A Boy with a Vision

No 13 year old boy has ever brought such tears to my eyes or hope to my heart, as my precious Nelson. I made some tea and sat down with Nelson at the picnic table this afternoon to have a chat with him about preparing to go home and about his future. I am absolutely blown away by the wisdom and vision that God has given him at such a young age. Last night Nelson was asked what poverty is and he answered that it is people who do not have enough money. I decided that though he is young, I think he is knowledgeable enough and mature enough to discuss world poverty. So I asked him if poverty is only a lack of money. He replied that there is also poverty of the heart, in which people (even people who have money) are hopeless and unhappy because they don't have Jesus). Exactly the point I was getting at. God has undoubtedly given this boy the heart and mind of a preacher / missionary. We chatted about how hopelessness is at the root of poverty and people who don't believe they are worth anything or that anyone loves them, cannot get out of their circumstances. This is why the cycle of poverty continues. We had a really good talk about it and I told him that I want him to make sure he understands poverty because I firmly believe that God is going to use him to help pull other people out of poverty and give them hope. He has an amazing testimony of God's faithfulness. He didn't have a relationship with Jesus Christ until he came to Makindye and Music For Life. God rescued him through Music For Life and he is a changed person. He now wants to help others and give them hope and a future. I asked Nelson about what he is excited about when he goes home. He said he is worried about his family because so many of them are not saved. When he went on break from Makindye he tried to tell them about Jesus and they told him he was just a small kid with silly childish ideas. He has such a vision to go home and give hope to his family and teach them how to love Jesus more. It's incredible. He said he wants to increase their faith. Nelson wants to be a minister, but he asked me what I think he could be if he doesn't become a minister. I told him he would make a good teacher, or possibly a businessman, but most of all I think God might call him to be a missionary. He agrees. I showed him the video clip of Jimmy Wambua, a man from Kenya who was sponsored through Compassion International as a small child. He is now in the States studying at Moody so he can go back to Kenya and stand in the gap to help others break the cycle of poverty. He even sponsors his own child now. Well, a few months ago he had the opportunity to meet his sponsor for the first time at a Compassion convention on stage. He wept. I watched the video and cried too. I showed the video to Nelson because I thought it would be good for him. He loved it and he told me that when he grows up he wants to be like Jimmy. He wants to come to America and study God's word. He wants to sponsor other children. He wants to adopt children and help them. He wants to travel the world and spread a message of God's love and grace. He has such an incredible vision for such a small boy. And he is so humble about it all too. I was very honest with Nelson and told him about my hopes and dreams for working with the poor and oppressed. I told him about wanting to come back to Uganda. I told him why I came to work with the African Chidlren's Choir. The boy brought tears to my eyes. He gave me a string of the greatest compliments I have ever received. He told me I have changed his life because I have loved him, I have taught him to love Jesus more, I have educated him, I have helped him learn really good English (like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious), I have given him hope, I have believed in him, I have encouraged him. Honestly, the boy just reaffirmed God's calling on my life. Giving hope to others is the best possible way to spend every day of my life. He told me a good teacher is one who believes in the students, who cares about them, and who loves God and gives hope. The moments I will never forget. I love that boy and I wish I could adopt him. I can't wait to see how God uses him. Never has any child made such an impact in my life or inspired me so.