Hello, my name is Patricia and I am a blubberer.

I don’t know why I even bothered to put on any eye make-up today, because I certainly cried it all away. The mascara smearing down my cheeks is far less attractive then just going without makeup at all.  Oh well, I will live and learn.

I think this trip is my 10th trip with Compassion, and I still blubber like a baby.  The first thing I do when I start to cry at a Compassion project is look around to see if any other Americans are joining me in my emotional state. It was a relief to see that Kelly was joining me.   It’s a pride thing I guess, but God made me soft.  In other words, I cry at sad movies, I cry when I see someone else crying and I cry at Compassion projects.

Today, we went to a Compassion project and were greeted by 200 of the sweetest, most affectionate kids in the world.  Seriously.  These kids poured on the love.  Roses at the door, hugs, kisses, smiles, even the boys hugged.  This particular project was started 5 years ago and has never had any sponsors come to visit.  We were the first group and that was pretty cool.

The kids sang songs, did a little skit and shared some stories, but then they asked us to come up front so they could all gather around us to pray.  200 Compassion kids prayed for me today and I felt like God had wrapped me up in His arms and told me He loved me.  Each smile, each hug, and every kiss felt like it came straight from Heaven. I blubbered.

After the project visit we went to Dr. Marco’s house.  Dr. Marco is only 12 and lives with his mother.  Now, he hasn’t quite made it through medical school yet, and for now he is still working on the 7th grade, but I am confident this boy will do great things with his life.   In addition to becoming a doctor, Marco wants to be a preacher and a teacher.  He dreams of helping children just like him, and when he does become a doctor, he wants to come back to his neighborhood and be the doctor at no charge.

If you had met Marco at the project or on the street, you would never imagine the conditions he lives in. He boldly stood up today and read from the Bible in front of all 200 kids and us.  He was beautiful.

His smile, his confidence, his infectious personality does not lead on to the life he is living.

There are people in Marco’s life that make fun of him.  They make fun of his faith and his desire to do well.  He has been dealing with some wicked stuff  but….

His mother supports him and is very proud.  His mother is an amazing woman and supports  the family by selling garlic in the market.  She is thrilled when she earns more than $2 a day.  When we asked her about the difference Compassion has made in her son’s life, she cried.  She told us how Compassion provided clothing, shoes, and school supplies, but then she wept as she shared about Marco’s new confidence and the hope he has in Jesus.

This is when I began to blubber again. Of course I was relieved to see my fellow friends Kelly, Scott and Dan were all blubbering too.

Marco’s mom began to share more of her story.  Its a difficult story that must be shared at another time.  I can say that this family is so poor ,they don’t even have a hole in the ground for a toilet because they can’t afford the tools to dig it.  Instead they carry their waste away in bags.  Hello..

Tonight I cried again thinking about the stories I heard today.  Stories of hope given through the generosity of people who decided to sponsor these children.  I think about Marco and his mom and their situation, and I am praying that God can provide Marco with a toilet one day.  I pray that he can go to school, go to college and help his wonderful mom, who works 7 days a week.  I pray for their family situation and Lord, you know their situation.  I think about all those hugs and kisses.  I think about those smiles and I think about my lunch companions and how they laughed at my Spanish.  Oh my, I must blubber some more.

Hi My name is Patricia and I am a blubberer.

Sponsor a child please!