My first letter from Cesar since I met him in Nicaragua!

 

I got the sweetest letter last week.  One that melted my heart.

It was from my sweet Cesar, the child I sponsor through Compassion International.

Compassion Bloggers Nicaragua 2013 - Project 186 - Day 2

 

Just reading his letter brought back a flood of memories, and I was drawn to pictures saved on my computer of that once in a lifetime trip I took this past June.

Compassion Bloggers Nicaragua 2013 - Project 186 - Day 2

It was instant love between Cesar and I.  It didn’t matter that we didn’t speak the same language or that we had never met until that day.  I loved him, and he loved me.

We held hands as we walked down the alley to his home.

Compassion Bloggers Nicaragua 2013 - Project 186 - Day 2

He led me through the front gate…

2013-06-19 09.31.34 and then through his front door…

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Then being the young gentleman that he was, he pulled up a chair for me. Smile

Compassion Bloggers Nicaragua 2013 - Project 186 - Day 2

And I fell even more in love with him.  That plastic chair was more beautiful and more love-filled than any chair I have ever seen in blogland or on Pinterest.

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I showed Cesar the gifts I brought him, and then we made a t-shirt together.

Compassion Bloggers Nicaragua 2013 - Project 186 - Day 2

I wanted him to visibly know that he was a special part of our family.

And I was so honor to meet his. {His dad was out working hard that day for his family, so I didn’t get to meet him.}

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Cesar’s home would never be featured in a linky party round up in blogland, but it was beautiful to me.  Beautiful because it was filled with so much love.

Well, I was so excited when I got my first letter from Cesar since I met him in June!!!

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I loved it because I could hear his sweet voice as I read it.

His beautiful penmanship was on the front, and then his words were translated on the back.

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He mentioned the time we spent together on a our special day “out.”  We got to take a boat trip together…

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He also wrote that he enjoyed “competing” with me.  Being a “boy mom,” I am all about the competitions!  So we raced up the rock wall several times.

And don’t you think for one minute that I let him win.  Oh no, no mercy here.  Smile

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After lots of racing, and climbing, and pizza eating, it was time to say goodbye.

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Oh my goodness, it was so hard to leave him.  His big brown eyes welled up with tears, and so did mine.

That child and those memories have made a permanent dwelling space in my heart.

I cannot tell you how much I love the work that Compassion does all over the world!  I saw first hand {for an entire week} how this program works to meet the needs so many precious children.

You can read all my posts about my trip by clicking on the following links:

The Body of Christ

Things are Changing

True Beauty

A Place of Safety

Never Forget Us

 

So that is why my heart broke when I saw the news about the devastating Typhoon that hit the Philippines.  I know that Compassion works with children there, and I know that people sponsor children that live there.

I even had the horrible thought that some sponsors may have lost their Compassion child in that Typhoon.  I do not know what I would do if I found out that I had lost Cesar.

 

As I prepare for the holidays…the good food, pretty decorations, fun celebrations, and lots of presents…I don’t want to loose sight of those who are suffering in ways that we can never imagine.  I never want to be blind to what is going on around me.

Maybe you feel the same way too?

Help Children Affected by Philippines Typhoon

You can donate to help the children, like Cesar, and families affected by this horrible typhoon.  And you can feel good knowing that your money will be spent well and honestly by an amazing, Christ-centered organization like Compassion.

{Those are actual boxes making their way to the Philippines.}

This is NOT a sponsored post.  I just wanted to share the letter I got from Cesar with you since so many of you followed me on my trip to Nicaragua.  And I just couldn’t talk about Cesar without mentioning all of the children in need in the Philippines.  Plus, being Thanksgiving week, I know we are reminded of how abundantly blessed we are and how much we have to be thankful for.

So it was on my heart to share all of this with you.

God bless you as you pray for and support those in the Philippines.

xoxo

14 Comments

  1. Ah…the tears rolling down my cheeks after reading your post. It was the photo of you and Cesar crying. Bless you heart and his. Compassion Int. is a wonderful organization, and get this, it was their blog that clued me in on the recent tragedy in the Philippines as I had not seen or heard the news about it.
    Sponsoring a child through Compassion is so rewarding. The little guy we sponsor is Vigo and I just about melt every time look at his precious photo.
    Thank you for sharing your letter from Cesar, it’s so wonderful to hear he is doing well and that he has so many wonderful memories of your visit to look back on.

    1. Thank you for your sweet heart, Cindi! And God bless you for sponsoring Vigo. You cannot imagine how many ways your sponsorship blesses him and his family! God is good.

  2. Tears here too as I read your post! The letters we receive from our Compassion child, Christian, also melt my heart each and every time! We are indeed blessed beyond measure and I am so thankful that the opportunity of being able to share with these children is one of my family’s biggest blessings! Thank you for sharing Traci!

  3. That is wonderful and I too had tears as I read your post. This one really pulls at my heart. This Sunday at our church service we had a group preform for the congregation. The group is called His Little Feet.They were amazing and there stories were so heart wrenching. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. They were partnered with Compassion and we had the chance to sponsor a child. Our little guy is only three years old and he is from India. He is so sweet in his picture.I hope we form a bond like you and Cesar have. I love this little guy already and we haven’t even meet.

    1. How exciting, Michelle! I am so happy for you and for your sponsored child. :)
      You will bless his life in ways you could never even imagine!
      Happy Thanksgiving!

  4. Traci, you’ve inspired my husband and I to sponsor a child through Compassion tonight. We felt it in our hearts that it was the right thing to do and we are so excited. Thank you and God bless!

    1. Jackie! This news just blesses my heart to pieces! Thank you so much for sponsoring a child. You have NO idea the difference you will be making in his/her life. God bless you over and over!
      xoxo
      Traci

  5. The simple chair had me in tears… what a sweet boy. you can tell from the photos that you made him feel loved… I am sure that Cesar saw more clearly God’s love for him through you. Campassion Int.is a beautiful organization. Happy Thanksgiving!!

  6. Oh Traci, I almost can’t find the words to express how touching this post was. As I wipe away the tears, I had to tell you how deeply this touched my heart and blessed me (and I know all who read it). Thank you, God Bless You

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