“Auntie, you don’t think I’m too
old? You still think it’s possible for me?”
“Yes, I do. Very possible.”
“Yes, I do. Very possible.”
I had just had to have a very hard conversation with this 15 year old boy. He
was caught disobeying rules and leading other younger boys down his rebellious
path. I was asked to intervene and talk to him about his behaviors and poor
choices. Other staff had already tried their hand at him. It was my turn.
As we were talking, I got to the question of “why are you acting this way when you’ve been such an obedient boy before?” That’s when the truth came out; the root of his disobedience.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m the next to be sent to the village.” At those words, my heart sank.
This boy had a hard background. Both of his parents died when he was young leaving him in the custody of his very impoverished uncle who had his own children to care for and worry about. That meant this boy was always pushed aside and never shown that he was loved and valued by family. This upbringing eventually lead him to run to the streets of Kampala and face homelessness as a “street boy” instead of staying in his village circumstances.
At the time of our conversation, he had been in the Doors Boys Home for former street boys for over 3 years after having spent more than a year on the harsh streets alone. He was recruited into the home in 2015 during a special street outreach program that Doors conducted. Three and a half years later, Doors had now just undergone a huge transition and a handful of children in the homes had been resettled with biological family. He believed he was the next to go and be resettled with his poor uncle. He was scared because he knew no future awaited him in the village. More than that, no one who truly cared for him awaited in the village.
As we were talking, I got to the question of “why are you acting this way when you’ve been such an obedient boy before?” That’s when the truth came out; the root of his disobedience.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. I’m the next to be sent to the village.” At those words, my heart sank.
This boy had a hard background. Both of his parents died when he was young leaving him in the custody of his very impoverished uncle who had his own children to care for and worry about. That meant this boy was always pushed aside and never shown that he was loved and valued by family. This upbringing eventually lead him to run to the streets of Kampala and face homelessness as a “street boy” instead of staying in his village circumstances.
At the time of our conversation, he had been in the Doors Boys Home for former street boys for over 3 years after having spent more than a year on the harsh streets alone. He was recruited into the home in 2015 during a special street outreach program that Doors conducted. Three and a half years later, Doors had now just undergone a huge transition and a handful of children in the homes had been resettled with biological family. He believed he was the next to go and be resettled with his poor uncle. He was scared because he knew no future awaited him in the village. More than that, no one who truly cared for him awaited in the village.
I wanted to assure him that it wasn’t true, that Doors had no plans as a ministry to send him back to his uncle in the village where he would be neglected again.
“No! You aren’t going anywhere. The only place you will go from here is into a loving family with a mom and a dad. You do want a family?”
“Yes! More than anything.”
Then there was a long silence. Finally he looked up and met my eyes.
“But Auntie…You don’t think I’m too old? You still think that it’s possible for me?”
“Too old for what?”
“Told old to get a new family to love me?”
He is fifteen. Older than most children in Uganda who get placed in foster families. Older than most children who are recruited into homes for former street boys by other organizations.
“No. You’re not too old to be loved, my friend.”
All this maturing teenage boy wants is to be loved, to belong, to be valued. He is. He is loved by Him, belongs to Him and is valued by Him. We desire to see this loved and valued one placed in a foster family while he finishes his primary education.
Pray with us. We have not yet identified a family for him or for 2 other boys in the former Doors Boys Home. Pray that families will come forward willing to foster these hearts and souls. Pray that in the waiting, they would feel loved, that they belong, and that they hold value. Because they do.
Thank you for praying with us.
