The Reason Why

This blog was born on my way home from Guatemala. I wondered how it would ever be possible for me to explain to my friends and family the experiences I had during my Mission Awareness Trip. I figured a blog was as good an idea as any. It has also afforded me the opportunity to expand on the things from my trip journal, to place my experiences somewhere solid, where I will always have them.

My hopes are many. I hope that others can get just a taste of the experience my dad and I had in Guatemala. I hope that others may decide that a trip like this is just what they need. I didn’t know how much I needed this trip until I was there. If you feel the itch, please scratch it. You’ll be so glad that you did.

My life and the direction of my life have been forever altered by one simple week spent with the poor. I found new purpose and new ideas for where I hope God will take me. I have been a sponsor with the CFCA for a few years while being fairly ignorant as to exactly what they do. I know better now.

The CFCA is changing the face of the planet, one family at a time. Their goal is to help the poorest of the poor to recognize the strength of their own dignity and their own self-worth. They are offering hope to the hopeless. They are providing children and families with the tools they need to drastically improve their lives and the lives of future generations. When a child is sponsored, the entire family is sponsored. Each family is looked at for their specific, individual needs. Families are able to receive food, clothing, improved shelter (a new home), medical supplies and medical care. These families are finally able to afford schooling for their children. Parents are being taught to work trades and to raise animals for both sustenance and income. The CFCA is helping families to lift themselves out of poverty.

Though it pains me to admit it, I spent a week trying to pinpoint exactly what the CFCA may be doing wrong or how they could better use my monthly support. Instead of finding faults, I left at the end of the week in utter amazement at the work this organization is doing. I will never look at sponsorship the same again. For the first time, I was able to grasp what my sponsored child, Marlon, is facing. The first thing I did when I got home was write to him. And because of my trip, Marlon won’t be the only child I sponsor.

As of now, there are over 375,000 children and aging being sponsored all over the world. Before we left, I asked one of the CFCA representatives how many children are waiting to be sponsored. Her answer was short and sobering – “Tens of thousands,” she said.

My hope and prayer is that someone reading this will consider sponsorship. If you do, please visit www.cfcausa.org where you can see the faces of those waiting for help. Please feel free to share this blog with anyone, and thank you for taking the time to read about my experiences.