Vision

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I went to Women of Faith and I posted this? Well, in that post, I mentioned Lenah Kavata. Lenah is a 7 year old girl who lives in Kenya. She lives with her mother, sister and brother and is part of a World Vision community. She likes to draw and play soccer and her birthday is in August. Here's how I met her.

Each year that I have gone to Women of Faith, I have walked by the World Vision table and seen the pictures of children from all over the world who are part of the program. They are children who have needs that my own children will never know. They need food and clean water and an education. They need prayers. Every other year I walked by with a little guilt hanging over me. But a few weeks before the conference this year, I had this thought about World Vision. I didn't expect it. There was no reason to think of it. But I did. Then and there, I started praying and soon decided to sponsor a child this year. I knew it would be good for some child far away. And I knew it would be good for my own children to help them practice generosity and gratitude. A lesson the whole family could use a few lessons in.

During the first intermission on Friday, I was walking near the World Vision table and one of the representatives asked me if I would like to sponsor a child. Yes. Yes, I would like to sponsor a child. Then she pointed me toward the table and told me to pick a child. I looked down and was staring into hundreds of eyes. Little eyes like the ones I look into every day, only these eyes were not twinkling like I was used to. For a minute I looked from face to face and could not decide. How could I pick one? How could I pick the child whose life I was going to play a part in changing? The ladies behind the table must have seen my struggle because they tried to help. Did I want a boy or a girl? Did I have a specific country in mind? Did I want a child whose birthday matched mine? None of those things really mattered. So I said a quick prayer and asked God to lead me to the child whose life I was supposed to be a part of. I walked up and down the tables looking at each face. None of them was the child I was looking for. Meanwhile, the lady who had been helping me went behind the table and pulled out some other packets with pictures. How about this one? This one? This one? Wait, that one. Let me see that one. I took the packet in my hand and there she was. This little girl whose eyes twinkled just the tiniest bit. And who was the only one in all the pictures I had seen who was almost smiling. Almost. She was the one.

So I filled out the paperwork and committed to sending $35 a month to a community in Kenya so that Lenah and her family will have food and clean water and an education. Since then I have prayed for this family and for World Vision. I have also learned a lot more about the program. Our family will be able to send letters and small gifts to Lenah. And she will write back. We can also email her at the World Vision center in her community. We can support World Vision in other ways like providing animals and tools and books and sports equipment to communities around the world. It has already been a blessing to our family and will be for a long time.

When I came home and told my family about Lenah, they were very supportive. The boys looked at her picture and were curious and excited. Then this week when we got our welcome packet and learned what we could send, we had a great time shopping for stickers and colored pencils and other small things to send with our first letter to Lenah. And Josh volunteered to write the letter. Josh does not like to write and so I was thrilled with his interest. So today we will send our first letter off to Kenya. And we will appreciate, just a little more what we have here.

If you are interested in learning more about World Vision, they have a great website where you can sign up to sponsor a child or see what they are doing for God's children around the world. Take a look and consider supporting this great ministry.