Meet Joseph

Tuesday was a huge day for the Hicks family. For the last two years, we have been sponsoring a young man named Joseph as he has been finishing high school.  Joseph, whose mother died when he was younger, has been living in the Kware slum vicinity with his grandmother and 2 younger siblings.  His dream was to go to the University of Nairobi.  When Katherine and I visited Beacon in 2011, Dorcas in the social development office told us that Beacon was trying to support him at the local school, but he had no sponsor and was struggling to meet the costs of his education. Having seen the beauty and worth of these people first-hand, what else could we do?  We signed up to fund his ventures (through Beacon) at approximately $60 per month.

Ever since then, we have been praying for Joseph and wondering what he is like and how he was doing. Since we hadn't met him, he was this big mystery in our lives.

That changed Tuesday. As I walked up to the main office during a break at the school, Dorcas approached me with a smiling young man at her side.  I didn't catch on at first, but as we got close, I got it: this was Joseph!  Holy cow! What a moment!

Joseph had successfully made it to the University of Nairobi and was in the middle of his first year. He made the hour-plus trip on one of those crazy "mutatus" (a jam-packed minivan) to visit with me. I was honored and humbled. As it turns out, Joseph is doing great at university.  He is studying chemistry and "double-math" (not quite sure what that means) and having great early success.  He hopes to graduate and then get a masters in accounting, after which he has big entrepreneurial hopes of starting his own business that involves science, math, and research.  I was impressed by his sharpness, togetherness, and readiness to take advantage of the opportunities that God is giving him. He was also poised and polite in a somewhat awkward situation. 

We spent the better part of 2 hours together, sharing a meal and hanging out and learning about each other's lives and our families. What an amazing privilege - to think that silly old me, goofball from Durham, NC, was 9,000 miles from home, spending time with an extraordinary young man who is, by God's grace, overcoming odds that I've never had to face - and I was getting to be a part of it all!  God is so good and generous. Jesus' words in Luke can't but come to mind: "Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap."  

A number of us on the team have had a chance to meet and spend time with our sponsored children. Folks from Durham and the Bible Church sponsor quite a few youngsters through Beacon, at the Academy and beyond.  Beacon needs more help, though. Of the 172 students at the Academy, half attend on full scholarship.  Of that half, only 25-30 are being sponsored.  Would you be able to help?

If you'd like to start sponsoring one of the Beacon children or get more information, contact Bill Stevenson at whstevenson@gmail.com, and he will quickly get you connected. May The Lord provide for these incredible children, and may we get to be a part of it!