Student Sponsorship Highlight: Kvorom Jovis & the Krikke Family

A Student's Perspective
“My sponsorship experience is very good,” says Kworom Jovis.

 “Before Mr. and Mrs. Krikke started sponsoring me, I had lost all hope of finishing my studies because they told me that my former sponsors had stopped supporting me. I was sad, but I trusted in the Lord to get me through.”

 “Whenever I felt like things were not working out, I would always remind myself of my favorite verse which is Jeremiah 29:11: ‘I alone know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for,’ and this kept me encouraged and gave me hope.”

 A few months after he was told his sponsors had discontinued their sponsorship, Jovis received a call from Hope Alive! notifying him that he had new sponsors, Roger and Terry Krikke. “My time of sponsorship with Mr. and Mrs. Krikke has been the best experience so far. They write and send me letters which I enjoy reading and I also share them with my friends and parents who are as excited to know what we are talking about as I am. I always tell my friends, ‘My sponsors love me,’ and the letters are just proof to that.” Jovis says to Mr. and Mrs. Krikke, “I really love to have you as my sponsors and really enjoy when you communicate with me. I am so thankful for every support, every gift you have been sending.” 

 He attributes his success to the sponsors who have invested in him and, of course, to the Lord for being the ultimate Provider. “I feel very blessed having you as my sponsors and I give all the glory to God.” Jovis previously graduated with a Diploma in Agriculture. He is currently interning with Hope Alive!, at our farm in Koro (Gulu). This experience is helping him gain more skills and knowledge for his career of choice. He looks forward to enrolling in university. “It gives me so much joy that, in my family, I am the only one that has attained this high level of education, all thanks to Hope Alive! and my sponsors. I look forward to attaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture so that I can compete highly in the field.”

  “I cannot express how grateful I am through my words, but the Lord that sees and blesses all hearts, knows that you are the best gift that I have received in my life, and I bless the Lord for you. Thank you very much, may God continue to bless you.”

 A Sponsor’s Perspective:

 "We have only been sponsoring Jovis for a couple of years," Terry Krikke said. "We value the communication we get to have with him throughout each year that passes. He is a kind-hearted and determined person."

Terry and Roger Krikke have sponsored many students since the birth of Hope Alive! in 2002. They have had and continue to have the privilege of communicating with their students, including Jovis, throughout the year. Their students share what is happening with their family, studies, churches, even the weather, and they also express that they are praying for Roger and Terry. Their students ask many questions about the United States, and frequently request that Roger and Terry come to Uganda to meet them or come to their graduations. Roger and Terry respond likewise with what is going on in their lives and include a family photo. One of their students, who recently graduated, photoshopped her graduation photo into their family photo.

 In 2013, while serving on a short-term mission trip with their church, Roger was able to meet many of their sponsored students at a luncheon arranged by Hope Alive! in Kampala. One of those students presented Roger with a hand-written journal filled with different scriptures. It has been a wonderful reminder to them of the impact their sponsorship has made.  

When they first started sponsoring, they would find themselves spending quite a bit of time deciding what gifts to send their students, based on their age and gender. The shipping service they used was discontinued. Now they provide funds for Christmas gifts through the Hope Alive! website. Our staff delivers the gifts then takes photos of students with what they were able to purchase with the funds. Those gifts have included clothing, rice, chickens, and goats!

“It has been a joy to able to see God working in the lives of our students with the help of Hope Alive! over the past 20 years. The difference that God, through Hope Alive!, has made in discipling them and seeing that they are properly educated is huge.”