Be a World Changer

Hello and welcome back to the Naked Marriage Podcast. We are Dave and Ashley Willis, and on this podcast, we talk about marriage. But today, we actually are talking about something more that's more than marriage. And it definitely can enhance your marriage because we're talking about how you can help change the world in a very specific way. And with that, we are interviewing such an amazing person. And so if you are listening to this, that's awesome.

So.

But you also may want to watch this so you can actually see our conversation happening on YouTube. But we are so excited to welcome Richmond Wandera from Uganda. And so we're so excited.

Well, thank you so much. I have been so looking forward to this podcast.

Well, we've been so looking forward to having you. Richmond is truly a world changer in every, every sense of the word. And instead of just going through his whole bio right now, I want to kind of start diving into his story so you can hear from him this amazing journey that led him from being in a place where he grew up in some desperate poverty and some really, really difficult situations, and how he came out of that and is now a man who's a leader among leaders, really transforming, you know, his nation, the nations around him, and touching the entire world through the ministry that he's doing. And so we're going to be inspired by his story, but we're also going to have, as Ashley mentioned, some very practical application for how all of us can take a specific step to change the world. And, and I'm really excited about this episode, and we're so excited to have Richmond. So. So, Richmond, as we dive in, why don't you just start kind of at the beginning and tell us a little bit about what was life like for you as a child in Uganda?

Well, thank you so much. Here's. Here's what I'd like for people to know about me. First, that I feel so lucky to be alive. I feel like some of the people, friends of mine, who, who were lost along the way would have done so much more and so much better because they were brilliant. They were simply amazing. But yet friends of mine, like Daniel, who we called Solomon because he was brilliant, ended up passing away. And at a very young age, I saw what children shouldn't see. And so I feel very lucky and so feel very blessed that I can share with you a little bit of my story, a little bit of my journey, and hopefully reflectively, such that we are able to draw some lessons and some nuggets that we can engage with and wrestle with and hopefully drive Us to some actions that can turn the world of a child into something beautiful. Yes. So my whole life changed when I was eight years old. It was at the age of eight that my father was murdered in the presence of my mother.

Wow.

Goodness.

On one day, I lost both parents. My father, physically, he was gone, but my mother, emotionally and psychologically, she was not the same. She was. My mother was the kind of woman you called when you were having a bad day. She could talk your ear off. She was loud and she was funny and exciting, and we enjoyed time with her. But after my father passed, it felt like music left her life. And we as kids, looked at. And this lady who we couldn't see how she was the woman we knew before. And so, after laying our father to rest three months later, we got this knock from the landlord that said to us, you can no longer live here. And we knew that day was coming. But on the day that it actually came and we were forced out of our house, we knew that our lives had changed. We ended up being thrown into one of Uganda's largest slums, called Naguru. Naguru was about 19,000 families at the time, approximately 45,000 people. And all of them were living in such a dense community. Small houses, some 10 by 10ft, some 12 by 12ft, a whole line of houses living in the worst sanitation possible. And when I arrived in Naguru, I knew that my life was not going to remain the same. And then doors just began shutting down in front of me. I was first told, richmond, you can no longer go to school. Many of you know. Many of you would know that Uganda runs a private education system. If your parents can afford for you to go to school, great, go to school. But if your parents cannot afford for you to go to school and you have no sponsor, you've got to stay home. And so, as a child, I was used to going to school, and I enjoyed school. My favorite subject was mathematics. I really enjoyed the mathematics teacher. But I was now told, you couldn't go to school. And so I began staying home. And then the big announcement came from my mother, who said to us, there's no more money for food. See, my mother, she was widowed at the age of 25. I have five siblings, which means at the age of 25, my mother already had six children. She was married. As a teenager, she knew only to stay home and wait for my father's provision. And when my father was now out of the picture, all of us were now hanging onto our arms, wanting her to provide the Security and the support that we were used to. And that was not possible. And so my mother was completely devastated. We're living in a country whose government has no plan for women like that. There is no welfare, there is no government support, there is nothing to hang on to. And so in this slum, my mother's life kept deteriorating because again, being married off as a teenager, she had no education, she had no skill, she had no job and her health was bad. So for us as kids, you know, we were in the home and we kind of got used to staying in this. But then after my mother said there was no more money for food, what began as visits to the street became a lifestyle. We could just wake up in the morning and go. I used to work with my little sister Doreen, who was 6 at the time, while my other brothers, Richard, Ronald, Raphael and my last born sister Sharon, used to go in a different direction. So we could kind of take different paths from home to increase the chances of picking stuff from the road. So like I said, what began as a visit to the street became a lifestyle. And we could just wake up in the morning and go. And I think sometimes people don't quite get the kind of fear, anxiety and agony that fills the heart of a mother who does not know where her children are. We could wake up in the morning and oh, and my mother just keeps our fingers crossed that we would come back. Because some of you are aware that in Africa there is a lot of child sacrifice in Africa. The roads sometimes are so bad that one big pothole could lead a car off the road and into slumming. So many street children. And in Uganda that's not unusual. We see every day trucks that have lost their braking system or whatever, just running it and just killing so many children on the side. And so my mother was in a place of difficulty, but she was helpless, not knowing what to do. And so luckily we were able to go out every day and come back home sometimes with greens, sometimes with sugar cane, sometimes potatoes or whatever we've picked on the street. And we would cook that and eat. Remember, we are not in school, nothing is occupying our time, and we as kids are just simply trying to survive. But then when the rainy seasons came, for us, it was the worst possible season of the year. So I've met people who said they love rain. And whenever someone says to me, I love the rain, I kind of take two steps back from such a person because I realized we are so different. I recall one night, it was about 2am in the morning and it began to rain. We were living in a 12 by 12 single room which had an old tin roof and our floor was simply dirt. And when it began to rain, it was loud. And so we were kind of used to that. But this kind of rain came with such a storm and wind and torrent that the central iron sheet of our house was blown off because it was very old. The amount of water that filled our house that night, it changed me. It changed all of us. It felt like our house had become one giant bucket and were in there drowning and being cold in it. And it was not easy night after night. And then when the rainy seasons came, there was cholera. There was. We just didn't know which disease was going to break out in the community.

Yeah.

And so I feared the rain. And that's why even to this day, when I hear very loud thunder or lightning, it just transports me back to those days. But yet, in the middle of such great desperation, my mother realized that if nothing changes, she would lose us. And so she reached out for help. And even though she was not a believer and we at home, we're not Christians, someone told her that. Why don't you go to the church? There is a church in the community on the north side that sponsors children. They provide help. And she had never heard of Compassion. So my mother, because she's desperate, goes to this church and she tells our story. And she was surprised at how fast people from the church came to our home and they took pictures of us and got our birthday information and our story and they said that they would go and try to find sponsors for us. And it wasn't long, probably three, four months later that they came back with the most amazing news. Richmond has got a sponsor.

Wow.

To this day, the sound of those words was like the best news ever. I was later on told that my sponsor was a 15 year old girl called Heather.

Wow.

To this day I wonder and muffled what maturity would be given to a 15 year old to decide of her own to live simply so I could simply leave. I wonder, because she took a babysitting job so that she could earn some money and support this young African boy who was dealing with such suffering and pain beyond his years. I wondered what kind of family would raise a child like that with such a perspective of the world. Because being familiar with 15 year olds, most 15 year olds are only concerned about themselves or their immediate family or at least their space. Which 15 year old would be looking beyond the boundaries of their home and beyond the boundaries of their nation to get involved with the issues that other children around the world are battling with. And so for my mom's shock and this, my mom almost fell off the chair when she learned that Heather was 15 years old because she said this could easily be my daughter. And this 15 year old, God bless her, she was taking this babysitting job and delightfully supporting me. And that was completely changing my world. She was supporting me going back to school. Do you know what that meant to me? To go back to school? And even though I was studying with kids that were younger than I was, because I had lost about two years of class, but I was just delighted to be back in school, attending my mathematics lessons with my favorite teacher in the world. And there I was.

And.

And so I was told that the support was more than just providing education for me. It was going to provide food. And every week I would get food rations and go home with food to my brothers and sisters. Wow. And I can tell you that my brother Ronald, who plays rugby today, said to me, when I was done with compassion at 22, he said to me, richmond, I survived because you were sponsored. And we keep joking about sometimes I could bring food home and it takes even the biggest share because he had such a large appetite.

So that one girl sponsor changed not only your life, but her faith, her sacrifice, her maturity. And saying, I want to do this to help one kid, it actually changed in some ways saved your whole family. The faith of one 15 year old girl, that's just amazing.

And here's the thing, it's hard decision to sponsor me saved my mother at a time when I knew my mother was dying. So the way Compassion is set up is that there is something called the central pool, where I believe it's two or three dollars of what is given is taken into this central pool to help children and their families in something called civs or complementary interventions. For example, if a child needs, let's say kidney transplant or heart surgery, the normal sponsorship can't pay for that. But that pool allows children who are dealing with some very expensive health or otherwise conditions to access such care. Because, I mean, it's such an incredible model. My mother one time, her blood pressure had become so bad, she had arthritis, she had gout, and she had a condition that was so complicated and it was affecting me because I couldn't concentrate in school. And so I told Compassion about our situation. Compassion knew that my mother's poor health was affecting me. And through the civil or complementary intervention pool was able to provide health care for my mother. And so Heather was Changing not just my world, but my entire family's world. And so, and then, see, I joined Compassion and I was not a believer. I didn't believe in God. But at the age of 14, for the first time as pastor, Peter, who was the pastor of the local church that hosted the Compassion Project, was explaining from Genesis 39, the story of Joseph, how this young boy went through all kinds of suffering and pain, not of his own making. He didn't do anything wrong, but in through that suffering, God had a great plan for him and he was fashioning him up to become a leader. And I was so touched by that. And I could see a loving God who speaks even through the storm, who speaks even through pain and suffering. And that day, at the age of 14, I made a decision to follow Christ.

Wow.

And I did not know that my decision was going to open the door for all five of my siblings to follow Jesus as well. Wow. And by the time I was 15, I had witnessed each one of my brothers and sisters make a decision at the Compassion Project to follow Christ.

Richmond what blows me away about that part of the story is you, in many ways are the story of Joseph because Joseph went through suffering, you went through suffering. Joseph was later, through his faithfulness, put in a place of great leadership. You are in a place of great leadership now as a pastor, as the director and founder of Pastors Discipleship Network, Joseph ended up, through his faith, his family was saved. And through your faith, your family was saved. And I just think what a beautiful parallel that through that story of Joseph, that's the day you gave your heart to Christ. And then God's plan for you paralleled that same beautiful story in scripture. And you have been elevated, like Joseph was a leader in his nation. I mean, you are doing these things. You're a modern day Joseph. And it's just, it is a beautiful story. And it is, it's so inspiring. Like, just as your. Is your. Even as I'm just listening and processing it, yeah, I've got goosebumps.

I mean, and I've got tears in my eyes, for sure. I just, you know, it brings so much hope. And I love how, you know, and I want my kids definitely to listen and watch this interview because I think so many times in America where we live, kids just take school for granted. And that really, I used to teach middle school and education. Obviously, it just opens doors. And you know, this, and you even knew this as a kid. And for that to be cut off from you, I mean, how devastating. I mean, you were going through so much. But that was one of the things that really as a child, you know, you hated not to be able to go to school and then through compassion, you know, being able to attend school again. And then I, you know, in reading your story, it says that compassion even helped you to go to the university. And then since then you had a master's and you have a doctorate.

I should have introduced him that way.

I know, I'm just so impressed.

Richmond. Wandera. Not just Richmond, Wandera, it's Dr. Wanderer.

It's Doctor. And you've worked hard for that. I know you have, but I just love how, I mean, my goodness, you've, you know, those doors because you, in your story you talked about all the doors being closed after the death of your father and having to live in the slums. But then how, you know, in this, your mom reaching out for help and then compassion meeting her right there and God opening so many doors. You know, tell us about that. You know, with that time kind of when, when you were able to go to the university and kind of what you've done since because like Dave kind of touched on it, you've done a lot with the opportunities and the doors that God has opened for you. Can you tell us what you're doing now?

First, I believe that potential is everywhere. But opportunity isn't True.

Yes, yes.

When I recall the boy, Richmond, on the streets of Naguru, sitting under mango trees, sometimes trying to clean the dust that had melted into my eyes with my yellow eyes and my stomach that was constantly hurting and my body that was not fully clothed most of the time. If you looked at me then on the street, you wouldn't see an accountant, you wouldn't see a pastor, you wouldn't see a child advocate. You won't see a person that's able to make a positive contribution to his nation. You won't see that. You think this child is going to end up as one of the statistic. And that was going to be the case until one 15 year old girl put up a hand and said, I'll join this fight. I'll be the voice for the voiceless. I'll fight for those children that cannot fight for themselves. And that single decision just began to unlock this potential.

Yes.

From my primary school, I went into my secondary school in a safe environment at the Compassion Project with people who loved me and spoke positivity into me and spoke a new self esteem, a new self image into me. That voice of poverty that told me I am nothing, I am unwanted, I Am ugly. Nobody wants me. Nobody cares for me, Nobody is rooting for me. And that action just pushed back all those lies. And I began to feel strong. I began to feel that I mutter that I am lovable and that I can actually make a contribution. And that's why I read very hard and began to push hard because I was given an opportunity to come out of where I was into a new space where I see myself differently. And this is why kids need such a safe space like what Compassion provides. The Compassion workers, these are people, yes, they are paid a salary, but I can tell you from my experience, these are people who worked overtime without being paid overtime. They worked because they loved creating. To them, it is not a job. This is a calling. They just loved kids. So for me, I mean, when I was sad, when I felt I was missing my dad, whatever, I just went to end of the Compassion. We call them aunties and uncles. And they just helped me through the time of confusion. And so that was a neighbor. So it's not just, I think, my determination as a student and my love for math, and there was a place for that, but there was also something about environment. This Uganda just tear at you. They just scream hopelessness at you. But when you have an alternative voice in a safe space by people who have been vetted, people who are trustworthy, who love children, and you're assured of their love, telling you, hey, you can make it, be strong. You're going to grow up and you're going to serve your nation. And these words keep coming to you, man. They build you on the inside. They make you ready to serve your nation. I think that's where I am. And that's why many Compassion kids right now are in different parts of Parliament. They in different parts of influence in the education sector, in the business sector, in politics. One of my good friends is now a member of Parliament, representing their. I mean, it's crazy what this does that when. When you hold someone's hand and say, I'm going to sacrifice for you, I'm going to live simply so you can simply live. I'm going to live with less so you can live with more. I'm going to do all that I can so that this one child might have a fighting chance at life. Amazing that this potential that's dying is all of a sudden unlocked. So for me, I studied hard to be an accountant. By the time I was doing my degree, uganda was the 12th most corrupt country in the world. And I wanted to heal my corrupt country by training ethical accountants. Because I knew the link between corruption and the accountants office. No matter what the top manager or CEO or the owner wants to do, the accountant needs to advise them on what's possible. And if they want to cheat on their taxes or whatever, it's the accountant that does the magic. And I knew that if we had more ethical accountants in our nation, then we would put an end to some of this rampant corruption. And so I studied hard and I graduated summa cum laude on top of my class and was hired by the university to teach accounting. And so for eight years in my life, I just poured into the accounting department, calling out the ethical side of accounting in the university. And then transformation that had happened in my home because of the Gospel just hit me like a ton of bricks. I began to think how my family was radically changed because of the Gospel. And I saw, look, I could commit myself to anything in this world, but nothing compares to bringing the good news of Jesus Christ of love and forgiveness and reconciliation to my communities. And to explain the truth in a way that's clear and understandable. Because true gospel preachers, and not the ones that go off in the prosperity side or whatever, but true gospel preachers, we have very few in our district. And so I decided to pursue pastoral work. And that's how I ended up at Moody Bible Institute doing a master's degree in spiritual formation and discipleship. Let me digress and say God has a great sense of humor to take a person from hot, blistering hot Uganda into the Windy City, Chicago, but he.

Has a sense of humor. He certainly does. And from there you got your PhD. I mean, you now train 6,000 pastors. It's just amazing. And to bring it all back to one, I mean, my mind is blown by a 15 year old girl having the maturity and wisdom to say, I want to make a sacrifice, I want to babysit and give some of that money to help change this kid's life. And then through her faith and then through your faith, what you did with that opportunity, man, the world has changed. And so I want to pause here just a second and talk directly to those who are listening, who are saying like, my goodness, I want my life to count in that kind of way. I want to do something that is going to change the world in the way that Dr. Wandera is changing the world. And the way Even earlier that 15 year old girl, through a simple act of faith and sacrifice, changed the world. And so we want to let you know how you can do it. Ashley and I, we so believe in compassion. The organization that we've been talking about today, the organization that changed Richmond's life and his family's life, we sponsor currently three children ourselves. We've sponsored other kids through the years. In fact, we had a Compassion child before we had an actual son of our own. And so our whole marriage has been in many ways touched by this ministry and we've seen firsthand just the impact that it makes. And when we write letters back and forth to our kids and see them grow up in pictures, it's really touched our whole family through the years just to know that in some small way we can be part of stories. God can, can use our, our small sacrifice be part of stories like, like the one that Richmond just shared today.

Yes.

And I just want to say too that, you know, our, our son at around 13 or 14, our oldest son, he challenged us to sponsor yet another child and has given some of his money there. He just now has his first job. But he, you know, he, he sees that vision and it's been really neat because our kids, the ones who can read and write, we've got four boys and the ones who can, you know, read and write at that level, they write letters back and forth to, to our Compassion kids. And it's been a really neat exchange, you know, for, for them to be able to write. And we, and they're from all over the world. I mean, I, yeah, I'm trying. We have one. Well, ATH Ziri was in Mexico and I think they gave us a new child because she had graduated the program, right?

Yes.

And we have some in Africa.

Ivory Coast.

Yes, it's in Africa.

And yeah, we have Central America. So really all over the world.

All over the world.

Yeah, it's working. And so we want to let you guys know how you can be part of connecting with a real child. Just like an 8 year old Richmond in Uganda all those years ago who's now grown up to be Dr. Wandera, the world changer.

Changing the world.

You can be part of stories like that. So here's how you can do it. Two options. Number one, you can text the word XO marriage, all one word. X O M A R R I A G e to this number 83393. Now this isn't going to automatically sign you up. This is the first step. And what's going to happen when you text is you're going to get a text back with a picture of a child and a link and it'll give you the chance to follow through on that. So again, that's text to this number 83393 text just one word XO marriage and they'll text you back. The second option is go to compassion.comxomarriage now we want you to go to these specific links or this text this specific number because we want to partner with you. And here at Exomarriage, for those who live in the US we're going to send you a free copy of our newest book, Naked and Healthy that we've been talking about here on this podcast. We're going to send that to you just as a gift to say thank you for changing a child's life. Thank you for doing being part of this ministry that's touched our own family so much through the years and has helped thousands and thousands and of thousands, thousands of kids just like Richmond and his family were many years ago. And then the ripple effect of that that when those kids grow up and are members of parliament and are founding pastors of an organization that's helping 6,000 other pastors and then to come full circle. You know, Richmond is now the pastor at that church where the Compassion program took place and people are coming to Christ there under his leadership the same way he came to Christ when he heard that sermon as a 14 year old kid. And just the way that God works that takes our simple acts of faith and truly changes lives with never ceases to amaze me. And I can't think of a greater organization on earth that is changing lives right now and now more than ever with the way that Covid has just amplified poverty and destruction, especially in the developing world. Now more than ever, these kids need our help. And this is a simple way you can do it. It's 38 bucks a month right now, guys. That's like a little over a dollar a day. I spend more than a dollar a day on coffee. You know, I spend more than a dollar a day on a bunch of things that just really don't even matter. I don't even think about purchases that small. But it is a life changing difference for a child in need. And so I think if a 15 year old girl can take on a couple babysitting shifts and do it, this is something that most every one of us can do. And if you're in a position where you could make a little sacrifice to adopt or to sponsor rather a kid or two or more, I cannot think of a better use of those funds to make an eternal impact. I'm going to give you those numbers one more time. Text XO Marriage all one word X O M A R R I A G E to 83393 or go to compassion.comxomarriage and we will happily send you a copy of our newest book.

Absolutely. And I just love Richmond. I think one of my favorite statements, I mean, everything you said is just so important and so well said and just really paints the picture for what. What, you know, Compassion can do for kids living in this, in poverty. But I. I love how you said that all it takes is us being able to live simply so that someone else can simply live. Like, I haven't heard it put that way. And I just thought, you know, my gosh, I mean, that just touches my heart. And I think that's the heart of God. I mean, like, that is his heart, is that we are the hands and feet of Christ and that we can do what we can, you know, with what God has given us to help others who are less fortified, fortunate and. And the. Not only financially, how it helps them, but leading them to Christ and blessing their family, giving them hope, you know, taking them from darkness and giving them hope and knowing that they matter. You know, just you describing how it moved in your heart and knowing, like, God has a purpose for you and you are seen and you, you know, you can. You can rise in your community and help your community and serve your community, and that's exactly what you're doing. And I just. I just really just thank you so much for sharing your story. It's touched my heart. Like I said, I can't wait for our listeners to hear it, and especially our kids. Like, I'm really excited for our children to listen.

We're gonna make sure they do. Yes. And we could talk to you all day. Unfortunately, we're out of time, but as we close, I'd like for you to put on your pastor hat. And we don't always end our podcast this way, but would you just pray? Pray for our listeners. Pray. You know, prayer. Pray that God would move in the hearts of those that need to be part of this sponsorship. But just pray your blessing over all who are listening, because everybody who's listening right now, we know you're going through something. Maybe it's not as desperate a situation as Richmond's family was in all those years ago, but all of us have some struggle we're carrying, and we've got a man of God here, a pastor that is just close to the heart of God, and we just want to invite him to pray over us as we close out today. And once again, thank you, Dr. Wandera, thank you for your message of hope. Thank you for your inspirational example and for a life that you're living that's truly making an eternal impact. And thank you for sharing some of that with us today.

Thank you so much. I'd be very happy to pray right now. Heavenly Father, I thank you that you know all of us and you call us by our names. That even the number of hairs on our head are counted by God patiently and gently. Father, I thank you for everybody who's taken a chance to listen and to hear your story. In my life as I pray these flashes of my past come to me. Times when there was very little hope and how you turned those times around to so much hope because of acts of individuals. I recall the statistic that was just brought to us locally in uganda. That over 700,000 girls at school going age are not in school. They're not in school because of poverty. They're not in school because the door has been closed in front of them. And yet we know that when they don't go to school, they become prey. Something happens to them that they don't want. Many of them are married off as teenagers. Many of them have their dreams cut away from them. We will not stand on the sidelines and see this happen. We will join Heather and many others like her to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, for these girls whose dreams are being taken away from them. We will join and be a voice for the voiceless and fight for those who cannot fight for themselves and choose to live with less voluntarily so that someone else can live with more. We will not stop. We will keep sharing. We'll keep loving. Because love is the most excellent way. So we ask, Lord, that your spirit move in the power of your love to strengthen everyone who is contemplating a decision to sponsor a child. To release the potential of the teenagers and children and youth and adults, parents who are thinking about how they can make this world a better place, what positive contribution they can make in this world. And they're thinking about it. And Lord, I pray that you open their eyes that they might see ways to do that. Especially in this time of the pandemic when the most vulnerable are the children. So I pray that in the same way that you brought so much joy and ululation and jubilation in my home at the news that I was sponsored, that this praise that happened under our little roof will be heard across Uganda, across many of the 26 countries on which Compassion International is working. And that mothers will receive good news that their children have been sponsored. We pray that 100 children and more will be sponsored through this podcast. Lord, move mightily. Move mightily in the hearts of your people that they might hear your voice and be willing to obey. And I pray this in the much less name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen. Amen. That powerful. Thank you again. Thank you again, sir, for sharing that with us. Thank you for those who've watched this and listened and I know your hearts have been stirred as ours have, and, and we just, we pray God's blessings over, over over you, doctor. We pray God's blessings over your church, Richmond, for your family, family, for your life, for your legacy, and for Compassion International and the thousands of kids under their care who are going to grow up to change the world as well. Thank you guys for listening and watching. Do us a favor and share this podcast. People need to hear this story that was shared today. They need to see this. They need to have their worldview broadened, their kingdom mindedness broadened by what was shared here today. I think this is one of the most important episodes we have ever done and I just want to share it with as many people as possible. So thank you guys again. God bless. We'll see you next time.