A Glimpse into My Lidia's World

This precious sweetie is Lidia, a child that I already love very much.  I've only received a few letters since I became her correspondent sponsor last March, but she instantly won my heart in a very special way.  Her first letter informed me that her mom, a single parent to 3 young children in the family, was faced with surgery for a tumor in her throat, and Lidia asked me to pray for them.  Her mom is only 27... that's like the age of my own kids!  I was definitely praying for this young woman, not only for health, healing, and restoration, but for God's peace to fill each one during this stressful time.  In her second letter, Lidia thanked me for the small money gift I had given her as a "I'm-so-happy-to-be-your-new-sponsor-and-I-love-you-already-gift..."  She was looking forward to wearing her new blouse and pants which she purchased with the money, to celebrate when her mom came home from the hospital.  And her third letter just completely delighted my heart...  "The doctors were surprised because my mom didn't have cancer.  My family and I believe that God healed her.  My mom trusted God to make this miracle for her.  Here at the project, my teacher and classmates and I pray for sick people.  If you pray to God with your heart and faith, your requests will be answered.  (Whoo hoo!!!  Now that's a girl after my own heart!!!)  Thank you for making me so special as your sponsored little girl that you chose.  I send a strong hug with my love."  Be still my heart...  oh! how I love this child.  God just downloads a very special love for each of my sponsored kids the moment that I receive them, but as I get to know them, that love only grows continually deeper, and these kids are so incredibly precious to me.

But right now, I'm sitting here blinking back tears...

I had been googling for photos of Nicaragua where Lidia and Axel live, when I came across another Compassion sponsor's blog post of their trip to Nicaragua to visit their sponsored child.  The photos of the project were so interesting to me, to see the classes that the children participate in, the setting where they are ministered to, and the little project library and so on.

But then I saw the photos of the child's home...

I mean, I knew that my kids live in poverty, and that we're serving to lift children from poverty, both inwardly and externally, but somehow, seeing these pictures just hit me in a much deeper place. 

   

The reality of my precious Lidia and Axel, as well as the rest of my sponsored children, living in poverty such as this just seems overwhelming. Somehow I had this mental image that a house made with "cement walls" wouldn't be as bad as a house made of "mud walls..."  but seeing these real photos of a real sponsored child's home, made me come to grips with the reality that it's still abject poverty.

Axel writes how he loves to be at the project center, that he has lots of friends, the teacher cares for them and teaches them the Bible, and he is happy there...  and seeing the photos of this sponsor's visit to one project, it's no wonder. 

This is the kitchen where meals are prepared for the children of this project...

The "lab" for learning to use computers, which sometimes has internet access...

Classes the children can participate in, such as the cosmetology class these girls are enjoying...

And the project library where the children can come study and read.





(You can read about this sponsor's visit to Nicaragua here...)
 
I just came across this beautiful music video of  the Pool Boys who took a trip to Nicaragua to visit their sponsored child and do ministry at the Compassion sites with other Christian artists Zoe Girl and speaker/author Matthew Turner.  I love seeing these children so delightfully happy with the activities at the Compassion project.  :o)

One of my dreams is to visit Lidia and Axel in Nicaragua next year when I am finished with school.  I am so moved by every story I hear of sponsors visiting their children!  Here is another beautiful music video, this one of a Child Visit Day for a Compassion advocates' tour... tears just instantly came when I saw the face of the sponsored girl leaving on the bus at the end of the video... her eyes are so compelling, and her look just draws me in.  

When I visit Lidia and Axel, I hope to see lots of other children that I will have found sponsors for during this coming year.  :o)   Because my heart is so moved with compassion for my two Nicaraguan children, I specifically asked Compassion for packets of children from this country to advocate for, and yesterday I received them. :o)  So I would like to introduce some very special children...

Heyssel Paola from NI-111 is 8 years old, and lives with her dad and mom and a sibling.  She enjoys art, playing with dolls, and walking; her school performance is average, she regularly attends church activities, and she is responsible for cleaning in the home.  Typical homes in her community are made of tin and have dirt floors.  Most adults are unemployed, as is her dad also, but some work as street vendors earning the equivalent of $41/month.  Heyssel's birthday is April 15, 2004.

Stiven Gonzalo from NI-152 is 6 years old, and lives with both his dad and mom and another sibling.  He enjoys playing with cars, playing soccer and other ball games.  He is in kindergarten where his performance is average, and he regularly attends church activities and Bible class.  Typical homes in his community are made of cement floors, wood walls, and corrugated iron roofs.  His parents are employed as laborers, and day laborers earn the equivalent of $75/month.  Stiven's birthday is June 30, 2006.

Karina Celeste from NI-128 is 5 years old and lives with her mom and 2 siblings.  She enjoys singing, playing house, and art, her performance in kindergarten is above average, and she regularly attends church activities. Typical homes in her community are made of dirt floors, wood walls, and tile roofs.  Most adults are unemployed, but some work as street vendors earning the equivalent of $33/month.  Her mom is employed as a laborer.  Karina's birthday is March 26, 2007.

Agner Javier from NI-152 is 5 years old, and lives with his dad, mom, and another sibling.  He enjoys soccer, art, and bicycling; he participates in church activities, and his performance in kindergarten is average.  His duties at home include gathering firewood, caring for animals, and washing clothes.  Typical homes in his community are made of cement floors, wood walls, and corrugated iron roofs.  Most adults work as day laborers earning the equivalent of $75/month, and his dad is sometimes employed as a farmer.  Agner's birthday is August 12, 2007.

A Compassion friend of mine is advocating for this Christmas baby  from Nicaragua, so we're adding her in with these other precious Nicaraguan children. 7 year old Kimberly Judith of NI-191 lives with her grandmother and one sibling. For fun, Kimberly enjoys playing house and playing ball games. In primary school, her performance is average, and she also attends church activities and bible class. Typical homes in her community are made of of dirt floors, tin walls, and corrugated iron roofs, and the average wage for those with employment is $78/month, but Kimberly's grandmother is unemployed.  Kimberly's birthday is December 25, 2005.

If your heart is Moved With Compassion for any of these Nicaraguan children, please email me at sweetwater.deb@gmail.com.  And if you would be interested in sponsoring other children from Nicaragua, you can find them here.

With a heart moved with compassion,
 
P.S.  I just started a Pinterest account this week because of a Compassion contest... every time my pin is repinned, it's an entry into the contest.  The winners are chosen randomly... 5 separate winners will receive $25 each for their sponsored child, and 10 separate winners will receive $100 each for their sponsored child's family.  The contest started on Sept. 17th, and ends tonight.  Please repin for me... I would love to win one of these special gifts for Lidia...  Please repin this for Lidia! Thanks!! :o)