The Sponsor Who Made Christmas "By Accident"

I'm back home in Brooklyn now. I miss home in Canada and love it there, but it's nice to be back. I had a crazy day trying to get home last tuesday...didn't actually make it home until wednesday afternoon! It wasn't fun....between cancellation, delays, layovers, hotels, it was awful! But I made it, and I'm so glad I'm back! It's pretty quite around here right now. We aren't doing any sunday school right now. It's more the catch-up, clean-up, recuperation/preparation time. I've not even been home for a week now, and I'm already wondering what I'm gonna do with all this new free time, since most days I work 9-5! It's all good though and a much needed break.

We have a sponsorship program called Won-By-One and one of my girls, Antoinette is sponsored. Here's a little story about how a sponsor can affect one of these kid's lives. Antoinette is 13 now and has been going to Yogi Bear Sunday School for quite awhile now. She's one of my workers. She lives with her mom, brother and sister and a baby on the way in the projects that I work at, Pink Houses. They don't have much. Antoinette herself sleeps on a bed that is literally 1/2 of a mattress on the ground. So really just her head a upper body are on something comfortable. Her sponsor that she has is such a blessing in her life. This Christmas, he sent her a gift card to Target for $150. When I gave it to Antoinette she was so excited! Think about all the things that she could go and buy for herself now! This happened before Christmas. Today was the first time I've seen her since I got back, and after we dropped off our van full of people from church, her and I went to get her a few things that she needs. While we were driving she started talking about Christmas. And she told me that she gave the gift card to her mother, so that her mother could go and buy Christmas gifts for the family with it. That was their Christmas this year. And without that sponsor they wouldn't have had any gifts. I had to keep myself from crying when she told me. I mean, she's only 13 years old, yet she understands how important Christmas is to her little brother and sister. Right away when I got home this afternoon from dropping Antoinette home, I wrote a long letter to her sponsor telling him how his gift was their Christmas this year. I hope he realizes what a blessing he has been in her life. For him maybe it was a simple gesture of "I care", but really, that gift to Antoinette meant so much to her and her family.

I still feel emotional writing this all down for a second time. I'm exctied, cause my parents have asked me to hook them up with a child to sponsor...a child to invest in, to show God's unceasing love to. I can't wait to tell the child I think could use a sponsor that he/she now has a sponsor! Praise God.

Did I mention how wonderful it was to see you all over Christmas? I had such a great time being home and seeing everyone and especially my girls and even more my family. Sorry I missed you Martina! Love you all.