Bring on the waterworks

Some of the best comments and responses I’ve gotten from my posts have been from other child sponsors telling me of their own trip to visit their sponsored children.

Reading their words is so encouraging and also a bit eye opening too.

They tell me how excited the kids are to see their sponsors and how friendly everyone in the Dominican Republic is. One sponsor said when she arrived in the village the whole neighborhood came out to greet her. A few have mentioned that there is no other experience like it in the world and that I will be in tears at times because experience is so powerful.

Hmmm… I get teary eyed at the drop of a hat, so this should be very interesting.

On a separate note, I received a letter recently telling me the Easter donation I provided purchased a new Easter blouse for Daichela and a collared shirt for Jose. I bet they looked beautiful on Easter morning.

God’s blessings to you and your families this Easter.

In her own hand

Two very special letters arrived today!

Dear Mrs. Nieman,

Thank you, dear Wendy for your letter. José got really happy to hear what was written in your letter. We took him to eat ice cream. He is learning to distinguish the colors and the saying them. He likes a lot to paint.

-Saying bye with lots of blessings for all of you and your family, Felipe, grandmother of José

I’m so happy these children take the time to write to their sponsors and so very grateful to the family members that write the letters for the children that are too small to write their own.

Hello Wendy,

I hope you are doing well. I want to give you thanks for always keeping me in mind. I will give your regards to my family. I love you so much and will continue studying very hard because I want to pass of grade.

-With so much love and affections say bye, Daichela

I got so excited while reading Daichela’s letter. This was the first time that she had written her own letter to me in her own handwriting. So very special!

Note: All of the letters I receive from Daichela and Jose are written in Spanish and one of the staff members from the child sponsorship organization translates them to English below the original letter.

Fulfilling a need

I had someone ask me recently why I chose to sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic rather than help a child here in the US.

At first, I really wasn’t quite sure what to say. I suppose the honest answer was when the opportunity presented itself it just happened to be a beautiful little girl from the DR. It never occurred to me to worry about where she was from; I just knew that this little girl’s smile pulled me in.

It may have been simply that both she and I were in the right place at the right time. She needed someone to help ease her family’s financial burden of her schooling, clothing and  a few other necessities and I had a place in my heart that needed an outreach to give back, and this little child fulfilled that need.

I feel as if I’ve been the one blessed in this very fortunate course of events.

Hope and courage

I’m excited to see in what ways this trip and the experience of meeting these children and their family will push me or change me.

Whenever a new chapter in my life has begun - planned or unplanned - I have always found it very intriguing to see where the path leads me and what I can learn about myself through the situations I’ve been through. I’ve always been open to change and my life has definitely had its ups and downs.

Life happens quickly and I am constantly reminded that I can’t take anything for granted. The person you talk to today may not be there to tell them you love them or apologize to tomorrow. Though I don’t always remember to ‘walk a mile in the other person’s shoes’, I’m constantly trying, and fully understand that the process for me will be lifelong.

Though I only have photos of Daichela and José, I see visions of hope and courage in their eyes. I wonder if somewhere in my past, when I was a child, if someone saw the same in mine.