God Counts in Ones
Hope’s Promise impacts the lives of over one hundred children in four different countries. But each one of “our” kids have a name and a story. Child sponsorship dismantles the statistics and breaks the numbers down into the life of one child. As Mother Teresa once said, “God counts in ones.”
Sponsors deeply impact the life of Esther in Kenya. Today, the engaging teenager runs, teases siblings, hugs caregivers, and communicates well. But these accomplishments once seemed an unlikely dream.
Born in 2005 in Mathare Valley, second largest slum of Nairobi, Kenya, Esther failed to develop typically. Sometimes the best caregivers can hope for a sickly baby born into the desperation of a third world slum is that the child will die.
But Esther defied the odds. She spent much of her early years in the daycare of Mathare Worship Centre, founded by Hope’s Promise Country Coordinators, Pastor and Mama Karau. Various short-term visitors, including members of Hope’s Promise Connection Teams, met Esther. And their hearts broke for her. At age five, still unable to walk or speak, she rarely, if ever, smiled.
In 2010, Mama and I took Esther for a medical evaluation. The five-year-old sat motionless and expressionless through the exam, but huge tears rolled down her cheeks. The doctor concluded with these words, “You must decide how much this child’s life is worth because it will be expensive to care for her.”
How much this child’s life is worth? What kind of question is that?
The faces of friends passed through my mind, people who had met Esther through the years and longed to help her. Fortified, knowing many would unite to support her, I turned to Mama and said, “If you will provide the care, we’ll find the money.”
Pastor and Mama Karau brought her home soon after the exam. And, indeed, child sponsors stepped forward for Esther. Within a month, she took her first steps to the gleeful cheers of her new family. Today, not only does Esther run, she rides a skateboard!
Through child sponsorship, you affirm the infinite worth of one child’s life. You invest your heart, prayers, and resources into giving a child a family and hope for their future. You intersect with one child’s story and change its trajectory.
To learn more about child sponsorship, please visit Child Sponsorship FAQ’s