Ibra is about 15 years old and is one of the boys in boarding school . He is in primary 4 and is really held back in school because he is not a very strong reader yet . It is kind of strange because his English is almost perfect . I don 't know where he learned English so well but he is a very clever kid . Ibra is short for Ibrahim . So as his name suggests , his family is muslim . From what I was told , he was living with his mom , was a bit stubborn , decided to run away , and stayed gone for around a year . During the year , he found Jesus , fell in love with Him , gave his life to Him , decided to go back home , and was rejected . His mom was not happy that he was now a Christian and told him he wasn 't welcome . So he came back to the streets . He joined a home for boys a little bit later but the boys in the home had to fend for themselves sometimes because the home was always underfunded . Ibra would go to a certain church a lot . He is very friendly and outspoken , so he made many friends there . He started to be a good leader and show he was really responsible . The leaders for another program for boys on the street recognized this and started to give him more responsibilities in the program . He was proving himself to be trustworthy and on fire for Jesus . A friend of mine realized this and how much potential he had . After speaking with his mom , she offered to put him in a really good Christian boarding school where he could catch up on his studies and continue to grow in his faith . When she left Uganda , I offered to continue to watch after Ibra . He still attends boarding school and stays in the home during the holidays . He is always kind and respectful . He loves to talk but at times talks to much . ( It has kind of gotten him in trouble at school . ) He loves to be helpful and will do whatever you ask of him . He is trustworthy and loves to pray . This last school holiday , he went back to his village and found his grandma . He stayed with her and helped around her house with daily chores . He also reconnected with a neighbor that he was really close to . He calls her mom also . We found out that his mom was actually in Kampala also . The day they tried to visit , they didn 't find her . We will help him to try and rebuild that relationship also . Ibra is a great kid and I know he is going to do great things in the future . Davis is a really special kid . I met him because he used to live at the house I stayed at when I was in Uganda the first time . He unfortunately kept making bad choices and kept running away . The last time he left , he was told if he left , he couldn 't come back . He left anyway . That happened when I was gone . When I got back to Uganda in January , I found him on the street . It seems with these boys , once they start running they don 't stop . As a result , most organizations put a limit on the number of times a boy can come back because usually they will just run again . The worst thing is , sometimes they will take other boys with them or steal things as they leave . A limit kind of makes them think about their plans to run again , but really if a boy has it in his mind to run , he will no matter who is around or what is done to stop him . That is what happened with Davis . I remember being home one time when he chose to run . We all tried to talk him down . It was the most intense of nights . When Davis was on the streets , he would stop by the house sometimes . One time he got really sick so we let him stay the night so he wouldn 't have to sleep outside . The next day he woke up and left . I really didn 't know what to do for Davis . He had a special place in my heart and it made me so sad to see him on the streets . In the other home , he was always really nice to me . He loved my dog so much . He would take her and bathe her . That was no small feat . She hated baths and would go no where near the shower room if she thought she was about to get a bath . She weighed 80 pounds and she definitely wasn 't doing anything she didn 't want . He was patient though and tried to trick her . When that failed , he would just pick her up . I think sometimes my dog was drier than Davis after her bath . It never stopped him though . He tried to befriend my cat too but she kind of hates everyone ( including me ) so he didn 't get very far with her . He kept trying though . I knew Davis had to want to be in the home for it to work . For a while he seemed very indifferent to it . He is a resourceful kid . I am sure for a while he felt like he was doing fine and liked his freedom . I found out that after I left , he had started staying with us more regularly . The uncle knew Davis from before and really loved him a lot too , so he ended up letting Davis stay with us . When I found out he was staying with us , I was really happy . So far things have been going well with Davis . He didn 't want to go back to school . He has never been crazy about it and really struggled . His English is pretty good but he struggles to read . He instead wants to be a mechanic . So for now , Davis is staying at home and learning English and Math better and soon we will start to look for a garage that will train him . I do remember thinking after I knew Joel for a while , he was different . He is older than most of the boys that were at programs . He is around 17 or so . Most of the boys his age didn 't come to programs but spent their days doing drugs and causing problems . Joel would be at programs and would always want to talk . His English is pretty good , so we never had any problems communicating . He would ask questions non - stop ! Things about the US , what I thought about Uganda , anything he thought of he asked . He told me his story . He said that he was working and his mom told him that he needed to move out . So he was giving her money to save for him each week . Well the time came for him to move out and his mom refused to give him the money . So he had to leave and with no money and no place to go , he ended up on the streets . He told me he found his way to Kivulu and saw the programs happening so he just joined in . I remember one time I found him in Kivulu and he looked terrible . His eye was swollen shut , his clothes were bloody , and he was in pain . He had been robbed and beaten . We took him to the hospital and got him treated . ( The doctor was so rude and yelled at me . Actually that happens almost every time I take a kid to the hospital . The doctors are just on power trips and I guess it makes them feel better . ) But Joel 's eye was swollen shut for a long time . It is amazing that there wasn 't permanent damage to it . Joel always cares about what he looks like . When he was on the street , he would pay someone in Kivulu to keep his clothes . Usually it was the man that washes the clothes and then he would pay extra . ( There are little shacks there that run like laundromats . You can take clothes to them and they will wash and iron them . He would pay extra to let them stay there until he needed them . ) Even now , he is always concerned about what he wears and how he looks . A while after meeting Joel , I started to wonder if we could put him in a vocational training program . He told me he had only completed first grade . So that wouldn 't be possible . Most vocational schools want the students to have completed at least the first 4 years of secondary school . Not helpful . Then Joel got an opportunity to have a job , but he refused it . That kind of changed Joel in my mind and everyone else 's , except one . I don 't blame Joel for refusing . Unfortunately , there is very much a culture of waiting for handouts in Uganda . Don 't get me wrong , SO MANY people work so hard EVERY SINGLE day ! They work hard without breaks or vacations and are barely making it by . But because of how aid was previously given ( just handed out with nothing required of the people ) many people prefer to sit and wait for handouts . I don 't blame people for this . It is what they have been conditioned to . It is difficult to change a culture that we helped to create , by we I mean foreigners . Now aid is changing and organizations are going to a more works based form of giving ( teach a trade , the person makes an item , and then gets paid . Essentially , jobs are created but it is still aid . ) . We have the same problems here . It isn 't just in Uganda . Anyway , back to Joel . . . So like many others , Joel had a sense of entitlement . He made an excuse and refused the job . He wanted a sponsor so he could go back to school and he preferred to wait on the streets until that could happen . Eventually , they kicked him out of programs because he was too old . So he started to stay where Tom and Julius were staying . He became really close with that uncle and another friend . She had always loved him and that is how Joel came to be a part of our family . When Julius and the other boys joined the home , Joel was living with them , so he came too . People told me I shouldn 't give him a chance but my friend loved him a lot and believed in him , so I did too . Everyone deserves a chance . Joel was difficult in the beginning . He missed the uncle he had been staying with and it was really difficult to connect with him . Since then , we have good days and bad , just like with any of the other kids . I know Joel belongs in our family and I am happy he is with us . I have learned so much from my time in Uganda and especially from the boys . So I am feeling like everything I need to know , I learned from boys on the street . Here are a few that came to mind . Hope you enjoy ! Everyone deserves a chance . No matter how wild , out of control , bad mannered , disrespectful , mean , hard , . . . , someone is , he deserves a chance . A lot of times , most of the time , he will surprise you . I can 't tell you how many times these boys have been written off as worthless , stupid , bad , unchangeable , incapable of love , undeserving of love , and incapable of amounting to anything . It isn 't true . They are changing before my eyes . They just need love , patience , and encouragement . Maybe that is all that person you are thinking of right now needs too . Love is enough . A lot of times , ok most times , I have no clue what I am doing . I don 't know if it will work , if it is a good idea , if it is crazy , or if it will make a difference . I say the wrong things to the kids all the time , we get angry at each other . Generally , we are a mess . It is one big trial and error . In complete chaos , what keeps us coming back ? Simple . LOVE . I love those kids more than anything and they know it . When we mess up , love helps us to apologize and forgive . It makes us want the best for us all . It heals our hurts . It helps us to put others first . When ever I am having a bad day , frustrated with everything , and ready to give up , I will hear one of their voices tell me they love me and it is enough . To know I am so undeserving of their love , but they give it freely keeps me going . It makes me know everything will be ok . We will be ok . Miracles happen . You don 't hear so much about modern day miracles . It seems like most people ( myself included ) feel like healings and miracles were left to the Bible . But , Jesus is still performing miracles and if you look , you will see them . I have witnessed transformations that I never thought could happen . Only explanation ? Miracle . We have been without food and money and not sure where we were going to get food for the next month . But we did . How ? Miracle . I have been praying asking God for confirmation . The doorbell rang seconds later with the mailman delivering my confirmation . Miracle . Boys whose families said they didn 't want them , have welcomed them home with open arms and happy celebrations . Miracle . God is still a God of miracles . Jesus still heals . He still performs miracles . You don 't know what has happened , so always be kind . When the boys are on the streets , you can imagine what has happened to them , but they rarely tell the truth . Maybe it is because they are ashamed , maybe because it is too painful to remember , maybe it is just because it is personal and they don 't want to share . Sometimes you can tell the kids are sad and heartbroken . SometimesKids are kids , everywhere . Just the other day , I was reading something about kids and thought , " Hey , the boys do that . " It dawned on me , kids are kids no matter where they live . They have good days and bad . Some days they never want to leave your side , others they want to be as far away as possible . They love to play and laugh and do silly things . They are imaginative , resourceful , and creative . They have an innocence to them , even when people have robbed them of it . They need love and affirmation and good role models . They need to be reassured of their place in this world and their worth . It doesn 't matter if I am talking about the boys in Uganda or in Antarctica , boys are boys . Kids are kids . Don 't judge what 's on the outside . When you look at a boy on the street , you see a dirty , scrappy little mess . Maybe shoes , maybe barefoot , mismatched and missized clothes . Probably covered in dirt , grease , or oil . Maybe high . On the outside , they look a mess . They look like you might want to cross the street or hold your purse and bags a little bit tighter if they are walking towards you . But on the inside . . . They can be some of the best kids you will ever meet in your life . So kind , so generous , so joyful , so loving . I can 't count how many times a boy insisted I share his one meal of the day with him , or the time a boy took off his shoe for an aunt because hers broke and he didn 't want her walking barefoot , or how they will help with anything you ask . It is true , you can 't judge a book by its cover . These kids have taught me to look deeper than what is on the outside . Tom was the first boy I chose to sponsor . He lived at the bead house with Julius and Jacob . He was a lot younger ( 11 or 12 ) so he wasn 't part of the program really . He helped make beads sometimes , but really the guy that managed the program ( uncle ) found him on the street and felt like he should bring him home . So Tom stayed around but there was no money to go to school . Right away , I noticed how bright Tom was . When I would go there to teach them , he paid a lot of attention and usually got the right answer . He was eager to learn . He was also very polite and well mannered . He did what he was told and rarely got in trouble . I saw so much potential in him . At the time , I still thought that I was only going to stay in Uganda for a year . I didn 't have extra money , but I felt like if I could only help one boy , he was a good candidate . So I made a deal . I agreed to pay school fees if the uncle would take care of everything else . We agreed he would continue to live with him , he would make sure he got to school each day , help with homework , and take care of all of the school supplies if I provided everything else . Tom went to school and tested for which grade he would be placed in . He could have been placed in fourth grade but he felt he would do better if he started in third . He was so happy to be in school and worked so hard . Each term , he was in the top 4 , sometimes even first . He scored almost perfect 100s every time . If he wasn 't first , he was so sad . Tom lost both of his parents . He was staying with an uncle before he came to the streets . I don 't know why he came to the streets but I don 't think he was there long before he was taken to the bead house . Last Fall / early winter , Tom decided that he wanted to go back to his village for a visit . We of course happily let him go . Turns out , his uncle was really happy to see him again and wanted him to live there again . He couldn 't provide school fees for Tom but he could provide everything else . So we all agreed it would be best for Tom to stay with his family and I just continue helping with school fees . Tom started primary 7 this year . He skipped a few grades and it has been a little bit difficult for him . He wanted to stay in class with his friends from the village . He is still working really hard though and does his best . Next year he will start secondary school . I am hoping that he performs well enough on his exam to get into one of the best secondary schools . He is a really smart kid and has a bright future ahead of him . At one point , he said he wanted to be a missionary or a pastor . I don 't know if that has changed , but what ever he chooses I know he will be great ! Julius never talks . Not like he can 't , he just doesn 't . I have said some boys are quiet before , but Julius makes them look like mega extroverts and the life of the party . I don 't think there is a major reason for him not to talk , I think he is just a really quiet person . He will chat every once in a while , but for the most part he prefers to listen to his music and be alone . I met Julius when I first got to Uganda . He was part of the paper bead making program with Jacob . After a while , he had saved up some money and decided he wanted to return to his village . He went back and we didn 't hear from him or see him for many months . And then one day he was back . He rejoined the bead program and life went back to normal for him . It turned out , his dad got angry at him and sent him away AGAIN ! and told him to never come back . When the bead program ended , Julius came home with us . It isn 't always easy with Julius because you never know if he is happy , angry , sad , etc . because he won 't talk about it . When we do group meetings , he prefers to stay in his room . When we have dinner , he wants to eat alone . He just likes to be alone . Julius goes to school and tries really hard . he was way behind when he started this year but because of his size , he 's 15 , they put him in primary 3 . He doesn 't speak English well and can 't read so he really struggles . He hasn 't given up though and keeps working at learning more and performing better . Eventually he will catch up . Julius has been back to his village 3 times now since he has joined the home . Twice were during school holidays and once was for his sister 's wedding . We are helping him to try and rebuild that relationship with his family . With time , I think old wounds will heal and they will continue to have happy reunions . I spoke to Julius on the phone the other day . It was a very rare occurrence . He wanted to tell me about his family and how happy they were to see him and see how he has been changing . He told me they also really wanted to meet me . I told him when I got back , we could go for a visit . I am happy that he is able to go back to visit his family and reconnect with them . With the short visits during the school holiday , all of the pressure is off of everyone and they can just reconnect and not have to worry about anything else . It is really good to be able to see the kids so happy about visiting their families again , especially the ones I never thought would go back . To be honest , I don 't really know John . He is one of the boys that has joined us after I left . For the way the other boys rallied to convince me to let him stay , I just knew he was going to be amazing . John was one of the boys that had been coming around the house for food after I left . When the other boys found out that we were moving , they insisted that I let John and David come with us . One boy , Ronald , even offered his spot in the home so John could have a chance . They told me he has a really hard time on the streets and suffered a lot before , it would be so unfair of me to leave without him . After I talked to him , I was convinced . So John moved with us . I know it is crazy , but I had peace about letting them both move with us even though I didn 't know them . I knew that God wanted him home with us . I think it was not long before he came to live with us that I saw a photo of him with a friend on Facebook . It made me laugh because he had put his name tag on his chin . I thought he looked like a nice and funny kid . I had no idea that he would be soon joining our family . I spoke to John on the phone the other day . While all of the other boys were angry at me and refusing to talk to me because they had gotten in trouble with me the day before , he happily took the opportunity to chat . It never fails , every time we talk , he always says thank you . He told me he was happy to be in the home , thanked me for sending him to school and helping him to see his family again . He is always so kind , grateful , and genuine . If I ask how the boys are or if there are any problems , I will never hear his name mentioned . He is really quiet , gets along with everyone and stays out of trouble . He works hard at school , helps around the home , and is overall a really good kid . He is so easy going , well behaved , and laid back I have to specifically ask about him to get an update . I wish I could tell you more about John . I wish I had the history with him that I have with some of the other boys , but actually having a future is better . He is safe now . He has hope . He has a future . And I am so lucky to get to be a part of it . Before I tell you about Joseph , you should read here . I am super excited and thankful to the girls at Darling Companion for featuring us today ! Make sure you check out the post about LOT 2545 and follow them to be continuously inspired . I have written about Joseph many times before but they are all under the name Brian . Brian is his nickname . How he got a normal name for a nickname , I may never know . Since it was a normal name , I never knew it was a nickname . The first time I found out was when we went to the hospital to get a rabies shot for him . He was out collecting scrap and was attacked by a dog . Just to be safe , we decided to take him to get the shot . It was at the government hospital so it was free and it couldn 't hurt him to have it . So off we went . When we got to registration , I asked him what his other name was . He answered in such a whisper , I had to ask him many times and then told him to speak up . That is when he told me his real name was Joseph and what his other name was . I was shocked . It seems like a lot of our encounters were after he was bitten by a dog . Another time , we were at camp for the boys on the street . He had bitten a few days before but was still on antibiotics . He was supposed to go back to the hospital to get another IV of antibiotics . I started to feel really bad at camp but no one else would take him to the clinic . I tried to hide my discomfort but by the end , I think he realized . That was the sickest I had ever been . By the time I walked into the house , I was crying and was in excruciating pain . I don 't know how I kept it together but I am sure it was only by the strength of God . I am glad that I was there for Joseph that day . It definitely helped us grow closer . Things weren 't always easy between us . There was a long period of time where he was just a ball of anger and refused to speak to me . I could say hi and he would walk past me as if I was invisible . The breakthrough came when a friend and I were fasting . You can read about it here . Joseph came into the home because he was attacked by a dog again . I felt like that was God telling me , Joseph has had enough , you need to act . So I asked the uncle to go and find him and bring him home . Hearing his giggles and squeals the first time we talked on the phone was the best . Since then , we have struggled . He has only been with us since May and he has already run away . He came back but just wasn 't ready for school , so he sat last term out . School has started again and he is going again but we aren 't sure he is ready . the thing is he is so young , maybe 12 or 13 , but he has been on the streets for so long . Maybe since he was 9 . He doesn 't remember what it means to be safe and issues come up because of that . He doesn 't remember what it means to be loved , so he lies and manipulates to get his way . He is hurting beyond anything I could ever imagine , even in my worst nightmares , and still wants to find comfort in drugs . I know deep down , under all of the hurt and heartbreak , there is a wonderful kid . It seems like he is too much right now , but I know he will change . He just needs lots of love and time . God has worked miracles in him before and I know that He will do it again . Soon his beautiful smile won 't just be a mask , but a reflection of his happiness and joy . Please pray for healing for Joseph and that his heart would settle and be softened . Please pray that God would work another miracle for Joseph and help him let go of his past and look to the future . Pray that Joseph would just let us in and let us love him . Dan is a really special kid . He is so cute . For a while , he was growing his hair in a mohawk . I thought it was adorable . It has been a long time since I have seen him , but he has never left my heart . I got to know Dan because he got really sick with Malaria . Sadly , a lot of the boys I got to know because they were sick or we had to take them to the clinic for an injury . I always feel terrible when they are sick . I think as terrible as day to day is for the boys , I think they find a way to manage . There are enough things to distract them ( not all good - drugs and terrible movies ) and make them forget that they don 't have a family or someone to love them . I think they just find a way to put it out of their mind , so they can actually manage another day . Don 't misunderstand , life on the streets is not fun for the kids and each day they suffer , but I think most days even when they are super sad and missing their family or devastated from abuse , they find some way to make it through the day . But when they are sick , the game changes . . . Thankfully I have never had malaria or typhoid . And I pray I never do . I have seen enough boys sick with malaria and typhoid to know that it might be less painful to die . Some of the boys are so hot with fever sometimes , it almost seems like you can see the fever radiating off of them . They will just sit and not move , because any move is too exhausting . Their heads are pounding , stomach in knots , and drained of energy . It is the saddest thing to see . For me , I really think when they are sick is one of the toughest times . It is also why some of the hardest kids become less difficult when they are sick . I think it is everyone 's natural response to want comfort when they are sick . Someone to tell them they will be ok , the medicine will start working soon , rub their back , bring their favorite foods , baby them and help them get better . For the boys on the street , they don 't have this . We try the best we can , but they still sleep alone at night maybe out in the cold . There isn 't someone always there telling them that they will feel better and bring them their favorite food . They are alone . Dan was a really distant kid . Sometimes around , sometimes not . When he got sick , those barriers came down and he let us in . After he got well , he started coming around more . I found out how sweet and nice he was and quickly fell in love with him . The more I got to know him the more I started to wonder how I could get him off the streets . He would also go to a program that was only on Sunday . That program was working on getting files of information on all of the boys . One Sunday I was looking through the files and came across Dan 's . It said he really wanted to go home . He missed his mom and sisters and he knew that they loved him and missed him . He said that he had made a mistake and regretted leaving home . We talked to him and found out his story and decided it would be best for him to be resettled . A friend had just received a donation to be used for miscellaneous things like this , so we asked an uncle to help and take him back to his family . The night before he went back home , I took him to an Indian restaurant with a few friends . He did not like the Indian or Chinese food that we had order but decided to stick with the basics , chicken and chips ( fries ) . We had a great time , but it was a sad goodbye . I was happy he was going home but I knew I would miss him . The uncle said his family was so happy to see him . His grandmother just shouted and praised God when she saw him because she thought he was dead . He unfortunately found his parents divorced , so his mom was not around . They decided that he should stay with the grandmother ( his dad 's mom ) . The uncle has stayed in contact with him all of this time . I found out at the beginning of this year that Dan had gone to stay with his mom . The dad wouldn 't offer any support so Dan had found a job to help his mom . She didn 't have the money to pay for school , so instead he just worked . I am so proud of Dan for staying in his village for as long as he has . It wasn 't the situation he imagined and has probably been difficult at times but he has stayed . I wondered at the beginning of the year how to help him but didn 't have the extra money to pay his school fees . It weighed on me a lot because I knew Dan was a smart kid and he deserved a chance at school . I finally just decided to make another leap for him , because he is worth it . Dan is still with his mother but he will finally be going back to school . I can 't wait to get back to Uganda and go and see him in his village . It has been over a year since I have seen him . I am sure he has grown so much . He captured my heart sometime ago and hasn 't let go since . I have since gotten used to having David in the home . The kids call him Rabadaba . It makes me laugh every time . I have no idea where it came from but every time I hear it I think of the Flintstones . Sometimes the kids get nicknames from the clothes they wear . One boy was called FBI because the shirt he wore for a long time had FBI on the front . So I always picture David wearing a shirt with Fred and Barney in their car pedaling with their feet . It brings a smile to my face every single time . David has turned into a good kid . He takes his school serious and tells me he loves studying . When he began we thought he would be in primary 5 . When he was tested at school he passed the primary 5 test and put him in primary 6 . He works hard and was named entertainment prefect . I really have no idea what that means , but he was really excited when he told me and so it must be an honor to be chosen . I think anytime the boys are given any responsibility at school ( or in the home ) it makes them feel good . It shows that they are trusted . David is one of the oldest boys in the home . He is the boy in the highest grade and so other boys look up to him . It was a struggle in the beginning to make him understand that . Now he works hard to set a good example . He helps counsel the boys if they are having problems . He makes sure he studies hard and does his homework each night . He translates for them and helps them when they need help . The other day I was talking to him on the phone and we were talking about the uncle that visits a few times a week . I asked what he had been learning from him . ( The uncle comes to do devotions with them and some counseling . ) He said that the uncle had just taught him about fasting . He told me how that was his first day fasting . When I asked him what he did when he fasted , he told me he prayed to God and worshiped him all day . When I asked what he was fasting for he told me so I would be fine and be back to Uganda soon , that he would do well in school , and for the other boys and uncles . I never thought that David could be this kid . I would have never given him a chance on my own . I had in my mind who he was and for whatever reason didn 't believe he deserved a chance . I couldn 't have been more wrong . Truth is David is one of the easier kids in the home . He appreciates being there and his chance to go to school . The uncle doesn 't complain about his bad behavior . He wants to be different and he is trying really hard to be . Meet David ! I remember one night , right after Ronald came into the home , we were sitting and talking . I was asking him about his past . He was talking very freely with me . He told me about being in the village , coming to the city , staying in the slum with an aunt , being taken back to the village , but when I asked him why he left , he shut down and said he didn 't want to talk any more . I am sure you are wondering what happened now . What could have been so bad that he didn 't want to talk about it ? I still don 't know . I may never know . And I have to be ok with that . I have to be ok knowing that I will probably never know the boys ' histories . In a way , I am glad . I don 't think I could handle knowing . But in a way , its also strange . Our past is so much of who we are . All of our experiences shape how we view the world and interact with people . But truth is , I don 't need to hear the stories to know . I have started reading books on trauma and abuse lately . I was just telling a friend today if I could go back and do life over , I would go to school for counseling and fashion . Weird combination , huh ? I feel very inadequately prepared to deal with the aftermath of the boys ' previous lives . It is overwhelming and I don 't know where to begin or what the right thing to do is . Because of the books I am reading , I am able to start putting the puzzle together . I read about the visible symptoms of the effects of abuse and trauma and it finally makes since why he does this or that . Not just Ronald , but all of the boys . In a way , I think that the past can weigh us down . How many times have you run into someone that used to know you when . . . And you feel like they are silently judging you and are in disbelief that you are different now . Or something terrible happened to you and everyone just looks at you with that pitying look . The boys all have a lot of stuff weighing them down . Their lives before the streets and on the streets were not filled with happy memories . But when they come into the home , they can leave it all behind . I don 't need to hear their stories to know I love them . I don 't need to know their past . In the home , we are starting over . It is a new beginning . A chance to leave their old lives behind and have a future filled with hope and love . Sometimes it is difficult but at least they are trying . The first time I met Ronald was to take him to the clinic . I didn 't know him but noticed he had a huge infected cut on both of his legs , I think one of the other boys actually took me to see him . It was obvious they hurt him and he should be on antibiotics . So off to the clinic we went . I sat there with him as they tried to get the infection out of his wounds . He tried so hard not to cry . From that moment on , I knew I loved him . I prayed many prayers for him , begging God to help him trust me . Of course God answered . Ronald is very talkative . He loves to just run his mouth . He doesn 't need to be talking about anything in particular but he just loves to talk . If he isn 't talking , you know something is wrong . He is also very charismatic . The other boys look up to him . He isn 't a very big kid , but he has respect and is very likable . He is a leader and some days this is very problematic for us because he leads the other boys to trouble . Lately , he has become obsessed with boxing . I tried to talk him out of it but he wouldn 't give up . I told him he wasn 't disciplined enough because boxers were very serious and the training was difficult . He said he could do it . Ronald has had more problems than normal in the home lately . He has outbursts of anger and becomes very quarrelsome . He will fight and argue with anyone that annoys him in the slightest bit . I told him boxers don 't behave like that and he said he would change . So we made another deal . He promised no more fighting and arguing at home , he would be a good leader and example to the boys , and he could no longer , for any reason , step foot in the slum . For the holiday , he has been a different kid just like he promised , so soon he will start going to the gym . My hope is he will learn discipline and it will be therapeutic for him . My hope is it will help him process whatever has happened and begin to heal . My hope is this is what he needs to make a fresh start , to leave his past behind and look towards the future . Who knows , maybe he will win the next gold for Uganda ! I usually talk to the boys several times a week on the phone . It helps with the distance and missing them a little . Hearing their voices always brightens my day . Some of the boys still don 't speak English well , so we have to have the uncle translate . But for the boys that speak English well , they will run off with the phone and we can talk for 20 - 30 minutes . I love hearing their voices , about their days , their problems , their triumphs . It makes me feel like I am still there . I pretend that we aren 't actually on the phone but sitting in our family room . Sometimes talking to them makes me sad . It reminds me how much I am missing each day I am gone . They are at that age where they grow over night . They are in that place where they change overnight . It is a humble reminder that it isn 't me that makes the boys change , but God . And I am so grateful for His faithfulness and love . Without Him , I know we would have never made it . . . We almost didn 't make it . It was tough . Sometimes , I thought just too tough and I had definitely gotten in over my head with him . I absolutely adored him but he was never supposed to live in the home . He was going to go home to his mother and I was just going to sponsor his studies . That was what we agreed on . The day I was supposed to meet his sister , she never showed up . The next day when I saw him , he avoided me . Finally , he came to the home and told me that he couldn 't go back home . They would never let him go to school . He told me his sister never showed up because she was drunk . So I told him it was ok , I loved him and would like him to live with us . I knew Dunkan was a difficult kid . I had seen him high , fighting , disrespecting , etc . but I really had no idea just how difficult he was going to prove to be . I don 't always like sharing the details of the boys problems . but with Dunkan I think it is important to see where he was so you can see how far he has come . Dunkan is a miracle and all of the glory goes to God . Not long after Dunkan came into the home , things started missing . A watch , a memory card , money , clothes , so many things . No one could figure out who it was or find the stuff . The house finally blew up over the memory card . The boys were accusing everyone and turning against each other . That is when Dunkan stepped in with a story and accused another boy . The story was plausible and believable so immediately the other boy was accused and all of the boys turned against him . Well , I am sure you can see where this story is going . Dunkan had taken everything and had turned the house upside down . Did I mention I had traveled to another part of Uganda that weekend for business and it was the uncle 's first weekend with us ? I got angry phone calls from the boys telling me what he had done and found out he had ran away . I got back on Sunday and he didn 't come back home until Monday . It turned out he had debts from when he was on the street and the people were demanding he repay them and he didn 't know what else to do . The problems didn 't end there . He struggled in the home . He struggled with rules and listening . He struggled respecting anyone . He eventually ran away again after another incident . It just kept going . I remember thinking that he was just too much . I couldn 't handle him . IT was one thing after another . It was a mess . Today , I had the chance to talk to him . When I left Uganda , Dunkan spoke very little English . Now we can talk and talk and talk . He tells me about his day , his problems , school , whatever he wants . When I asked him what he was doing he told me he was finishing practice at church . The boy that used to not pray is now singing and dancing for the Lord ! He is dancing this Sunday . When I told him I was sorry I was missing it , he told me not to worry I would see him one day . He also told me something I will never forget . He said , " I am not Dunkan . I am not the Dunkan you knew anymore . I am not a thief . I am not the Dunkan that fights , does drugs , and has bad behavior . I am a new Dunkan . I have changed . I am now becoming a gentleman . " Dunkan still questions me as to why I chose him . He tells me time and time again that he was so bad and asks time and time again why . I always tell him the same thing , because I love you . Today it turned into a lesson about Jesus loving us enough not to leave us where we are and how we should treat those we love the same . He is starting to get it . He also told me when he is finished with his studies , he is going to bring some children from the streets into his home . He said that he thought it was a good job to have to take care of those kids . He told me that he would love to have a job like mine . He said he wanted to get all of the kids off the street . I hope Dunkan 's story inspires you . I hope it gives you hope . I hope that it is as great of a testament of God 's love and faithfulness to you as it is to me . When I met Dunkan he was so far from God and had no interest in Him whatsoever . Now , God is molding him to become His hands and feet . God loves all of us . Even those that have strayed . He loves us enough to not leave us where we are . He loves us to use all of our hurts and bad stuff for good . He promises to continue the work in us until the end . He promises a new life and new beginning with Him . I moved to Uganda 3 years ago to check it out . I didn 't know what I would find or if I would like it , I just knew God was calling me . What I found was an amazing group of kids that have forever changed my heart . Now , my life is in Uganda working with " the least of these " and there is no where else I would rather be .