ArticleBlog | God’s church is on the move: just say ‘yes’
God’s church is on the move: just say ‘yes’
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 26.09.23
I was only eight years old when my father was shot three times. We came home from school to find blood all over the place.
My mum was married as a teenager and so she found herself widowed at the age of 25, with six kids, no education, no skills, no training, and no home. We ended up moving to the notorious Naguru slum in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
Our new home was a one-roomed house. And without my dad’s income, we could no longer go to school. I can still remember the day my mum said, ‘There’s no money for food.’ My childhood ended.
From desperation to dancing
In the midst of our desperation, my mother realised that if nothing changed, her kids were going to die. She wasn’t a Christian. She didn’t believe in God. But when one of her friends suggested she ask a church in the neighbouring community of Nakawa for help, she said ‘Yes.’ She was shocked at how fast people from the Compassion programme, run by the church, came to our home to register me and my sister.
Three and a half months later, we got the news: ‘Richmond has got a sponsor!’ It was a teenage girl in the UK who said ‘Yes’ and decided to sponsor me. To say that we danced and rejoiced was an understatement. But that was just the start. I went back to school. I received health support. I was a child again. By the age of 14, I came to accept Christ as my saviour. By 16, all my siblings had come to know the Lord and by 19, my mother, too. I’ve encountered different strategies and models for how to end generational poverty. But the difference is Christ. He changes your perspective.
I got my first degree in accounting. The Lord opened the door for me to do a Master’s degree from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and a PhD from Lancaster Bible College. I could have gone on to work at KPMG or PwC and run away from Naguru. But on my graduation day, the Compassion team said, ‘This is not the time to run from that monster called poverty.’ I just remember saying, ‘Okay, God. I will not run away.’ You’ll be shocked by how many former graduates of Compassion are back working in their communities making a difference.
