A Family for Daniela

The presents have all been purchased, a few of them are wrapped, the tree is up, the lights are hung, the first batch of lemon curd has been made, and I've got the gingerbread dough chilling in the refrigerator. My Christmas "To Do" list is gradually shrinking, but there is one BIG thing still on my list.

You see, on my refrigerator, is a picture of a little girl named Daniela. Okay, actually, her name is Daniela Lisseth Abigail Campos Pereyra. It's a big name for a little girl. Daniela is just a couple of months younger than Noah, and she lives in Peru. This year, our family is using the month of December to pray for Daniela, and I have committed to try to find a sponsor for her.

In Peru, thousands of children do not have access to safe drinking water, enough to eat, a safe place to live, or access to an education. Daniela is one of those children. But, through sponsorship with Compassion International, Daniela has the opportunity to attend school, obtain medical care, and receive enough to eat. More importantly, she will learn about the love of God as the gospel is shared with her. Sponsoring Daniela would provide her with an "extended family" who could pray for her, write to encourage her, and provide her with love and support.

This year, our family began sponsorship of a little girl in Ethiopia. I can't begin to tell you how much that sponsorship has come to mean to me. Knowing that she receives enough to eat now, and medical care, and an education are great, but for me, the best part is the letters. It felt a bit awkward at first, but now I love to sit down and write to Meron. What a privilege to share with this little one that God loves her, and because of that, so do we. In a situation where life is so difficult, I write in the hope that those letters will provide another way for her to come to know about the God who loves her, and that our encouragement and support will help her to succeed against overwhelming odds. The munchkins get the opportunity to draw pictures for her and ask her questions. And, in return, we get the sweetest letters. Her first letter was a little shy, but her last letter was full of excitement as she told me about getting to start school, how excited her family was because she got a pair of shoes and a new set of clothes thanks to the birthday gift we sent, and at the end she shared things in her life that she asked us to pray with her about. What a privilege!

For the amount of $36 a month, you could have one meal out, four trips to starbucks for coffee and a pastry, a trip to the movies with popcorn and a soda for 2, or you could choose to make an investment in a little girl named Daniela. Would you prayerfully consider adding Daniela to your family's Christmas list? If you would like to see her packet of information or are interested in sponsoring her, please leave a comment on my blog.