When looking outside at God’s beautiful masterpiece of creation, one’s eye cannot avoid the sturdy oaks and spruce pine trees that adorn the landscape. Looking closer, each tree has branches spewing off in many different directions. Those branches have grown in that direction since the moment the tree was rooted in the ground, and if we were to try to alter that direction, the tree would simply break. Similarly, when looking at another masterpiece of God’s creation—the child—one can draw the same conclusion: children need to be guided in the right direction before it is too late. This proverb defines the mission of Collins Rugambwa Kabachelor as he launches into the CUREkids correspondent position in Uganda. The metaphor of the tree has kept Collins going on the right path in life, and he realizes discipline and consequences, although not enjoyable, have helped him grow into the man he is today. Rather than looking back and regretting what happened, Collins is excited for what the future has in store for him.

The future looks promising: having been associated with CURE for four years as a social worker, and recently undergoing training in Kenya, Collins is ready to keep us informed of God’s work in Uganda as that country’s CURE Correspondent. Although he is the pioneer, his optimism pervades all the difficult circumstances and situations on the road ahead.

In his interview, Collins states that he does not know how to smile — he knows how to laugh. And the friendly laughter that pervades the three-minute video accurately reflects his favorite things in life: working with kids, talking to people, having fun with friends, watching movies (specifically August Rush, Defiance, and The Italian Job), and playing soccer to keep in shape. His laughter gives away his excitement and joy in taking on this new position.

During training, Jenny taught Collins how to take the best pictures. He discovered that a picture is worth a million words — pictures speak for themselves. Collins is now on a mission to capture those words, those pictures, and, along the way, hopefully point a few branches in the right direction.