The twenty children in sponsorship in this village are mostly orphans and half orphans ( one parent). They each have a tragic story that cannot be solved with funding alone. But funding provides food and clothing and school-- all things that make misery easier to bear. The kids have hope for a future that they would not have without it. They have a pastor who ministers to them, teaches them and walks the walk of faith in front of them in their own culture and environment. A foreigner can certainly come in and draw attention. But the faithful Bangla believers are the ones who show the way to the Lord. We help. We love to be part of it. But the Bangla pastor will be the one who will reach this family and disciple them, if they are willing.
There are thousands of villages like this one throughout Bangladesh. Most of them do not have a sponsorship program for the orphan children. Most do not have a pastor, either. The twenty children we are helping here are one drop in the bucket-- well, maybe twenty drops. But maybe among these twenty children at least a few will become pastors and spiritual leaders to others who need to here. We hope that everyone of them will become a faithful witness for the Lord in whatever path they follow in life. Supporting and educating these twenty are worth what it costs-- so worth it. They are worth the sponsorship money we raise. They are worth the trip that I make.
