have mercy

does anyone want to sponsor a little girl named mercy?

a couple of months ago nathanael read an article in world vision magazine encouraging all WV child sponsors (we have a "son" in myanmar) to find one other person to sponsor a new child. n took this earnestly and immediately called world vision to request an information packet on a child in need. unfortunately, world vision mistakenly, but apologetically, added this child to our account. we would LOVE to sponsor mercy, but cannot at this time. is anyone interested?

mercy pinyoloya is 7 years old. she lives in koro-bobi region of uganda with her sister and parents who struggle to provide for the family. she does not attend school. her main chore is carrying water, and she loves to jump rope. she lives in a community severely impacted by the HIV/AIDS crisis. this means that mercy is a "hope child" (a child who lives in an HIV/AIDS affected community). here is what a $35 per month donation will provide for a "hope child" like mercy:

-clean water

-nutritious food

-healthcare, including AIDS prevention

-educational opportunities (usually they provide materials and uniforms for kids to attend school... wouldn't that be amazing for mercy?)

-spiritual nurture

-care for sick or dying parent

-HIV and AIDS counselling

uganda is such an intense country, ravaged this past decade by a rebel army known for kidnapping children by night and making them child soldiers forced to do things to community and family members that are unspeakable. here is an article where i first learned about it: children at war. anytime i feel sorry for myself, i think back to this article i read in a WV magazine 5 years ago. nothing could be worse than such a life of survival-- parents sending children to travel each night to "safety zones" to sleep to avoid the terror of kidnapping, torture, enslavement, rape and mutilation. how awful that this rebel army, the Lord's Resistance Army, has now moved into the DR Congo, Southern Sudan and Central African Republic. there are so many kids in all of these countries who need sponsoring. i really wish i could do it and i'm sure i will someday!

if you are interested in sponsoring mercy please let me know. if you are interested in learning more about world vision, check out their website: worldvision.org. they are an internationally reputable, christian, non-profit humanitarian organization; my father-in-law has worked for them for nearly 30 years and can testify to their excellent stewardship caring for children, families and communities around the world. they also have the most moving and best gift catalogue in the world... you can buy goats, chickens, soccer balls, sewing machines, music lessons, job training, business loans, counselling and other gifts in honor of others: wv gift catalogue. it's amazing and great when you don't know what to get for someone.

here is one of many letters over the years from our "son" aung in myanmar. he calls me "auntie roxie" and informs me that he is studying for university entrance exams, which i think is high school in myanmar. i've sponsored him since he was 6 so it's amazing to see his yearly progress pictures over the years. if you want to search for other adorable, beautiful children who need sponsorship check out world vision's well-organized sponsorship page: sponsor a child!

thanks for reading!