NEW ADDITION TO THE BERRY CLAN

Meet Geofrey Kakooza.  

No we didn't adopt another son.  Well, I take that back.  We sorta adopted one.   

Our last family that we sponsored with World Vision moved to a region that World Vision does not have resources in, so we had to discontinue our support of him.  In the process, World Vision sent me a letter explaining the situation and told me they'd select another child for me at random unless they heard from me or I had a specific request.  Well, the honest truth is that I was feeling like a bit of a loser in my ability to communicate with my boys about our sponsor child in Zambia.  I'd leave the helps that World Vision would send in a pile and then forget to talk it over with my boys before the due dates for christmas cards and easter calendars and stuff.   We sent our monthly money, but we didn't do a very good job with the day-to-day prayer and regular pen pal stuff I think we could have done better with.  Part of that was because of the hap-hazard nature of our berry bonding nights to remind me and part was just me.  But either way, I really needed a fresh start, but never felt like that was a real option.

So, this time, I was hoping for a situation that would lend a little more accountability and motivation to do just that.  So, since my sister and brother-in-law and their 3 boys are moving to Uganda for 2 years and since we are going to visit there this summer as a family, I asked World Vision if they could get us a sponsor child in Uganda, within driving distance of Kampala.   

Well today, Geofrey Kakooza arrived.  Born April 14, 2002, just 5 1/2 months older than Jake.  He lives with his grandmother and 2 brothers- meaning he is from a family of 3 boys too. Over the coming months we're going to make he and his family a weekly part of Berry bonding and a daily part of our family prayer life and I'm super excited that there's a good chance we'll be able to work with World Vision for my boys to put a person with this face.  It will be so good for them to get a global view of faith and love and poverty and hunger and culture and blessings and so much more at a young age. How awesome would that be for us to know a kid in Uganda who needs our support and to even build a face-to-face friendship with a kid half a planet away.  That's a sweet idea and one of the rare blessings of living in our day and age of mail and airplanes.

Welcome to the family Geofrey.  I pray we bless you as much as I know it will bless my boys to know you.