India - Bonnie

At the end of our Mission of Mercy conference with project leaders from around India, we had a nice banquet. It was our joy to invite our sponsor child, Bonnie, and her family. It was a wonderful evening. Bonnie is being educated in an English school, so she could communicate well with us, and translate for the family. Her older brother is now 25, but was not a sponsor child, so he only completed 8 grades of school, and is not able to speak English, which is a disadvantage here. It took him awhile to find a job, and he receives a very small salary. Bonnie's parents expressed to us how grateful they were that we were helping her. She is a very bright young lady - and would like to become a doctor some day. We don't know what the future holds, but we know that, with our sponsorship, Bonnie will be able to get at least a high school education.

Sometimes, though, the little things strike you. As much as we tried to honor and host them, they would not sit or take a bite until we had sat and began eating. We gave Bonnie a CD of Sarah Kelly, a Mission of Mercy artist. There was some conversation in the family. I asked what they were talking about and Bonnie finally said, "it's not a problem. We have not a way to play the CD." We are so used to technology. We will see that we're able to put the CD on cassette tape, or provide a CD player for them. The family is Hindu, but Bonnie receives teaching about the Lord every day. She told us that she prayed to God that she would be able to meet us again, and that night was an answer to her prayers. We will get to spend a little time with her again tomorrow before we depart for Cambodia. When I think of how the whole family is impacted by her ability to get an education, I assure you, that $30 a month check doesn't seem like too much to give.