The ECCC short term missions team picked up a group of students with their caregivers who were eagerly awaiting their visits from their sponsors at the Purulha School. We visited each home, but the visit in one home was amazing.
The mother in the home was a widow with two young daughters aged 7 and 3. She greeted every one of us with a warm hearty hug and was so grateful to have us in her home. She asked her older daughter to write down all of our names; she said that she would like to pray for all 14 of us by name. We were amazed!
As we stood together in this humble room, we could see the floor in the next room covered with maize. She told us that her husband had passed away 3 years ago and that things were difficult for her financially. She had never had an opportunity to go to school or learn any trade and yet now it fell to her to provide for the home. Every day she makes snacks and attempts to sell them on the street. There are days when no one buys anything and then the family is forced to go hungry.
While she spoke, her two young girls stood obediently by her side. Their clothes were worn and tattered matching the furniture in the home. When our group asked if we could pray for their family, the mother and the two daughters immediately dropped to their knees. We had never experienced anything like this before, so our entire group also dropped to our knees, laid hands on this little family, and prayed. Tears flowed and hearts were challenged. God was working in the lives of this Guatemalan family and in the lives of our group. God showed us, through the humility and gratefulness of this mother, that it is the Lord alone who sustains us all.
There is something special about the relationship between a sponsor and the child. It’s a relationship that is blessed on BOTH sides. This mother was so very thankful; so grateful that her daughter was able to attend an Impact Ministries school. At school her daughter would receive a meal a day, an education well beyond the means of what they can afford and access to medical and dental care. More than that, having a sponsor makes them feel that there is someone in this world that cares for them; that they are not alone. Although their faith in God is so strong and they literally rely and trust in Him to provide for their needs each and every day, knowing that there is someone in this world that is praying for them, thinking of them and loving them is a source of comfort and joy.
For our team, a visit to the home allows us to connect with the child we have prayed for; a chance to see their world for a moment. Their faith and reliance on God in difficult circumstances is a powerful, lasting testimony to us.
Sponsorship makes such a significant difference in all of our lives!
Story by Elaine Wat & Rita Peters
