I Sponsored a Child

I always have grandiose dreams. No, not just slaying monsters in the dark, but legit. dreams like running an orphanage. Reading George Mueller's account of running an orphanage powered by faith can be exciting when you're pint-sized. Miracles are magical. Or becoming a missionary in the deep, dangerous jungle of Indonesia, for instance. They all promise challenge and excitement and above all--I'm saving the world.

My dreams gave way to calls of running an everyday life. Schoolwork, chores, worrying about acne and boys (adolescence can be downright nitty-gritty) and then very quickly--work with all its deadlines and schedules--become the fabric of a humdrum life. Day in, day out--clock in, clock out. The magic slips away and I don't even notice. My grandeur dreams seem a tiny flicker in the world of "do this, and now, you need to do that."

Sure, commercials about rag-clad kids sitting in mud huts appear on the silver screen. They all want financial support. I feel a flicker of compassion but still, it's too commercial for my liking. I never did lift up a phone. The problem seems to exist inside the screen, boxed in and so far away.

Last Sunday, I went to church and a representative from World Vision was there. Spread out on the tables were brochures of many children--trapped in their sorry world, deprived of basic necessities, living on trash and polluted air.

Their faces implore:

"I've nothing and you've everything."

"You're thinking of what to eat for lunch and I've not eaten in 3 days."

"You go home to air-conditioning and slouching in front of the TV, while I walk 5 miles to get water and look after 3 siblings."

It was too much, and the reality was too stark when you're staring at these beautiful kids.

A little girls entreats me--a severe look of deprivation is evident in those deep-set eyes and her mouth speaks of a life raised on the severe cold of the mountainous region of Ningxia Province, China.

My daughter asks, "Why does she look so unhappy?"

I know the answer--life has been tough and there's seem no way out, stuck in a family of poor farmers. If life consists of chores, and foraging for food each day--maybe, we'll all be looking like this.

I picked up her profile and went home and filled up to be a sponsor.

I never felt happier, knowing the little that I have to contribute will send her to school, give her food and good hygiene.

Maybe dreams can come true in small measures and who knows? Maybe, with time, I may sponsor one more and one more and come close to fulfilling my childhood dream helping kids.