Child sponsorship is an amazing way to make a lasting impact on the life of a child and their family in Jesus’ name. 

On  the flip side, the sad reality is that not every child gets sponsored.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about my buddy Diego in Guatemala. 

Diego touched my heart in so many ways. 

Diego lived next door to the hotel where we slept, (and by hotel I mean the cinderblock shelter with individual rooms and hay beds, read: no running water and spotty electricity).   Diego is the oldest man in his household at the ripe age of eight, his father is not present and based on statistics we can assume he abandoned the family due to addiction to alcohol and/or drugs.  With the huge burden of leadership on his shoulders, Diego does the work of a grown man helping his mother care for his little sisters (3) and managing the daily household chores in their cinderblock home insulated by bamboo with a tin roof. 

I visited Guatemala twice in 2003.  Toward the end of the first trip I asked if I could sponsor Diego and enroll him in the program.  Sandly Diego was too old to enter the program.  I still don’t understand this mentality.  I think it must have something to do with not having enough sponsors available to match the need. 

When I think of all the unsponsored children, I remember Diego, and the life he could’ve had if there had been a sponsor in time. It broke my heart to see the look in his eyes as he watched our team set off for the Compassion project each day.  I wanted to bring him with me!  But I also know that God has a plan for Diego and even if he isn’t enrolled in the Compassion center, he is still touched by the love that flows from the center into his community.  I pray for Diego every time I pray for my sponsor child Kevin and I trust that God will protect Diego and care for him in a way only He can.