Some days, it is a challenge getting to the office and remaining optimistic toward life. I'm sure you can relate. The traffic noises, the deafening music surrounding me and the unavoidable touching with total strangers form a harmony that is not always positive. It is simply tiring and exhausting.
Why don't I just remain with the warmth of my three loving girls and, when they return from school, let myself be flooded by the love they know how to give me? Why not stay with my son, a young man, who, along with his father, might be the only reason for the smile that my lips steal from life? This could be an excellent way to recharge daily energy. However, a little over a decade ago, I found another reason to face the sun.
Children International – Dominican Republic ( https://www.children.org/Dominican-Republic) provides me with the motivation to get up and face the social jungle with which I must interact. I have discovered how something as humble as optimism makes a real impact in the lives of thousands of young boys and girls through the solidarity of people who, often, do not even speak the same language. They are other "total strangers" who empathize with the pain and misery of our kids and, with simple gestures, restore smiles and hope.
I visited one of our community centers recently with Crystal Hirschi, who sponsors two Guatemalan children, and her family. The family of five, who had been on vacation in the Dominican Republic, traveled (https://www.children.org/trip) to Los Tres Brazos with a very special gift in their hands: 30 stuffed animals, which Crystal's daughter, Victoria, and friends had made.
Upon our arrival at the center, the excited children already looked happy, eagerly awaiting their gifts. The kids had been told they would receive a gift from a sponsor, but they were not told what it would be. Seeing the luggage piqued the curiosity that can only nestle in children's souls.
Christian, Braiden and Chad, Crystal's sons and husband, carried two large suitcases, unaware of the fact they not only brought cute toys but also sparks of joy that would adorn the smiles of 30 Dominican children. Meanwhile, Crystal and Victoria helped to organize the tiny recipients of their love.
As the suitcases revealed their contents, the children's eyes lit up – their pupils smiling and shining. I was just as excited as the kids were! When Crystal told us who had made the stuffed animals and why, my heart quickened its pace.
There was so much tenderness in her words, and her story was magical! The images she used to tell the story behind her motives were magnificent. The impact her words had on the boys and girls was indescribable. Suddenly, their hands simultaneously turned into a vibrant and joyful applause, convinced that it was not Crystal who spoke but a tender heart that empathized with each of them.
Then the hard part: photos, expressions of thankfulness, letters of gratitude and candid hugs. For me, it was a powerful experience that enriched my day and reaffirmed what I discovered more than 10 years ago: What we are experiencing in the sponsorship and child development programs of CI are powerful reasons to continue to face the sun with a heart full of optimism and great hopes for achieving real changes, even with seemingly simple gestures like giving a teddy bear.
Erenia "Leni" Mesa Linares is our field correspondent at Children International – Dominican Republic.
Nine-year-old Carolina was delighted to receive the plush elephant toy from the Hirschi family (from left: Crystal, Chad, Victoria and Christian).
Keep reading! Learn how sponsorship builds lifelong relationships: 
MackyMack
Jun 1, 2015
This is awesome! I'm sure the animals made 30 kids very happy!