The Blessing of Sponsorship

Child sponsorship has been such a blessing to our family. It's where our ministry in Uganda started. The decision to sponsor a little girl from Uganda almost 7 years ago has led us down a path filled with both blessings and hardships, every single one of them worth it.

It all started with this sweet girl, Eva. She was 8 years old when we began sponsoring her. She came from Igamba and had a difficult life. Her father died and her mother struggled to provide for their family. She remarried and started selling alcohol from their home. They mistreated the children and even took some of the children out to the bush to abandon them. If it hadn't been for this sponsorship, Eva would've faced the same fate. But with God's intervention through AMG sponsorship, she was taken to Camp El Har orphanage (now also known as Upendo Christian Academy). She is at the top of her class, often leads worship for the other children, and is a leader among her peers.

I met Mariam and Sophie in 2007 on our first trip to Uganda. They also live in Igamba. They weren't sponsored then since they were still very little. Sophie was just 2 and a half or 3 years old, and Mariam was just one year older. They captured my heart the moment I met them and after returning home I couldn't get them out of my mind. I knew I needed to find them and sponsor them. At times I didn't know how I would be able to afford the sponsorship, but the Lord has always provided. It's been such a huge blessing to watch them grow over the years, and I'm looking forward to watching them continue to grow and hope one day they will be leaders at their center. When we go to visit, between Mariam's quiet, sensitive nature and Sophie's spunk, I've got my hands full but my heart is even more filled with love because of them.

We began sponsoring Bridget not too long ago. She also lives in Igamba (noticing a theme here?). She is the little sister of Bill the boy with the smile wide enough to cover all of Africa. We began to sponsor her after our trip in 2009, shortly after her mother died from heart complications after surgery. Her family has always been very special to us, so it seemed only fitting to do our part to ensure a bright future for her. She has a great smile like her brother and makes some of the most adorable faces. Her soft, sweet voice brings joy to our hearts.

If you hear us talking about our sponsored kids, you may notice how we refer to them. Mariam and Sophie are "my girls." My parents regard Eva and Bridget as their girls, and I see them as my sisters. (That distinction is also held by all the kids at Camp El Har/Upendo). They are part of our family and will always hold a piece of our hearts.

Do you sponsor a child through AMG International in Uganda? If you do, we'd love to hear from you. If you email your name, the full name of your child, and if you can, the name of the child care center they attend to housers4uganda@yahoo.com we would love to try to meet them. Of course we don't always get a chance to visit all of the centers while we're there, but we may be able to get an update for you from the staff.

Our sponsored kids are part of our family and we'd love to connect you with your sponsored child or children.

If you don't sponsor a child already and would like to, we'd be happy to find one for you while we're there. Just email us and tell us you're interested. There are so many needy children in Uganda who are looking for someone to love them into their family.

- Aly