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We’ve had a busy few weeks since our last update, performed 9 concerts, received over 50 sponsorships and traveled over the mountains to Eastern Washington. A big thank you to Selah Covenant Church, Richland Lutheran, Othello Nazarene and New Song Community Church in Wenatchee for your incredible support of children around the world and your generosity to our group.

This will be the first in our Meet the Choir series where every so often we will introduce a member of the group. This week I would like to introduce Ssenono Henry!

Henry is 11 years old and will turn 12 on January 12. You may recognize him from his TV interview with Margaret Larson on New Day NW! Henry did an excellent job of representing his friends in the choir and all of Childcare Worldwide and he does so on a regular basis. Henry is very sincere, has a beautiful smile and can carry on a conversation with just about anyone.

After performances I am often asked, ‘who is the boy in the middle that dances so well’? Well, you guessed it it’s our Henry! We call Henry ‘Michael Jackson’ because of his smooth moves on stage. Henry has the most expressive face when he sings and he is a blessing to those watching in the audience. What a treat it is to watch a boy who truly loves Jesus sing and dance for HIM!

Henry does not know much about his father, only that he has never been around. His mother died of AIDS when Henry was young and he went to live with his grandmother who could no longer care for him after awhile. Henry thanks God that he is now living in one of the Children’s Villages through Childcare Worldwide where he has food to eat and is able to attend school.

Henry is one of our top school kids. He is in level P6 (Primary 6) and enjoys his studies very much. His favorite subject is English. Henry is such a smart boy. I have had the opportunity to sit with him while he does his homework and his knowledge of his home country and continent blew me away! Henry is also a wonderful English speaker. He often introduces the songs during a performance and sometimes even shares his story with the audience. At times we rely on Henry to translate instructions to the other children and through this and other opportunities, he has proven himself to be a trustworthy and responsible leader among the choir kids.

Henry has also had the opportunity to meet his sponsor family! Dr. and Mrs. Nelson have been so kind and generous to Henry, taking him out for ice cream and coming to several of our performances. It has been neat to watch the relationship between Henry and the Nelson’s develop over our time here in Washington. Lynn Nelson even came to the taping of New Day NW and was interviewed about her sponsorship of Henry.

We are so grateful for Ssenono Henry’s presence in the 2011 choir. He is a joy to be around, and it is such a privilege to watch him grow and mature over his time in America. Someday Henry hopes to be a teacher to help other kids like him and we have every confidence that he will accomplish this goal, grow to be a man of God and a leader in his own country.

Sponsoring a child provides a solid, foundational education and it also allows for dreams to be realized! What better gift than to give a child their future? Look at Henry; through God’s grace and His work in both the hearts of the Nelsons and Henry, the sky is truly the limit for him.

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