Let me tell you a story. It’s the kind of story you’d find in Chicken Soup for the Soul, except this one is real. I met a man in Africa named Timothy. Mid twenties, single, college graduate in computer science. One of the most amazing men I have ever met in my life. Just a couple of years older than me and yet he has something I don’t plan on having for a while. Kids. 328 of them. Ever since he was a kid, Timothy wanted to be a teacher. After graduating college in computer science he worked at it for a month, then quit. It wasn’t what he wanted to do. He started teaching-for free, since he didn’t have a teaching certificate-at a small village school, just a little at first, then slowly more and more. Eventually he branched out and started his own school, not liking the way students were treated at the school he had been teaching at. He wanted to open a school for orphans and impoverished children, taking no account of the fact that he hims
elf was not exactly in the black. He found a partner, found a place, and started driving around in a van, picking kids up off the street and taking them to his school, Cranes Junior School in Mukono. He currently has 700 students, 328 of them orphans-for whom he is entirely responsible-and the rest coming from very poor families, not much better off than the orphans. The funding for the school (as well as the food, clothing, etc.) for the orphans comes from the school fees paid by the families of the other children, when they can afford it. Often they can’t. At the time I’m writing this, Timothy’s orphans are subsiding on only one meal a day, because the money simply isn’t there. Some days they just have to go without, because there is nothing for them. The thought of going without is mind boggling to us as Americans; because of the abundance around us it’s not something we’ve ever had to do. Yet it’s so common for these kids that it doesn’t even seem abnormal to them; it’s a part of their lives.After I got back, a friend of mine (Elise Fisher, who also spent the summer in Uganda) talked with me about how we could raise money to help. Mother Teresa once said, “If you can’t feed 100 people, just feed one,” and we decided we would do what we could to feed as many as we can. Our goal is, eventually, to help Timothy get his school to be self-sufficient. Just like with our teaching, we want them to be able to keep going without the Mzungus. But that’s long
term. Short term-right now-they need money for food. I think you know where this is going. James 1:27 says, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction.” There are no widows at Cranes, but there are fatherless-and motherless-who are suffering in affliction. I ask three things. First, that you pray for Timothy and his kids, as well as for Elise and I that we’ll be able to help them in some way. Second, that you consider what you could do to help. $25 a month will feed 5 orphans for a whole month. But more than just feed; Timothy’s goal is to educate these kids, to give them a chance at life. Without him, without his school, these kids are back on the street. Is there something you could sacrifice-maybe a couple nights eating out-to make the difference in these kids’ lives? I don’t know your situation; you do. I don’t want to guilt you into doing this; I’d rather you do it because you are inspired to. If you can’t, you can’t, and I understand; I just ask that you consider it. Check out our website for more information, http://www.timothysorphans.org/ and http://timothysorphans.org/compassion/. Third, I ask that you’d share this with your friends, associates, family, heck, even the paper boy. Any one. If you have any questions, call (307-272-8118) or email me (chocolateflipper@yahoo.com). The world has a lot of problems, but one of the things I learned this summer is that you do what you can, where you can to make it a better place. If this is one of your ways to change the world, I’d like to invite you to join with me in doing some good. Slowly by slowly, to quote Ssembuze, change can, and will, happen.
