This Reminds Me

Archive for July 25th, 2007

No, we’re not adopting again (did you hear that, Keith?)  But we did decide to assume sponsorship of a five-year-old boy in Muldova, “Ion” (John), through Children’s Emergency Relief International.

He’s a cutie.

Orphanage kids in Moldova have two sets of clothes – winter and summer. Their summer “camps” have no electricity or running water.

For $35, all six of us can go to What-A-Burger.  Or five of us can go to a matinee movie.  Or four of us can buy a new paperback.  Or three of us can go play arcade games.   Or two of us can each buy a new video.  Or one of us (and that one would be me) can get a pedicure.  Or….we can sponsor Ion each month, with half the money going to improve his standard of living now, and half going into savings for him pending his discharge at age 16.

Freinds at church serve a Moldovan mission each summer, and many are already sponsoring children.  We are absolutely confident of where our money is going.

One friend had spread dozens of sponsorable kids’ pictures on the counter Sunday.  LIttle girls.  Little boys.  Little girls with summer shaves that looked like little boys.  Familiar names.  Names of all consonants we had no idea how to pronounce.  Some kids as old as Lois and some younger than Julia.

So how do you pick?  Because to choose one means leaving the others.

I did what any wise, well-educated (and cowardly) adult woman would do – I backed off, and let the kids choose.  They wanted a boy, and with very little discussion and (surprisingly) no fighting, they selected Ion.

Julia is still a little mystified as to why we are not making him her brother.  “Why he no come home?”

Because – just like when we were in Children’s Home #47 – we choose one and left the others.