Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Dani

When I came home from India not only was a severely jet lagged, but I was severely overwhelmed! There are so many children. There is so much need. How does one person start to make a difference? We discussed the possibility of individual child sponsors but that possibility seemed daunting in a land where there are an estimated 20million orphans.
Dani and his Grandmother 2011
 We have begun to take positive steps in supporting orphanages in India. It is an exciting time to be involved in ROOM. Still the idea of child sponsorship hung in the back of my mind. Recently the Pastor who stepped up to be our ‘tour guide’ while in country sent a request to help a little boy we had met while there. This little boy, who we will call Dani, lived in a tiny one room ‘house’ with no furniture to speak of along with his grandmother who was in failing health.

 Their kitchen
 The back door and "back yard".
 All of their laundry.
Dani and his grandmother. She is sitting in her make shift wheel chair. 
 The Pastor told me the grandmother is not doing well and this child needs a sponsor now so that Dani can go and live at the children’s home.
At that moment a light bulb came on.  It was time to start our sponsorship program and this is where we were to begin.
I was reminded of a devotion I read years ago in “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. It was about a man walking on a beach. There were thousands of star fish washed up on the shore.  He bent down to throw one back in the water when someone asked him. “Look at all these star fish. What difference do you possibly expect to make?” The man’s simple reply as he tossed the starfish back in the water was,  “It made a difference to that one.” 
Yes there are 20 million of orphans in India. That number alone is enough to make anyone ask “What difference can we possibly expect to make?”
 My answer is. It will make a difference to Dani. Will you be Dani’s sponsor? For $30 a month you can help keep Dani off the streets and give him the chance to grow up in a place where Christ’s love is taught. 

2 comments:

Cassie said...

oh traci...
i think the same way as the man questioning the throwing of the starfish all the time. my feelings of inadequacy faced with daunting numbers completely cripples my ability to do anything for anyone. but better to help one then to help none...i wonder how many people feel the same way as me and i wonder how many people could help "just one" and i wonder how many more could be helped altogether if we did...
thank you for not accepting my excuse :)

Laura said...

What a beautiful post... and the timing is perfect. If only I could be his sponsor :) haha.

Much love to you. Keep fighting the fight for these children. Every.single.ONE!