So I know what you’re thinking to yourself – “Self, the only blogs that Paige posts are about children she has fallen in love with.”
Well, I’m not here to prove you wrong.
While in Busia, our team has had the incredible opportunity to work with Compassion International, an organization that serves to sponsor deserving children in countries around the world. One of the many centers in Kenya is located at Deliverance Church, where 200 children gather every Saturday to learn about Jesus, have a meal, do a craft, and play.
Disclaimer: If you go on the Compassion website and look at the pictures of the children, prepare to observe what look like the shyest, meekest little kids you’ve ever seen. But if you walk into a room where 200 of them are running around, prepare to be viciously tackled to the ground amidst of sea of screams and giggles. These kids are absolutely insane full of energy.
Week after week, there was a little boy who would quietly insert his hand in mine while we were there. I can’t say exactly when I “met” him because I “met” him about 5 times. Because I’m a terrible human being, I failed to remember this quiet little boy who had attached himself to me. Therefore, he would knowingly say, “Morgan,” when I would look down at him with an apologetic I-forget-your-name-again look on my face. I guess you could say that it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Since I’ve committed Morgan’s name to heart, I have learned much more than that about him. He’s 6 years old. He pretends to be shy. He loves piggyback rides, and he is only ticklish under his ribs. He’s incredibly smart. He can rock a pair of sunglasses like I’ll never be able to. He loves to make “samaki” (aka fish) faces with me. And he is just the most wonderful little boy I’ve ever met.
Last week, I learned that Morgan is not currently sponsored through Compassion. Although the organization has taken him under its wing to support him regarding school fees and other needs, he does not have an individual person or family that donates to him monthly.
This week, I learned that I am going to be Morgan’s Compassion sponsor. I can’t describe the joy I feel about writing letters to, receiving letters from, and ultimately supporting this sweet boy.
Although I have wanted to be a Compassion sponsor for some time, I have been intimidated by the $38 monthly cost of doing so. However, in the time that I have been here, I have come to understand that kids like Morgan need $38 more than I ever could. That will be the most worthwhile money I spend each month.
Even if you never get a chance to meet the child you sponsor (or, if you’re lucky like me, meet him 5 different times in the span of 2 weeks), know that your impact on the life of a kid is immeasurable. It means they can afford to go to school, to eat real meals, and to receive healthcare when they are sick.
For the record, I promise I am not getting paid off or held hostage by Compassion so that I post this blog. I simply believe so strongly in the work that Compassion is doing in the lives of kiddos like Morgan, and I am so grateful to have witnessed it firsthand.
