By Lindsey Quinn
“I was very afraid to come,” begins sponsor Inga. “I did not sleep for two nights because I was anxious and worried.”
Journeys, no matter how adventurous the traveler, can cause anxiety. For Inga, trips are no small undertaking: she lives on the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus – near Turkey – meaning her journey to Barranquilla, Colombia, required nearly a full 24 hours of travel. But this sponsor overcame her fears to meet her sponsored child, Yuselfi, and learned how even small things give big hope to an impoverished child.
“The first impression was incredible. When we arrived at her house and she hugged me…that touched me, and I began to cry. It was not only me who loved her and thought about her, but she also felt the same.”
Once Inga was safely in Colombia and able to meet Yuselfi, the little girl she’s sponsored since 2009, the trip was well worth the effort. “It was my dream from the beginning since I sponsored the girl; my dream was to come visit her.” Although Inga sponsors children around the world – Honduras, the Philippines and Zambia – Yuselfi was the first one she’s been able to visit. “It is different when you see her through pictures or read her letters. With a visit, you can see the things with your own eyes, what her conditions are. On the one hand, it is nice to see her, to meet your sponsored child but, on the other hand, it is sad.”
Meeting sponsored children can be an overwhelming experience. Letters from the child and updates from Children International give a full picture of the family’s circumstances, but there’s something different about experiencing it firsthand.
“I knew that she had no bathroom and that the floor was dirt,” Inga recalls, “But it is different to read it than to see it.” Abandoned by their father, the family of three – Yuselfi, her mother, Aracely, and her little brother, Diego – survives thanks to the charity of a neighbor who gave them a place to live. Even with this generosity, life is extremely difficult. The home lacks a bathroom, meaning the family must use an open field for their sanitation needs. The family does its best to keep a tidy home – a difficult task when you have a dirt floor and metal roof.
Inga and the children have a blast with the bumper cars – although Inga may have had more fun than Diego!
Although saddened by the circumstances of her sponsored child’s daily life, Inga’s visit quickly became a happy one. “The first impression was incredible. When we arrived at her house and she hugged me…that touched me, and I began to cry. It was not only me who loved her and thought about her, but she also felt the same.”
Seeing Yusefli’s home highlighted for Inga the importance of small contributions. Yuselfi had kept the small items Inga had sent her over the years, shining tokens of hope in the bleakness of her life. “When I saw that she kept my letters and all the things I have sent her…the toys, clothes, pictures…it meant a lot to me that she thinks about me and that I am important to her!”
After the emotional challenges of visiting Yuselfi’s home, the rest of the trip focused on giving her happy experiences and small improvements for her home. First on the agenda was a delicious lunch out for the entire family. Then Inga, Yuselfi and Diego enjoyed a fun time at an arcade. The children had a blast playing games.
Aracely embraces Inga during their trip to the grocery store to buy food and supplies for the family.
After creating some beautiful memories to share, Inga invited the children and their mother to shop for some much-needed groceries and personal items. A shopping-cart full of groceries later, Aracely reflected on the visit and her child’s relationship with her sponsor. “I really prayed to God so that she [would come] someday to meet us. I really thank her for everything she has given to [Yuselfi]. I thank God for having put her in our way; this is a huge blessing. She is like a mom for my daughter, and I thank her and [give thanks] to God for coming so far to meet the child.”
Yuselfi and her family may be living in terrible poverty, but visiting the family reaffirmed Inga’s commitment to helping them, “I wish I were rich to buy a house for her, but I think we can help with little things.” Inga had no doubt that Children International was an organization that marshals small things into big changes, “A reliable, organized and sincere organization; I could see it with my own eyes.”
