The Gift Of Community

Suddenly, it was no longer the Maker's Dozen.

Every few months, I would make a call to Compassion's headquarters and quietly inquire about Berling, the child from Nicaragua who captured my heart back in June.  Time after time, I learned that the child whose photo I still had, unable to let her go until she found a sponsor, was still waiting for her answer to prayers.

Those prayers were answered this week when I learned that a sponsor had finally chosen her among the sea of faces waiting their turn to be chosen. 

Strangely, I had been prepared to commit to her had I been told that she had not yet been chosen, but deep down, I knew she was not meant to be mine.  I am not her sponsor.  

Still, as I rejoiced in the news that Berling had been sponsored, I felt that all too familiar stirring, this time with a twist.  

Reflecting upon the blessing of being supported by this community, as I have been so well loved and supported by the many friends God has brought to this blog...  I thought of Kwagala, the child sponsored by Michelle's blogging community, and how beautiful it is to know that this young woman is surrounded by the love of an entire group of sponsors who love her and support her through her difficult situation.  She had been chosen by many, and is loved by many.  

It became clear last night, quite suddenly, that God had chosen a child specifically for this blogging community too.  Although I had many child sponsorship packs in hand, I knew the one God had chosen wasn't among those.  I began searching, eventually going through hundreds of profiles before I knew beyond measure that I had found the one.  

Initially having no idea where this child would come from, thinking that perhaps God would have me sponsor a child from somewhere new to me, I was actually surprised to find that He had led me to a child from Ghana.  I knew the moment I read her profile that she was the one, and then I looked at the country and grinned with disbelief.  Really?

Yup.

Victoria is 14, and faces some special challenges.  Crippled in both legs, visually impaired and in need of regular medical care, I knew that like Kwagala, this beautiful girl with such a peaceful, sweet face would benefit from knowing that she had a group of people lifting her up in prayer and support.  She has five siblings and lives with both parents just north west of Accra, an area we're familiar with.  

Involvement in this sponsorship is voluntary -- you will know if God is leading you to step forward and take part in this gift of community.  Whether you would like to commit to $1 a month or $5, or whatever the amount, however often, you will be able to take part in sharing in this blessing.  How it works is well described by Michelle, I will simply point her way.  If you have any questions/concerns, simply let me know.  A one time donation can also be made.

Contributions can be made through the Paypal button on the sidebar for Victoria's sponsorship.

Thank YOU for the support you've given me through the years... may it flow into Victoria's life and lift her up as she soars to her full potential.

Ghana: Day 4 -- George & George

After spending the morning at Precious’ Compassion center, we drove a short distance to the community where Tia and I sponsor George & George, a six year old pair of adorable twins. 

The boys' schoolyard.

The church was predominantly filled with women, with a few men scattered throughout the standing room only sanctuary.  There was an air of excited anticipation as we entered, both from our group eager to meet the people of this community, and from them eager to hear from us.  Once again, as we walked down the aisle among these beautiful people, it was hard to accept the warm welcome fit for a king – but it helped to know that these people are simply generous in their warmth and hospitality; they would have done the same for a pauper and for a king. 

The Biseasi Compassion project (GH220) we had visited earlier in the day was very different from the one we had just been welcomed into in the community of Breman Essiam – Project GH880. 

Compassion had joined forces with the local church in Biseasi several years ago, and since then, has seen almost every child in the project sponsored.  Approximately 7 children at GH220 are still awaiting sponsors. 

By contrast, GH880 is quite new, having only been established in December of 2010.  Out of the 200 children registered at GH880, 43 are still awaiting the commitment of a sponsor.  (Seven of these are listed *here*.)  This leaves the church struggling to meet the community’s desperate needs.  

What was encouraging to read, though, was that although only 19 of the 200 children registered at GH880 attended school in December of 2010, now, barely 11 months later, all 200 children attend school.  This victory was greeted with a thunderous round of applause.  This alone will make a difference in the future of the community.  Since the beginning of the Compassion program, more than 100 children have made the decision to follow the Christian faith, and half a dozen caregivers have done so as well.

Their greatest challenge, aside from the vital need for sponsors for the 43 children still waiting, is a meeting place for their program on Saturdays.  The school space they currently use is often needed by the community school, leaving them without a gathering place for the 200 children they feed, teach and care for every Saturday.  We can not stress how important it is for this need to be filled – please join us in praying for this project and should anyone wish to contribute to this need, simply contact any Compassion office to find out how this can be done. 

We were the first group of sponsors ever to have visited this Compassion center.  Given how closely located to Biseasi it is, I can imagine Michelle visiting this center when she visits Precious in 2012.

The Compassion Project Staff were introduced, and we also introduced ourselves.  They chose to convey how important sponsorship is to us, the sponsors, by sharing with the people who had gathered how far we had travelled and how much it had cost to travel such a distance to visit with our sponsored children, their family and their community.  It is my prayer that the people understood that this was not of our hands, but of God who had provided. 

The Compassion staff had given me the opportunity to speak to the people who had gathered, and my message to them was that in sharing their children with us, the sponsors, through letters and prayers, we had built a relationship not only with the child, but with the child’s family – their family and ours had joined as one.  As family, we shared a sense of community, and as such, we were invested into the success of their community as well as that of their country.  I shared that it was through one of the four children we sponsor in Ghana that we were here to help provide a school for children in Ghana, and that we hoped this would be a strong message of how much sponsorship not only helps the child, but everyone touched by the sponsorship.  

Looking into the eyes of the mothers and fathers who had gathered, I told them of how important the Compassion program was, how successful it was, and how it was changing the face of the nations.  I told them that each and every one of their children had limitless potential through the power of Christ, and that the Compassion program would help them reach it.  

Smiling, I told them about Margaret, the woman in Uganda who had grown up in the Compassion program and had been selected for Compassion’s Leadership Development Program... after which she had been recently elected to the Uganda Senate.  Pointing to their children once again, I shared that these children are the faces of the future for Ghana, and that it was an honor to come alongside these families, not as sponsors or anyone special, but as brothers and sisters, equals, praying for abundant blessings upon their lives.  I thanked them for the wonderful job they are doing raising their children, the children we have come to love so much, and thanked them for their warm welcome into their community.

We were presented with amazing, symbolic gifts of unity – a carving of three statues interwoven seamlessly into a circle was given to each Debra, Tia and Joshua.  

Tia also received a carving of the country of Ghana, with all the regions shown.  I was presented with a carving of a man leading a small child by the hand, with a woman behind him, hand on his shoulder in a show of support.  Cherished gifts to we, who had so little to offer but our love for these people.

As children arrived from school, they gathered in the doorways to watch the “obruni” in their church.  It was as though the church was overflowing, the way these children gathered outside, crowding around the doors.  For a precious and sweet moment, I imagined the joy Jesus must have felt when He looked upon the faces of children who had gathered around to hear the good news. 

The skies opened and rain forcefully poured down, as abundant as the love and celebration inside the church.  The children, still curious and watching, simply kept standing in the rain, and as I watched them, I prayed for God to pour favour upon these children in ways that would outnumber each drop that was falling from the sky onto them now. 

Shortly after the rain stopped, the Compassion staff shared how I had cried as I picked out Ato Sam out of the choir yesterday, and identified him as my son, wrapping him in my arms with joy.  The crowd of mothers, perhaps in universal understanding of the love one has for a child of her heart, applauded with laughter.  An announcement was then made that they would bring a group of children and see if we could identify the boys, George & George, known by their nicknames Panyin (Pen-YIEN) and Kakra. 

A lady ushered a dozen children between our group and the crowd that had gathered, and they asked us to step forward to identify the boys.  Tia and I looked at each other, with tears in our eyes – we already knew...  we each knelt down in front of the boys we shared love for, the boys whose eyes melt our hearts and whose little faces, carbon copies of each other, we would recognize anywhere.

There was a round of applause as we correctly identified the boys, and a round of laughter when we had to ask which was Panyin and which was Kakra. 

As the individual boys were named, Tia and I each picked up ours into our arms, lifting their featherweight bodies up into the gentlest of hugs. 

I could guess that there wasn’t a dry eye in the place, but it was hard to see through my own tears.  These boys, both six years old, so tiny and seemingly fragile, melted into our arms.  They seemed to be the size of tiny three year olds. 

I vaguely remember a round of photos being taken, and us sitting back down with the boys on our laps as we interacted with the boys as the preacher spoke.  I couldn’t tell you a word that was spoken, the rest of the world seemed to disappear as we each spent time with these precious boys. 

Uhm, helllllo... have you seen this child's eyelashes?!??!  Maybe it's Mabeline?  

After some time, they brought the boys’ parents to us, and we were finally able to give them great big hugs and show our gratitude and love to them.  The mom was so sweet, and the father so enthusiastic and welcoming – what a great pair of parents these boys have!

.

We all piled into the van and made our way to their home, which turned out to be a tiny community of it’s own, with several homes encircling a common courtyard where people gather and socialize. 

We sat in the shade and spoke with the family for some time, asking questions, answering questions, and meeting the other children in the family as well as the grandchildren.  We were eager to present them with the gifts that we had brought, beginning with the Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts my boss had purchased for them along with the Cat In The Hat Book.  It would help us identify which twin was which, and let’s not forget the treasured photos!  The father was so excited as he helped make sure the boys held the book but didn’t cover up the shirts – it was so sweet. 

Tia had also purchased two stuffed Curious George monkeys and had sent them a photo of the monkeys, along with her letters that included fictional Curious George stories that were created specifically for the boys.  We brought the stuffed monkeys to them, and showed them how to press the foot to make them squeal, laugh and talk.  The boys’ faces lit up like the morning sky – the first smile we’d ever seen on them... priceless, absolutely priceless.

We presented the gifts we had brought to their parents and siblings, and handed out some of Joshua’s Hot Wheels cars to the kids gathered around, as well as some Silly Bands to the girls. 

The last gift we presented to them was a hardcover book that we had ordered from Snapfish, including photos and information on Tia and her family, as well as me and my family.  The last page was a letter we had written for the boys, encouraging them and praying over them. 

The family was easily surrounded by 30-40 people from their tiny community, all wrapped around them in love and support... it was so beautiful to see.  Over and over again in Africa, this was what we witnessed and fell in love with.

All too soon, it was time for family and group photos, and time for bittersweet goodbyes... so sweet to have been blessed with precious time, but all too difficult to say goodbye, especially now that the twins’ shock was wearing off and their personalities were beginning to shine through. 

Our arms still ache from having held them and having had to let them go.  It was completely and utterly worth every ache, every mile, every airport nightmare, all the months of preparation... it was worth it all. 

Still, so grateful that in heaven, there won’t be goodbyes.

Ghana: Day 4 -- Precious

We had arranged to visit our friend Michelle's Compassion child Precious since she is very, very close to Ato Sam and the twins' Compassion center.  On Tuesday morning, at the sound of the stray roosters, we awoke knowing another great day would be waiting for us.

Fatima, the little girl who had helped with our luggage the previous night, came back in the morning to ask if we needed help.  She was wearing her school uniform, and knowing that we had brought extra school supplies, I asked if she wanted to help with the small bags and that I would provide her with a small gift in return.  It was very hard to convince her not to take the large suitcases, in fact, she took them down three flights of stairs when I went into the room to get the rest of our things.  When everything was brought down to the van, she came to me and said "Please, I must go to school now" in the sweetest, most polite voice, it sounded like a song.

I provided her with a skipping rope, some crayons, pencils and erasers, and which she gratefully brought to school with her.

We piled into the van and headed to GH220, which is in the community of Bisease (or Biseasi, as it is sometimes spelled).  Long ago, the community of Bisease had a cola nut tree, under which men would rest in the shade.  When people would ask where they were going to be, they would say "Under the cola nut tree", which loosely translates to Biseasi.  We did not see this tree, perhaps it is no longer there, but it's definitely a beautiful place to rest.

We first entered the church where parents (caregivers) had gathered for classes.

We were introduced to the entire project team, as well as to the caregivers.  It was a little less overwhelming than the day before, and we found the caregivers to be very kind, warm and welcoming... they were so grateful we had come on behalf of sponsors all the way from Canada and the U.S.  We were ushered into the project office, and I couldn't stop seeing the vision of Michelle there in June of 2012, sitting in the same seat where I sat, seeing the same amazing things, and hearing the wonderful things that Compassion is doing in this community.

This Compassion project is part of the Wesleyan Methodist church in this community, and currently serves more than 200 children, 8 of which are registered but still waiting for sponsors.  I told them Michelle would work on that :o)

The Compassion staff explained the selection process for choosing the children who are registered into the program, explaining that the children most in need are the ones who are chosen, although most children in this community live in poverty and face many challenges.  They explained their mission statement, their vision for the children and community, and talked to us about the classes they give to the parents, such as the ones given that morning.

Another huge benefit was that every child sponsored from this Center is immediately registered for health insurance and receives all the benefits that a sponsored child received, except the sponsor relationship which is crucial to their development.

I asked what some of their challenges were, and they said what we knew we would hear -- some sponsors do not write to their children, and the children in turn blame themselves and feel badly, thinking their sponsor doesn't love them as much or thinking they've done something to make their sponsor upset.

I took this opportunity to bring up Michelle's name and spoke about her passion for writing letters and encouraging and leading sponsors to communicate with their sponsored children.  They broke into a big smile, and said "Yes, Michelle has been a great encouragement to this entire project, we are so grateful for all her family has done.  She writes letters the most often here, and Precious benefits from these letters.  Precious' health hasn't been well before she was registered, and since entering the program, not only has her health completely improved, but her personality and confidence has bloomed.  She is improving academically and is a very good student, and the letters have a big role to play in this.

They knew her file number by heart, and pulled it out for us to see.  We poured through the entire record, easily the thickest file there, and saw every letter written (letters are photocopied for the file and the original is given to the family), and every letter sent.

We also saw every gift given, every health check done, the school records, all in immaculate order, such as it is in every Compassion Center around the world.

This Compassion Center follows the Compassion holistic curriculum, as all the Compassion Centers do around the world.  The curriculum is based on the 4 main areas that Compassion focuses on -- spiritual, physical, cognitive, and social/emotional.  I was familiar with this curriculum, but looking through it again, I wished that this was taught in all the schools.  There was even a section for abuse, good touch / bad touch, etc.

We learned something we didn't know -- this Compassion Center has won an award in Ghana for being Ghana's best Compassion Center!

It was quite an honor for this project -- what they are doing is effective, it's life changing, and it's making a great impact on the community.

When we mentioned that Michelle had been instrumental in finding sponsors for children from this Compassion Center, they acknowledged this and agreed.  The Compassion Director stood up, went over to Precious' file, opened it, flipped to the correspondence from Michelle, and pointed out the letter that listed the many names of the children who had been sponsored through Michelle's blog.  They mentioned that we would likely see a few of them when we visited Precious' school.

  The Compassion Project Office at GH220 -- all those photos?  Sponsored children :o)

When they learned that we sponsor four children in Ghana, they asked us why not one of the children from their Compassion center!

We were honored to share with them the news that Emmanuel Righteous, one of the 8 children waiting for sponsors, had just recently been chosen by his sponsor Wendy & her family, and that we would like to see him if at all possible.  We had brought gifts for him on his sponsor's behalf.  They rejoiced over this great news, you could tell that this meant a lot to them, to hear that a child is going to receive the news of a sponsorship...  but what they shared next was completely unexpected.

Emmanuel had recently been taken to the hospital, he has been very ill with malaria, but thanks to Compassion, he is being treated.  We asked if it would be possible to come to the hospital to see him and pray with him, and they agreed that this would be important to the family.

We were asked to sign the visitor log book, and I got all choked up, knowing that in June 2012, Michelle would be signing below our names when she, too, would come here to see her precious Precious!

We stepped outside for some group photos while Joshua chased the lizards in the courtyard.  After the photos, we went back into the sanctuary to speak to the caregivers who were still gathered there.

They once again asked me to speak, so I shared a few words and offered to answer questions they had... but they had no questions to ask us, they instead took the opportunity to introduce themselves and pray God's blessings upon our lives for having come all the way there from North America to spend time in their community... they thanked us for caring about their children and doing great work for their country.

One woman shared that she is Muslim, and that she appreciates the work that God is doing in the lives of these children through this church -- it really affected us deeply to hear her speak to us about this and share her gratitude.

We were led to the Pastor's home, where he shared with us some more about this community, how well the children are doing, and how important this work is in the Kingdom.  He asked information about us, about what had led us here to Ghana, so we shared our journey with him.  We prayed together, and proceeded to the van so that we could be taken to Precious' school.

It was a short drive to the school yard that was filled with children playing.  Many of the children from the project attend the same school as Precious.

The children were so happy, and very excited to see us.  As we rounded the corner, a little girl with a black backpack was nearby, and the Compassion workers approached her.  As soon as she turned toward us, I knew it was her.  I had seen her photo so many times, but the photos can't simply not express her beauty, or her delightful personality.  She was confident, polite, happy, and it seems we weren't the only ones drawn to her, she was loved by all her classmates too.

She led us to her classroom, where she proceeded to sit on a little bench attached to a desk.  Three children fit to a bench, so it is very space efficient for the small classrooms.

It was amazing to see her in her school environment, to see the types of lessons on the blackboard, and to see the stacks of papers on the teacher's desk being graded.

The Compassion worker leaned down to Precious and asked if she knew her sponsor Michelle and her husband, and Precious' eyes lit up and as she nodded and said "Kaya!"  The Compassion worker explained that we knew Luna's family and that we were here to see Precious on their behalf.  She just gave us her beautiful smile, giggled, and nodded again and said Luna.  I said "Yes, Kaya, Luna and Nico too!"

Precious' classmates crowded around us as we sat on the little benches.  I extended my arm onto the desk behind me, and the children all took turns petting my arm, comparing their skin to mind, checking out my hands, my watch, my rings, and poking at my ladybug tattoo.  When I explained that it was a ladybug, a dozen children repeated back "ladybug".  Then they started trying out their English with me... "Hi, I am Richard, how are you?"  I'd tell them that I was fine, and asked how they were, and they'd respond "I'm fine, thank you!"  I told Richard that my last name was Richardson, and he was excited.  Meanwhile, three little girls were poking at my arms and in a fit of giggles, likely one of the most adorable sounds I've ever heard... all because they were making fun of my "jiggly arms".  Nice :D

Joshua the Giant!

I stood up and started counting, encouraging them to join me... by the time I got to three, there was a chorus of enthusiastic voices counting with me.  We reached twenty, we cheered, and we started the alphabet, which gained the same reaction.  We only wish we would have had this on video, it was so precious.

The Compassion staff came to me and introduced me to a boy named Kenneth, one of the boys also sponsored by one of Michelle's blog friends.  Then, they introduced me to Prince for the same reason.  I took a handful of photos of the boys for their sponsors, and let the boys know that their sponsor loves them very much and is very proud of them...  I told them also to keep working hard in school.

Prince

Kenneth

Three Amigos!

When it was time to go, the children did well staying in the classroom as we left with Precious.  She quietly but confidently walked up to the van with us, and climbed in beside me.  Once again, I couldn't stop envisioning Michelle in my place next June, picking up Precious and taking her to a home visit.  It was hard to look at her and not cry.

It was a very short drive to Precious' home.  We parked by the side of the road and grabbed the items that Michelle had sent to us, and brought them to the seating area in the front yard of Precious' home, where her family had gathered.

Oh, the sweet, sweet baby girl... Glorious Gloria! 

And big sister Mavis...  she wasn't too sure what to make of the paparazzi!  :D

Gertrude was busy checking us out!

Prince was eyeing us as if to say:

"I know you've got a soccer ball... 

and I'm thinking I'd really like to have it..."

The family -- and yes, the father looks serious, but he is kind, tender hearted, and loves to laugh!

Sweet mamma, sweet baby!

Mamma and Precious!

This girl was so quiet and sweet!

Prince is thinking about that soccer ball, still... 

Gorgeous Gertrude, with her beautiful eyes! 

Baby fever, anyone?  I'll have three, please!

Debra and Prince -- finally, he gets his soccer ball!  

Front Yard

Mamma, Gloria, and JD

I had asked Debra to lead the gathering, so that I could focus on getting a handful of photographs for Michelle.  Since Michelle had sent the gifts directly to Debra to bring with us, it worked out perfectly.

Precious' father, mother, and siblings were there, as well as Precious' grandmother and perhaps an aunt.  The grandmother was very regal, and bowed so low to us when she shook our hand, I had never seen anything quite like it.  It led me to wonder, if, after witnessing several generations of extreme poverty in her family's lifetime, we represented, for her, the hope that sponsorship was bringing to their lives.  I would have loved to sit by her feet and talk for hours -- I know I would have learned much from her.                

We asked the father how he felt about the sponsorship, if he supported what Compassion was doing for his family, and he stood up, with tears in his eyes, and grabbed my hands and told us, in English, that there were not enough words to express the difference it had made in their lives, and how deeply grateful they were... and that we had come all the way there to visit with them was such an honor to them.

I asked about his photos, and told him that there was some concern that he may not have been smiling in his photos perhaps because he was not happy... and he threw back his head and gave a hearty laugh!  He grinned from ear to ear, and put us at ease.  No lack of support there!  He is a grateful man.

We shared gifts with them, beginning with dolls for Precious, chosen by Michelle's daughter Kaya, and dolls I had brought on behalf of Michelle for Gertrude, Mavis and Gloria.  We also gave a soccer ball to Prince.  While the rest of the gifts were shared, a police man came to see what the celebration was all about, and he said that Nov 8th would forever become a great day for this community because of the work we were doing and the great things we had done to honor this family... and that he was here to protect us.  Personally, I think he just didn't want to miss out!


We were provided with fresh coconut and fruits, and they insisted we try the coconut milk and bananas before we left.  As we took many photos and said our goodbyes, I thought again of how excited Michelle will be when she gets to experience this too.

Goodbyes are tough! 

From Precious' home, we went straight to the hospital to see Emmanuel, and thankfully, as we arrived, he was being released!

Without the health insurance provided to the Compassion children, his parents would not have been able to take him to the doctor.

Emmanuel and his mother.

He has been treated for Malaria, and is beginning to feel much much better.  , and we were able to share the news of his sponsorship with him.  His mother was very, very happy, but his little sister completely froze with terror when she saw us, and began to scream as though she'd seen a ghost... because, to a toddler, obruni (white person) might as well be a ghost -- we hadn't quite acquired much of a tan yet.  It was heartbreaking to see the terror on her face, but (brace yourself, I'm about to sound completely horrible), it was almost comical at the same time.  I've never seen anything quite like it, although I'd heard much about it through our research.

Emmanuel and his mother.

Emmanuel's little sister.

Oops, she saw us. 

Emmanuel's father and little sister?

We brought Emmanuel and his mom with us and drove them home.  I had the privilege of sitting with Emmanuel's mom and gave her a big hug.  I told her she was doing a great job as a mom, and that she had a fine son.


From there, we were heading toward the GH880 Compassion Center, where our twins are sponsored.  The visit to this Compassion project was probably one of my favorite Compassion Center experiences.  We learned so much valuable information at this project, and we are eager to share this experience with you, although we may not be able to do so until we return from Kete Krachi...  please, in the meantime, we would like to ask you to pray for this project and the needs of this community, especially for the sponsorship of children from this project, seven of which I listed in a recent post.  I will share more in a separate post.


As I am writing this, tonight, on Wednesday, November 9th, we are preparing to leave for Kete Krachi, where the Village of Life is located and our school will be built.  Please, if you are reading this, pray for our travel to Kete Krachi.  We will be leaving around 2am, and it's a very long journey.  We will not have internet access until the 16th, but I will be writing and processing photos while we're away and will be ready to share more with you upon our return.



Comic Relief:  

Joshua, who is 13, is considered quite tall in Africa at 5' 8".  At the twins' Compassion Center, they mistakenly thought he was in his twenties.  We joked that this would make a great Facebook status story!

When we were eating with Ato Sam and Tahameena, Joshua, who hadn't seen his spoon since it was quite dark in the restaurant so late in the evening, began to eat the rice with his hands.  He assumed this was a cultural thing, and we watched in amusement as we pointed out that his spoon was right beside his plate, inside his napkin.