A Tribute To My Son

While in Uganda I was adopted by several wonderful kids. One of them is Joseph. Joseph is a double orphan, both of his parents died when he was young. He is now about 14. The first day I was in Uganda I visited an orphan boarding school. A group of kids were playing soccer with a ball made out of grocery sacks. I asked if I could play and I ended up on Joseph's team. We had this great connection and made some great combination plays. I continued to spend time with him during my stay before the team arrived. It has been hard to even write about this because I'm not sure if anyone can understand how deeply the connection became during my 3 week trip. Leaving him is one of the hardest things I have ever done. On my last day he came to visit me at the hostel with another sweet boy. I told them I would pay for their ride if they could get there. I had a big suprise for Joseph. Joseph loves soccer and his dream was to play on a team. I had arranged for him to be on a Kampala Kids League team and one of their staff was there to meet Joseph and offer him a spot. Joseph was elated and I had my video camera catching it all on tape. The KKL coach asked Joseph if he had cleats and he said no. I was so happy to tell Joseph, on the spot that I had a pair waiting for him in the room. Joseph was so thrilled, but shortly after shared the concern that he would have no transport to get to the practices on Saturdays and Sundays. I had forgotten about that problem during the excitement of planning the suprise. All I had left was $30 USD so I gave that to him to get started. I call Joseph every Sunday morning to ask him how his practices went. Now, he has run out of money and has not been able to go. It breaks my heart when I talk to him to think that for $4.00 a weekend this boy could realize his dream. I am working on getting money to him now and I've pledged to pay for his transport to soccer from now on. I was very sad when I got home and still have difficulty talking about him without getting emotional. He wrote a special letter to Shawn asking him to be his father. Although I don't think Shawn is ready for a commitment like that, he suggested that we get him over here for a long visit. We are now working on that. I miss all of those boys. My motherly heart aches for them. I became attached quickly and deeply and it's hard for me to explain. At times I've felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I have several kids that I am now supporting, and several others that I've been finding sponsors for. Sometimes I just feel like things are so heavy. That's when I've really felt support from people around me. I've told God that I can't do this alone and he continues to send others to help me bless the lives of the children I met. I don't know what will happen with Joseph, but he has changed my life forever and I love him deeply.