goodbye and hello

we have been honored to sponsor two children through compassion international.  i have been so impressed with their ministry--their heart for truly making a difference not only in children's lives, but their family's and community's as well, their integrity, their financial wisdom...i could gush on and on.

this past week we received some rather sad news from them.  mwamnyazi--our nine year old from kenya--had to move away from this compassion project due to the fact that both of his parents have passed and no one was able to take care of him in the area.  he has moved to live with his uncle.  his uncle does not live in a compassion area, so our sponsorship of him has come to a close.  i cried.  there was a sweet departure letter, but the goodbye seemed so abrupt as we were just beginning to learn his story and who he is.  as i called compassion's sponsor relations line to determine the next step, the counselor shared some very dear things.  she reminded us that it is so good that he will be with some family instead of being passed to an orphanage.  she reminded us that we need to continue praying not only for mwamnyazi, but for his uncle as well...that the seeds that were planted will continue to grow and he will become a man of God and live his life for Jesus.  the compassion staff was so supportive and understanding and reassuring that God has a plan for Him and this is a part of it all.

so...we had the privilege of supporting him for a brief season and will never forget the things he shared in letters and the beautiful dark brown eyes in his picture.  i hate saying goodbye--especially when we do not know if there will ever be an opportunity for a 'hello' again this side of Heaven.  i pray that God does mighty, mighty things in his life.

after knowing the difference that compassion sponsorship can do in a child's life, we did not hesitate a moment about asking for the opportunity to sponsor another child.  thinking and praying about it all, compassion worked with our requests and found us another child in brazil--same country as micaelly--that was in a similar predicament as mwamnyazi...awaiting a sponsor and has limited family to help in their care.  looking online, we learned that we will now be sponsoring a fourteen year old girl named maria.  i cannot wait to get our packet and first letter from her.  she is more than a story, she is a girl that has dreams and plans...and hopefully now is filled with hope of what God can do in her future.

one goodbye and one hello.

we may never get to meet these dear, dear children here on earth.  i cannot wait to hug them in Heaven and see all that God made them to be!

p.s.  would you please consider making the difference in the life of a child here and now?  sponsorship is about a dollar a day and can truly be the difference of life and death for a child. visit Compassion International online today.  honestly, i have been blessed beyond measure for the few dollars...it changes me every day and i am grateful!