Adsense

Saturday, January 5, 2013

My Trust Child: Introducing Dafyne

I've sat and thought about this post for many days. I've been thinking about many different ways to start writing it, what to say it, how to say things, and honestly, I just haven't figured it out, which is probably where this awkward little introduction to my thoughts is coming from. Sometimes, my mind is so full of details and things to say, that I just cannot process them well. I apoligize if this entry seems disorganized and maybe a little confusing (?).

Trust can be confusing sometimes.

I briefly mentioned my word of the year in my Shoes, Shoes, Shoes post a few days ago, but I didn't come straight out and talk about it. I started thinking of my word for 2013 at the beginning of December. Well, actually, I didn't really have to do much thinking. I thought it once and the word was there. Simple.

Last year, for 2012, I focused on the word patience. I worked very hard to have patience in my life, patience with my students, patience when it came to waiting for letters from my sponsored children, especially patience when it came to waiting for God to show me the next steps in my life. Over these last 12 months, I feel as if I have grown immensely! I have truly learned to slow down, pray about things seriously, and I feel as if I am able to discern the voice of God in my life, showing me where to go next.

Now that I am able to dicern what God is telling me, it's time to start trusting that voice, eh? There's a fine line between believing that God knows what's best for me and actually trusting and going along with what he says, isn't there?

(Awkward Transition!)

Two weeks ago, I chose to finally watch the short documentary Prevailing Hope. I was given this youtube video to watch many months ago. I simply bookmarked it and ignored it. I sat down and for the next half hour, I was glued to my computer screen. This documentary shook me to the very core of my heart. I swear I felt my heart break into a million pieces for the children living in this area of Brazil. Children living here are often encouraged by their own mothers, fathers, grandparents, to sell their bodies on the street for money. Children as young as 4 and 5 years old are prostituting themselves for mere dollars in this slum in Brazil. I encourage you to watch this video. Please, find a half hour of empty time, and watch this:

 
 
After seeing this short documentary, I was wrecked. There was absolutely no going back to my normal life knowing that children are living like this in our world. I just could not handle it. It's just not fair. I don't know how else to describe it.
 
Then, as if by some divine action (it absolutely was) I across a post on Our Compassion asking for sponsors for children from this exact area of Brazil. Children just like the ones in the video, living in small, dirty homes with too many people, seeing extreme violence, experiencing sexual abuse, and learning that they are not worth it, not even worth keeping their bodies and minds safe.
 
I. Could. Not. Handle. It.
 
I sponsored one of these little girls. I just had to. I don't know how else to say it. I absolutely had to. I thought about it for a couple days and over and over again, I could hear God saying, "Trust me, trust me, trust me."
 
How could I argue with that?
 
 
So, I didn't. Without further ado, meet sweet Dafyne:
 
 
She is 4 years old. She lives with her mother and 1 sibling. She lives in a area where there is constant pressure, even at her young age, to sell her body on the streets to feed her family and herself. In her picture, she is wearing the updated version of the tank top the children are wearing in the documentary you just watched. That probably means that she did not have her own appropriate clothing. And, she is currently in kindergarten with above average performance. In an area with very little hope, there is hope in this little girl.
 
 



I am beyond blessed.
 


8 comments:

  1. What a beautiful little girl!! That's so exciting that you're helping keep her off of the streets. What projects are in this area? I'm going to sit down soon to watch the documentary. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are currently two projects in this area, the one in the video and the one that my Dafyne is from. There are no children currently on the website from the one in the video, but Dafyne's project, Viva la Vida, has 4 children on the website. Here they are:

      http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/child-search-results.htm?txtProjectName=BR417

      Delete
    2. I was wondering when we were going to hear about this new girl. :) So adorable!! Congrats!!

      Also, I just clicked that link and noticed that one of the BR417 kids available is named Emily. Weirdest thing, though? Her name is Emily Kathlen, and I'm Emily Kathleen. Whoa....LOL!

      Delete
    3. Haha. I was wondering if somebody was going to bring this up. I added her to my line of pictures last weekend, but didn't mention her at all. Good catch!

      Hmm...maybe you're meant to sponser her? ;)

      Delete
    4. Thanks!! I'll think I'll try to post the video and the available kids later this week.... Thanks for sharing!!

      Delete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I want to thank you for stopping by and commenting on my blog post. Your well wishes for Dafyne mean a lot to me and I really appreciate you.

      I'm sorry that your comment got deleted earlier, that was not my intention. I changed the settings on my blog to not allow anonymous comments anymore, as I have been getting many comments from porn sites and people trying to sell things. When I changed the setting, I went through and deleted any anonymous comments without reading them, but I did receive an email with your comment.

      I can understand where you are coming from in regards to me cancelling Yonas' sponsorship. I really can. For me, I believe that I did the right thing. But, if in the end, it turns out that I did make a mistake, I will have to account for it. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me and to move on from this situation. It has been a couple of months now and God has blessed with an unexpected raise this year, which allowed me to sponsor another child. I believe that God led me to Dafyne for a reason.

      As far as Yonas goes, I truly believe that God is watching out for him. Who knows, maybe it really was part of God's plan for me to only have him for a short time. Maybe it was my role to sponsor him, send him about 10 letters and large family gift (both things I did) before God lead him to his more permanent sponsor.

      Again, I hope you can forgive me and move on from this situation. It has happened, it's in the past, I prefer that we move on with God towards the future.

      Delete
    2. Also, I want to reiterate that I did not cancel Yonas' sponsorship because he's an "older boy". If you've been a reader of my blog for an amount of time, you can see that the older boys have my heart the most, as you can see through my sponsorship history. I understand the statistics of boys and sponsorship.

      Delete