Sit down and relax. This could get lengthy.
I have sponsored a child through Compassion International on and off for almost 20 years. Kim and I started sponsoring a little boy from Ecuador a few years ago. In January of this year, right after The Race started, I received word from Compassion that he had dropped out of the program. Of course Compassion wanted me to continue being a sponsor- they offered to randomly select a child for me or I could “select” one from their website. I decided to select one from one of our “Race Route” countries so that I would have a chance to meet the child.
So- back in Guatemala I spent all evening perusing the Compassion Website- looking at pictures and reading biographies. I kept coming back to a little girl here in Thailand named Doughnipa. What kept drawing me back to her was that her birthday is May 31 (mine and Kim’s wedding anniversary).
I met her today.
Here she is- all dressed up for a traditional Thai dance- a recital at her Catholic School that I was blessed to attend.
Doughnipa lives with her Mother and Father and younger sister. Her Dad works several kilometers away in the city as a Night Watchman. Her mom sews when the opportunity presents itself- sometimes working as far away as the factories in Bangkok (6 hours away). Her Grandparents live nearby. Both of her grandmothers have leprosy. They live in the middle of a Leper Colony. Her grandmothers were very funny and candid- they asked me if I was afraid to be there. I wasn’t.
Doughnipa’s home (and those surrounding it in the “Colony”) are the most humble homes I’ve seen in Thailand so far. I probably could have met all of her neighbors; they were all watching from nearby! I don’t know how many white western guys have visited the colony before, but I was told I’m the 5th Compassion Sponsor to visit a child since the work began 8 years ago. The family blessed me with two “Wraps”- one is rather big- almost as big as a bed sheet, the other is smaller, like a sash. They can be worn as a belt, or used as a towel or a bedsheet. Doughnipa also made a “sock doll” for me. I wasn’t totally unprepared for sharing gifts: I gave her the prettiest handmade Purse I could find in Swaziland, a small notebook I bought in Chiang Mai and all the pictures you see on this page and more- I had them developed today and gave her a photo album with the pictures.
Me and Doughnipa with her immediate family and some of the Compassion Staff.
Doughnipa attends a Private Catholic School with about 600 other children. She must be about 5th or 6th grade…she will enter Secondary School next year. She said her favorite subject is Computers. She wants someday to go to Japan and/or the US because of all the technology.
After attending her dance recital at the school (today was Mother’s Day in Thailand) we went to her church where the Compassion Staff prepared and served a wonderful lunch for her family and me. I met her Pastor. He told me that I fit in with the Thai people very well because I am quiet and polite and not too tall (the opposite of what they expected!!!)
Compassion provides after school programs at the church- they tutor children, teach English and Computer, and of course provide Bible Studies. My support helps pay for her school tuition (including uniforms and books) as well as paying for her to be a part of the Compassion Programs.
I commend Compassion for an incredible job of setting up this visit. It has been months in the planning, although Doughnipa didn’t know I was coming until just a few weeks ago. They didn’t want to disappoint her if I didn’t show up. Compassion provided a great translator and transportation for me and the family for the day. I think I met 6 staff members and they all seemed as excited to meet me as Doughnipa.
Doughnipa said she was excited to meet me- but she was also very shy. I think I was too. It was awkward but also pretty emotional most of the day. Typically, Compassion sponsorships terminate when the child is about 17- when they graduate from school. I hope she will stay with the program and I hope I can sponsor her for the duration. I would love to come back again. For sure, the letters that she and I will exchange in the future will mean a lot more to both of us (and her family too).
I have made friends in all the countries we’ve visited. But this is different. This is a child that is a part of my life.
One last shot: After lunch we went to a park in the city. They had never been there before.
