This is a blog I wrote for our team’s blog a few days ago:

It seems that the best parts of the day are events that I do not expect.  This afternoon I had been working on a project in the guest house where we are staying while others were involved in various ministries throughout the Juna Amagara schools.  A few of our team members and JAM’s social worker, Clare, drove down to the house and told me they were coming to pick me up.  I had no idea that they were planning to do that, nor did I really know what we were doing.  Several of you who sponsor JAM students sent us along with packages or letters to deliver, and it turned out that Clare had arranged for us to meet with a little boy and his family to make a delivery.  Mike & Melanie Lund have recently decided to sponsor Nickson, who is just five years old…and possibly the cutest five-year old I have ever seen!  A few of us took the journey down the hill with the envelope to meet Nickson, his  7 year old sister Sarah, and his mom Adrine (they have three older siblings as well).  Of course we met several other neighbors along the way.  Before we approached the house, little Nickson came out and shook all of our hands and escorted us the last little bit down the path to his home.  Clare translated for us as we had him open the package and explained what the different items were.  The Lund’s wrote him letters, including one from each of the three children (Jacob, Sydney, and Madeline).  Clare translated each one of them for him and his mother as we sat together.  Nickson couldn’t quit smiling and giggling…it was so fun to have him sit on my lap as we looked at the pictures of his sponsor family and he chewed Juicy Fruit gum.  When we told him what the gum was, he put a stick in his mouth.  He went to take out another one right afterwards.  At first I tried to stop him, thinking his little mouth couldn’t handle two pieces.  But then I realized he had a different plan.  He picked up the pack, got down from my lap, and walked over to his friends that had been watching, and gave each one a piece.  It was so sweet!  Before we left, I shared with the mom a little about this family that was helping care for her son.  I told her about how Mike had been sick for a long time and recently had a heart transplant.  Additionally, I shared how the last time we came to Uganda Melanie and her daughters were really involved in our sewing project of making dresses for the girls here.  Clare told us that Nickson’s mom is a woman of prayer, and she wanted to pray before we left.  It was a beautiful time to sit together as she prayed for the Lund family, and specifically for Mike’s complete healing.  That certainly took sponsorship beyond a monthly expense and an occasional letter.  I suspect that Adrine will be praying for Nickson’s sponsor family on a regular basis.  What a blessing God had for us to witness today.

Well, I can’t find any of my pictures from this day…so maybe I will try to upload them later if I find them!