Brooke is a friend on staff with me at Mission of Hope and I couldn't express this story we both experienced any better than she has, so I've asked her to share it on my blog for you all to hear. It was truly a beautiful testament to God's unique care for us and how He's orchestrating things that we don't even see. All glory and praise to Him!
This story starts with sponsor visits. Sponsor visits may sound pretty straight forward, but rarely are. This particular day we were traveling to two different schools for visits. The sponsorship team met the sponsors at the school and the first visits went great. We went to meet the sponsors at the next school and when the Child Sponsorship team arrived we found out the student had not come to school. My heart was beating 80 thousand miles an hour, my hands were sweating and my head immediately went into puzzle solving mode. How could this be? We called ahead of time to tell the school we were coming. We told them to relay this message to the student. This is the first time this has happened. What do "I" do?! So after speaking with the school direction, they assured me the student would be in school the next day, could we bring the sponsor back?
Could we bring the sponsor back?! No we cannot bring the sponsor back. We are visiting 5 other schools tomorrow in the exact opposite direction. Could we bring the sponsor back?! (This is what my head was thinking, but in my heart I knew, whatever had to happen to make this visit work, had to happen.) So we agreed to meet back at the school the next day.
So the next day after we had visited the 5 other schools we went back. And let me tell you,
Yes the student was there, but it was SO much more than that. As the sponsor began to tell her story to this student, you could tell that every. single. thing. that was happening was God ordained. The sponsor began to tell this young girl of how God had redeemed her life. How when she was lost, hurt, broken and alone she didn't lose faith in God. This sponsor, in the midst of a devastating life, finished school and moved to America. She told of how God healed her broken heart and mended her soul. She could see God redeeming her and giving her a purpose. You could tell this sponsor was being used by the Holy Spirit AND you could tell that was exactly what the student needed to hear. I could not keep the tears from flowing. The student changed from shying away from the sponsor, to laughing and enjoying her time with the sponsor. All she needed to know, was that in the midst of her hurt and trial and pain, that God is there. That He is still moving in her life, even if she cannot feel Him close. That she has someone who will believe in her, pray for her, encourage her, and support her!
The next day the student met the sponsor at the local basketball court. She was wearing the gift the sponsor gave her plus a smile. WOW. To know that at the end of 2013 God was working on behalf of the student. God was ordaining that moment. He was arranging the lives of both the sponsor and the student AND that the sponsor listened to His quiet prompting.
I pray I never lose sight of those moments. THIS is what it is all about. THIS is transforming every man, woman and child in Haiti. I am so grateful that God allowed me to be a small part in that story. I am so thankful God uses these moments to remind me of His ultimate goodness and to bring glory to His name.
This story starts with sponsor visits. Sponsor visits may sound pretty straight forward, but rarely are. This particular day we were traveling to two different schools for visits. The sponsorship team met the sponsors at the school and the first visits went great. We went to meet the sponsors at the next school and when the Child Sponsorship team arrived we found out the student had not come to school. My heart was beating 80 thousand miles an hour, my hands were sweating and my head immediately went into puzzle solving mode. How could this be? We called ahead of time to tell the school we were coming. We told them to relay this message to the student. This is the first time this has happened. What do "I" do?! So after speaking with the school direction, they assured me the student would be in school the next day, could we bring the sponsor back?
Could we bring the sponsor back?! No we cannot bring the sponsor back. We are visiting 5 other schools tomorrow in the exact opposite direction. Could we bring the sponsor back?! (This is what my head was thinking, but in my heart I knew, whatever had to happen to make this visit work, had to happen.) So we agreed to meet back at the school the next day.
So the next day after we had visited the 5 other schools we went back. And let me tell you,
One of the most beautiful things happened.
Yes the student was there, but it was SO much more than that. As the sponsor began to tell her story to this student, you could tell that every. single. thing. that was happening was God ordained. The sponsor began to tell this young girl of how God had redeemed her life. How when she was lost, hurt, broken and alone she didn't lose faith in God. This sponsor, in the midst of a devastating life, finished school and moved to America. She told of how God healed her broken heart and mended her soul. She could see God redeeming her and giving her a purpose. You could tell this sponsor was being used by the Holy Spirit AND you could tell that was exactly what the student needed to hear. I could not keep the tears from flowing. The student changed from shying away from the sponsor, to laughing and enjoying her time with the sponsor. All she needed to know, was that in the midst of her hurt and trial and pain, that God is there. That He is still moving in her life, even if she cannot feel Him close. That she has someone who will believe in her, pray for her, encourage her, and support her!
The next day the student met the sponsor at the local basketball court. She was wearing the gift the sponsor gave her plus a smile. WOW. To know that at the end of 2013 God was working on behalf of the student. God was ordaining that moment. He was arranging the lives of both the sponsor and the student AND that the sponsor listened to His quiet prompting.
I pray I never lose sight of those moments. THIS is what it is all about. THIS is transforming every man, woman and child in Haiti. I am so grateful that God allowed me to be a small part in that story. I am so thankful God uses these moments to remind me of His ultimate goodness and to bring glory to His name.
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