Joseph Ssarwadda is the director of Agape House, the orphanage in Uganda that our oldest daughter, Jo, worked at for the summer. She spent ten weeks there doing her college internship as part of her missionary major at Nyack College. Last week we had the pleasure of hosting Joseph in our home for three days.
This was Joseph's second trip to America in order to raise support for the home he runs for 23 orphaned children in the east African country of Uganda. He spent most of the trip in the south, as he already has churches supporting him in North Carolina. Then he attended a conference in New Orleans. He agreed to come all the way to Maine to meet us, and to speak in a few churches while he was here. He spoke in our home church, Bridgton Alliance, on Sunday, September 15. That evening he spoke in Limerick Baptist Church, which housed the school where I worked from 1995 through 2007. Then, on Monday he spent the day at the school where I currently work. He spoke at three assemblies: elementary, middle school and high school.
Joseph's passion for serving the Lord by serving these kids is remarkable. He painted beautiful word pictures of the kids and their day to day life in the slum neighborhood in Kampala. He told of the first 'kid' he took in, while Joseph himself was just a teenager. The first orphan who moved in with him was actually a slightly older Muslim teen. Now that's a Matthew 25 Christian. He spoke about how, after returning from their honeymoon, they got back to the orphanage to receive their first baby. He spoke about Vincent - the 4 year old who more than any of the kids, stole our daughter's heart - and how he and his twin were left to die in an empty hut. By the time neighbors heard Vincent crying, his brother was dead. He spoke about how HIV is devastating sub Saharan Africa.
Yet he also spoke with joy. He spoke of how the Agape House kids have one of the only swing sets in their neighborhood. He spoke of how every Sunday, they have a treat with their supper. He spoke of the blessing of working side by side with Gladys, his wife.
The churches were very generous, and Joseph felt it was worth his time to come to New England. He intends to come back (but never in winter; He was adamant about that!) to continue getting churches on board. He left the school many handmade crafts for our students to sell, the proceeds will be forwarded to Agape House.
It was a joy to meet this man who did so much for our daughter this summer, and is doing so much for the Kingdom of God by caring for the kids. We consider him part of the family.