A few months ago I began to contemplate the idea of sponsoring a child. My grandparents have sponsored children in Africa for years and I felt that it would be a tangible way to help change someone's life. Like many I struggled with the idea of sending money overseas when there are people in need in my own neighborhood. This struggle and other life changes allowed me to put the idea on the back burner until things "calmed down" and I could reevaluate what I wanted to do. One thing I know for sure about God is that He doesn't have a back burner and He certainly doesn't leave things on ours if they are important to Him.
About a month ago I decided to go to the 8:30am church service so that I could have more time in my day to study for an exam for work (which I passed!). As I walked into church there was a huge banner that read "Child Sponsorship" I had to smile knowing that my plan to delay my decision was nearing the end and perhaps this was a subtle reminder to revisit my interest. After the service a man was welcomed on stage and began to introduce the organization he was with. My attention shifted when he said he was from San Francisco, CA. Practically my backyard, especially when you compare it to organizations overseas. He was a part of SF City Academy a program designed to reach at risk youth in the tenderloin of San Francisco. As he finished explaining the program he encouraged people to get involved and sponsor a child so they could be enrolled for the upcoming school year. Sponsorship includes their education costs, after school care and food. I left the auditorium and felt encouraged that I could return home and really make a decision on which organization to sponsor a child with. As I said hello to a few friends in the lobby I felt called to visit one of two tables set up for the organization to at least get some more information about the program. I debated whether to stay inside or wonder outside to a less crowded table. As I navigated to the outside table I had no idea how instrumental all of my decisions that morning leading up to this moment had been.
Upon arrival one of the volunteers was helping someone sign up for a child sponsorship so I waited patiently. When it was time to help me she began answering my questions about sponsoring a child; where does the money go, how do the children get selected for the program, etc. It was then that another volunteer handed me a flyer for one of the children who needed a sponsor. Evelyn Rosas, kindergarten, date of birth 5/12/07. My eyes filled with tears. About six weeks ago while searching online through a larger organization I was having trouble deciding how to select a child to sponsor and I told myself that I would find a child that had my birthday so we could share it and celebrate together regardless of how far away we were. There was no way that volunteer could have know what she had done by handing me Evelyn's flyer. Every doubt I had about rushing into sponsoring a child vanished. I knew that this was exactly what God wanted me to be doing and I was overwhelmed with joy. As I explained my story and the secret prayer I had made to find a child with the same birthday as me and that Evelyn had been born on my 18th birthday, the volunteers came to understand my excitement. I signed the paperwork as fast as I could and a few minutes later I was sponsoring a beautiful little girl who was about to change my life more than she could know. The program is designed so that sponsors can be as involved as they would like. We are able to visit the school and meet the children we are sponsoring, and we can also write letters and send pictures. I have to be patient as she is only six years old and writing letters is probably not a skill she has learned yet. I look forward to the relationship we will build over the years and hope to meet her one day. For now, I will delight in knowing that she gets to start kindergarten in a few weeks and will pray that she enjoys school and we get to meet soon.
