“Sing, O barren woman,
you who never boar a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never
in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who
has a husband,” says the Lord. ~~ Isa
54:1
That verse spoke to me. I
would never have children of my own, but here was a promise. It came true for
me through World Vision and Compassion. For the past many years, I have had
two, three, four, and more children at a time.
I sponsor them.
Marialina was my first, a
young girl in Costa Rica. And then a baby. Her mother wrote letters. When their
community “graduated” from the World Vision program, she wrote, “No one ever
helped us before.” That’s stuck in my mind.
When I switched to
Compassion, my first child was Marco Antonio, my little Mark Anthony. He had a
cowlick, ears that stuck out, and a big grin. In Brazil, he wanted to be a
soccer player when he grew up. One year, his father used the birthday money I
sent to buy a second-hand, “much desired” bicycle. I almost went to Brazil to
meet Marco and a young girl I sponsored, but I applied too late. The tour was
already filled.
The vast majority of my
children have been girls in Central and South America. They’ve lived in Brazil,
Ecuador, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Guatemala, Honduras,
and Mexico.
A few of my children through the years. |
When I visit Compassion’s
website, their photos call to me. I have to restrain myself from taking on too
many. They’ve shared their dreams for the future, reported on their progress in
school, and told me about their friends. Two of the girls are now Facebook
friends.
I invite you to visit Compassion's link at the right and give to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name.