Geoffrey’s Story
Some Background
My wife, Church, and I have three children—a daughter (12) and two boys (4 and 17). I grew up in a family of fifteen children. My father was a farmer and did trading in coffee. My mother was a housewife. I was a day-scholar for all of my primary education.
Note: A day-scholar is a student who attends school during the day time and lives at home rather than boarding at the school.
The education system in Uganda is structured to have 7 years of primary education, 6 years of secondary education, and 3 to 5 years of post-secondary education.
In 1982 the guerrilla war in Uganda displaced our family for 3 years. Most families in the area lost a family member due to killing by soldiers and rebels, disease, or starvation. Our family was reunited In December 1985 with only one death. This was my sister who was a baby at the time the war began. When we reunited at our home I continued with my primary education.
Three years after I started secondary education, my father could not afford to pay for my school fees because he did not have a steady job. I was determined not to drop out of school. During a school holiday, I started taking on side jobs like fetching water for people (our village did not have running water). I was so blessed on that holiday I managed to raise money to pay for two school terms and a pair of new shoes.
Inspired to help others
When I was 16 years old, I was inspired by the story of the then Vice President of Uganda, the late Dr. Samson Kisekka. He said he used to walk about 50 miles (from Kampala to Jinja) every school holiday to go and receive money for school fees from a Good Samaritan who supported him. As a result, he became a medical doctor and later Vice President Of Uganda. I imagined what a great loss Uganda would have had if that Good Samaritan had not helped him.
From his story, I decided I would help children receive an education when I start working. When I met my wife (Church) I shared this idea of helping children with her. She told me she also had a heart to help people in need.
Service in Iraq
In 2007, I went to Iraq to join the US forces to provide security. I served alongside US forces for 5 years. I left my wife at such a tender age, when the relationship was just getting sweeter. Every year I had only 14 days to be with my family in Uganda. It was such a trying time to have no time for my loved ones.
It was during that time in 2009 when my wife identified a first child in need. We began paying for her school fees. Other children joined later.
One time, when I was guarding at the hospital gate at the Al Asad airbase in Iraq, a soldier came to my post and introduced himself to me. This was Dr. James Anderson. We had a short conversation, since I was on duty, and we agreed to meet at dinner after my shift. After that, we started meeting once or twice a week for fellowship with other Ugandans. A few months later he left, but we kept communicating by email.
He later came to Uganda in 2015 with his Brother Ward Anderson. From that visit, the first child in Peter’s Heart was supported. Since then, he has made several trips to Uganda with other people to support PH.
Today
My wife and I are housing 11 PH children, each coming from a broken family. Most of them have gone through traumatizing situations ranging from watching a parent strangled to death to living on their own at a tender age.
Love is the major tool we use to help them overcome and heal from their past—indeed, God is love. The first days with these children are challenging because they haven’t learned to trust us and cannot open up. They know much more than you think they do.
Prayerfully, as we let them know how much we value and love them, they learn to trust us, to feel secure, and to develop a sense of belonging to a family and acceptance.
Final thoughts
We are grateful to serve our Lord Jesus Christ with you all by expressing sacrificial love to those living in dire poverty. We feel happy to see lives that have been transformed. Thank you for your support in this cause.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9