Sponsorship and How it changed our lives.....and can change yours too!

  Sponsorship..... it has changed our lives!  It began when Steve was maybe 18 and he decided to sponsor a pastor through Gospel for Asia (which is an incredible organization).  I always wanted to help out somehow and so when Steve and I got married we began with sponsoring some kids through different organizations.  I began writing each child a few times a year and we were happy to know that our little contribution was hopefully helping our child and their family.  I always wished that I could see how it really helped them or at least where they lived and what life was like for them.
  Well, when I went to Guatemala and Shadow of His Wings for the first time, I knew I needed to sponsor some of the girls there.  The way the orphanage is set-up is amazing, with house parents, a great school, opportunities for the girls to reach out to other communities.  The people that work/serve at S.O.H.W. are full of love, hope, compassion, and care so much for each child that comes.  I made some instant connections with a few girls that had helped our team with a Vacation Bible School we did.  So when I returned home last November, I looked into sponsoring two girls right away. We were able to sponsor the girls and I wrote letters right away and prayed for them.  When I returned in January, I was amazed at how the relationship that began in a few short days in November just flourished and became something really special.  In being a sponsor I was able to spend some extra time with the girls and we had some great times together, sharing pictures, stories, just laughing together and playing sports too!  There is something so special about knowing the child/teen you are sponsoring- you feel so invested in their lives, wanting to know how they are really doing, and because I got to see where they lived and what they had come from, it was incredible!  I just loved these girls and felt like they were family to me- truly like my daughters and I know God made that happen! 
  Each time I have visited I have had the opportunity to spend time with the girls, three now, that we sponsor and I love that I am involved in their lives, praying for them, playing games and having fun with them, and knowing that hopefully us moving there will help them to feel like family with us as well.  When we went to visit with our family this past June, our kids just loved them so much and my girls even wrote cards to our sponsor girls saying "Thank you for being my big sister and I love you so much!" 

  I believe that even if you never have a chance to go to Guatemala, you would be making a huge investment and difference in the life of a child who needs you there.  They are just like our own kids, who need love, care, hope, and to know that someone believes in them.  They do receive amazing care in their homes at the orphanage, but the need of sponsorship is there and the girls really do appreciate it and feel special when someone sponsors them!  If you have any questions about sponsoring please contact Vanessa Priest by email at shadowsponsor@gmail.com or check on their website for more info at http://www.shadowofhiswingsorphanage.org/ !

  I am writing this to encourage any of you, that sponsorship really does make a difference and can change these kids lives and your life too.  I love that we have kids in another part of the world and that they are a part of our family too, especially when you know of some of their stories..... when a child is abandoned, orphaned, and/or abused and someone chooses to love them, support them, reach out and invest in them- I think it shows them that they are important and that they do have someone out there who really does care!  We can be God's hands and feet and reach out to these special kids or others out there!