one world, Iinvite you to listen to our
(00:34):
signature talk today and hearall about the special, unique
possibilities that you may haveas you journey through your own
life.
We welcome you to go tohttps://catherinedaniels.
(01:03):
com to learn, get comfortableand cozy up as we dive into
our signature talk today.
Welcome back to retreat topeace, and this is Catherine
(01:36):
Daniels.
Today I am super excited towelcome my dear friend, betty
simon to the show.
Betty and I actually met at aconference and we sat next to
each other and we developed thisreally wonderful, unique
connection and she has such anamazing testimony that I would
(01:59):
love my audience to hear,because it just inspires so much
hope and so many things thatyou can do with your life with
perseverance and having faithand just knowing that the sky's
the limit and you're unstoppable.
So I am so, so happy to shareBetty to the world stage here on
(02:24):
Retreat to Peace.
So, betty, from one side of thecountry to the other side of
the country.
Welcome to the show.
Betty Simon (02:33):
Thank you so, so much.
Thank you for having me.
I'm so grateful to be here.
My name, like you said, it isBetty Simon.
I was born in Uganda in a very,very small village in the remote
of Masaka, and at age nine Ihad lost both my parents.
(02:55):
I was an orphan and I was takenin by a family that raised me
up and helped me to know Godmore, because it was a godly
family, and they educated methrough an organization called
Good Samaritan Ministries.
With a help, and then, throughGood Samaritan Ministries, I got
(03:17):
sponsors who are here inAmerica and they are the reason
I even came to the US, and theyare the reason I even came to
the US.
And when I got older and readyto get married, god brought a
wonderful, wonderful man.
His name is Shane Simon andwe've been married going on to
10 years and we have twin boyswho are eight years old eight
(03:48):
years old, and I'm just gratefulfor all that God has done for
me, for an orphan who washelpless, to be hopeful.
Now I want to help the world tobe hopeful, to be to know that
no matter what you're goingthrough, god can come through
for you.
Catherine Daniels (04:00):
So that's why yeah, and that's why we've been
brought together, becausethat's the mission that we have.
For everyone that is listeningto the show, it's a lot of hope
and healing and all the thingsthat come to give you that
greater peace and joy.
So, thank you for sharing alittle bit about your journey to
(04:21):
the US, and you know whatyou've gone through, but I know
you didn't even like touch,really touch on your journey,
because you've had an incrediblejourney.
So I think, um, one place we'llget started is let's just go
back to the very beginning.
I mean, as you, you were inUganda.
(04:42):
You had this remote village.
So for somebody who's listeningto the show, maybe they're in
Australia or in Iceland orCanada.
You know there's so many placesDescribe what that was like to
be a little girl in Uganda.
Betty Simon (05:03):
Yes, thank you for asking me that question.
It was beautiful, it was reallynice.
I was born in a very smallfamily and in the village where
I was born everybody was in thesame shoes.
They were all the same people.
It was a community, very, verytiny area, but people were
(05:30):
loving and kind and helpful toeach other.
It was a community Almost.
Everybody was in everyone'slives.
They were knowing each other.
We knew people from as far as Idon't even know how to describe
a little farther than even justour little village.
It was a community village.
(05:50):
So that was really good.
My parents were reallywonderful, wonderful people.
They were really really good.
The area I was born in was verypoor, you very poor.
We.
We hardly had anything, but wehad food because my parents were
subsistence farmers meant thatthey grew food that we ate and
(06:14):
then they would have just alittle bit left over to sell and
be able to buy the essentials,like salt, like paraffin which
is like gas here in America, Ithink you would call it but to
light up the little lantern thatwe used to use in the night and
soap.
We didn't have things that weare luxurious, like sugar.
(06:37):
We didn't even have sugar.
So we didn't have sugar.
Sugar to us was, oh, they'relike a wonderful thing.
You know, now that I'm grownand people are saying don't have
sugar, don't do sugar.
When we were young it wassomething I would have once in a
while.
But life was good.
We just ate normal food, likebananas and cassava.
(07:01):
We have a typical banana thatis called matoke, so we call, we
peel it.
It kind of looks like bananashere, but you, you eat it green,
you peel it, you cook it andmash it and eat it or cook with
beans, cassava, potatoes, sweetpotatoes.
But we, we grew everything.
We didn't buy any food and ifyour food was ready to harvest
(07:24):
sooner than your neighbor, youhad to share with your neighbors
.
Like the corn is ready, butsomebody's corn is not ready, so
you shared with that.
And for me as a person, I wasattacked from when I got into my
mother's womb.
That is what I can say, becausewhen my mother was pregnant
(07:46):
with me she got so, so sick theentire pregnancy.
They were so afraid that shewas going to pass away, and of
course I would have passed awaywith her.
But to cut that whole storyshort, I was born, you know, and
then, when I was born, I was sosick for the first two years of
my life.
But God was working behind sinsand even when the doctors lost
(08:09):
hope, my father lost hope, mymother held on to the hope that
I'll be all right, you know.
And then by miraculous, I gothealed at some point and things
started coming in here and there, here and there.
But I'm grateful that I had mymom who held on to hope.
(08:31):
My father held on to hope untilthe doctor said you know what?
There is nothing that we can do, just wait for the day she's
going to go.
And he kind of lost a littlehope.
But my mom told him she wasn'tgoing to lose the hope.
So anyway, I got over that andI got well, I flourished.
(08:51):
But then when I was eight yearsold, my dad died.
When I was nine, my mom diedand then it was kind of now
really hopeless, because atfirst I was like, oh, I have my
mom, I have my dad, you know,like a little young girl running
around, going to the neighbors,playing with kids, going to
fetch water.
We cooked our food on firewood,so we had to collect the
(09:16):
firewood.
So I loved doing that.
I love to go, like in theforest or in the garden and just
get some dry pieces and cookfood, and I enjoyed.
As a little girl I enjoyed mylife because I didn't know any
better.
I didn't know that I had tohave shoes, you know, because
everybody didn't have shoes, Ididn't.
I had to have nice clothesbecause everybody in the village
(09:55):
had no nice clothes.
So it was just, um, if anybodyever travels to like a third
world country and deep in thevillage, they can understand't
like good water.
You know, it was really notgood water, but that's what we
had and that's what we used andwe didn't even get that sick
from the water.
Of course there is malaria andpeople get sick and people get,
(10:17):
of course, die.
But it wasn't like, oh, as soonas you drink water you're going
to get sick or you're going todie right away.
But that's how the life was.
It was a simple, simple life butenjoyable, because you didn't
have anybody to compare yourselfwith.
You didn't have to worry that,oh, so-and-so has a car, but I
don't have a car.
Or so-and-so can afford sugar,but we can't.
(10:39):
We didn't have that.
Everybody was like that.
And if you run out of salt youcan go to the neighbor and ask
for a little salt.
They will give it to you, theywill share and they will do the
same thing.
They will send us the littleone.
Go to Mrs So-and-so and tellthem to give us a little sugar.
Sorry, salt, we didn't havesugar.
I don't know why I kept sayingsugar but salt.
(10:59):
So it was really beautiful.
Yeah, I loved it.
I loved it until I learnedabout death, and but even when
death came, god paved the wayfor me to be in another family
that took care of me, so Ienjoyed my childhood well, I'm
listening to you and, first ofall, there's people listening.
Catherine Daniels (11:22):
They don't see you.
I see you and your energy is solike light and beautiful.
And I mean you have thisbeautiful dress on with the
Uganda colors and it's sovibrant and it just really, you
know, really emulates who youare and how you, you know how
(11:47):
you present yourself to theworld, and it's really beautiful
and I see, I see so much joy asyou're sharing all of that,
which is just so beautiful initself and it's just sounds like
a much simpler, sounds like amuch simpler, freer time in your
life, and it's just wrapped inlove and you can feel all that.
(12:11):
So, as I'm listening to you,I'm also thinking.
There's so many questions Ihave because you're no longer
living in your home country,you're now living in the United
States, and what a differentlife.
That is because I'm thinkingalso in the US, like, we have
(12:36):
things to our disposal that wecan just, you know, go and get,
and it's a very differentculture, it's a very different
lifestyle, and I don't know thelast time a neighbor has offered
something.
Really, you know, like it's justin today's society and the way
(12:57):
people live, I mean, peopledon't really talk to their
neighbors anymore, they don'tengage with each other and
there's so much fear that hasbeen driven into society that
people are very, very isolated.
So when I was listening to youshare all of that, it just, it
(13:20):
just reminds me of, you know,how much is missing in
communities today, becausepeople should be taking care of
each other more often and doingthings for each other.
So that there was a very starkcontrast, you know, as you were
sharing your story but then youleft us hanging because, as you
(13:46):
said, then death came in and youknow your voice changed and you
could feel that it was a veryhard thing for you to experience
.
So are you comfortable intalking about any of that?
Betty Simon (14:11):
that about the death.
Yeah, yeah, um, death in Ugandais very uh it's.
There is a lot of death.
You know.
There is a lot of kids thathave lost their parents.
There is so many orphans inUganda.
Because the life span is veryshort, people don't live too
long.
So if you have your grandma,you thank God if you still have
your grandma.
I had my grandma for a longtime.
She's the only person thatlived a long time that I knew
(14:34):
when I was growing up.
But other than that, most ofthem were dying younger and it
is a very scary thing,especially for a child.
The first time I experienceddeath was a friend or somebody
that meant something to me.
When I was young, I wasbaptized in the Catholic church
(14:56):
and when they baptize you, youhave like a godmother, somebody
that holds you, and I was a babyso I don't know a whole lot
about that, but that is what Iwas in that, and as a child I
was baptized in the CatholicChurch.
But that person, who was mygodmother when she passed away,
(15:19):
was the first time I experienceddeath and they told me.
So I went over and I saw herbody, because the culture there
is different from the culture inAmerica, like when my adopted
father died here, the funeralpeople came over and took his
body and took it away.
(15:39):
In my culture the body is laidin the living room for everybody
to view the body for like acouple of days before they bury
that person.
So I saw that lady for thefirst time and then after that I
saw somebody when it came to myown.
It was really, really scary.
My father died really abruptly.
I want to say, now that I'molder, that maybe he had a heart
(16:04):
attack or he had a blood clotor something you know, because
it was sudden.
He just fell one day and hedidn't wake up, he didn't move
or anything Like.
A couple of days before he wasfeeling kind of not feeling well
, not feeling well.
Couple of days before he wasfeeling kind of not feeling well
(16:26):
, not feeling well.
But then the following day he'slaying out there in the sun,
because sometimes when you'resick they take you out there in
the sun and just stay on the matand just soak in the little sun
until you're like I can't takeit anymore.
Then you're going to the house.
But as he was going in thehouse, um, my mom was helping
him and he was a pretty tall guy.
He put his one foot in and thesecond foot in.
(16:48):
He just fell in the house andthat was the end of my dad.
The following day he passedaway.
So that was very scary as ayoung child.
And even when I saw people likecoming in the house, running in
and like he has, daddy has died.
I'm'm like how can he even bedead?
You know he was laying downthere.
I know he wasn't talking,wasn't moving.
(17:09):
Um, they, they had given himsome medicine, like because I
didn't say this but as uh, in mycountry when I sorry, in my
village, when I was growing up,we didn't really do uh, modern
medicine, people did like herbsfrom the garden.
They'll mix it with water, giveyou if you have malaria or if
you have a cough or something,and you just drink it and get
(17:31):
better.
That giving him some of thatstuff we're not even going
through his mouth, but I wasn'tthinking that he can die.
So dying for him was very scary.
And then they put his body inthe living room until he was
buried in a couple of days.
That was also scary.
And then they put his body inthe living room until he was
buried in a couple of days.
That was also scary becauseeverybody who came in they would
open his face and everybodywould see.
(17:52):
And then when my mom died wasthe same thing.
I'm like what is going on?
You know, it was really, reallytormenting, even up to now as
an adult.
I'm in my forties now.
Tormenting Even up to now as anadult.
I'm in my 40s now.
I'm still tormented with death.
I hate death.
(18:17):
I'm scared of death because Isaw it as a young child and it
wasn't pretty at all.
And then you see them wrappingthis person up and putting him
in the grave and putting thedirt on the person.
I was just up to night, kind ofyeah, I don't like death, I
hate death.
I wish I can cast death in thepit and death go away.
You know it was yeah, it wasyeah.
Catherine Daniels (18:40):
So as an adult, I mean that sounds very
traumatic for a small child.
And how old were you when thathappened?
Betty Simon (18:48):
When my dad died I was eight and when my mom died I
was nine.
I think she died of aheartbreak, so of course she got
sick, but I think she washeartbroken, you know, and they
told us because one of ourrelatives managed to take her to
the hospital far, far away,because we didn't even have a
hospital in the village, andthey say she had ulcers that had
(19:11):
eaten all her intestines.
So I don't know, I don't reallyknow, because they don't do a
lot of diagnosis, because,especially then, now it's a
little better.
You know, know, because, like Isaid, I'm in my 40s now and
that was a when I was eight,when I was nine, and yeah, yeah,
(19:33):
yeah, I mean it sounds verytraumatic, especially to lose
them so close in time.
Catherine Daniels (19:41):
You know, together, um and I.
I feel like as an adult now youprobably look back on it and it
probably feels and looks alittle bit different because
you're able to articulate itthrough an adult vision and lens
(20:01):
.
So, like, how has thatexperience changed at all for
you?
Like, do you feel a little bitmore at peace or do you still
struggle with that?
Betty Simon (20:14):
oh, no, I feel more at peace now.
Yeah, it has been a long time.
That is what, like um, over 30years ago.
So I'm at peace and God haspaved a way for me that so many
people, wonderful, wonderfulpeople, have been in my life,
people who have changed my life.
I wouldn't be what I am, youknow, because I would have
(20:37):
stayed in the village, I wouldhave got married at a young age,
I would have had so many kids,just like everybody was doing
over there.
So for me to have this life,that is different.
I'm grateful and I'm at peace,you know, because I can't change
anything.
I can't, even if I would haveloved my parents to be around,
(20:59):
but they're not, you know andI'm at peace.
Yeah, I'm at peace and I hopethey're with Jesus.
You know and I'm at peace.
Yeah, I'm at peace and I hopethey're with Jesus.
I hope they are.
Yeah, of course, at first, whenit had just happened, it was
pretty hard, but as time goes onand time goes on, you get to
the point and you're at peaceand I feel that way.
Catherine Daniels (21:20):
Yeah, that's good, yeah, that's good.
I know for myself.
You know, losing my grandmotherand my grandfather so close to
(21:40):
each other, they were like sodeeply and love to mourning the
loss of two people and that thatgaping hole that's in your
heart takes a long time, in long, long time.
But then you know, as you start, as you start moving through
(22:00):
the grief process, you start tobecome very aware that you were
so blessed by these people andthe blessings that they bestowed
into your life and what they'vedone for you, and it's almost
like you've graduated, becausenow it's your responsibility to
(22:23):
bestow other people with thoseblessings that they gave to you.
So you almost feel like youknow you've graduated and you've
become into a sacred place ofhonor and grace to you know move
forward for other people.
So I think it's a beautifultestimony of life.
(22:44):
You know how we can all learnfrom each other and as we're
talking right now, I'm veryaware that we're talking to a
global audience of people thathave lost loved ones in recent
years and continue to do so as aresult.
So I think it's just anopportunity, you know, to be in
(23:09):
gratitude of the blessings thatyou have with the people that
you surround yourself with andthat you love, and it's a gentle
reminder and nudge for everyonejust to continue to look at
those blessings and love thosepeople and give them that love,
even sometimes when they don'teven want it or deserve it, you
(23:33):
know, just give it to themanyway yes yeah, if you're a
mother, you understand very welloh yes, yeah, I am a mother, so
I really understand that sothis little girl, this little
girl who's now nine years old,is now without parents.
(23:55):
And was your grandmother stillalive at this point or no?
Betty Simon (24:00):
yes, she was.
She was still alive, but shewasn't really having the means
to take care of us or me.
So I was blessed.
I was blessed to have herbecause at least I knew I have a
grandmother and I'm gratefulthat she lived a longer time,
(24:21):
because then I can and as I'mpraying to God that he gives me
life, I'm also referring mygrandmother lived longer, so
it's not that everybody diedyoung.
At least I have a grandmother,because there are times when the
enemy comes in and whisperswords that are not good.
Because I look at my boys.
(24:41):
They are eight, you know, andI'm like God, please give us
life, that my boys are notorphans like ours.
That has always been my prayer.
And then I'm like God, pleasegive us life, that my boys are
not orphans like ours.
That has always been my prayer.
And then I'm like you gave mygrandma life, so give it to me
too, like you gave it to themand you gave my adopted dad and
mom longer life.
So I have that, but my grandmawouldn't have been able to
(25:05):
educate me.
She didn't have money to educateme.
She was not educated herself,you know, even my parents.
They didn't even know how toread or write.
So the life I would have had ifI was to go and live with
grandma would have beencompletely, completely harder,
(25:26):
you know, of course, because shealready had some grandkids
living with her and adding on meand my young siblings would
have been a little bit difficult.
But we were grateful.
But of course, if I didn't gethelp, if I didn't get this
gentleman with his family takingus in, of course I would have
(25:48):
lived with grandma, but I wasgrateful that I was taken in.
But I lived with half a littlebit and then I was taken in with
this family.
Yeah, because grandma justtilled the land.
So that's what we would havedone just till the land and get
food and grow up in.
Catherine Daniels (26:07):
So, just because I'm not fully aware of
what your village was like whenyou were a child, I know you
said that you were brought upwith Catholicism.
Was that something that wasvery strong in the family, that
you would, you know, go tochurch, or was that not as
(26:30):
strong?
Betty Simon (26:31):
No, it wasn't as strong.
My parents were not really intochurch for some reason.
They considered themselves.
My mother considered herselfCatholic.
My dad considered himself notPentecostal.
What are these people?
(26:52):
Now, I'm forgetting the nameProtestant, okay, yeah, sorry,
protestant, yeah, protestant,but I never really saw my dad go
to church.
I never really saw my mom go tochurch, but I was told that I
was baptized in the Catholicchurch.
I never really saw my mom go tochurch so, but I was told that
I was baptized in the Catholicchurch and I went to church as a
(27:13):
young child, here and therewith other people, here and
there, but not much.
So church wasn't really a bigdeal to us.
My grandma wasn't really intochurch, but I remember going to
church here and there, but not abig deal.
So I was grateful that thepeople that took us in were
(27:35):
Pentecostals, were on fire forGod.
They even had a church on theirproperty.
So that's where I learned moreabout God.
You know, I gave my life toChrist and I just soaked it all
in, but as a young child it wasjust go to church here and there
(27:56):
, come back.
I didn't really learn a wholelot about God in my first nine
years of life, but I knew therewas a God Right.
Catherine Daniels (28:07):
So how did you get from nine years old to
going to this family?
Betty Simon (28:15):
so my mom had asked .
There was an evangelist in thevillage that was doing
evangelism and he was part ofthe organization called Good
Samaritan Ministries, which wasbased here in the US, but they
were helping kids all over theworld can help us and give us a
(28:36):
better life.
And when she died, that's howwe got to be with this gentleman
(28:56):
, and he was a young man at thetime also, and he didn't even
have a family of his own, but hewas still living with his
mother and siblings.
So that's where he took me witha couple of my young siblings.
Catherine Daniels (29:12):
Yeah, Wow, I mean what, what an incredible
story that is that this youngman had it on his heart to you
know, take all of you in.
I mean, that's reallyastounding, not something that
you hear often.
So it sounds like.
It sounds like it was on hisheart to do something and get
(29:37):
back in such a profound way.
So where, where were you livingat this time?
Betty Simon (29:44):
So I was still living in the village before he
took us in.
But when he took us in hebrought us to the big city, to
the capital city, which iscalled Kampala.
So they lived a little bitoutside the capital city, in the
suburb of the capital city, inan area called Machindi.
So it was a different lifethere.
(30:06):
The church was right on theirproperty, they had a bigger
house, a nicer house than whereI came from, and there were so
many at the house because he hadso many siblings and his mom.
But they were all kind and allnice and loving and they just
(30:26):
embraced us.
They embraced me, they embracedme, they loved me and my life
changed.
You know, then I was able to beto see the light at the end of
the tunnel.
Let me say that you know fromthe hopeless situation, because
when my folks died I was in mymind I didn't know my mother had
(30:48):
planned this, had askedsomebody.
I didn't know that.
I was just thinking, okay, Iguess we are going to go to
grandma's house.
You know, I didn't even knowwhether maybe another relative
or I had a couple of oldersisters that had married really,
really young.
So they were in marriages thatwere also very, very poor and
(31:12):
they didn't have the ability.
Of course, we would have maybelived with them if we didn't
have any choice, if we didn'tlive with grandma, we would have
lived with them, but it wasalso really like tight quarters,
really tiny homes.
They have their kids and it wasjust a blessing that I didn't
get to stay in that situation,you know.
(31:32):
So now the life in Kampala, orthe life with my new family, was
better, was much, much better,and their love and their
dedication to us and theirwillingness to help us be better
people and to learn more aboutGod.
I remember everything that Iknow about God.
(31:54):
I learned from there becausethey were big on God and they
were big on gathering andpraying and teaching us the word
and even getting us involved,because some days it'll be like
yo, it's your turn to share theword of God and as a young child
you're like I don't even knowhow to share.
But we had to learn.
(32:14):
You know we had to learn andthat was a blessing and we had
food to eat.
We didn't have to worry thatwhere is food going to come from
.
We didn't have to worry that ifI'm sick, am I going to be able
to be taken to the doctor.
And now in the capital citythere were nurses and doctors
(32:34):
and hospitals and clinics thatyou could be able to go to.
In the village there was nonelike that.
If you had to go to thehospital you had to go a long,
long distance and the means oftransportation were not there.
So there was a lot of walkingdone or like borrowing a bicycle
from someone who had it.
But here it was easier and theclinic was not too far away.
(32:58):
If you're sick you could evenjust walk over there and they
would pay for you to be seen.
So life became better.
Life became better, of course,at the back of your mind.
You know you're an orphan.
You know this is really notyour family, they're just
helping you.
You had to behave yourself.
I don't mean don't behave, butyou had to be really like
(33:20):
watching everything because youdon't want to be thrown out of
the home.
You know they're just helpingyou so, but they were wonderful
people and they have done a lotto change my life.
I wouldn't be what I am withoutthem, so I'm so grateful yeah,
it's, it's beautiful.
Catherine Daniels (33:38):
I mean, there's someone listening right
now to your journey and they'reprobably thinking a couple of
things.
Like you know, do you stillhave a relationship with your
siblings because you moved away.
So at that time, was thisfamily willing to bring you all
(34:00):
together?
You know, because now you'vebeen displaced from your village
, from your village, so I meanthat also is a loss, because
you're grieving your parents andyour grandmother and now you're
removed from more family.
So that must have been hard too.
Were they aware of what thatmust have felt like for you?
Betty Simon (34:23):
Yes, and they were fine with us going back and
visit.
It was fine for me to go backand visit, so that opportunity
was there.
It's not that I was pulled outand never going back.
Yeah, I had the opportunity andthey would give me
transportation to go back andvisit them when I was not in
(34:43):
school.
So that part was really good.
I stayed in their lives andthey stayed in my lives.
I was just not physically withthem, but during holidays, like
time out of school, I would goand spend some time with them.
so that was good you know ofcourse, as a child, at first it
is kind of hard because you'renot used to that other
(35:06):
environment.
You're used to this environmentwhere you feel comfortable,
where you know everybody.
But then we had to learn tolearn to know everybody and to
learn to live how they live.
Like they're saying that whenwe have a saying that when you
go up to a place where they eata dog, you have to eat a dog.
(35:26):
It is just a saying.
Of course you're not going toeat a dog, but I think the
message in that is that youconform to what is going on.
Just like when I left Uganda andcame here, there were so many
changes but I had to learn andappreciate.
So that's how it was, thatinitially you're like, oh my
goodness, you know, because itis different a little bit.
(35:49):
But then with the time youlearn and you adjust and you
appreciate it and I was very,very grateful because I knew my
life is better now, you know,and it is going to continue to
be better.
So that was good, that was okay.
Catherine Daniels (36:03):
I love, I love that, that whole analogy
that you gave, because itreminds everyone to be fluid.
You know, kind of like water,like things are going to change,
and there's a saying thatchange is the only constant in
life, right?
So if, if people can learn toadapt and change as things move
(36:31):
and that really goes foranything, it goes with.
You know your environment, yourrelationships, the political
atmosphere, whatever it is.
You know it's like you have tolearn to adapt and be fluid.
You have to learn to adapt andbe fluid and that's the thing
(36:54):
that I think is really comingthrough with your testimony is
this beautiful ability of youbeing able to be adaptable and
just be fluid like water andmove through the changes, and
gratitude, a space ofappreciation of what it is that
is happening and understandingthat it could be very different.
(37:14):
Like you said, there's alwaystwo sides of the coin, right?
That's what they say.
Betty Simon (37:23):
Yes, that's true.
Catherine Daniels (37:24):
Yeah, so it's really great that you're able
to really see that.
But somehow you go from thatlife and you land in the United
States.
So what was your journey likethat brought you to the US?
Betty Simon (37:42):
So when this gentleman was taking care of us
it was through an organization Imentioned before Good Samaritan
Ministries and with that theyusually have people who sponsor
kids, who decide, just like weare doing now, we sponsor
children.
(38:03):
That's how I got somebody tosponsor me.
That's how I got somebody tosponsor me.
So this gentleman came overhere and was visiting with the
organization and talking aboutthe work that he's doing over
there because he's the head ofthe Good Summertime Ministries
down there in Uganda and he wasasking for people to sponsor
(38:23):
children and to also sponsorthese kids that he had brought
to his house, because he hadbrought even other kids.
And a gentleman and his wifefrom a little town here in
Oregon called Talent theydecided to sponsor me through
(38:44):
school.
So they were giving me tuitionbecause in Uganda you pay away.
As soon as you go in school youpay.
We had to pay for tuition, youhave to pay for books,
everything you have to pay.
So it is hard for some kids togo to school because if they
don't have anybody to help themto pay, then they can't go to
(39:04):
school.
So I was really fortunate thatthis couple they were older,
they just wanted to help me andthey told me that God, because
there was a list of all thesenames and God told them.
After a while, of course, theylistened to the speech and then
(39:24):
they went home, thought about itand prayed about it.
They were Christian people andat some point God spoke to the
gentleman and said pick the namethat is on the top to help.
And my name was on the top.
He didn't know me nothing.
And then they started sponsoringme.
They came to Uganda to see me.
(39:45):
So they are the reason theybrought me to the US.
You know, that is how myjourney was and I was really
grateful that that opportunitywas extended to me for me to
come over.
Yeah, I used to come and visitand go back and come and visit
and go back because I did mostof my education over there.
(40:05):
But once I finished they werelike, yeah, just stay, there is
no now reason to go back andforth, back and forth, yeah, so
I'm grateful for that.
Catherine Daniels (40:18):
So, betty, if that's the case, then what
happened to your siblings?
Betty Simon (40:23):
They are still there.
They're still in Uganda, yeah,but the young ones, they also
got opportunities to go toschool.
Catherine Daniels (40:31):
Okay, so they were part of the Good Samaritan
program as well.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So that's really incredible,but they chose to stay in your
home country, and how were theyfeeling?
Betty Simon (40:47):
They didn't choose.
It's just that the people whohelped them didn't give them the
opportunity to come.
Oh, ok, yeah, and they were notbeing helped by the couple that
was helping me.
The couple just picked me justby myself.
Ok yeah, now if they had achoice, they would also choose
to come over here, but theydidn't get the opportunity.
Catherine Daniels (41:11):
So how are they doing now?
Betty Simon (41:13):
They're doing pretty good.
They're doing really good.
In fact, one of them is adoctor now.
But, of course the organizationhelped them too, educated them,
and the other one is just abusinessman doing his own things
.
So they're doing pretty good,they're doing well.
Catherine Daniels (41:32):
So it's really a beautiful testimony of
how you go through all this lossand then you move into a space
of abundance and I know it's notthe same, but it really.
You know, in the thick of thedarkness, when you have no idea
what's ahead and how everythingunfolds for you, you it just
(41:55):
becomes so beautiful, and theblessings that were bestowed on
you, it's just really remarkable.
And seeing you here right now,like you are on the precipice of
doing so many important thingsbecause, as, as you told me
(42:17):
prior to you know our recordingthis god has put an assignment
on your life to do yes, so 2020.
Betty Simon (42:28):
God asked me do you know that still voice in you?
Because sometimes when you sayGod asked me people like, how is
that like?
(42:48):
But that still voice.
If you let the Holy Spiritspeak through you, you can tell
that this is from God.
So I had just joined a group.
You know how 2020 was.
We had COVID going andeverything.
We were confined.
We were in the home.
I had joined a group of myfriends to pray.
We had a prayer line.
(43:10):
They live in Germany, but wecould meet online and pray and
share the word of God and taketimes to share.
We had Bible study and all that.
So then after a couple of months, I got this still voice that I
should do videos sharing God'sword and put it on YouTube.
(43:31):
Of course, I didn't knowanything about recording myself
and this and that, but to cutthe whole story short, I started
a YouTube and its name is God'sWord for Us by Betty, and Betty
at the end is spelled with I-E,and then I started putting I
didn't start right away becauseI had all these excuses, I
(43:54):
didn't know how to do it and mytwins were four and a half at
the time.
I was busy with them and thisand that.
Anyway, I procrastinated until2023, but I started doing them.
So I'm bringing that becauseone of the reasons another
calling came on my life isbecause of that.
(44:16):
So last year, 2023, november Iremember very well it was
November 30th I was sitting hereon my dining table preparing a
message and the title wasCounting your Blessings.
So I'm writing things down.
I'm writing things down, then Isay writing things about me,
what God has done for me, andthen I started writing things
(44:39):
that I have survived death, thatthere were close calls I would
have died, and I started listingand listing.
I got to number 10, this smallvoice again came to me and said
write a book about these closecalls, just that, not all the
(45:03):
other things God has done foryou.
That, and the reason is to givehope to people.
Catherine Daniels (45:10):
Wow.
Betty Simon (45:12):
That was very clear to me.
I get out of that and I'm likeI've never even thought of being
an author.
I've never thought aboutwriting a book.
English is my second language.
How do I even start, you know?
But I know I won't go too muchin details, but I'm writing a
book and I also want to be aspeaker to share the message of
(45:36):
hope that God wants to reachpeople.
So whoever will read this bookthe message is in there is to
give hope.
So God is putting this callingon my life to be a message of
hope, sharing what I've gonethrough, what I've experienced,
the things I've survived, thethings I've seen, are the
miracles in my life, and thereason is to give hope to people
(46:00):
.
Catherine Daniels (46:01):
Wow, it's really, really remarkable All of
what is transpiring in yourlife and what God has pulled you
and called you to do, and Iknow, once this airs and gets
out there, that you're probablygoing to have something at work,
so I'm encouraging the audienceto to look for you.
(46:24):
Um, so do you have a website,or do you have anything set up
yet that people can find you?
Betty Simon (46:34):
It's going to be from orphan to inspiration.
Here I am on the journey ofinspiring others, on helping
others know that there is lightat the end of a tunnel.
Just because you're from a tiny, tiny village that doesn't even
it is not even on the map,doesn't mean you cannot come out
of there and be in the placethat was on the map when I was
(46:58):
born.
It's not even on the map.
Now I live in Oregon, usa,which is on the map.
The guy can bring that up tothere.
It doesn't matter what it mightbe that somebody is stuck in or
is going through.
We all go through a lot.
We all go through differentthings.
A friend that has become myfriend.
(47:20):
I met her.
She suggested it.
When she suggested it at firstI was a little bit scared
because I didn't want people tothink you know, maybe labeling
myself or something, but that'swho I am, am you know, I was an
orphan and I'm still an orphanbecause I don't have parents.
But now I'm older maybe I don'tthink about it much that way,
(47:44):
but she suggested it that thatwould be good because then you
can tell your story as an orphanand other things and then you
can inspire people.
It's beautiful.
Catherine Daniels (47:55):
Everything about your story is so
inspirational, and I've heardabout the good samaritan.
What's the?
The last word?
Betty Simon (48:04):
I'm missing it's called good samaritan ministries
.
It was, yeah, ministries.
It was started by a lady hername is betty mitchell, but
she's going to be with the Lorda couple of years ago and it is
based in Beaverton, oregon sothe interesting thing about that
is, like I've heard about theGood Samaritan.
Catherine Daniels (48:26):
You know um purse, I've heard about Good
Samaritan.
There's like different, thelast piece of it is like
different so that's why I wasasking for clarification of what
the last piece was for yourparticular ministry.
As you said, and it's soinspiring and wonderful to hear
(48:51):
of a person who was on a card ona church table, that has grown
up and been able to share thejourney and what it was like and
how someone else you didn'teven know, but how someone else
(49:11):
blessed your life and gave youan opportunity to thrive where
you would not have had one.
Yes, and I think, if anything,you're a testimony of the good
that people can do for anotherperson.
(49:31):
You're a testimony of how, in ahopeless situation, someone
gave you a lifeline, someonegave you hope, someone gave you
opportunity to grow and thriveand become something Like you
said.
Your brother's now a doctor.
I mean the lives that he istouching, the lives that he is
(49:53):
impacting with his lifeassignment and being able to
just really pursue the blessingsbestowed on him and give back
is so beautiful and you're doingthe same thing and I encourage
everyone who's listening, ifthere's an opportunity for you,
(50:14):
to volunteer or to donate or togive back or to do something
that can help a small child thatis in need.
Yes, and god is tugging at yourheart to do that, just like
betty was talking about.
Please, you know, look intothat opportunity to help a child
(50:36):
because, especially now morethan ever, the children of the
world need you to help them.
So I just encourage you tolisten to your heart, listen to
that still voice and give alifeline to a child if you're,
if you're able to a child, ifyou're, if you're able to and,
(51:03):
betty, I mean I'm, I'm just soin awe and inspired by you and
knowing that you have gonethrough so much, I mean even
just moving countries.
I've interviewed other people onthe show and they've shared
about, you know, their journey,moving to a new country and how,
all the changes of even that.
And, like you know, it takes awhile to get acclimated and
(51:25):
there is a mourning process thathappens leaving your old
country because you are startingsomething new country, because
you are starting something new,and it takes a fierce amount of
courage and bravery to be ableto do that, to go out into that
space.
If there's someone and maybethere's a child that is in a
(51:51):
kitchen somewhere that'soverhearing this right now, if
there was something that youcould say to that little girl or
little boy that may have gonethrough and experienced a lot of
adversity.
What would your advice be tothem?
Betty Simon (52:16):
What would your advice be to them?
That little girl was me and Iwant that little girl to know
that I'm not in that situationanymore.
So if that little girl is inthat situation, I will say to
(52:38):
her that there is hope Also topray.
Even if she doesn't have afamily that is prayerful, she
can start her own prayer herself.
She can learn to pray to Godand not to pray to idols, not to
pray to little stones or littletrees, but to lift her hands to
(53:00):
the heavens and call God andsay Lord, I need your help.
I need your help and also tocontinue behaving well, to
behave herself, to continuebehaving well, to behave herself
, so that people who might helpher will desire to help her,
(53:23):
because sometimes kids can be alittle bit difficult, that the
desire to help such a child is alittle bit lost.
You're like she is too much.
So I would say that behaveyourself, pray to God, have hope
(53:45):
.
Don't lose hope.
We don't know where the helpwill come from.
I didn't know how I was gonnabe helped.
I didn't even have an idea thatI was going to be helped.
I just thought that's the endof me having parents and now the
next chapter is just to bewherever I will be and grow up
(54:07):
and, pretty soon, just getmarried, because that's what I
was seeing with the little girlsin the villages doing getting
married like at 14, at 15, youknow, that's what I thought I
didn't know, but God was walkingbehind sins and if you don't
lose hope, god can orchestratesomething that you might not
even know where it's going tocome from.
(54:27):
How is it going to come?
Who is it going to come through?
So don't lose hope, little girl.
Life is still ahead of you.
That will be good life.
I'm not going to sit here andsay, oh, everything has been
glamorous.
I'm not going to sit here andtell you, oh, as soon as I got
help, everything worked out likeI've been on a smooth road.
(54:51):
No, I've had some bumps hereand there, but if you keep the
hope, if you keep the faith inGod and continue to behave well
because even the help that Istill get, even in my old age,
is because I have stillcontinued to be a good person,
to behave myself and not to likejust be crazy and running
(55:17):
around doing crazy stuff.
So even if you get tempted byfriends and you have some
friends are like, oh, let's dothis, let's do that.
You know, please don't,especially if you know it is not
something good.
I have heard about little kidsthat they lose hope and they
start smoking, they startdrinking, they start doing drugs
(55:39):
because other kids have toldthem that.
No please don't do that.
And also, if you get some help,somebody decides to help you,
be appreciative, thank thepeople who are helping you.
Behave yourself so those peoplecan continue to desire to help
(56:01):
you and not be like, oh mygoodness, we didn't know what we
were bringing ourselves into.
You know, because some kids arebrought into families and they
have just made the familiesalmost wish they didn't even
bring him, you know.
So I would say to that littlegirl behave yourself, trust God,
(56:22):
continue to have hope thatyou're not gonna stay in that
situation forever.
It will change.
You know, like you said, changeis the constant.
It will change.
You might be in it for a littlebit and sometimes we are in
situations for a certain timeand you feel like it's like a
(56:43):
year or two years and it's beenlike a week or two, but it feels
like it's taking forever.
But at some point breakthroughwill come, something good will
come.
Something good will comebecause it is there.
It just needs time.
You know, because I also didn'tcome from oh, everything was
(57:07):
great, things had to take time,things had to like.
I've gone through things thathave taken time to to to get to
change, but change comes.
So, my little girl, my littlefriend, my little girl down
there, or even a little boysomewhere, please hang on to
hope and to good behavior.
Catherine Daniels (57:27):
I love that.
Thank you for sharing that.
And I do have one last question.
If I were to pick up your earthangel feather off the ground,
what would your message to theworld be?
Betty Simon (57:40):
Message of hope.
Message of hope.
God gave me that message and Ialso want to pass that message
of hope.
It's a message of hope Even ifyou feel like you're drowning,
you will come through at somepoint.
Don't you lose hope.
(58:03):
And I want to share my messagethat hope is real.
You hang on to that hope.
You will float, you won't sink.
Catherine Daniels (58:15):
Thank you so much, Betty.
I appreciate you being on theshow and I'm just so grateful.
So thank you, thank you, thankyou.
Betty Simon (58:23):
Thank you so much for having me.
It has been an honor to be onyour show and I hope that the
world will learn that there isstill hope no matter what.
So God bless everyone.
God bless you.
I am so grateful that you'vehad me come on and talk to you.
(58:46):
Thank you so much.
Catherine Daniels (58:48):
Thank you.
God bless you as well and yourfamily.
For my audience, this isCatherine Daniels, reminding you
to live your authentic life inpeace and, as always, we create
the peace in you.
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