FORT LEE, Va. (Oct. 31, 2013) -- The donation process was simple enough: from several pictures shown, pick a disadvantaged child to sponsor through a charity. The photo and its accompanying information helped make the choice less random and impersonal. Ultimately, though, it didn't really matter who the child was. Ken and Sharon Bassler just wanted to extend their blessings to someone in need.
"It was an opportunity to give from our excess," said Ken.
That was 21 years ago. The Carmel, Ind., residents have grown stronger in their faith and continue to support charities. They currently sponsor a young girl living in the Dominican Republic.
Never, however, did the middle-aged couple expect to meet the beneficiary of their initial sponsorship -- one 1st Lt. Byamukama Richard, who was 7 years old when they began to sponsor him. He is now a soldier in the Ugandan Army and a student enrolled at the Army Logistics University. He met the Basslers for the first time Saturday when they flew in from their home in Indiana. He seemed to be at a loss for words about what the moment meant.
"I don't know," he said, smiling and sitting between the Basslers in the lobby of the Fort Lee Army Lodge. "I can't even explain, but I'm so grateful."
Richard, now 28, has journeyed far and wide to claim his place in the world today. His home country, Uganda, is located just east of the African midsection, bordering Kenya and four other nations. The former British colony has struggled with civil wars, unstable governments and poverty since attaining its independence in 1962. It one of the poorest countries in the world with 37.7 percent of the population living on less than $500 a year, according to a 2012 report from the World Bank.
Richard, raised by his grandparents, said he grew up in the village of Kalisizo in the south-central region of Uganda near the Tanzanian border. The Bassler's sponsorship through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging charity allowed him access to basic necessities such as clothing, food and medical care. He also was able to attain an education in a country where many are illiterate.
Throughout his school years, Richard said he was encouraged to build a relationship with his sponsors to keep them abreast of how he was doing. He said he wrote the Basslers three or four times a year, especially during Christmas and Easter. They sent gifts and wrote him as well, but the letters he received in return, he said, were more than mere correspondence. They were an indication that someone was in his corner.
"With them, I was strong and I was determined to study," he said. "I was contented."
Richard's determination moved him through grade school and eventually to college, where he earned a degree in industrial art and design and education at Kyambogo University in 2008. He joined the Ugandan army shortly thereafter and was stationed in Bulisa. There, he extended to others the charity that had been extended to him by the Basslers and started a school where there wasn't one.
"The people there didn't have anything," he recalled, "and they were resistant to change."
In the meantime, there was a lull in the correspondence between him and his sponsors, partly because of military service but also due to other factors. Then, a few weeks ago, via Facebook, Sharon said someone made a "friend" request.
"When he first asked me to be his friend, I kept looking at the name," she said. "I was thinking, 'I don't know who that is, but it looks so familiar.' I didn't go on to confirm it in the beginning, but I clicked on his name and as soon as I saw it was from Uganda, I knew who it was."
It had been five years since Richard wrote his last letter to the Basslers. Although the odds were great that he would never cross paths with his sponsors, Richard said he it was both a dream and a goal to meet them.
"I knew I would meet them," he said. "If I didn't meet them, I would meet their children."
The Basslers have two children and seven grandchildren. Their son, Chris, actually picked Richard's picture out of several when he was 15 years old. Ken said Richard is his son as well, and although he had never been in his presence until Saturday, God has given him the gift to love him the same.
"He and I hugged and it was the same hug as if I was hugging Chris," said Ken, referring to the moment they met. "It was a heartfelt meaningful embrace."
The supportive embraces the Basslers extended to Richard since he was a young boy have bore fruit, creating streams of hope and aspiration within him.
"I know it's possible to change a child and change a poor family; turn it into a better family," he said. "I want to find ways to support children worldwide."
Sharon said it is a blessing to see Richard blossom into someone who wants to impact the lives of others.
"It's really been a miracle to see how wonderful he's turned out to be," she said.
Richard and the Basslers spent the weekend getting to know one another and have plans to further their relationship.
Richard's ALU graduation is scheduled next month. His future plans are to continue supporting the school in Bulisa and to start an enterprise that would open more.
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