¿Cómo te llamas?
Ismael.
Yo soy Edna.
That’s about the extent of our conversation when I first met the boy. In fact, conversations for me in Spanish don’t go far beyond that. However, there’s other means of communication to be developed and practiced. Somehow, a lot can be said with no words.
We have worked with the Compassion Center ministry here in Montero, Bolivia. It’s a facility for the children of the area to go to school and church. It is a healthy environment in which they can thrive as learning, growing children, get a good education, interact with others, and get a good meal every day.
Compassion is a nonprofit organization that is financially supported by sponsors and has facilities worldwide.
There’s around 350 kids that attend here, ages 6-17. Each child has a sponsor who makes monthly payments to provide for him/her to attend school here and all the benefits that come with that. With this sponsorship comes the opportunity to keep in touch with the child, sending letters and pictures back and forth. Children must be 8 years old or younger to be eligible for application.
The only exception to this is if the sponsor specifically chooses a certain child to provide for.
My team and I were able to teach some English classes and teach sports on the nearby basketball court. Besides that, we did weekend kids ministry with some of the same children. In interaction with them, I soon had about 46 favorites besides all the rest. I LOVE these children and there’s so much that comes alive in me when I’m with them.
Through spending time here and seeing the beauty of this ministry, God laid the desire on my heart to sponsor a child for Compassion. In my mind, it was something I’d pursue after the race and I made small talk to God about it. No big, bold prayer, just sharing some ideas I was getting (which He put there, of course!). But God took it to the next level, without my consent.
Insert: Thank you Jesus for knowing so much better than I!! Thank you for hearing what I mean and not what I say! You know I always want to want what you want for me even if I don’t know how to want it…(God can make sense of that sentence).
One day on the way home from ministry with pastor and a few of my teammates, conversation led to talking about the compassion kids and I commented that I would like to sponsor a child some day. I don’t remember the course of the conversation but one thing led to another and Pastor Pedro got very excited as he shared about one boy in particular who had been praying for a long time for a sponsor. This boy attended church here regularly but couldn’t come to school because he didn’t have a sponsor. And chances were slim for him to get one because at 10 years old he wasn’t able to even be put on a waiting list.
The only way was for someone to specifically choose him.
But this boy prayed in faith. He knew what it means to hope.
Before I got out of the car that day, I agreed to choose Ismael. Now he will be starting the new year in a dream fulfilled. He will be attending school with his friends at the place he loved.
The following Sunday, on Christmas Eve, we had an afternoon celebration in kids ministry with special treats and food for them for Christmas. My teammate, Sam, Pastor Pedro, Maria, and I went to meet Ismael at his house and walk him to the place of ministry. It was then and there that Pedro shared the news with Ismael and his mom. The moment was both overwhelming and beautiful. Ismael and his mom both wept in gratitude and awe of God’s grace in the gift. Embracing the young boy, I realized such a deep love for him. Also I remembered my desire to adopt a child and saw in that moment that for now, this is enough.
We were invited into their home. They do not have much and certainly are familiar with pain and brokenness, physical need, and material lack, but they know Jesus and He is enough. In spite of limited Spanish vocabulary, I remembered that I knew the words to say for “Jesus is enough”. We prayed together. I wanted desperately to know this woman’s story and talk with her and be able to encourage her more. But I can trust Holy Spirit to be her source of comfort and encouragement and for Jesus to truly be enough.
Ismael and I had a beautiful time that afternoon together with my other teammates and the 200 other children that were there.
We played games, did a skit, sang songs, prayed prayers and passed out food, candy, and toys.
Ismael said I was the best Christmas gift ever. I believe he’s the best Christmas gift ever for me too. I may have things to give him, but he has so much for me as well. I learn from him how to be thankful in having very little, and what it means to trust a God who is so much bigger and better than I can comprehend. I learn from him how to find joy in the little things and to hold on to hope, believing in the power of God to perform miracles.
