TICC is more than just a school where children are getting a good education. It is a place where teachers and staff care about the children and building a better future for them. This is where kids get to be kids and have a little fun. Where children learn not just about books but about life.
One of our goals as we began children's camp, was to teach the children how to share their testimonies. To train them to be a witness of Gods great love for them to those around them. As three children got up to share their stories, one stood out to us all. Many children will tell of how they passed their exams or how they asked God to heal a parent from a sickness and He showed up for them. Wonderful testimonies indeed. This young man told a different story. With the courage of a lion he took the microphone and through the pauses of the interpreter we heard his story unfold. I'm not sure how old his is but from the looks of him he could not have been much older than 10 or 12 so I stifled a giggle when he started "when I was a little child" and paused for the interpreter. He went on to tell us that his father told him to leave. He could not care for him and he was not allowed to stay home any longer. My heart sank. He briefly described how he began to walk and sleep in the bushes and tears began filling not only his eyes but the eyes of everyone else as well. He described walking to the TICC campus to get a drink of water when "Administrator Gabby" found him and began asking what he was doing. He shared through tears about how she gave him clothing to wear, food to eat, a mattress to sleep on and space in the boys dorm. He thanked God for bringing him to a place where there were people to care for him.
I knew the staff at this school cared for children. I knew they were training them to learn and to build their own futures. I knew they wanted to show Gods love to these children every day. Until this moment I did not realize what an impact their love really, truly made in those lives. This young man who had not been loved by his own family now had been shown love. Through giving a little time and Very basic necessities, he now knows what love is. These are the children who's lives are changing through your sponsorship. These are the kind of stories you are a part of when you help send us to Uganda. This is life changing. This is world changing. This is Africa.
