Meaningful?
Sometimes I wonder if the things that Jeff and I have done over the years have made a meaningful difference in the world. Of course, we wouldn't continue to support these causes if we didn't think that they were doing good. Everyone has a limited amount of money; we want to be good stewards of the money we are entrusted with.
One of our privileges has been to sponsor a child through World Vision, a relief, development, and advocacy non-governmental organization dedicated to working with children, family, and community to overcome poverty and injustice. We chose Opio Stephen to support back in 2008 when our church hosted a "Walk Through Africa” exhibit. After touring the exhibit, much of which dealt with the Aids epidemic and the issues with orphans as a result of the war in northern Uganda, there was an entire wall filled with photos of children to sponsor. We quickly decided upon Stephen. There was no compelling reason that we selected him out of all the other children, but we pulled his picture off the wall and signed up. And that was really the moment that our hearts began to soften toward Uganda and lead us on this journey which ultimately has us sitting in a house in Gulu where we plan to live for as long as God desires. Meaningful.
Almost 12 years have passed since the day that we selected Stephen.
I’ve visited Uganda 7 times. The first time that I traveled to Uganda, one of the main motivations was to meet Stephen.
On visitation day, after traveling by 4-wheel drive to reach the cluster of huts that included Stephen’s family home, I remember being greeted by a huge crowd of family members and villagers who were in awe of me. Just as I was in awe of them, There were speeches by the head of the village, Stephen's father, and then me. I had to remember to speak slowly for the translator, We then sat and "visited." How do you visit with someone so different than you? Different culture, Different language, Different age. I remember having questions ready to ask to keep things moving along. Questions that I thought were appropriate for a 6 year old boy. "What is your favorite color" is probably the most ridiculous. As if he even thought past where his next meal was coming from or whether someone had fetched enough water for his family to drink that day.
We exchanged gifts. School supplies, a picture Bible, a toothbrush, a t-shirt for Stephen. A soccer ball for him to share with his siblings. Tea, soap, cooking oil, and sugar for his mom. A shirt and socks for his dad. Wasn't I the surprised one when handed a live chicken as a gift! Held upside down by its feet, the chicken was offered proudly. It didn't dawn on me until later just how precious that gift was, that the chicken was a meal for the family. They had given up a meal for me! Meaningful.
Over the years we have had the honor of visiting Stephen and his family five times. I have always brought gifts for him and his family. Once it was quilts I had made for them. Sometimes we were given a chicken, twice we were not. Those were the years that the family was having particular struggles with food. The last time that we went, we were able to present the family with a goat. Such wonder! Such happiness! I am so glad that the escort from World Vision encouraged us to give a goat to Stephen's family, and even found a local family from whom to purchase the goat. That family was so happy to have the money from selling a goat; such a win-win situation! Meaningful.
Two years have passed since we have been able to visit Stephen. He has grown into a tall young man, Studying to be a mechanic, one of our gifts to him was a tool box and tools. A look of delight crossed Stephen's face when he was presented with it. We had brought many gifts. And we were handed 2 plump roosters as a gift from Stephen and his father, a sign of prosperous times. His mother presented me with a container filled to overflowing with g-nuts. And we gave them another goat.
During each visit, Jeff and Stephen's father Martin sit next to each other, struggling to make conversation, translator between them. This year, Martin was anxious to talk to Jeff. After the ritualistic greetings from everyone, Martin stood up and held Jeff's hand. He explained just how important our support has been for his family over the years. He told the story of struggling to feed his family, and how our donations each month have helped. He told how the gift of one goat led to the ownership of three cows, giving them a very significant steady source of income and food. Cows are rented out to plow fields. And they produce milk. He explained how one goat became a cow. The goat reproduced and allowed them to sell the offspring; four goats equal one cow.
But the most touching part of all of our visits can be summed up in this picture. Stephen's father holding Jeff's hand, looking him straight in the eye and trying to explain what an impact we've been,
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