helping out

so, first off i know it's been a while and i apologize--i've been busy with some things that i will talk about later, but i cannot talk about it yet. i know it sounds cryptic, but it will make sense in time.

anyway, i wanted to share how excited i am about sponsoring a child! rebecca, my freshman year college roommate, sent me an email about a month or so ago asking if i'd be interested in sponsoring a hope child from rwanda (meaning she comes from an area severely affected by hiv/aids), and brandon and i decided to do it. the organization it is through is world vision, which is an organization that i have known about and has a very good reputation (so i know my money is going where it's supposed to be going). when i was signing up to be a sponsor, i had the opportunity to choose age and gender, but suddenly i felt really strange--who am i to say who is in the most need? i decided to let fate have it's way, and i ended up with an absolutely beautiful 7 year old girl. her name is alphonsine and she is from rwanda. according to her bio:

"alphonsine lives with her parents and 3 brothers. her parents struggle to provide for the family.

alphonsine and her family live in a community severely affected by the hiv/aids crisis. in some communities, aids affects the entire social structure as a generation of hardworking adults is being wiped out. frightened children and exhausted grandparents rarely have money for food, school, or medical care...alphonsine is in primary school and enjoys studying the native language. she helps at home by carrying water. she likes to play ball games. she is in satisfactory health."

the money not only goes towards her physical needs, but it also goes towards prevention, care, and counseling programs for those affected by hiv/aids.

it's been really fun to get this information and find out more about this precious little girl! we are supposed to receive a letter from her in 2-4 months and i can't wait! i am excited to be able to correspond with her and find out more about her life. for me, this has been an excellent opportunity to look outside myself and put my life into perspective. seeing her picture on my fridge will be a daily reminder of the much larger world that we live in.

rebecca said she just received 5 more children that need a sponsor, so while i promise this isn't a ploy to try and recruit people, if you might be interested or know someone else who might be interested, please let me know! you can leave a comment or email me at minimarsh6@gmail.com