…to see EVERY child at El Shaddai fully sponsored, even those sweet babies in the baby house.
I know I have already wrote a blog asking for sponsorship for Life, the 9 year old girl I was paired with for the month of October, the little girl that took hold of my heart without even realizing it and kept it there with her on top of that mountain when I left Swaziland.
It has been 2 months since I have been on top of that mountain. I made a promise to myself before I left the States back in September, that I would never get good at goodbyes. I knew from the beginning I signed up for 11 different countries and so I had 11 goodbyes to prepare myself for. I want to love all 11 countries I enter and have already left. I want to make connections with people in each country that will leave their forever mark on me. When I traveled down the mountain on the first of November I had no clue how much I was truly leaving behind.
It took me sitting on a sand beach under our tree house in San Felipe, Philippines for it to hit me. Our squad stood in a circle and prayed for El Shaddai, the child sponsorship, the spiritual warfare that happens there, we all just voiced our prayers out. I began to pray and my voice was so shaky from the tears I was fighting back. I wanted to explode with tears. The longer I prayed the more I let my tears flow, as other squad mates voiced their prayers I sat with my head down as I just sobbed. It was hitting me just how much love I left there. I prayed all night for my home on the mountain. I voiced out name after name of children that impacted me while I was there. i prayed for Charmaine, I prayed for Rachel, and I prayed for Katie. I cried as I said each name. The Lord was revealing to me a love I wasn’t completely foreign to, I have felt that feeling of strong love when I was in La Vega, Dominican Republic at New Hope Girls Academy. If you know me you know my heart is in the DR and I plan to go back. So, I was completely shocked as this feeling flooded over me about El Shaddai.
As Christmas gets closer and closer my heart is getting more and more excited for what this Holiday is going to bring. I am so excited to be in this country celebrating Jesus’ Birthday. Every year I have a mental list made already of what I want for Christmas. By this time I have already made this Holiday completely about what I want. This year I want it to be different. I want so much more than any list could ever fit, I want the world to know why we get to celebrate this Holiday. I want every child and adult to know a love far greater than any beautifully wrapped present under the tree can hold. I want the children of El Shaddai that light up when you give them something as small as a sucker, to feel so much love from the outpouring of love and sponsorship from people they may never meet this side of Heaven. I want them to know the love of our Father by the way you and I loved them.
I was lucky enough to be able to spend a month hugging each of them, kissing their faces, helping them with homework, and holding their hands through worship service but now you have the opportunity to love them just as much. I can promise that every kid that lives on that mountain is more than worth every penny you give to them. A full sponsorship for these kids may mean a small sacrifice for you and your family each month but it means a far greater life and future for these children.
As my team and team Ahava sat around the dinner table tonight we talked about our least favorite thing about Christmas because last night we talked about our favorite thing and we all agreed on one statement… we dislike that people use Christmas as the only time they bless others. We should spend every day of the year living like its Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Savior and blessing others because He gives us new blessings each day. All of you my sponsors have blessed me beyond belief every day of this journey and so it is people like YOU who make a huge difference in this world.
So, this holiday season I am asking you instead of going to your local mall to spend too much money on things that wont matter in a years time, spend your money on a Christmas gift that will make a difference in a child’s life that has absolutely nothing. Bless them with a gift that will make a difference each and every day.
If you would like information on any child you see on the website feel free to email me over facebook or my personal email [email protected]. I would love to tell you about any of them. elshaddaiswazi.org is the website where YOU can sponsor a child.
