One Child for Each of Us

11 Kids!



Huggin Florence

Toys for the Kids

So as I said, my small group said that I would end up sponsoring 12 families by the time I got home…well I didn’t go that far even though it was tempting! I did however sponsor a family with 11 children…so that means there will be one child for each person in our group!

On Sat. morning, we set out for the Mukono District which is about an hour north of Kampala…it took much longer because of traffic and the roads became very tiny and full of ruts and holes that it was not ideal for a bus full of mzungos. We started the day with the verse from Isaiah 58:6-8 in our hearts. It talks about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and providing shelter for the homeless. When we walked up to the first family on our trip, Silvia immediately knew that this was her family. There were 7 children and a widowed mother. The living conditions of these people are unbelievable. I suppose if that is all you know, then they have no other expectations. You have to ask yourself, are they happy?

Obviously, they feel a little awkward when we first arrived. We try not to be too obtrusive and they become more comfortable and begin to smile and respond. These families are aware that we are coming and are somewhat prepared for our visit. GFR works with local NGO’s (non for profits) to determine which families are the poorest of the poor in the district. The local NGO rep. , and many others come along with us to meet the families so that they feel more comfortable and can interpret for us. Anyway, Silvia adopted the first family and we moved onto the next home. On the bus, I said “I think God wants me to adopt a family with a bunch of kids.” Lo and Behold…the next family we visited had kids coming from everywhere! I began to count, 1, 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11!!!!Wow, 11 kids. God knew.

I became very emotional and told Ben immediately that this was my family to sponsor. At first, I was unsure who the mother was because she looked so young. When we sat down, we determined that there were actually 2 mothers! Poligamy is common in Uganda. The 2 mother’s names are Florence and Ida. Florence was very sweet. Ida was shy and appeared to be uncomfortable by our presence. The father left them…they have no idea if he is alive or dead. They introduced me to their family…I don’t remember all of their names but I remember that Fred is the oldest boy and there is an Allen. Ben and Melody said that since there were 2 mothers and a total of 11 kids that they would need 2 sponsors. Even though they don’t really know what sponsorship means yet, I looked into their bright eyes and thought there is no way I can just sponsor 1 family and not the other. So I figured that our small group can sponsor 1 family and The Abbotts will sponsor the other!

I showed them the picture of my small group and the interpreter tried to explain to them that the people on the photograph are saving their money to send to them so that they can eat, buy clothes, and go to school. Florence (mother of 7) then gave me a tour of their houses. The mom slept on a bed and the kids slept on the ground on mats. She also showed us the grave of her son, Abel, he died at 5. She cried as we pulled the weeds off of the grave mound to show our respect. I spoke with Ida and she opened up a little more. As I said, they don’t really understand what sponsorship means at this point so I’m sure its all confusing. We gave all of them clothing, toys, and a goody bag full of tolietries and candy. I plan to leave them some money and a goody bag with my blanket, clothing, and toiletries before I leave Africa and the NGO rep will take it to them. We met several more families that day…all as destitute as the others…no food, rags for clothes, and many sick… and all of them were sponsored from someone in our group. They have no idea how their life is about to change. God is Good.

Abel's grave