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Where does a young man from a rural village who was always last in class during elementary school and has never been to university get the nickname, “Professor?” Meet Nicholas Sum, a 26 year old, smart and compassionate caregiver at Kimbilio Hospice. I recently had the privilege of sitting with him for an hour and hearing about his journey in life.
Sum, as he is commonly called, is the fourth born son of eight children. In a family that struggled to put food on the table each day, Sum recalls that there was great competition among his siblings—to the point that two were sent to stay with other relatives in order to reduce the size of the family. If food alone was a great challenge, what about “luxuries” like education? Throughout his childhood, Sum struggled to stay in school. He frequently missed school because his parents could not pay the fees. He was also unable to study in the evenings because there was no money to buy the kerosene to light their makeshift “lamp.” Though always the last academically in class, he was determined to persevere. When I asked Sum about the greatest challenge in his life so far, he immediately began to describe the day he was ridiculed by his teacher in front of his entire 8th grade class for, once again, being last. Sum said with confidence, “I knew I was bright and that I could do much better if I was just given an opportunity to study consistently.” After being mocked by his teacher, he went aside and sat down to compose himself. “I was bitter and crying when all of a sudden a Good Samaritan walked up and asked me, ‘What is your problem?’ I replied, ‘Kerosene’!” David Tarus, who Sum refers to as the Good Samaritan, vividly remembers this day as well. “I just happened to be at school that day and witnessed the way Sum was being humiliated. I immediately went to him and encouraged him. I reminded Sum that he is a child of God, deeply loved by Him, and that his worth is not found in the words of a teacher neither in the grades he gets in school. I was once on Sum’s journey, struggling to get an education and angels came to help me along the way. I knew that day that God was calling me to be an angel to Sum.”
After buying Sum five liters of kerosene that day, David advised him to repeat 8th grade and promised to support him. Sum agreed and at the end of his second year of 8th grade, he was third in his class and was offered a place at a good high school.
Once again, God opened doors and David found friends to support this determined young man to go to high school. With a huge smile on his face, Sum recounted the day he arrived at his new high school. “David took me to school in a car! It was my first time to wear shoes and such a nice uniform with a sweater and a tie! When I was shown my bed, I immediately knelt down beside it and prayed. I thanked God for such an incredible opportunity and I asked Him to give me courage, wisdom and knowledge.” God answered Sum’s prayer and he successfully graduated after four years.
After completing high school in 2005, Sum was sponsored to take a course in Sustainable Agriculture and Community Development at a local training center, where he was given the nickname, “Professor,” and finished at the top of his class. Sum also saw the need to become a counselor for HIV testing; thus, through small businesses of his own, he raised $500 to attend a one month training where he was also recognized as the Best Academic.
He has now been working as a caregiver with LR since March 2010, where he finds great rewards. In his own words, “I am an ambassador of God. He’s using all of me (physically, spiritually, etc) for the benefit of others. My energy is being strengthened and renewed.” When asked what his goal in life is, he simply replied, “To fulfill God’s plan for my life; to help my community and assist others the way I have been assisted.”
We are very grateful to have Sum on our team—our “Professor,” a humble young man from a humble background, but with great ambitions and potential in life. In his short 26 years of life, he has learned that “God can direct someone from nowhere to somewhere.” His dream in life is to be a doctor; and I believe God is directing him on that very path.
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