Sponsor Spotlight: An Interview with Kent Fourman
“My first visit to Karamoja - We visited a school under the tree at Duol where we encountered children who were malnourished and had nothing but full of joy. One of my favorite photos is from the Duol school session under the tree.” -Kent Fourman"
Q: How long have you been a sponsor?
A: 7-8 years
Q: How did you first learn of DCM?
A: Peter & Phoebe came to my church!
Q: In a world filled with amazing organizations and groups, why do you choose to partner with DCM, specifically?
Pastors Peter & Phoebe Sozi, Founders of Divine Care Ministries
A: The Sozis ability to do so much with so little; their impact on now 1,600+ children along with the surrounding communities; their deep faith which is beyond anything I have experienced and a constant reminder of what my faith needs to be and finally knowing we're making a difference by seeing the impact first hand during our many visits.
Q: What's your favorite thing about being a child sponsor?
A: Seeing the children grow through their education and out into society and being able to meet our children in person during our visits.
Students of Divine Grace Primary School gather outside for an outdoor assembly. Divine Grace is located in the Rakai district in southern Uganda.
Q: What has God taught you through your involvement with DCM?
A: Prayer is powerful; miracles do happen; education is the pathway to a successful life no matter who you are; anything is possible through God.
Q: Have you been to Uganda to visit DCM? If so, what year(s) did you visit?
A: Yes! 2013 through 2019 … 5X between Cathy, Chris and me.
Kent Fourman, located on the far right, celebrates his son and wife’s October birthdays while on a trip to visit DCM.
“We built a one room church in Lomorimori, Karamoja. This photo depicts the dedication of the church which included a birthday celebration with 3 individual cakes for DCM sponsors: Butch Veazey, Cathy and my son, Chris, who all had October birthdays. As with all Ugandan celebrations, it was quite festive.” -Kent Fourman
Q: What is your most memorable experience(s) from the trip?
A: 1st trip in 2013 - Arriving at Divine Grace in a bus with other Nashvillians, the gate is opened and there are 100s of screaming children there to greet us. Tears were flowing. Another trip in 2017 - My first visit to Karamoja - We visited a school under the tree at Duol where we encountered children who were malnourished and had nothing but full of joy. One of my favorite photos is from the Duol school session under the tree. On that same trip to Karamoja, we dedicated a church at Lomorimori. The celebration was inspiring and included individual birthday cakes for Cathy, Chris and Butch. Again on that same trip, we were privileged to attend the dedication of the Church at the Farm. The all day celebration was amazing.
Q: Did you eat any interesting or new foods? What was that experience was like for you?
Matoke is a variety of banana indigenous to southwest Uganda. It comes from the family of bananas known as the East African Highland bananas.
Matoke is used mainly for cooking when they are green and unripe. Cooked and mashed matoke is the national dish of Uganda. Learn to cook matoke here.
A: We have eaten goat frequently which is certainly not in our normal diet. The banana dish (“matoke”) is very unique; not something I would eat regularly but good.
Q: Do you remember the name of someone you met? What stood out to you about this person(s)? Feel free to share more than one person/experience!
A: There are way too many to name. Diana is so attuned to the intricacies of DCM, knows the children, knows how to overcome any obstacle, stays calm in the midst of chaos and is always positive. She's obviously filled with the Holy Spirit. Pastor Henry's prayers are beyond description.
Q: Were you able to meet your sponsored child when you traveled to Uganda? What was that experience like for you?
A: Yes, we have met all of our children except the two newest ones. Each encounter is uplifting because of the love and appreciation they show to us. Sometimes the visits can be challenging because the children have real needs that are presented that cannot be easily solved. One particular visit is memorable because we were given a chicken which is a real sacrifice for a family and therefore was very meaningful. That chicken remained at Divine Grace and was named Grace.
Outdoor kitchen at Divine Hope Primary School. The school is located in the central region of Uganda in the Mukono district. In January 2020, DCM built a new kitchen with brick walls.
2020 Divine Hope Kitchen: One of our DCM graduates works on our brick-walled kitchen at Divine Hope.
We’re so grateful for your support!
Footnotes:
Matoke Info.: The Spruce Eats. “How to Prepare Matoke.” 25 March 2020, Muyambo, Freda.
Matoke Image: CC0 Public Domain. The Spruce Eats.