One Year Ago...

One year ago...

I felt this hug

One year ago...

I saw this smile

One year ago...

I had my face painted

One year ago...

I danced on stage

One year ago...

I experienced this snuggle

One year ago...

I fell in love with this beautiful smile

One year ago...

I lost my heart in Ecuador

I can't believe it has already been a year since I visited Ecuador on my first Compassion trip.  I still remember so vividly the time I got to spend with Dayana and Aida.  God has blessed me so much with these beautiful girls.  I hope I will be able to return to visit them some day soon! 

She Had Me at 'Hola'

The anticipation of meeting your sponsored child or children is often enough to drive you nearly crazy.  I should know, I've been through it three times now.  Will I recognize them?  Will they recognize me?  Will they like me? Will we have fun? Will they be shy or out-going?  Will they be cuddly or stand-off-ish?  And the questions go on and on until you have exhausted all possible circumstances.

Last Monday our bus pulled up to the chosen location in Honduras for our "Child-Sponsor Fun Day." We arrived before the children and waited for their buses to pull in.  When the first one pulled up next to ours, we searched frantically for a glimpse of our children-the children were doing the same in search of their sponsors.  Then I saw her.  This ADORABLE dark haired beauty.  I made eye contact and began to wonder if that was my little Laura.  I only had 1 photograph of her with her hair pulled up.  This darling little girl had long curly hair and the smile of an angel.  Just as I was questioning her identity, she held up a sign.  A sign with my name on it.  This certainly was my Laura. I waved and her smile brightened as she waved back.  I blew her a kiss and she returned one of her own. My heart melted.

 From the moment I stepped off the bus, Laura was there. She was the most affectionate little girl.  She loved to hold my hand, walk with me, give me hugs, and cuddle. 

 

We spent the day on the beach building sand castles and swimming in the ocean.  We played in the pool and the girls slid down the slides with great joy.  Her beautiful smile just captured my heart.

 

At the end of the day, when we were walking to the buses, she tugged on our translator's shirt, "Tell her that I love her." Again she tugged on her shirt, "Tell her that I love her very much."  Her insistence that the translator tell me over and over again was one of the most precious gifts a child could give. I simply wished I would never have to let go of this little angel God has brought into my life.

God Will Make a Way When There Seems to be No Way

I am just under 3 weeks away from my trip to Honduras with Compassion International.  Emotions have been up and down as I prepared to visit 3 little girls: Dayana, my youngest sponsored child; Laura, my youngest correspondent child; and Mily, a young correspondent I had yet to hear from.

Dayana                                      Laura

Mily

I gradually collected gifts for each little girl and anxiously awaited information for our trip.  Then I got a "dreaded" phone call...instead of hearing that Mily's first letter was on it's way, I learned that she and her family had moved away from the Compassion center HO350 and to a new neighborhood that does not have a Compassion center.  I would no longer be able to have contact with Mily.  I certainly was sad, I was very drawn this darling girl even though we had had no correspondence yet.  I am thankful she and her family have moved away from the issues that they were dealing with but there is still a hole, and box full of gifts for a 7 year old little girl that I never got to know and never will.

So I turned my mental focus to the 2 little girls I have had wonderful communication with and cannot wait to hug.  Sweet Dayana and precious Laura.  Their letter have been great treasures to me.  While I will miss Mily, at least I had not formed an attachment to her like I have the other girls, and now I have a hand for each child. Something I have told myself over and over lately.  I tried not to focus on the box of gifts sitting with no purpose-I began to pack the gifts for Dayana and Laura and couldn't bring myself to even touch the third box.  Maybe I can use it on a future trip, or at least some of the gifts...maybe there are children here that I know that would make use of the gifts...

Then something happened.  I saw a sweet little face on the Facebook wall of a fellow Compassion advocate.  "Don't let sponsoritis or the loss of Mily influence you," I told myself.  Still , 7 year old Heidy from Honduras kept staring at me, and I at her.  She was from center HO372, a center I had heard great things about. "Stop looking, you already have 5 sponsored children, that is enough."  I began to pray that God would show me if it was His will for me to add Heidy to my "family" or to take away the desire to sponsor her.  With most of my sponsored children, I have asked God for a sign: sometimes it was time, sometimes it was certain circumstances in the child's life, or even the decisions of another sponsor. Well, with Heidy, I asked God to show me through the details of our upcoming Honduras trip.  "God, if you want me to sponsor Heidy, our tour group will have to visit her project HO372.  That's how I will know it's meant to be." Even as I threw out this "fleece," I felt it was impossible.  HO372 had been visited twice last year alone, there was no way we were going to visit this project when there are so many others out there. Beginning to process the separation with the idea of being Heidy's sponsor, I told myself, "This is not going to happen. There is basically a 0% chance we will go there."

Thursday, we got our trip itineraries from Compassion.  I just about had a heart attack when I found out that we ARE visiting HO372.  I was in utter shock-this shouldn't be happening.  And yet it is.   I kept staring at Heidy's photo.  "God, is this for real?"  After a few hours of mentally processing and praying, I filled out the online form to become Heidy's sponsor.  

Heidy

Not only is it exciting to be able to spend a day with Heidy at her project, but my box of gifts for a 7 year old little girl can be put to VERY good use.  The doll I have even reminds me of Heidy.  So, pending paperwork and notifications, Heidy is part of my Compassion family and I will be able to hold her in just 3 short weeks. :)  Our trip is also visiting HO350, Mily's project. This visit will be bitter-sweet as I will certainly miss Mily, yet to know where she had been and meet her pastors will be special.  God does things in His way and His time.  We may not understand them all, but He gives us direction.  He may not always make His plans as obvious as He made them for me this week, but He shows us all the time that He is here and He is listening. God cares about even the smallest details of our lives.  What an Amazing God we serve!

Mai Oh Mai Oh Mai!

One of my most memorable moments from my trip to Colombia happened at the project CO341-CDI Sonrisa.  We were divided into 3 groups to visit 3 classrooms in the center to spend time with the children in smaller groups.  I had been "elected" to choose items to take to our room to do activities with the kids.  I has NO idea what to choose, but I am thankful God helped me choose the materials I did.  After sing some songs with our group of children (ages 9-14) we settled in for a time of drawing, chatting, and bonding together.

John and the tutor teaching song to the children and to us.

Kathy surrounded by curious children trying to decide what to draw.

My table of kids and the drawings they gave me :)

One of the sponsors suggested that the children draw picture of their families.  Some children took to that idea, while others chose to draw other things.  This is where Mai comes in (pronounced "My"-now the title clicks, right?).  

Me and Mai

Mai drew a lovely picture of his family.  When asked to describe each member he pointed out his mother, his siblings, and himself.  Notably, a father was missing from this picture.  When one of the sponsors asked if his father lived in his home, he pointed at an angel in the corner labeled "Dios" and said, "God is my father."  I wanted to cry right then and there.  This little guy doesn't have a father figure here on earth, but he knows who God is and claims him for his very own.  He touched the heart of this "madrina" at that moment almost as if he were my own sponsored child! 

When we went to leave, Mai prayed for our group and specifically mentioned one of the ladies in his prayer and how thankful he was for her coming.  She didn't have a sponsored child on this trip, but I'm sure at that moment she felt as if she did.  This is one little guy I will NEVER forget! 

Mai Oh Mai Oh Mai...what a beautiful child!

That Certain Sparkle

I can't believe I've been home from Colombia for over a month now, it seems like just yesterday I was there with my girls.  I already shared about meeting tiny Daniela, but I didn't just meet her, I meet 2 beautiful girls.  I was so nervous, my roommate could certainly tell you that! I worried if they would get along, would they be shy? Would they like me?  Will they have fun? Will they like the gifts I brought them?  I've been through this before and had an idea of what to expect, yet it's a whole new ball game when different children are involved.  I was sure Sara would be loving and clingy and thought Daniela might be a bit shy. They ended up the exact opposite! Daniela would hold my hand and be very huggy while Sara was a bit more quiet and reserved, yet she had a certain sparkle in her eyes that spoke more loudly than words.

Sara was a beautiful girl blossoming into a young lady. The light in her eyes just held me in awe! Her photos were very stark compared to the beautiful girl I saw. And she was incredibly tall! Her smile could light up a room.  That sparkle in her eyes made me smile and just want to laugh out loud with joy!






I often wondered throughout the day what was going through Sara's mind.  She seemed to enjoy the rides and attractions, yet seemed a little caught between childhood and adulthood. The time we spent look through the letters I sent her, her family photos, and the gifts I had brought was the time I felt most connected to my Sara.  That sparkle was the most evident when she spoke of her family and the letters we share. She also loved the gifts that I had made. 

Saying good bye was very hard. I was emotional, of course, but hearing them both sniffle and see them wipe their eyes touched my heart to the core.  These girls are my life. I will NEVER forget the smiles, the laughter, the tears, and especially that beautiful sparkle.

That Moment...

Think about "that moment"...that moment when you feel a certain relief, that moment when you know the effort was worth it, that moment when you feel that indescribably joy, that moment when you know something amazing is happening...

THAT moment...

That moment that makes you smile uncontrollably, that moment that brings tears to your eyes, that moment that takes your breath away...

That MOMENT...

That moment when you hear the bubbly giggle of a child, that turns into a bright smile, and transforms into a hearty, joyful laugh. That moment when you feel the pure joy of that laughter, when that laughter makes you want to laugh out loud and cry all at the same time...

This was my moment...riding on a pink elephant in the middle of Colombia. And for that moment, the world stopped and time stood still. That joy, that smile, that laughter...that little girl melted my heart.  Two years ago that little girl-my precious Daniela-stole my heart in a letter, and 2 weeks ago, she melted my heart as we spent the day together.  Sitting on that elephant ride, seeing her joy and hearing her laughter brought tears to my eyes, and I thought to myself, "this is it, THIS is what it's all about..."

This little girl, this tiny little 8 year old blew my world away.  Her excitement to show me her family photo and give me a gift was beyond precious. Her gratitude when receiving her own gifts and the tears in her eyes when I gave her gifts for her family nearly broke my heart.

I knew this little girl was special, I just didn't know how special until I held her in my arms.  God knew what He was doing when He told me to click that "sponsor" button.  I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams and nothing can replace that moment...

Out of the Miry Clay

I arrived home yesterday from the beautiful country of Colombia.  I can honestly say I left part of my heart there.  With my 2 beautiful girls, of course, but also with the hundreds of wonderful children we met throughout the week. The stories we were told were simply amazing.  The hearts of the children and young adults in and out of the Compassion program were indescribable.  

I was struck by the deep need of the children and families of CO341. I was amazed at the four floors of classrooms at the project and how they make do with the conditions they have.  Yet the heart and desires of the students and their tutors could bring a smile to anyone's face that would light up the whole world.  The excitement and sincerity during worship and the companionship during free time proves that the hand of God is on this place.  Our group spent the day with these children and visited the homes of three families.  The conditions of the town and the homes make you wonder how they even survive, yet they are happier than most Americans.  The joy of the Lord was so evident in this place of devastation.  In the middle of the drug trade and violence there was peace.  In the middle of poverty there was hope.  I could see it on the faces of the children--on the face of the mother who prays for her lost son, and rejoices for her prodigal who has come home.   I could see it in the eyes of the pastor who has been threatened and ridiculed yet spoke at the funeral of the man who brought on the most difficulty.  This place was special.  In the midst the danger, drugs, and all the demons of this world sits a shining light. A beacon in the darkness.  Beauty out of the miry clay.  These children have hope.  They have the hope and love of Jesus Christ and their sponsors.  But not all of them have sponsors, someone to love them, write to them, and show them that they are special, cherished, and created for a purpose that only they can fulfill according to God's promise.

Camilo

Camilo is 10 years old.  His birthday is April 3rd.  His father is in prison and his mother has to work to support the family.  He runs errands and cleans at home.  He enjoys soccer, telling stories, and playing group games.  

I remember seeing Camilo at the project, he was hanging back toward the end of the day.  I don't have any photos of him, but he stuck in my memory so I had to bring his packet home with me.  He needs the love of a sponsor, someone to show him he really matters.

Luisa

Luisa is 8 years old.  Her birthday is August 2nd.  She lives with her mother, father, and 2 siblings. Her father is sometimes employed and her mother stays home.  She makes beds and cleans at home.  Luisa enjoys playing with dolls, bicycling, and reading.

I don't recall seeing Luisa at the project the day we were there, however, it is possible I just didn't recognize her if she has grown since this photo.  Her darling little face just begged me to bring her home and do what I could to find her a sponsor.

Please let me know if you are interested in sponsoring one or both of these beautiful children who have hope, but need the love and encouragement of a sponsor. 

He lifted me out the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.  He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.  Psalm 40:2