Talitha and I left Minneapolis this morning with 4 bags. Two held our personal belongings. The other 2 were packed to the 50-lb limit with items to minister and bless here in Guatemala. Here are a few photos from the day.

Talitha has often traveled with me when I’ve been going somewhere. This time it’s flip-flopped– it’s her trip and I’m getting to tag along. I’m having a good time watching her excitement, waiting for Saturday when she’ll meet Juan, who she’s been sponsoring for a little over a year.

In the meantime, tomorrow we and the other sponsors who are here will meet the Guatemala Compassion national staff and tomorrow evening we’ll visit with some university students who are former Compassion children. I expect to hear stories that will emphasize the long-term effects of the faithful ministry of Compassion sponsors.

For example, here’s a story that one of you told when you commented at an earlier post about Talitha and Compassion.

Sponsoring a child is very near and dear to my heart because my mother was sponsored as a child by a Christian couple (they even visited her in Taiwan)! Because she was sponsored, she received a primary school education and went on to receive scholarships to continue her education. She eventually became a nurse. When she married my father and came to the US, she didn’t speak a word of English. She took me and my twin sister to church because she knew she would be able to find good people there who would help her in a new foriegn land. Because she took us to church, we heard the gospel and eventually became believers as adults.

The ripples of your love and support as a sponsor has depths beyond your comprehension. God is truly amazing.

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My travel photos may be viewed at my Shutterfly Share Site.
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