Dear readers and dear sponsor,
My name is Joshua. I am now 16 years old.
In July 2015 I was brought to the Koinonia street children project for rehabilitation. I was 11 years old at the time. In 2018 after two and a half years my residential rehabilitation was over, and I was reunited with my parents. When I turned 14, I started going back to school.
Before the outbreak of Covid 19, I was in the third secondary school grade, but due to the pandemic when the lockdown in Uganda was announced, all schools were closed. This so called ‘long vacation’ does not make me happy. However, I do now have time to write ‘my story’.
At my age I have had many bad, but also good experiences. The negative thing I experienced is that my parents failed to take care of me and I ended up on the streets. Life on the streets was the worst. The only way to get food was to steal or look for eatable scraps in trash cans and garbage pits. I spent the nights in sewer pipes, but when it rained hard I was not safe there either. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you also had the police who went on night patrol and regularly beat me up. Life was so hard!
The positive life experience I have and enjoy even now came after Koinonia Ministries picked me up from the street and took me in. All of a sudden there was shelter, food, clothing, education, loving supervision, guidance and above all I got to know God, which I really enjoy and have held on to since I went back home.
What comes next is what I like to do, my hobbies: fine art like drawing, much of my free time I spend on that. I also like to watch good movies, play cards with friends, read novels but also for example the book “Last Days on Earth” written by Cemic Puncher. What I hate is spending time on useless things, being lazy, hanging out with friends you have no use for, disorder and vanity.
I have many friends, but there are few that I really trust. The ones who are true friends in Koinonia Ministries and in school give me good advice and encourage me. also my school principal is one that I trust.
What does God mean to me? I love Him very much and also His Son Jesus Christ. He has a very positive influence on my personal recovery. I pray, sing and talk to and about Him a lot. He has become a part of my life. In the school where I am, we also have a Sunday service where I love to go and also be active myself.
My school life: I like to study and am in an boarding school, during the vacations I go to my family. My school career and everything I need for it are completely taken care of by Koinonia. I am now in the third secondary school grade and I hope that as soon as the lockdown is lifted, the schools will open and I will start my studies again.
About my health I don’t have anything to worry about, I am completely okay and should I get sick in any way, Koinonia will help me with the medication and all that I need.
My dream is to become a doctor after finishing my studies. I also hope that later on I will be successful in everything I do.
I thank God for Koinonia and my sponsor for giving me a new chance in life.
May God bless you all!
