The gift of meeting our sponsored child

Written by Barbara May, Lifeline child sponsor and mission trip participant

My husband Mark and I were fortunate to go to Guatemala in June, and it has changed our lives forever! To say we were blessed beyond belief would be an understatement. Let me explain....

About two days prior to our mission trip, we were asked to take over the sponsorship of a child whose current sponsor could no longer fulfill the commitment. We prayed about it and both agreed this was something we needed to do. So we graciously accepted the responsibility. Now, we were even more excited to be going to Guatemala because we would get the opportunity to meet our new sponsor child: Nahomy!

We were told that the transition of sponsorship would be completed after Nahomy received her gifts sent from her previous sponsor. 

When we attended church, we noticed that Nahomy was up front leading and singing with the worship team! She had the voice of an angel and seemed to be an integral part of the church. Later on in the service, Mark felt someone tap him on the arm. He looked over and it was Nahomy. She sat down right between us! She reached over, gave Mark a big hug, held his hand, and laid her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes, she gave me a big hug and continued to hold both of our hands for the rest of the service.

Ok, she already had both of us wrapped around her finger at that point. When the service was over, Nahomy wouldn't leave our side. She had no clue that she was losing her previous sponsor and that we were going to be her new ones. 



We left after the service to have lunch, and returned later that afternoon for a party for all the sponsor children. As soon as Nahomy arrived for the party, she came running to us and gave us a handwritten note telling us how much she and her family loved us. All of this is happening without us being able to speak to each other, but you can see she was so sincere and proved God’s love has no barriers.

All the children were presented the gift bags from their sponsors. When Nahomy had finished opening her presents, she was told she was losing her current sponsor. This was devastating news for Nahomy. She was extremely upset and started to cry. However, in the next sentence, she was told that she had new sponsors and that they were in the room.

They pointed to us across the hall and Nahomy came running with her arms wide open. She jumped into both of our laps, hugged us, and shed tears of joy! It was extremely emotional for everyone, and it’s a memory that we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Our hearts are overflowing with love and joy, and we are so proud to have Nahomy in our lives.

We pray that we can bless her as much as she has already blessed us.

In the pictures, Mark is putting a cross necklace on Nahomy that we gave her as a gift. As you can see, she was weeping the whole time.

 
Go meet your sponsored child!