Chinonso making his mother proud!

Chinonso Uwalaka is Rev. Leo’s 10-year old nephew, whom I met during my visit to Nigeria two years ago. For fun, I taught him the popular “rock, paper, scissors” game which he immediately loved. When I visit this summer, I know he’ll be bugging me to play it over and over! Chinonso’s mother tragically died after giving him birth and he was just informed of it about a year ago.

Last summer, Rev. Leo told me Chinonso would frequently retreat into his own private world, sometimes sitting alone in the Chapel or just reading by himself. Maybe he was having difficulty processing the circumstances of his mother’s death? After all, up until he was 9 years old, he believed one of his aunts was his mother. In spite of this challenge, Chinonso has applied himself diligently in school and in his recent 2nd trimester final exams.

The quiz competition, which took place a week prior to the exams, helped Chinonso to prepare. “The quizzes forced the children to study so that when called upon they could recite answers without embarrassment,” said Rev. Leo. “In this way, they were prepared for final exams, which covered the same subjects.” Chinonso’s teachers also helped him. “The youth corpers (volunteers) answered my questions and explained topics I didn’t understand in my readings,” the JS-1 (7th Grade) student said.

During exams, Chinonso and his classmates worked under the watchful eye of the Dean of Studies, Mr. Ikechi Gift. In the formation of Servant Leaders, Gift’s role is enforcing the self-evident rule of no cheating. “The students showed a high sense of discipline and there were very few reported cases of exam misconduct by a student,” he said proudly. Indeed, thanks to the self-emptying spirit of teachers and staff, like Ikechi Gift, students were ready to do their best on exam day.

While Chinonso is still coping with his mother dying after his birth, he knows God still has a great plan for him. “I think I am becoming a Servant Leader because I’m learning to be committed to the things I do to get good results from them,” he wisely said. While Chinonso may still retreat in private to mourn, he’s also grateful for HEAL and his teachers helping him grow.

For just $1 per day, or $30 per month, we can provide each BOMCA and MENPS student like Chinonso what they need for their educational formation into Servant Leaders through the Self-Emptying Spirit of Christ. What better cause for almsgiving as we near the end of Lent!