Bittersweet News

There's a certain feeling you get, when you look at your caller ID and it says Compassion. Some days it's almost dread, other days, it welcomes good news, or updates.

I wasn't expecting an update, and I was at work. I had just clocked back it, so I let the phone ring to voice mail. After work I carefully listened to the message, it was in regards to Sheena, my Filipino girl I had recently received the email update, explaining her school situation had changed last year, and the coding for her updated case study had been entered wrong. And she was now almost done completing her second semester as a computer tech student. Last year her family had financial difficulty, and she had to drop out for a while.

I wondered if maybe they didn't realize I had received the email update, so they were following up with a phone call. But in the back of my mind I thought it might not be, as the representative said in her message, I was hoping to talk to you in person.

When I returned the call I was informed she completed the program early. Part of me is extremely happy and proud! She completed all the programs and studies Compassion offered her, and so her aunt had her complete early.

The other half of me is completely heart broken. My hopes were to possibly visit her next year before graduation that year. Our church travels yearly to the Philippines in January. I had high hopes of meeting my dear sister.

She is my same child who sent me a Facebook friend request last year, that I dreadfully had to ignore because of Compassion safety guidelines. I now searched for her today, and was unable to locate a profile for her.

I do considered myself blessed to have the opportunity to have sent a gift with a fellow sponsor who traveled to the Philippines in January. This sponsor also sponsors a teenage girl in Sheena's project.

Just the other day I received a thank you letter in the mail, and you guessed it, I had a photo of her with the bag of goodies I sent! It is priceless, and I'm so thankful for the time God has allowed me to be a part of her life. I pray I may have some minimal contact still with her, possibly via the internet. If not, I know I'll see her someday.

At the end of the conversation I did ask if I would received a new child, since she was my correspondent and I'm over the limit. I was told yes, when the sponsor accepts a new child. So on another bright note, I'm excited to see who else God chooses to bless my life with. Because as much as we bless our sponsor children, I believe the blessings come back ten fold!