Sponsorship Makes A Difference

I first heard of Wiphan Care Ministries in January. I thought the name was creative ... Widows + Oprhans = Wiphan. But I also thought their shirt design was equally creative. The front was fun because it shared their organizations name, but my favorite part was the back. The back reads: This shirt fed and educated one orphan for a month. Wiphan.org. Ndola, Zambia. 

I am sure to always wear my long hair up on the days I wear my Wiphan tee so people can read the back. At the time I purchased the shirt, I was not even an official sponsor of a child. I just bought the tshirt knowing that all profits were going to help the general fund of feeding and educating a student at the Wiphan school. And I wanted to help spread the word through my community about this organization. That was enough for me to get started. 

But then I kept checking back on their website. I started communicating and becoming friends with a woman on the Board of Directors. Her enthusiasm and clear insight shown through, and it started to become the core of my thoughts and heart.  

I signed up to sponsor in May. While I could have made this a family affair; gathering around the computer screen to read all the bio's of the children left to sponsor and selecting one, I chose not to. This was my calling and while I was delighted to share (my kids would confirm I did this a lot!) I felt it personal when it came to following through with my personal choice to sponsor a Wiphan student. 

I put the picture of my sponsored child, Margret, on our fridge right alongside my other dear family members and friends. I wrote her a letter. She wrote back, and that too became part of the fridge.

At my daughter's recent birthday party, a party goer saw the letter and picture and asked me what it was all about. The person was talking directly to me, however, my daughter pipped up and answerd: "Well, we aren't adopting, but we are sponsoring her. She's like my sister in Africa." The party goer was still looking at me, and I was still looking at her, when my daughter just turned to walked away. The two of us remained smiling at one another, and that was that. Making a difference. 

As my daughter stated, Margret is part of our family. Distant at best due to land and water, but none the less close to my heart. I know Wiphan is a small organization in comparison to other like-minded organizations, but I also know they are doing mighty works because the benefit to me is that I know who is handling the funds, the time, the commitment, the dedication, the work, the tears, the everything. One day I hope to be among the Wiphan Mission Team jumping on a plane to Ndola to make a difference. 

Sponsorship doesn't just change the person who is gifted the funds and prayers, but it changes the dynamics of a family who supports another human being - whether local or across the world - making a difference is real.