I met my translator/lifesaver Irma at
In my visiting experience so far I have found that many of the Pastors who have churches involved with Compassion have been there a long time. I was told that the city of
When we got to the Project, we walked in to a church full of kids of all ages. I did my best to introduce myself in Spanish (thanks to Microsoft Word translate tool), and sang them the song “God of Wonders”. There was no guitar, so I had to struggle along on the piano – chords only! I asked if anyone had a sponsor from
I then met Allison and her family – Mama (27) and 2 sisters. Allison’s Dad was at work. He makes clothes with a couple of his brothers and brothers-in-law, then they go off to sell them on weekends, so the kids don’t see their dad much.
I joined some of the kids for a snack, and got to know the family better. The kids asked me questions about myself and
After a while we took a tour of the Project. I saw the classrooms, medical room, kitchen, office, and pretty soon it was evident why they need to make extensions – there ain’t no room! However, the staff do the best with what they’ve got, and are being the hands and feet of Jesus to these kids. The kids at this Project were a happy, curious bunch, and I felt very loved and accepted. I even had some kids wanting my autograph! Weird… I just wrote them a little message and signed off with a smiley face “David from
Meeting Allison was amazing. I’ve now met 14 of my Compassion kids, and part of me thinks “Surely I’d be used to it by now? Surely I know what to expect? Surely it would lose a bit of the thrill, excitement and nerves?” The answer to that is a resounding NO! When you make the decision to invest in a little soul for both this life and eternity, supporting them with money, love, encouragement and letters, and you finally get to BE WITH them and see what their life is like – where they live, where they play - not much else comes close to that feeling.
I have been sponsoring Allison for a year. She is a super-sweet, affectionate 8 year-old. She has an older sister (Miss Ten) and a younger sister (Miss Three). Mama is 27, and was very engaging and easy to talk to. She sells sandwiches and tortillas outside her daughter’s school, and takes Miss Three with her. Both Allison and Miss Ten are top of their classes at school. Miss Ten is also sponsored, but her sponsor never or rarely writes. Not good enough in my book.
Last May, I received a letter saying Allison’s Project was going to close at the start of 2013, and they weren’t sure whether Allison would go to a new Project. I found out today that from June to September Allison did not attend her Project at all, even though it was still running. From hearing Mama talk about it I think this may be because they weren’t happy with the decision to close the Project down. In October, the girls started going to ME785.
I have been sponsoring Allison for a year. She is a super-sweet, affectionate 8 year-old. She has an older sister (Miss Ten) and a younger sister (Miss Three). Mama is 27, and was very engaging and easy to talk to. She sells sandwiches and tortillas outside her daughter’s school, and takes Miss Three with her. Both Allison and Miss Ten are top of their classes at school. Miss Ten is also sponsored, but her sponsor never or rarely writes. Not good enough in my book.
Last May, I received a letter saying Allison’s Project was going to close at the start of 2013, and they weren’t sure whether Allison would go to a new Project. I found out today that from June to September Allison did not attend her Project at all, even though it was still running. From hearing Mama talk about it I think this may be because they weren’t happy with the decision to close the Project down. In October, the girls started going to ME785.
We left the Project sooner than I would have liked, because of the schedule. With the sponsor visits, as well as seeing the Project and the child’s home, often we will go to a park/zoo/mall as a special treat. The problem with this is they are often far away from the child’s town, and much travelling is required. It’s also usually just the child and one parent rather than the whole family. Whenever I visit, my personal priority is to see the Project in detail and the home, and spend as much time with the whole family as possible. Anything after that is a bonus.
So today we rushed off from the Project and took Allison’s family to a place called Hacienda de Chautla, which is a historical castle and museum, and we got the guided tour. It was good, and has a nice natural lake, but is not necessarily somewhere I’d take three kids under 10. However, Irma told me the girls enjoyed it and had been wanting to go there, so that’s what matters I guess.
On the way out I asked the Pastor what sort of fish you can catch in the lake. He said there are two types, and when you catch a fish you pay a certain amount to take it with you. He also took this question to mean that I wanted to have a go. I tried so hard to refuse, but before I knew it a rod was in my hand, and my sponsored child and her family were all watching me. I never have been, nor ever will be a fishing person. There are many things I’d rather do before I go fishing. So I duly stuffed up the cast (is that what it’s called when you chuck the line into the water?) by getting the line tangled, handed back the rod and stormed off in a huff (not really, but my body language wasn’t positive for a few seconds). The one good thing about fishing for me is that it made possible the classic Homer Simpson line “na na na na na na na na fishing!”
For lunch we went to a restaurant called Nila Restaurante, and this was the first time EVER for the girls. This made me feel quite privileged that I was able to give them this opportunity, and it’s something we just take for granted. Allison is only 8, and her plate contained a couple of massive pieces of fish. I was quietly sceptical about whether her meal would get finished, but by golly she did it!
The last stop for the day was their family home. They live in a busy city street, and it’s part of a “complex” of units that are hidden behind a high sheet metal fence. Their extended family lives in the same group of houses. We talked for a while, they showed me around the house, looked at some of their family photos, got out the letters I’d sent Allison and I gave them some gifts. For each child I am visiting, I am giving the following:
- a teddy bear, a “Jesus” pendant and a bead necklace for the child (soccer ball for Antonio, my one boy on this trip);
- a clip-on koala and a postcard for the siblings;
- a koala snow globe and an Australian flag for the family.
I am always affected by the generosity and hospitality shown by the families on my sponsor visits. They may not have much, but what they do have they share willingly and graciously.
So today we rushed off from the Project and took Allison’s family to a place called Hacienda de Chautla, which is a historical castle and museum, and we got the guided tour. It was good, and has a nice natural lake, but is not necessarily somewhere I’d take three kids under 10. However, Irma told me the girls enjoyed it and had been wanting to go there, so that’s what matters I guess.
On the way out I asked the Pastor what sort of fish you can catch in the lake. He said there are two types, and when you catch a fish you pay a certain amount to take it with you. He also took this question to mean that I wanted to have a go. I tried so hard to refuse, but before I knew it a rod was in my hand, and my sponsored child and her family were all watching me. I never have been, nor ever will be a fishing person. There are many things I’d rather do before I go fishing. So I duly stuffed up the cast (is that what it’s called when you chuck the line into the water?) by getting the line tangled, handed back the rod and stormed off in a huff (not really, but my body language wasn’t positive for a few seconds). The one good thing about fishing for me is that it made possible the classic Homer Simpson line “na na na na na na na na fishing!”
For lunch we went to a restaurant called Nila Restaurante, and this was the first time EVER for the girls. This made me feel quite privileged that I was able to give them this opportunity, and it’s something we just take for granted. Allison is only 8, and her plate contained a couple of massive pieces of fish. I was quietly sceptical about whether her meal would get finished, but by golly she did it!
The last stop for the day was their family home. They live in a busy city street, and it’s part of a “complex” of units that are hidden behind a high sheet metal fence. Their extended family lives in the same group of houses. We talked for a while, they showed me around the house, looked at some of their family photos, got out the letters I’d sent Allison and I gave them some gifts. For each child I am visiting, I am giving the following:
- a teddy bear, a “Jesus” pendant and a bead necklace for the child (soccer ball for Antonio, my one boy on this trip);
- a clip-on koala and a postcard for the siblings;
- a koala snow globe and an Australian flag for the family.
I am always affected by the generosity and hospitality shown by the families on my sponsor visits. They may not have much, but what they do have they share willingly and graciously.
Thus endeth day one.
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