This past week has been incredible. I’ve experienced things I never thought I would experience. I’ve been impacted in ways I never thought I could be impacted.

In January, I started sponsoring a little girl named Anyi (pronounced Angie) through Compassion. I knew sponsorship impacted kids lives but I never knew how much it could impact MY life…until Tuesday.

We had the amazing opportunity to take our kids and their families to a waterpark for the day. Anyi immediately recognized me and ran up to give me the biggest hug. This is the little girl I sponsor. She’s not just a girl in a picture that I write to. She’s real, she’s joyful, she’s adorable.

At times it was awkward because, I mean, what do you say to a 5-year-old after you’ve talked about their favourite colour, favourite food, school, friends, etc. But even though conversation was sometimes limited, her joy and excitement always showed.

We played around in the water, laughing, smiling, and having a good time! Anyi had never seen waves before and LOVED it when I would pick her up to jump over them in the wave pool!

One thing that struck me was how grateful Anyi’s mom was for my sponsorship. She said thank you probably over 100 times! It really impacts the entire family – not just the kids.

When it was time to leave, I picked Anyi up and she just clung to me. As I was holding her, I lost it. Everyone here would tell you I was an emotional wreck until probably an hour after we got home. Good times :)
Poverty isn’t fair. And yet it’s real, and Compassion is making a difference.

Lindsay2

Lindsay3