A Plea for Ahondo

So, I've become a bit addicted about looking at Compassion's website for children waiting for sponsors. I've mainly been looking at the kids in Togo, Africa since that's where Mawupemo is. I watched the unsponsored kids at her center go from 9 to 8 to 7 and then it blossomed up to 14 today. Somehow I also stumbled on a different center in Togo and Ahondo has caught my attention. Just a hint of a smile that might be trying to come out. That sweet pink dress. Please, if you can, pray about sponsoring this girl. If you can't sponsor her, pray that God sends a sponsor for her. She has waited 333 days for a sponsor. Sponsorship costs only $38 a month. So, bring a sack lunch to work for one week a month, and you could have the sponsorship money.

Ahondo: Age 5, (Birthday Sept. 15, 2009)

* Lives with her grandfather and grandmother *

 

* Her grandparents are sometimes employed as farmers *

 

* Responsibilities - Running errands, carrying water, and helping in the kitchen *

 

* There are 2 children in the family *

 

* She is not presently attending school *

 

* Favorite activities - Singing, playing with dolls, and hide-and-seek *

 

* She attends church and Bible class regularly *



It's Christmas Eve

Ah, the quiet of the house before the kids wake up.
Luckily our plans are always low key since we have limited friends.
Bubba has an eye doctor check this morning. Then I think we will brave the stores to buy some food.
Church at 4, which sucks because my kids want to eat at 5, not have me cooking then. Usually service is at 6 or 7, but our new pastor isn't here yet, so this is what it is.
We probably will bake cookies today so Santa has something to snack on.
We are such exciting people. 
Merry Christmas everyone!

Our Family Grows

Back in October this grabbed my attention. I had seen their previous awareness campaign showing how one girl went from a smiling birthday through war and refugee by her next birthday. I looked at the pictures, but nothing came from it. But in October it changed. We had recently had a meeting at our church to call a new pastor to lead us. One of the names listed was a pastor serving in Malawi, so as I was flipping through pictures I figured I see who was listed for Malawi. I wanted a girl around 6 or 7 since M is that age. Esther in her blue shirt and sad eyes caught my attention.
This week we received our first letter from Malawi. Esther lives with her aunt and uncle. She is in first grade there. She just turned 8 last week and M is getting ready to turn 7. Her aunt wrote a little bit about their farm and Esther's favorite parts of school. They are Christian, so I tell them we are praying for them and wrote back about M's school Christmas play.
Also this week we sponsored Mawupemo in Togo through Compassion. Her birthday is about 2 weeks before Pudge's. Since Compassion doesn't work in Malawi, I searched their girls in Africa that are Pudge's age born in February. There were several, but I was drawn to Mawupemo and her picture reminds me so much of Pudge. Pudge loves wearing dresses and loves shoes. Mawupemo had been waiting 319 days for a sponsor, so it's possible she was enrolled just before her 4th birthday and got a sponsor for Christmas and close to her 5th birthday. It's sad she had to wait so long, but I hope that our frequent letters make up for the wait. Due to the processing time required, we sent out a birthday card to her this week.
We also signed up to correspond with Santosh. He is a young man living in India. For whatever reason, his financial sponsor is unable to write to him, so I will write to him instead. At first I was apprehensive about writing to him since our other kids are so young. But I am sure this will be a wonderful thing for all of us. So now we have friends in Africa and India to pray for and encourage.

Mawupemo in Togo

Santosh in India

Leprechaun Free Zone

Happy St. Patrick's Day (thank you Google for reminding me). Welcome to our circus where simple is how we roll. No, there isn't a leprechaun visiting our house. There's nothing green in the toilet or green milk in the fridge or some letter left behind. We didn't build traps or create a giant rainbow in the living room. If DRL thinks about it, he might dress the younger two in green. Miss M has a uniform and I'm 95% sure she has no idea where her green polo is. But I am pretty sure he will just throw whatever on Bubba and who knows what Pudge will put on. She doesn't have that many green items of clothing so the odds are it will be pink or purple or gray.
Unless the leprechaun is going to do dishes or fix a meal, it's just one more thing I don't have time for. DRL and I turned out just fine without the shenanigans. Keep the leprechaun at school. You already suckered me into doing a penguin (the elf is too creepy), I draw the line at leprechauns.