In April of 2008, I helped out at a Compassion International youth camp. There, a small boy walked around my small group, aiding the other children with their English writing they worked on letters to their sponsors. It didn’t take long for him to impress me with his kind, quite spirit and intelligence. But then I began to ponder, “Why isn’t he working on a letter?”
Because Junior was 11 at the time, he was too old to begin in the Compassion International Program. His grandmother cooked at the camp for the smallest of incomes and would bring Junior with her to work. I thank GOD every day that she did, for that is how I met the small Ugandan boy, now 13, whom with I correspond and sponsor through Empower A Child.
This week, there is a youth church camp located in Jinja, the location for the source of the Nile. Some of the sponsored children were going to attend, so the all arrived on Sunday evening for an early morning departure on Monday. Many come from deep in the villages, so it was not realistic for them to begin travel to our home the morning of camp.
Among the group was Junior! I was so thrilled to be able to see him again. The reports about Junior that are passed to me through my Ugandan friends are all so positive, and I was looking forward to telling him how proud I was of his hard work in person.
I think the pictures Junior has of me from my last trip to Uganda burned that exact image into his memory, so when I first approached him, he didn’t recognize me! But Sarah rushed out and quickly blurted my identity to him in Luganda, and he came running inside the house and grabbed both of my hands with a shy smile.
It took him a bit of time to warm back up to me. Fortunately, Patrick, a brilliant Ugandan chef, and I were working on making a pizza for dinner [well, as close as we could get with the African materials we have here]. I invited Junior to join us in the kitchen while the rest of the sponsored children played outside. While we caught up on each others’ lives, Junior sprinkled chopped peppers, onions, and mushrooms onto the dough. I offered him some shredded mozzarella cheese, to which he responded that it tasted like blue wash bar soap! [He’s kinda right…]
He giggled as I explained some other odd foods that Americans name as favorite and classic. His facial expression following a taste of a tinned mushroom indicated his opinion of it, as well. I could tell he doubted our dinner!
I had a backpack with notebooks, folders, and pens to give to him as a Christmas gift. So I pulled him aside and presented the items to him. His face lit up. He immediately re-packed all of his items for camp in the backpack. :0) I also handed him a bag full of assorted flavored dumdum lollipops so that he could hand them out to the other dozen and a half children outside.
Before he went to sleep, he wished me a pleasant night and ran his fingers through the tips of my hair. The slippery texture of my mzungu hair is often explored by African children and youth with whom I come in contact.
The next morning, as the rain drizzled down from a dark sky, the children got ready for camp. As everyone waited for the bus to come take them to camp, I spent some more time with Junior.
I taught him a hanging arm dance move, to which he laughed through the entire lesson. The first time I met him, I introduced the game of “Rock-Paper-Scissors”- somehow that guy beat me almost every round this time we played!
I brought out my laptop to entertain us for while. I really wanted for my mom to see Junior, so I shared with Junior the concept of Skype. At the cost of my mom’s peaceful night of sleep, I was able to demonstrate video chats between continents to a fascinated 13 year old.
The last hour we waited, Junior showed off some of his new skills with typing on a computer keyboard. I pulled up a blank Word document, intending for him to practice a moment. That idea soon evolved into a conversation activity in which I would type a question to him, shift the computer, and allow him to respond. He caught on to the “Shift” and punctuation keys quickly. He and a few gathered friends laughed when I typed a question in Luganda, then filled with curiosity about the red squiggle lines that formed under each word, indicating my computers lack of recognition of the language!
When the bus arrived, I waited outside in the rain until they pulled out. Junior claimed a seat in the back of the bus near a window, so I talked with him while the bus was loaded. As they departed, Junior furiously waved with a smile. I think I matched, if not topped, his enthusiasm with my return wave.
I have been so blessed over the past year and a half through my sponsor relationship with Junior. I beam with pride when I receive updates about his performance in school. I save every letter I have every received from him, and love composing letters to him in return. It’s a significant commitment to sponsor a child, but after a lot of prayer and reflection, I believe GOD led me to one of the greatest decisions of my life. I am blessed by Junior.
Many of my Ugandan friends have been sponsored through programs like Compassion International, and they all speak so joyfully when prompted to talk about their experience. They love their sponsors and recognize the impact the program had in their lives. I’ve met and interacted with many of the sponsored children at Empower A Child - each one is so special. I encourage everyone to consider sponsoring a child, whether it’s through EAC, another organization; a child in Uganda or any other country. To learn more about sponsoring a child through Empower A Child Uganda, please contact me or visit the website at http://www.empower-a-child.org/eachome/SPONSORACHILD.html.
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