She curled up in a small ball, nestled against me. This tiny girl in the middle of Mathare Valley melted my heart. A small yawn, and then her breathing slowed to a steady rhythm.
In the middle of the noise and chaos around us, she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep in my lap. A simple gesture, a gesture of trust.
What choices requiring trust allowed this moment for me and my little friend in Kenya?
- This girl’s family had to trust the Compassion-assisted Child Development Center. While living in the midst of such an unstable valley in Kenya, this family saw the church for what it should be: a beacon of hope in the dark places. They decided to trust that their daughter would be safe there.
- Compassion Kenya staff members trusted the remarkable Redeemed Gospel Church to partner with them. They trusted their heart for these children and their desire to help us, together, accomplish our goal of releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.
- The child development center workers who labor tirelessly at these centers make choices all day long. Choices to trust that their kindness and care will make a difference for each little one like my young new friend.Living in Mathare Valley can erode trust. Yet each child who cautiously crosses the threshold of the center discovers that here it is safe to trust. Here these children can drop their guard and experience love and comfort.
- You, as a sponsor, entrust your resources to us here at Compassion. Each time you sponsor a child like those in Kenya or in any of our 25 countries, you have made a choice to trust the stewardship of our organization’s care for children.
Because of the trust of God’s people, He gives us these beautiful moments of redemption in broken valleys.
Trust me when I tell you that I could have stayed with that little girl all day long. But I had to leave her. And I trust with all my heart that she is in good, loving hands.