The Bridge You Pass: I am Thankful For...

I have many things to be thankful for. I am thankful for a savior. I am thankful I have a wonderful family and great true friends. I am thankful for a warm bed on these cold nights. I am thankful that I have plenty to eat...

All of these things are true and important but today my heart is especially thankful for this little girl.

I am thankful for the chance our family has to sponsor her. I am thankful for the relationship we have been able to form with her. I am thankful to have been invited into her life. I am thankful for the opportunity to love her.

We have been blessed over the past two years to be able to sponsor Faviola. We met her two years ago on our first of the three trips to Honduras.
She is shy at first but curious. She wants to get us to know but keeps her distance at first.

This most recent trip it was such a blessing to watch her be drawn to Adam. I wish, if for no other reason, we could bring her home so she could learn the love of an earthly father... one who would teach her about the love of our heavenly father.

Her Grandmother who cooks at the orphanage told Adam "She has no father. You are her father." With tears in his eyes Adam humbly yet assuredly nodded and said "Yes, Mam." Those two words weren't uttered without thought or meaning. I can say that Adam feels responsible for Faviola and he takes those words seriously. I can also say we, the kids and I, feel responsible for her. Pierson and Maylin call her their heart sister and still can't seem understand why we don't just bring her home with us.
Even though she will most likely always live in Puerto Lempira she is part of our family. We all feel responsible for her.
I can't begin to explain what a privilege it is to be her Madrina (aka Godmother). Two years ago I would have told you sponsoring a child was cool. I probably would have given the "it is great to know you are helping a child in poverty" speech.

And then we met Faviola and we became her sponsors.
Having her be a part of our lives is as much of a blessing to us as we could possibly be to her. Having her in our lives forces us to think outside ourselves. It has taught my children to be aware of more than just their material comfort.
Having her in our lives has brought purpose.

It has brought purpose even more than just making sure Faviola has clothes to wear and food to eat. We personally want to make sure her orphanage, the place she lives, has everything it needs to provide a healthy, safe life for she and her housemates. (I know we aren't alone in this venture. There are many from our church who sponsor kids there... we have all adopted them and are working together to make this facility awesome!).

Adam with his girls.

One day we went swimming with the kids. A few of them wandered up stream (Maylin included). Adam ventured up to bring them back... Above was the train of wanderers making their way back downstream.)

Faviola giving her Padrina (Godfather) rabbit ears.

Her smile just melts my heart.

Slyly reaching to take Adam's hat! She's funny!

I love this girl to pieces. I don't speak her language and I only see her once a year but she is our girl and always will be. There is just no other option.

We plan to send her to school. We plan make sure she has all she needs. We plan to see her through until she doesn't need our financial support anymore. And then we'll just be there to see her through life. I hope to see her grow up and start a career. I hope to see her get married and start a family of her own. I have lot's of hopes for her but mostly... I just want to be there.

We gave her a doll when we came. A few days after the fact someone told me to walk back to the girls room and see what was going on. I walked back and there in the room she and a few other girls had a blanket spread out on the floor and were playing with her doll. They all grinned and giggled when they saw me watching them... My heart was happy.