“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.
“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.
– Isaiah 54:1-3 –
I didn’t expect these to be the scripture verses that God had for me. I am blessed with a wonderful, godly husband who loves me quite dearly. Like most people when we got married, I expected we would have children in a few years. We trusted God in this situation – but that wasn’t our path. We didn’t have children and we weren’t led to adoption as His plan for us. I am a caretaker by nature but didn’t have children of my own to care for.
I know I am not alone in not having that desire for my own children fulfilled, but it was a bit perplexing. But I realized something was changing in my heart – there was fire igniting in me to fight for children who didn’t have anyone to fight for them, for children who needed help and hope and Jesus. Then God gave me these verses reminding me that He had children for me to love and care for – for me, these children weren’t next door but in different lands where they needed the refreshing living water of Christ.
This burden was general until my first day visiting Trigo y Miel, Forward Edge’s program in Oaxaca, Mexico. We were challenged by our Facilitator, Jeff Thompson, to ‘make a friend’, get to know one person at Trigo while you visited. I was willing to try to connect with someone but knowing my high school Spanish was more than rusty, I wasn’t sure how it would work.
Then we arrived at Trigo – all the children were so welcoming and excited to meet us. It was wonderful! We completed our portion of the VBS which was not the most inspirational moment (we have learned a lot since then), but afterwards we got to interact with the children. With the help of our translator, I spoke with a few of the girls about family and school. I talked with one of the girls, Maria, about her favorite subjects, her dreams for the future, her family and the Trigo y Miel program. She was such a sweet soul – it was such a blessing.
During the rest of the week, I saw her regularly at meals and activities. Our team was working a lot that week, but we were always blessed by the time with the children.
When I returned home, I knew I wanted to sponsor Maria. Jeff explained that each child needs three sponsors at $38 each or one at $114 per month to be fully sponsored. After spending a week seeing all the amazing support and care that Maria (and all the children) receive from Victor, Lety and the whole Trigo team, I decided to fully sponsor her so her future would be secure – that fire in my heart wouldn’t be satisfied with less than a full commitment.
Since that time, I have had the joy of visiting Maria and her family during four annual mission trips to Oaxaca. What a blessing it was to sit in her home with her mom and brother, just having a conversation! Through letters and photos, I get to share in her life and growth.
She is now enrolled in Siloe, Trigo’s private Christian school, instead of a public school that she attended in the past. She and her mother were both baptized in 2023. Maria sings on the Worship Team, and their team recently participated in a local 24-hour worship event.
For Maria, she gets nutritious meals, quality education, safe drinking water, medical check-ups, spiritual discipleship, mentoring, small gifts for birthdays and Christmas, and the confidence that she has been chosen…she is seen…she has someone praying for her…she is known and loved.
Through sponsorship, I get the joy of supporting, encouraging, and praying for this wonderful young woman. It is such a simple, yet powerful way to support the global Church of Christ – helping a child grow and discover God’s purpose of her life.
As the Director of Development at Forward Edge, I have the privilege and joy of helping support our Program Directors and staff around the world as they share the love of Jesus to their communities. All the children in our programs are dear to my heart, but it is especially personal with Maria, Silvestre and Mariam as we now sponsor all of them.
So, as Isaiah 54 says, I will sing and enlarge my tent for there are more children to love….
As a child sponsor for over 3 decades, and now as the Child Sponsorship Administrator for Forward Edge, I am often asked (and challenged myself) about how to best communicate with a sponsored child. In almost all cases, the children we sponsor live in other countries. We do live in
Have you come across Sell a Home, Save a Child and wondered what it is? Abbreviated SAHSAC, Sell a Home, Save a Child is a funding program for Forward Edge International. The premise is simple: sell homes and save children. Real Estate professionals can partner with Sell a Home, Save
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Many prayers were answered this year when Siloe School in Oaxaca, Mexico officially opened to 28 elementary students! Siloe School is a private Christian school run by our Mexico Children’s Program. Our program has always supported education by providing tutoring and covering school supplies and fees, but this is the next
16 yrs. old
Entered the program: September 2023
Daim lives with his parents, older siblings, their families, as well as 5 uncles and their families in a poor neighborhood. It is very common for extended family members to live together, and there are more than 40 people sharing an old five-room house with one bathroom; they live in impoverished conditions. Daim’s family occupies one room of the house and they have no furniture. Daim’s father works small construction or gardening jobs sometimes in the summer. His mother is very ill and is homebound. Daim also tries to get small jobs in the community to help out. Life is very difficult for them.
Daim's cousin, Suad, is also in the Cornerstone program.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
