Shaun Newman Podcast - #842 - Watoto Children’s Choir

Episode Date: May 5, 2025

The Watoto Children's Choir is a group of African children's choirs based in Kampala, Uganda, at Watoto Church, founded in 1994. Composed of 18–22 Ugandan children who have lost one or both parents, often due to AIDS or war, the choirs tour internationally to raise funds and awareness for Watoto orphanages. "Watoto" means "children" in Swahili. Operating six choirs, they perform in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas, delivering "Concerts of Hope" that blend African rhythms, gospel music, dance, and storytelling. Their performances share messages of hope, faith, and transformation, often featuring personal testimonies. I’m joined by 4 of their group Graham, Alvin, Jen and Pheona.Cornerstone Forum ‘25https://www.showpass.com/cornerstone25/Get your voice heard: Text Shaun 587-217-8500Substack:https://open.substack.com/pub/shaunnewmanpodcastSilver Gold Bull Links:Website: https://silvergoldbull.ca/Email: [e-mail] Grahame: [phone]Bow Valley Credit UnionWebsite: www.BowValleycu.comEmail: [e-mail] Use the code “SNP” on all ordersProphet River Links:Website: store.prophetriver.com/Email: [e-mail]

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They're all a part of Watoto Children's Choir. I'm talking Fiona, Graham, Alvin, and Jen. So buckle up. Here we go. All right. Welcome to the show. Sean Newman podcast. Today I'm joined by a couple of special guests. I'm very excited to have you in my studio. I'm glad I was a choice to get to sit across from you. Now I have Fiona and Graham, and I hope I say that right. Absolutely. Now, I guess you just have to tell me your story and what you're doing. You've been in Canada 10 weeks. You've got 11 more to go. I would love it if you too. Just share your story of what brings you to Canada and, and I'm going to butcher Watoto.

And I hope I'm saying that right, the children's choir. Yes, you said absolutely right. Yes. So feel free to share. Okay. So my name is Fiona. I lead the team. This is Watoto Children's Choir number 118. It's 24 of us that traveled from Uganda in East Africa. and we are on a five months tour. We are nearly halfway our tour and we are having a good time. So far, I must say. We had actually a rough start

with starting our tour. We were a bit delayed with the visas and we meant to start off in January. But I guess it was God's plan for us to be here at the time. From what I hear is the winter was a bit hushed this time. than it's ever been.

So I'm grateful that was all planned by God. A bit about us, we are not just a choir, but we belong to a big entity, a community I would call church. We come from Watoto Church in Uganda, and Watoto Church was started of 41 years ago. And on Easter, we celebrated our 41st birthday. And Watoto Church was started off by a Canadian couple,

that came to Uganda, 41 years ago, started an English-speaking church. And that basically stands on two core values, celebrating Christ and caring for community. And so 10 years after the church was started, started a ministry called Watuto Child Care Ministries. And their heart was to rescue Africa's most vulnerable children and raise them to become godly transformational leaders. And so we've seen more than 5,000 children grow up through Watoto and now living productive lives. And that includes myself, actually. I was raised by Watoto. And I was able to go through school, finish and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics.

And so currently we have three Watoto Children's Villages, where children are nurtured, raised, provided with holistic care, holistic would start from the spiritual well-being, the physical well-being, their academics, their playgrounds, housing, name it. So everything is pretty much provided there, but that is all made possible because of the partners and sponsors across the world that come alongside us to see that ministry and that vision come alive. And so after the child care ministries were started, God spoke to Pastor Gary, and Marian Skinner, they are the founders of Watoto, to start of a ministry through Watoto Children's Choir and just send out the message of the gospel packaged in music, dance. And so Watoto Children's Choir started off over 30 years ago. And so we travel around the world, sharing the love of Jesus with who,

is ready to receive us. Tell the Watoto story and tell everyone what God has done in and through us and welcome whoever is glad to join us on this journey. And so this is choir number 118 traveling across Canada and before us, that means 117 choirs have traveled across the world. The idea is to have each and every day someone listening to the message of the gospel. And so seven tours go across the globe in a year to the U.S., to Australia, to Asia, to Brazil, to Canada, and we share the message of the gospel. So we're so glad that this season God has

chosen us to be in Canada and tell the Wattota story, share the love of Jesus and spread the message of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Maybe speaking about my mother, myself joining being part of the Watoto. I joined Watato as a little girl. How old were, when you say a little girl, how old were you? I was 13 years old when I joined Watoto. And I joined Watoto with my mom. So the setting of Watoto is in a way that Watoto identifies vulnerable women

that are hopeless and are welcomed into the Watoto home. So they come with one or two of their children. And so I was raised in a broken family. My dad was an alcoholic and smoked his lungs out of his life and eventually lost his life. But luckily, my mom was welcomed into Watoto. She was unemployed. She had nothing to herself. And she was given an opportunity at life again and as glad as also welcomed into Watoto.

From the brokenness and from the one-room shock we were staying, my mom and my three siblings. That was life for me, joining a home. So at Watoto, we are blessed in our home, eight children and a house mother who raises all of us. And so at the Beera Village, I mentioned there are three children's villages. At the Beera Village I grew up from, there are 15 circles of homes. He's a drill. Every circle has nine houses.

and in each house eight children. So at the time, currently, there are over 1,000 children at Bira Village alone. Sube Village is one of the biggest. It has slightly over 1,500 children. The setting is still the same. And Gulu, the village is called Laminadera, that is further up north, the northern region of Uganda. And the children, there are over 5,000 children staying in Laminadera.

The numbers keep varying because every other day their children being rescued. But there are those that come in as babies, and because Graham is one of them, and they are placed into the baby Watoto home. Baby Watoto. And Baby Watoto has two structures currently, one in Kampala and one in Gulu. So once they make three years, they are transitioned into the Watoto homes. So I was privileged to join the Watoto Homes, had good quality education. there basically I would say most of what the life I live now getting to lead the

team those values as really I got them at the villages because there's intense discipleship right there these intentional follow-up and and just the idea is to raise the Godly transformational leader and I must say I turn up pretty well to be able to lead a team so I was able to go through to university pursue my dream. Economics was one of those that really caught my attention all through high school. And I decided to pursue it at university. I finished school and I started working at what I got an opportunity to travel to Australia for my first trip.

And this is my fifth trip to travel with Watoto across the globe. Pretty incredible. Thank you. If I may, when you say hopeless families, your mom and yourself, as we were talking before we started, you know, the use of uncle and aunt, it's just different through cultures. Yes. When you say hopeless, can you just tell myself in the audience, like, hopeless here is probably a lot different than where you're coming from. Okay. Well, maybe to give it a bit of background, Uganda, 40 years ago at the time, when.

when pastors Gary and Marion Skinner came, it was in ruins. There was war. There was killings. There was poverty, name it. And so the country was really broken at the time when the Watoto ministry was started. So when I say hopeless,

hopeless speaks into the economy that is standing on its last leg. Hopeless means poverty and employment. Hopeless means women left to nothing, men being irresponsible and living all the responsibility to women. And tradition had kind of shaped it in a way that women would amount to nothing and they only be like stay-home moms or something. So given such a broken economy, there were lots of unemployed women, but also most of the, especially in the northern region, most of the men were recruited into the war, the army. And so they left women. They would

recruit the men into the army and either kill the women and if children and attended to. And so that is hopeless. That would how define hopelessness. And what was taught, coming in at that point was a place of just bringing about restoration and hope into each of those lives for the women that were raped for the children that were left orphaned and abandoned. That is how I would define hopelessness. Graham, you may be the youngest person I've had in this studio minus my kids. Wow. I'm thinking about it because you said you're 11?

Yes, please. Could you tell the audience a little bit about yourself? My name is Graham, and I am 11 years old, and I am in red form, and that's all. What do you think of Canada? You've been here 10 weeks. It's quite not only the weather, but I assume a bit of a culture shock coming from Uganda. What do you think about Canada? Canada. I think Canada, what I've ever met, they don't like wash clothes with hands. It's true. That's a good one.

They have washing machines. Yes. Anything that stood out for you so far. Yes. I learned new games playing hockey and air hockey. and playing football and telling people about God's love. How about the climate?

The weather? The weather. It's now getting warm. The first time, it was cold. I got out of the airport. I went back. Lots of us want to go back, yes. You step out into that frigid air.

Yeah. Yes. I could see my breath moving. Yeah. And I realized that it was cold. Very cold. Yeah. I assume they prepped you.

I'm assuming you talked. It's going to be gold there. But saying it and experiencing it are two different. That's so true. I actually kind of broke it down for them. Children's going to be. a little cold out there. I think I underestimated it

a little. And they had that mindset of it's going to be a little cold. Only to roll out where the trail is like, no, this looks nothing like a little because we come from a tropical country. Uganda is

hot. Yeah, it's really pretty much warm all year on. The coldest would get is about like 15, where you guys be like, well, Bring me all the lightest clothes I can put in. So that's the coldest. The equator cuts right across our country.

What's been your favorite part of being here for 10 weeks? Is there something that sticks out? You mentioned you got to learn some new games, foosball and air hockey and hockey. You know, right now in our country, the NHL playoffs are going on. And so that's been a lot of the buzz is, you know, hockey is basically our national sport. It's their national pastime.

And when it's this cold, there's ice everywhere. So you pull out your skates and your stick and you get to go play. Has there been something that you've really enjoyed since being here? Yes. I've enjoyed staying at a place. Which places? A host took me to where they play bowling. Okay.

Yes. That was your first experience, right? Yes. And we came when the snow is high. We went to a snow machine and the host drove us. It's kind of an experience. And we were playing on, it's like a mat. You slide up to down it.

Our host had a hill. When snow is there, you go down. That was the best. Oh, I love you. When you go home and you're telling your friends, do you think they'll believe you? Yes, because my friends came to Canada, too, and they went back and told me about hockey. I didn't believe. Now I've come.

And extremes, yes. So different children get to travel every year, like I mentioned. So I think some of his friends came for part of a tour. The idea is to give every child an opportunity to travel. Yeah, well, it's pretty cool. I was telling the wife I was coming in to do this. You know, for my job, I get to sit across from people. Yes.

Every day of the week, pretty much. That must be so fun for you. It's a fascinating chair to sit in. And I was explaining what I had, you know, envision of, you know, the bus rolling up. I'm like, oh, man, that is a boss. You talk about it being cold and, you know, and then getting out and, oh, It is cold. I was like, I wonder what they're coming in.

Is it a school bus? Is it a van? And I'm like, nope, that is a bus. Yeah. A lot of people. Yeah. It's 24 of us. Yeah.

And, you know, I was excited for this. This is something very unusual for where I sit and the conversations I get to have. Over 10 weeks then. Where did you start? So we started off in Ontario, moved to Quebec, Abid, went back to Ontario. went back to Ontario, being to Mantoba, then from October we moved to Saskatchewan. We're going to be here. I think, no, yesterday was the last day

in Saskatchewan. Today, as you sit, you're sitting in Alberta. Yeah, so going to be in Alberta for a couple of weeks, about like four weeks, about a month, yes, and then we'll end our tour in BC. Oh, and you get to see the mountains. Yes, everyone says a lot about them. I can't wait. I get anxious already. And you're going to hit it at the perfect time where everything's green and warm. Yes. Exactly.

Very exciting. I can't wait to see that. Do you have for the last 11 weeks, is it like, you know, there's a website and you can just see where everywhere you're performing? Or is it like, you know, if somebody listens to this and they're like, oh man, we're in wherever. We would love for them to come here. Is there a way for people to reach out? Absolutely. So everybody, you go to your favorite browser, you type in Waterto Children's Choir Tour.

Now, there is a drop down right there. You can select your country. If anyone is listening in from a different country, if it is Canada, you select Canada. And you'll be able to see our full itinerary, all the different places we are going to be at. And this weekend, we're actually going to be at Fort McMurray. So whoever is there, yo, we'll be. we will be glad for you to come around and Washington Peters. And where do you go after Fort McMurray?

After Fort McMurray this weekend. Sorry to put you on the spot. So after Fort McMurray this weekend, we're going to head off to Athabaska. Athabaska. I'm not the only one with words that are tricky. Yes. Well, it's, they're quite.

They're quite strange to us because they're little different. Yes, it will be Athabasca, Toffield, Spruce Grove, Sherwood, Park. Park, yeah. Barhead, Edmonton, Hinton, Grand Prairie, Beaver Lodge, Prince George, You're all over the place then. Vander Hoof, Barnes Lake, Terrace, and so all those details are all on our website right there. if people are listening and they're like yeah yeah so walk me through what you know like tonight you're performing I was gonna look like yeah what would you know like how many how

many are traveling with you okay so we are 24 10 adults that are shepherds to the children and 14 children and 14 children seven boys seven girls and age ranges of the kids between 10 and 13 10 and 13 yes okay And then the 14 kids get up on stage and sing or dance or a little bit of everything. You're spot on. You're spot on. What do you do, Graham, on stage? I sing.

I dance. And some kids give speeches like me and my other friends. You give speeches? Yeah, they share their stories to the rest of Canada. And what, if you don't mind, you don't have to give the full. speech but what what do you share with audiences? My speech I say, hello, my name is Graham. And on behalf of the choir, I would like it, I would like to say, thank you so much for

having us today. So he's literally like introducing the choir and inviting people to dance with us. And he has my favorite line in the song that he leads, which are there? God's not done And the line you say in there Today we have come to tell you that in Jesus your future

can be bright just like ours. That's the one, yeah so the song is God's not done with you yet the idea is yes they must have been brokenness in the past and whatever but we're here to tell you that God is

not done. There is still so much more he hasn't stopped for you. Don't give up, they still hope. A concert album we're doing this season is called Better Days, there is hope. That's a beautiful message. It is. I'm sharing you a little bit to the audience. You have a very sharp eye. I was explaining the picture earlier. And your message is a message of hope because there's a lot of broken people out there. He's such a brilliant man. You probably want to find out what he wants to do in the future. What do you want to do in the future? I want to be an aircraft engineer.

So work on planes? Yes. Not fly them, work on them. Making new planes and designing planes. And I'm curious, have you had that idea for a long time? Or was that something you got in a plane and you're like, you know, you're on your way, you're on your way over to Canada and you're like, this is something. I want to work on one of these.

I got that idea when I was just coming. coming to Canada. What did you think of your first plane? It was nice. You love the interior? Yes, but when it's landing, it's lengthy. What, I don't know, I guess I'm an open slate here. Please, go ahead.

Ask whichever. Well, I'm like, you know, what is it that you want people to know about whatoto that maybe they don't know you know you mentioned how many kids yeah and i like i'm like holy mackina that's that is a lot of kids um that it helps serve yes and bring up and help give hope i assume yes uh i know your story alone what is it that canadians probably have hard time maybe understanding and and the importance of what Toto is doing. Yeah.

I would say Canada is a country that is really blessed and endured with resource and name it. And it's so easy for someone to believe they actually have it all together,

you know. But we actually mean, we meet with people that even with everything, they're able to receive with their, with money and whatever, they still are void in there. And as traveling Canada, the idea is to fill that void. And that void, we know is God missing. Money can get you anything. Money can take you to hospital. Man can get you

food that you want to eat. But there's that void that only can be filled with Jesus. Peace that can only come from God and the world can take away. You realize we come from a broken

country, which we believe God is actually taking us on a journey of recovery with the different people we meet that partner with us. But every time, I get to serve these children every day and every time I look at them, they're filled with so much hope and joy and speakable. And that would only come from a person who knows Jesus.

And someone who has experienced the transforming power of Jesus. Speaking of Graham here, he didn't get to maybe share his story with you, But Graham was left at the trash heaps somewhere in Kampala. Forgive me. Trash. Like we're talking a garbage dump. Garbage, yeah. And they just took a baby to Graham and left him there.

And so a good Samaritan just picked the little boy, took him to local authorities, and Vok Toto was invited in to come and to Graham's rescue. Graham placed in the baby Watoto after three as they transitioned to the Watoto villages I mentioned earlier this man is now dreaming to become an aircraft engineer yeah incredible that hope that that desire to hope again and have that Graham received that with coming into Watoto but also being introduced to Jesus and know, hey, I can't have a broken background, but there's so much to life. There's so much there is for me to look forward to. And that was introduced to him through the

Bible, the Word of God. And so if anyone would be comfortable to know, I think I have everything I need, but they miss that. We do not want them to be at that place. We want them to know, hey, that void that you cannot purchase anywhere, you can actually find it in Jesus. And that is the message we carry to Canada. I'm curious, coming from stories like that, Graham's story. Do you find Canadian culture that God is, like, obviously he's there, but is it like very, very different? Like is it I don't know how to ask the question to be honest Just in Uganda is it is it

I find our culture Removing God Trying to and maybe that's the busyness Maybe that's everything you just said with money and on and on We're becoming a secular nation We're you know is there a place for God And when you Come from a different country

Do you see that or do you see something I'm just curious what you see We get to interact more with the Christian community because we are mostly invited in churches, but getting the statistics of people attending church or people that get to accept Jesus in the life. The numbers are pretty low, which explains people find meaning and purpose, mostly in something that is outside faith. Okay.

And it is not, it is not sustainable. It is not sustainable. You and I can believe that you can have, you can be able to purchase everything, whatever you would need, but fail to deal with that bitterness or rage. Fail to recover from losing a loved one. failed to recover from a broken relationship.

And that's the message we carry of, hey, you can actually have Jesus that can support you through that journey. Well, and what I've shared on air, I think, is when I accepted Jesus, the level of peace in my life was pretty profound. I'm glad you said that. That's it. That's the whole point.

But that's sitting here saying that, Certainly two years if I had said that, it would have been very uncomfortable to say I'm getting more comfortable saying that. But in our country, I think you know, you're asking about what was the protest about? Yes, yes. And I think since that point there's been a conversation going on more about God and his role in the country or in life and everything you've been talking about. It's beautiful. But, you know, I've been doing this podcast for six years. since 2019 and I had a football player so American football where they throw the ball not kick

it mm-hmm and he said oh and by the way I just you know I want to say I want to thank God for everything he's given me something like that and I thought is that could that be Tim Tebow no no it was no it was um oh man that is terrible folks you know uh that's all right Ruben mays okay he played for the New Orleans Saints back, I want to say, in the 80s. And maybe I'm sorry, Rubin, I don't know if you're that old yet, maybe it was the early 90s.

Regardless, I thought about it as back then, about adding that part out because I didn't think God, it's kind of a taboo word. You know, now, the audience probably lasts because I welcome the conversation. And I think a lot of Canadian society is starting to

welcome the conversation because it's been removed for so long. Mm-hmm. And it's interesting because, I mean, back in the days, it would be people coming to Africa to bring us the, I mean, missionaries coming around. To bring the message. And guess what? Yes. We get to do that now.

We come from Africa and bring you the good news of the gospel. You shared it so well to us. We caught it. Now we return the favor. It's pretty wild the way God works, isn't it? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Curious, with you specifically, Fiona, were you always a believer?

Or did you have a moment where you're just like, it's, you know, I can't deny it now? Well, I would say I wasn't always a believer. And like I mentioned about my background of that being in a broken family, pushed me to a place of thinking, nobody really cared. Nobody really cared. And the fact that my dad would say all those hush words over us of, like, I don't care what you turn out to be. Like, he would say things like, you're not my children anymore.

Like, that did not, he did not really paint a good picture for me as a dad. And I remember it's my mom who introduced me to Jesus. She was the first person to accept Jesus in our family. and I kind of felt like, man, you must be, you must be crazy. What are we even talking about right now? You know, if it is Jesus, can he just do something, you know? And little did I know, God was actually answering her prayers because I certainly know without a benefit of doubt

that it was Jesus that brought a lot about Watoto in my mom's life. because at that place, me joining Watoto, we had a gentleman who was a pastor and a village manager and was called Uncle Arora. I know the term uncle. It's simply a term of endearment we use back home in Uganda. He would oversee the Watoto villages. We call them Watoto villages where we were staying. and over 1,000 children that were at the homes, he would take time to know each one and address them by name.

And so one of the things he would do, he would get our academic report cards at the end of the time and write personal information there. And one of those days he just wrote for me, Fiona, you are a great woman. I wish I could say his words verbate him, but there's so much greatness that lies on the inside of you. For the first time, I was like, who does that? I don't even know you that much, but you believe in me that much that I can be so much more in my life.

That was a journey for me to appreciate actually a further figure to begin with. Who God knows I would never have met. And at that point, that kind of sparked out of fire on the inside of me to pursue my dreams. And I started even studying harder. I remember prior to that note on my academic report card, I performed so bad because I felt like I marched to really nothing. And after that message, I was actually a great performer. in Uganda we have all over an A level I was an ordinary level of high school

and it got very good grades that I could choose any we call them combinations or I could select any subject of my choice I could do I could either do sciences or do arts because my grades were good enough but I know for a fact it started somewhere

of being, like, people rallying behind me that believe in me, that spoke positively over my life, that's believed, there's so much more to you, Fiona, than your background, than your brokenness. And I'm so glad, I'm so glad my work with Jesus and this discipleship that I received at the Wattoto Villages made me become the woman I am today. Yeah. that's um one of the things that uh i've got to witness on doing as many interviews is is the power of belief someone has in someone else is incredible and i always get to witness it from athletes so people who play hockey mainly when i first started just a coach believing in you

is is a pretty incredible thing to give to someone and you just you just shared a different version of that and I appreciate you sharing that. Oh, you're welcome. Graham, if, if, I don't know, you're, you're just a little older than my kids. So it's, it's interesting to ask, you know, have you always believed, you know, like you come from a, um, in where I'm from a very unusual story to be left like that and then to grow up in a village? Yes. A village surrounded by a community. Yeah. Instead of, I don't even know how to say it.

I guess it feels like a really grown-up question asked, but be curious your thoughts. I could try to break it down. Sure. At what point did you feel like you know Jesus or introduce to Jesus? Sure. Yeah. At what point did you feel like you got to know about Jesus? When I was just welcome to the villages, we have something we call Sunday school.

They took me there at my first time. I didn't know anything about Jesus. The pastor, as we call them pastors, because they are our elders. I was young. He said, if you're not born again, may you please put up your hand? And I didn't know.

And one of my older friends, he was two years older than me. He said, put up your hand, why you just put off your hand? I said, Okay, let me put up my hand, I put off my hand. They said, repeat this prayer. then I started like that

then I went in Children's Church now I'm going to move Move so back home we have different categories of we categorize children's

church into categories so when they are below 13 yeah they are in children's church When they become teenagers, we call them morphers. Mophers.

Like they are morphing. You know that metamorphosis process? So all teenagers attend the Mophers church. So that's what he means. He's about to go to Mophis. And are you excited about that? Yes. And there's some things you're learning as a Christian or learning about Jesus.

Yes. I'm learning to have faith in everything just even if I pray and it doesn't come at the exact time I still have to believe has Jesus done for you some things yes why is that who were at a football pitch when I'm playing football

I was going to score my friend kicked my leg it was about to break but I went out of the beach they took me to the clinic they saved my fit it's well that's nice but I also feel I also feel the part of rescuing you was by miracle I think I believe that who knows if nobody came to your rescue and you're left to death. Could we have an aircraft engineer coming up? Yeah.

I think that's a miracle for me. Well, there's a, I'm sure I don't need to say this story, but the good Samaritan in the Bible is, well, your story is way different than that, but at the same time, not so much. Spirit. My system, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Before I let you out of here, is there anything?

I've missed that you want to make sure the audience knows about, Canada knows about, something I haven't asked. Yes, that would be coming out to Wattoto. I think it's one of them. Yes, people can come and actually visit Wattoto. You could be on the other side of the microphone. You're like, wow, that sounds impressive. It's actually not just impressive.

it is real lives. Everything we are mentioning about, it is life being changed out there in Watoto. So I'd encourage whoever is here listening in to consider visiting Watoto one of those days and just see the work that Watoto is doing, rescuing orphan children, vulnerable women. See it firsthand.

But also, like I mentioned, Watoto is mostly donor funded and sponsored. are very, very crucial to the work that we do. And I assume people can go on the website and donate. Absolutely. So you can donate to Watoto or you can actually sponsor a child. Still at our website, Watoto.com. You just tap donate or sponsor on their profiles of children and their individual stories.

You can read a story. Sponsorship goes for $45 a month and you can change a life. you get to correspond to whichever individual you choose on, they can write to you, you can write to them. You can actually go and visit them and meet them in person. Some of the children actually, by traveling, they get to meet their sponsors. Do you have, does Graham have a sponsor?

Yes, I met my sponsor in, in Barry. In Barry. Yes. Yeah, he did. And what was that experience like? Uh-huh. I felt good because sometimes you don't get to meet your sponsor at your age. Yes.

None so many sponsors also come to Uganda. So I encourage all the sponsors out there. If you sponsor our Toto child, you should go and visit them if you're able to. But I must say, I just want to send out a special shout-outs to any individual or companies or businesses that are partnering with Wattoto. and sponsoring a child out there, you are transforming a life. You are transforming a life right there. And I'm just encouraging you, don't give up. Don't give up.

Please continue to do what you're doing. And you pray that God will richly, richly bless you. I got to sponsor a child after finishing uni. I'm like, this is something I've loved and benefited from. I might as well just, you know, get this cycle moving and continue. So I love it and I know You'll also love what you're doing by sponsoring and partnering with Batato so God bless you Fiona, thank you both for for making a stop

And we have a second part coming folks with two more Yeah, but I appreciate you coming in the studio and getting to do this this is the first and Graham You might be and I probably butcher your name ten times and I apologize But you sir are probably probably the youngest person I've had in studio. Listeners might correct me on that, but I don't know if I've had anyone your age. So thank you for it. And I look forward to maybe seeing an airplane engineer in the near future.

Yeah. That'll be lovely. Yes. Well, thank you so much, Uncle Sean, for hosting us today. Yeah. I hope you're able to answer all your questions well. You did very well. But in case you remember anything, please on our website, there's lots more information about we as a ministry.

Okay. Yeah. Okay. We're back. I'm now sitting with Alvin and Jen. So, first off, thanks for sitting down with me. Yes. Thank you for having us.

Now, Alvin, I'll start with you. I was just asking the other two, you know, a bit about their story. Feel free to share a little bit about yourself for the audience. Yes. Well, my name is Alvin Kuzera and I'm the assistant team leader to Fiona. I get to lead these amazing children and young adults for this particular tour. We are choir 118. Yeah, basically meaning 117 choirs have traveled before us. And it's been such a great privilege and honor to serve this particular team. And, well, great testimonies throughout our journey ever since we started and up to here where we are.

So, yeah. Alvin, how old are you? Well, I would ask you to guess, but I'm going to be wrong. I'm actually making 27 come 29. of May okay just started today and yeah um in your 20 plus years yes what can you tell me about Uganda okay tell Canadians I should say about Uganda what um whether it's Wotto or it's or it's something different you know there's gonna be people listeners have never been there yes what is it that in your time in on this planet

in Uganda what would you share with Canadian Well, Uganda, first of all, Uganda is the power of Africa. It is such a beautiful land, very diverse, meaning we have very many tribes. That means very many languages, about 56, over 56 languages. How many languages do you know? I can speak five languages. Yes. I can speak five languages and maybe two I can just listen.

And I know what is telling me because most of them are closely related. Yeah. It's just accent and maybe the way we phrase the words that would change in the languages. However, we have English as the official language of Uganda and we see. speak really good English. You all do. Yes. Yes. And we have a lot, a lot with nature. We have so much. We are right on the equator. And so we get to have equatorial weather, climate, and even vegetation is very equatorial. I'll ask the same question then. How's been coming to the climate or the weather of Canada?

It's quite a very huge change. Actually, before. Before we left Uganda, Uganda was really hot and dry. We were like, oh, what did we do to the sun? And then we come straight into snow. We were like, oh, now this feels good. I think for the first day and the second day then after that, we were like, okay, now it's beyond what we want now. We want some warmth and it was really cold for a while. And most of the children can testify that, yeah, the cold really took them down and they were not so fine health-wise, but we later got over it.

And they're now doing really, really well. Yes. And Jen, yourself, just a little bit about how old are you and I don't know a bit about your story. My name is Jane and I'm 13 years old When I was a baby I was left at the outskirts of the city A good Samaritan found me and took me to the local authorities And that's where I got to join Wattoto For the two adults in the room

And I know Fiona's off the mic now That's the second story of a good Samaritan So is this a regular occurrence of kids being left I don't know to just left in obscure places to I don't know to die I don't know a better way of saying it

is that regular well it's it's regular with the city well it being a city it comes with city problems and that's things to do with unwanted pregnancies and people all people get get pregnant when they're not ready or sometimes they that's the that's where we bless the Lord that at least they got to give

birth to this child and not about them at birth and we are so grateful that we get to do what we do and in our way we we have our local authorities who find these children or even by the residents in the community. They pick these babies from hospitals, different places, trenches, in the bushes, in the trash hips, different places you can name. And they bring them to the local authorities like police or we have local leaders like the LC ones, local chairman who will bring the child to the police and the police will call in to Watoto. As Watoto, we have social workers who reach out and actually get to know the root of where this child is from.

And they pretty much try as much as they can to trace for the family of this child. And well, it is sometimes successful and sometimes it is not. and it comes with so much more in there. So, yeah. You said a line there. I just want to make sure that I understand it correct. Abort at birth. What does, I have my idea of what that means,

but I just want to make sure that I understand what you're saying when you say, thankfully they weren't aborted at birth. What does that mean? Not aborted at birth. I think it was a wrong statement. I think some of them get to be aborted before they get born. Get born. Thank you.

No, no, no. I just, I heard it. And I'm, I just wanted to make sure I'm not putting a visual to something that isn't happening. You folks are, all of you are going across Canada for 21 weeks, correct? Yes, that's right. Tell me about the good news. I guess in your lives. you know it's like the the stories I heard in the first two I was like well this is this is

something how has that journey gone I guess across Canada or or even before then well quite before it we were having we were still in Uganda we pretty pretty we were supposed to be in Canada by the 12th of January and However, there are some hiccups that came in there and our travel was kind of delayed. And so we came in at the end of February. But then the beauty is at the point where we felt that God wasn't working for us, wasn't working in our favor. He was actually working in our favor because at the point we had that.

Canada was having heavy snowstorms and that meant that even if we had come in time or on time we would have had many consolations of our performances and that would have really drained us really more more down than we were at the moment so we bless the Lord that we actually got to come at the right time and the right time meant we came and we had bookings that were taking us all throughout and until until we reached our mid-tour break because within the tour we usually have a mid-tour break for people to just slow down a bit and take a rest and then we pick on that and then go for the rest of the of the tour for the for the rest of the remaining half of the tour so that people still have the energy to keep going and well i would say we have seen

God's favor and our main reason for coming here is really to celebrate what God has done in the lives of these children and also introduced to the people the name Jesus and we have seen what God has been doing and people have really really given their lives to Christ and the more the lives to Jesus, the more support we are getting. That's the greatest testimony we have on our hearts. Jen, you first time to Canada, correct? Yes, unfortunately. And what has stuck out to you? What's been, you know, whether it's your favorite part, what have you enjoyed about being here or maybe surprised you about being here? The being in Canada, the, the, that, the, The most part that has surprised me being in Canada is that I like how things go on in Canada,

more than sometimes in Uganda, because I like how Canadians are organized. Sometimes in Uganda, on the roads, people just drive how they want. But in Canada, people can, if you, if you, In case you would like to pass, they stop really very far for you to pass, but in Canada, in Uganda, it's not there. It's not like that. If I may, when you talk about the roads in Uganda, for lack of a better phrase, paint me a picture. When you're, like, is it dirt roads? You know, like, you're on highways everywhere across Canada.

Is it dirt? Is it highways? Is it 100 miles an hour or 100 kilometers an hour? Is it slow? Is it fast? Could you just elaborate, I guess, on it? Well, that's an interesting one. Well, Uganda is, we have all kinds of roads.

And well, but most of them within the city center are quite busy. And because they are busy, they get to get rich. ripped and there's no one who comes to repair them or some of them get closed up. So causing traffic in some other parts of the of the city. So here, what you call traffic in Uganda, we have people traffic. Yeah, there are lots of people on the street. How many, what's the population of Uganda? Right now we are over 50 million people in Uganda and the city itself has over 8 million people living in the city itself of Kampala and so there are lots of people so even when you are looking for order there isn't because we have

lots of motorbikes on the road so here you be worried to knock the person but then the other side we are worried to knock a motorbike because they don't have really a proper organized way to ride on the road. They are always anywhere and everywhere. And they are not so good with traffic rules. They just go, even on the red light, they will go. So you just have to be careful to look out for them any time and make sure you are not knocking anyone. Yeah.

So that's... I don't know the physical size of Uganda, like what it compares to in this country, but I can safely say the Canada. that Canada's way bigger. That's right. And you have 50 million people in that country. And in Canada, you have 40 million. It's somewhere in that range. Yes.

Jen, you're how, I don't even know if it's surprised. I'm just, you come from a place where people are pretty much shoulder to shoulder. Is the visual you're painting. Yes. And then to come to Canada and see the, just you can drive for hours. And certainly you're seeing people, but it would be, um, Really different. I was just curious from your eyes what you've seen since being in Canada,

just the population, how different it is. Yeah. May you please repeat that question? Just how much of a shock the amount of people Uganda has to Canada? Has that been a shock? No, it's not a shock. because in Uganda it's quite a little bit

a small country but many people but in Canada it's a big a little bit big but people are spaced and in Uganda people are parked like you can find

an area where there are very many people parked in one area but in Canada I like I like the way people are spaced so they have in Canada have a lot of land but in Uganda I don't think so what are you most excited to see in Ken is there anything you're like you know I hear you get to go to the mountains the Rocky Mountains here later on that's quite the site even when I get to take my kids there you know And they're like the mountains are impressive. Yes.

Is there anything coming to Canada? You're like, I can't wait to see. Yeah, it was snow. But when I came to Canada, I wanted to see snow because I had never seen it before. But when I saw it, it was too cold. Yeah. Curious, I talk a lot of politics on the show. Yes.

In Uganda, is there elections, as a democracy? I don't know, because Fiona had mentioned, you know, you come out of war and poverty on economic, you know, are people unemployed and a pretty rough picture, I guess. Today, is there, I don't know, What's the politics of Uganda like? Well, do people concern themselves with it? Yes, just a few and not as many.

Most of Ugandan's are going to just watch from the side. Whatever is own is what we shall go with. And yes, they are political parties. And we've had the same president for now 40 years. almost 40 years, same president. And well, their opposition is there, of course, but the problem is their reasons of opposition are not stated quite clearly. So that's why we end up revoting the same person.

So we are like, okay, you need change. Why do you need the change? And their reason is our president is old, is getting old. He has ruled for long, but at least he has kept it a peaceful country, I would say. And he has, there's no war outbreaks. There's no one shooting at us again, given the history of us having a lot of wars and all that. And that's why people find themselves voting him again. So we have democracy. We are a democratic country. And we elect. We elect. our president here in different communities and societies. They go up and vote and the votes

are later on announced and the winner is declared and he swears in. That's how our politics really runs. If you were talking to Canadians, which you are, but if you were, Fiona said right at the end that you can, people can come visit, which is a Yes. If you were like, you should come to Uganda because you could go see, you know, in Canada we'd say, oh, come see the Rocky Mountains. Yes. Or the Great Lakes or, you know, I don't know why I'm spacing on my own country.

You know, the prairies are the prairies in the summertime. It's quite a vast difference. Yes. If you were saying, if you come to Uganda, you can see what's the big attraction other than from a Canadian? The weather would be fantastic because we deal with the cold all the time. Yeah. Is there a thing that Ugandans are like, this is our, people come in, tourists or, I don't know, just people traveling come to see?

Wow, attraction. I feel like everything quite in Uganda is attractive. Coming from the hospitality, first of all, we are very hospitable people. We love people. We just don't care about where you're from. where you what you do or what you look like we shall welcome you with two arms and we love hugging that is our greatest sign of hospitality and well regarding nature we have the source of the nile in Uganda yes the river Nile starts off from Lake Victoria in Uganda and so we have

very many people come over to see that and also we have people come to really be be at the equator to see what it feels like. There are very many, we have very many game reserves and national parks where they go to see different animals. And actually, we also have a home for the gorillas. They are in Uganda and one of the impenetrable forests around. We have quite lots and lots of things that you can actually. Do you get snakes?

Yeah, we do have. I'm not a big snake fan yeah well we have very many snakes we have lions giraffes elephants you would love seeing all these kinds of things

well I know my kids would love seeing it oh yes Wototo let's let's talk about that for a few minutes yes in your eyes or in your words

what would you say about Wototo not the choir just the the villages back home yes well watoto we are all about celebrating christ and caring for community and it's such a great honor that i get to serve within the church watoto is a church i'm sure i'm feyona must have mentioned it is a church that of course exists to celebrate christ and care for community and through caring for community

it does all the work it does with the Watoto Child Care Ministry, but also within the people who are not part of the child care ministry, within the church members, we have community gatherings we call home sales. And in these homesales, it's pretty much to care for the spiritual hunger in the people. So they get to meet in the week and get to break bread, but also break physical food. It's together, share burdens, get to know what is in the other person's life. So it brings the togetherness, it brings family altogether. It makes us become family.

And, yeah, other than the child care ministries, that's also who Watato is all about. Jen, what would you say about Watoto? Watoto. In Watoto has three villages. We have Subi, the biggest village, Gulu and Bira. And in those villages, we have circles, and those circles have houses in them. Each house has eight children plus the mother, we are nine.

Four boys. and four girls. And we also have a senior mother's house, which is a senior mother is a mother that is in charge of all the houses in the cluster. In Subi Village, we have 20 clusters. In Beira Village, they have 15 clusters, and in Gulu Village, 10 clusters.

And in those villages, we have, We have where we go for medical checkups. We have a church and we have a school. We go where we go to study. We have a school and everything we need is provided for us in the village. How important is music to you too? You got the guitar out. How important is it to you to be able to?

to, I don't know, play and share. And, you know, they were talking about dancing. And how important is that in life? Well, I think it's important to me because it's one of the ways I get to connect with the Father, our Heavenly Father, God, Jesus. And it speaks to the soul, yeah, as much as it speaks to us as people. So that's how much important it is to me. Because some things I might not get healed of them by someone's words,

but when I hear them in song, my heart is going to get calm. I'm going to feel restored and ready to go again. And Jen, did you always sing? Or is that something that being a part of Watoto was, you know, you just got the opportunity. No, I used to sing. I used to serve at church back home in the village. I used to serve with a worship team.

I sing. And then when I joined choir, I already knew how to sing. Would you like to share, I mean, you got the guitar. Are you wanting to sing a song? I assume, yes. Sure. Jane is going to take us away.

You don't mind. So this is a song that is also part of the production, Better Days. It's titled Refuge. Yeah, it's pretty much about giving hope to someone telling them that they still a lot more, Even if the night or day might not be good, still there is tomorrow. Yeah, generally does this one. Brainstones will come. Still I won't be afraid.

Jesus, you're my hiding place. You're my one defa Love for me Your faithfulness Shelters me My Ray Jesus my rain rainstorms will come

Still I won't be afraid Oh my Whenazas Your faith Shelters me My way Shelters me my red Jesus my red the tear up and cause you're with the darkness I won't feel the blood cause you're with your with eyes by day

I want to feel the darkness I want feel the blood cause you're with you go with me shelter's me my red Yes you are Jesus my red faithfulness shelters me my red Jesus my red I would not you have a very beautiful voice and you sir on the guitar are pretty sharp thank you if people can go back to when Fiona's on there there's if they go to Wittoto Children's Choir Tour they search that they can find all the different stops you're making any other things you

you want to add into the audience before I let you out of here. Sure. No, Fiona, just pull that mic into you. No, you can't pull that mic into you because I don't have it added. Nope, you're going to have to walk over there. Yeah, sure. If there is anything I would say, I just want to encourage whoever is listening in today

that better days, there is hope. There is hope for everyone in Canada. there is hope for everyone in Uganda and for everyone who's been listening in and they're like, okay, Watoto is a church we have heard. Is there anything I need to take away with? I would say it's Jesus.

For anyone who is out there and you probably at your lowest, you're probably going through a difficult time. We just want to pause. and just encourage you and remind you that in Jesus there is hope. There is hope and that same Jesus left all the glory in heaven just to die for our sins. He's the one that lives the 99 to just after one and that one might be you listening in even now. And I'd love to just give an opportunity to anyone who would love to say yes to Jesus.

And if that's okay with you, I just love to lead them in a simple prayer. Sure. Yeah. For everyone listening in. And you want to accept Jesus in your life. You could be in your living room. You could be at work. You can still accept Jesus wherever you are.

And if you could just repeat this prayer with me, dear Jesus, I confess. my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Thank you Lord for saving me. Thank you for Lord for saving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

That's the prayer I wanted to lead everyone to. Thank you for making this a stop on your tour and safe travels. and I hope your events, well, we know they'll go off the way they're supposed to. And just appreciate you for coming in here. And two of the youngest people to ever be on the podcast are you two. I don't think I've had anyone younger. And thank you for sharing your stories and thank you for singing a song for me. Thank you, Uncle Sean.

Thank you so much for your time. Yeah. Thank you.