You know those commercials on TV? The ones that say, for $0.28 a day you can feed a hungry child. Or the multiple sponsorship programs available that promise an education, clothing and food if you pay them $40 a month, but then the Director lives in a 5 story home and drives a brand new Cadillac. Yeah…I’m pretty skeptical of those too.
Well, I had the amazing opportunity to travel with my teammate, Angie, to visit her sponsor child. She has been sponsoring Diborah through Compassion International for the past 4 years. They have exchanged letters, photos and when Angie sends extra money she is notified that the family was able to purchase a mattress, a sheep and even a goat!
I really had no idea what to expect. We were told that the drive was very far and “rough terrain.” But I’m always up for an adventure so we were on our way.
A 4 hour trip turned into 6 which turned into 9. We went from driving on pavement, to gravel to dirt. We passed zebras, giraffes, camels, a handful of villages full of tribal warriors, kids who are shepherds and hit more potholes than I thought was humanly possible.We arrived to a remote village in the Samburu tribe district. Most of the people there have never seen white people before (we were far away). They had killed a goat and was excited to serve it to us, with rice of course.
Diborah, 8 years old, is precious. It was amazing to see her and Angie interact. We saw her school, the church and made our way down to her home where we saw the sheep and goats! Her step-mom inducted Angie and I into their tribe by giving us authentic jewelry she had made.The whole experience was probably the most crazy, adventurous, random thing I’ve ever done. I want to encourage everyone to sponsor a child. It’s more than just writing a check every month, it’s being the answer. Compassion International is a very legitimate organization that I put my full trust in. There are so many kids out there that need help. Will you be the answer?
