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I’ve always understood the familiar saying “to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” to mean not to judge a person, because we have no idea what life is like for someone else. I also think it means we should have empathy for people.
Living in Rwanda has provided me with daily opportunities for empathy. Most recently for a boy named Jado.
Jado came to the doors of Hope for Children Ministries with six brothers and sisters, homeless, and in need of food. His father abandoned his mom and the children. Soon afterward Jado’s mother died leaving them as orphans.
The children were on their own. Instead of attending the government school, they spent each day scavenging for food to stay alive. We made a deal with them—we would feed them twice a day if they would go to school. And so they did. But when I watched Jado observe our sponsored children at the Hope for Children International School, I saw a yearning inside him for something more. He saw how different our kids’ lives were from his. He saw them celebrate birthdays for the first time. He saw them laugh. He saw that they were loved.
Jado was ineligible to be sponsored due to his age and the fact that his younger brother had gained a sponsor. So, I decided to "unofficially" sponsor him. I wanted Jado to know that there was someone who cared about him—I cared.
Just six months later, Jado is no longer last in his class at the government school and continuing to work hard. When I asked him what he had learned to say to me in English, he said, "I love you." I smiled and my heart warmed as he handed me a letter he wrote in English that expressed his thankfulness and love for me.
Jado is just one example of how empathy and love can bring so much hope to a child. This is the same hope you help bring to your sponsored child and really every child associated with Hope for Children Ministries.
The needs are many, but our God is mighty. Thank you for letting God work through you to give of your finances to help more kids like Jado feel loved and live with hope. You’re making a real difference in the lives of children in Rwanda.
I’m eternally grateful for you.
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