Let the Adventure Begin!

Many of you know I have been planning a trip to Colombia-my Facebook friends could likely tell you my countdown as quickly as I could.  I am so blessed to be able to take this trip in April rather than October.  I don't know if I could stand the wait to hug my girls if I wasn't leaving in 32 hours!  Sara and Daniela have sent me the sweetest letters a sponsor could ask for! They are always full of love and spiritual wisdom! Yes, these young girls have taught me a thing or two about faith and hope in Jesus Christ!

Daniela                                    Sara

As I prepare to leave for my trip, I feel so anxious and excited, yet a little nervous.  This is my second trip with Compassion so I feel that I know a little of what to expect, yet it's a whole different country and two totally different children! I know I'm supposed to be on this trip, God has place these two girls in my life for a reason.  I asked both of my girls to pray that someday we would meet.  By now, they should know that I am coming and will spend the whole day on Saturday with them.  Sara wrote me back very emphatic about supporting that prayer and her dream of visiting a wilderness park will be met as well!  I pray that everything will go smoothly and that all of us sponsors will have a blessed visit with our children and the many other children and families we will come in contact with. Let this amazing adventure begin!

SOOOO Worth the Wait!

Last summer, after sponsoring my little Dayana in Honduras, I felt drawn to Honduras and requested a correspondent from Honduras.  Well, several months went by and I gave up that I would ever be paired with a little girl from Honduras.  Out of the blue, I received a call from Compassion saying they didn't have any girls in Honduras needing correspondents so they wondered if I would open up my criteria and correspond with a child in another country.  I called and said absolutely! Feeling this was God's way of saying He had another child in mind for me.  The night after I called Compassion, I found a new face on my account.  Five year old Laura from--you guessed it, HONDURAS--was standing there smiling at me.  I love the irony of the whole situation! :) 

Laura (June 2012)

Since September 28th, I have been waiting (relatively impatiently) to receive Laura's first letter. FINALLY, this week I received it written by her mother, but clearly in Laura's words.  Such a sweet little angel! It was definitely worth the wait! I cannot wait to hug her when I visit Honduras in August!

Dear Brandilyn,

I am Laura's mother writing you, I wish the divine Lord keep you enjoying very good health and also thank you for sponsoring my daughter.  She tells you that she and I are happy to know that there is someone very special in her life, that is you.  She tells you that she already came out from kindergarten and now she goes to first grade, she says that she likes to sing, draw, paint, sing, and listen to Bible stories, she said that she likes the one about Jonah, she says that she likes to attend the project and they gave her a tooth brush, she tells you that she went to a medical check up and she is in good health, thanks to God.  She says that she enjoys yummy meals.  She said that when she comes to the project she got some flowers that she brings her teacher Lourdes, she tells you that at home she likes to watch television and play dolls, she says that before going to bed she prays for you.  She has a prayer request, help us pray for our family.  She wants to ask you some questions, where do you live?  Does it snow there?  Where do you work at?  She would like to get it letter from you and also a picture to get to know you.  She says that she and her entire family wish you a special Christmas surrounded by love and peace and also prosperity.  We say goodbye with a strong hug.  May God Bless you. With Love.

-Josefa Hernadez (Laura's mom)

The letter was dated December 20th.  I have sent several letters and photos in the mean time :)

God Will Make a Way

Since November, I have been planning a trip to Colombia to visit my first sponsored child, Daniela, and my first correspondent child, Sara.  Over the past two years I have been able to build a good relationship with each of these girls and I was beyond excited to be able to visit them in April instead of November.  

Daniela, age 8                              Sara, age 11

I have been gathering gifts and preparing for my visit to meet these two precious girls.  On January 3rd, I experienced one of my worst fears.  Sara was missing from my Compassion account.  When I discovered this, it was was after Compassion hours so I had to wait for an answer until the next day.  I was terrified of losing my sweet Sara especially since I was planning to visit her so soon.  The scenarios ran through my mind: Sara's family could have moved out of Compassion's sphere of influence, however, this seemed unlikely since they had recently moved; her family's economic situation could have improved so they wouldn't need Compassion's help any more; or, the mostly situation would be that she had lost her financial sponsor giving me the first option to take up her sponsorship.  I spend the evening fretting and praying that God would show me what to do.  The first two scenarios would leave me no choice but to keep Sara's memory in my heart. The third left me with two options: say 'goodbye' or say 'welcome to my sponsored family.'  My heart was broken at the thought of losing the bond that Sara and I had formed and an evening of prayer and discussion led me to the conclusion that if Sara had lost her financial sponsor, I would pick up her sponsorship.  My answer came the next day from Compassion that Sara had indeed lost her sponsor.  I immediately called the Compassion office and Sara became my fifth sponsored child.  

As my trip nears (5 weeks from tomorrow) and preparations are coming together, I am getting more and more excited to meet these two precious girls.  From her letters, I believe meeting Sara will be a day treasured forever!  Additionally, Daniela is such a sweet young girl who no doubt will have hugs and bright smiles that will lead to memories we can both cherish for a life time.  I pray that our time together will blessed and full of special memories for us all.

Experiencing Ecuador: Sight Seeing

It only took me 6 months to get to this post.  My final day in Ecuador. 

(6 months ago today I met my Aida for the first time) 

We spent our last day eating breakfast with a group of LDP students and sightseeing in Quito.  It was a chance for us to just relax and enjoy seeing the country and reflect on all that had happened during our time in Ecuador.

We had a chance to visit several sights including the presidential palace and the virgin statue.

Presidential Palace

Virgin Statue

We ate lunch near the statue and had a marvelous view overlooking the entire city of Quito.

We shopped in the local market and met some of the many street vendors of the city.

This little girl was just the cutest thing EVER!

The Fun Group! (half of our entire group)

Our final surprise was the chance to sample some of the local cuisine.  

Yes, that is guinea pig...

Ecuador is such a beautiful country with beautiful people!  I met some amazing new friends both from here and from there.  I hope to some day be able return to Ecuador and spend more time my girls and all the amazing people there.  God blessed us so much on this trip and I have been forever changed by this experience. 

Experiencing Ecuador: Time With My Angels

It has been a while since I've written about my trip to Ecuador, but with my trip to Colombia in just over 2 months, I thought I should share more-and the best part-of my Ecuador trip.

When we got our itineraries we were pleasantly surprised that we would have extra time with our sponsored children! Not only would we spend all day Tuesday with them, we also got a dinner party Monday night with them as well! AND on top of that excitement, my Aida's center was on the list for our group to visit, meaning even more time to visit! 

Aida and her mother

Even though our group was visiting EC594 for the Child Survival Program (Mother/baby), Aida and her mother were invited to come.  Aida was shy at first, but informed me (in front of her mother) that she wanted to come live with me in Indiana. She opened up a little more each time I saw her.  

First meeting with Dayana and Aida together

When the girls arrived at the dinner party we were able to chat and dance.  This time together broke the ice and got out a lot of our jitters. We had our faces painted and enjoyed just being together.

Dinner Party fun 

Tuesday morning we loaded our buses to meet the children and their families at a Family Fun Complex.  We had fun swimming, boating, and bouncing in the bounce houses.

We had some cuddle time at the complex. The girls and their mothers had me in tears by their sweetness and gratitude.  I can't explain in words how it makes me feel to know how loved these girls are by their mothers and how much they love me.

Dayana, Aida, their mothers, and I

 Saying goodbye was so hard. I hope that some day I will be able to return and spend more time with these 2 amazing girls.  Dayana and Aida will forever have a special place in my life!

A Dayana Kinda Day

I've felt like I have been in a little bit of a letter drought.  It's been a few weeks since receiving any letters from any of my kids and I have been feeling kind of antsy!  (Fellow sponsors understand this feeling, am I right?)

Well, I came home from work today to find not 1, but 2 letters! AND one included 2 photos! They were from my 11 year old Dayana in Ecuador and my 5 year old Dayana in Honduras!


Dayana, Ecuador

Dear Brandilyn,

I want to thank you for your letters, are very interesting.  I am always excited when I write letters and I also pray for you and your family, especially for your grandma. (I don't know if she got my latest update on my grandma or not, she passed away while I was visiting Dayana in August) What is cantaloupe? I have never heard of that fruit but sounds delicious-my favorite food is corn and fried pig, potatoees and guinea pig, feet soup, trout and much more.  My favorite colors are light green and green, blue and sky blue.  I want to thank you for the photos, (I sent several photos from my visit to meet her) God bless you. 

Many hugs, 

Dayana

Dayana, Honduras

My Appreciable Brandilyn,

Dayana is dictating this letter to me, her mother and she has a big smile with excitement.  On December 1st she had her closing ceremony and she looked as beautiful as a princess and sisters and I were very happy to prepare a special meal for her and we took lots of pictures.  She is very happy to have somebody to share her happy times with.  She asks you to pray for her and her family that her mother can finish building their house because there is only one room and it is not enough for all of us and pray that the Lord provides everything for her siblings and her to continue in school.  She was happy to share this special moment with them.  We have two dogs called Muñeca and Boby.  There are trees like lemon, avocado, plums, coconut, and mango.  Dayana says goodbye dear Brandilyn. Wishing you blessings for you and her family.

With much love, 

Dayana.  

She is attaching some pictures of her graduation. 

I am so blessed by such sweet children! :)

#ItsAboutGiving

This is the time of year everyone is searching to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. Shopping from store to store to find those special items that will light up eyes and brighten smiles. We trudge through the hustle and bustle in hopes of a few moments of delight and, of course, receiving a few goodies of our own.

As Americans we are taught that the Christmas season is about gifts and what we can get. Bright advertisements, catchy jingles, and every reason under the sun that we NEED this latest and greatest thing ever! Sure someone has to give it, but that's what Christmas lists are for, right?

I am thankful for parents and grandparents who taught me that Christmas is about so much more than just what we can get. They taught me about giving and how the true meaning of Christmas is God GIVING His own son, Jesus, to us.  He GAVE His son to save us from our sins. We are to honor God's gift to us by giving to others, not for what we can get in return, but to show God's love. 

There are people in this world who can't afford the things society says is so great.  Many of them cannot even purchase the items they need for daily survival. So when you are deciding what to put on your Christmas list this year, think of what is on the list for many children and families in poverty: clean water, a roof over their head, medical attention, and the list goes on.  Please consider giving a Special Gift to one of God's children this year or consider Sponsoring A Child. Remember this Christmas time that #itsaboutgiving not about receiving. Remember above ALL it's about God's gift to us and the love He showed through His son, Jesus.