SponsorProfiles

Mission awareness trip ‘a powerful experience’ for priest

Father Anthony Lee meets Luis, his spon-sored friend, on a mission awareness trip to Mexico.

Father Anthony Lee, the pastor of St. Jude's Parish in Peoria, Ill., is used to being the teacher. He ministers to his growing congregation of almost 730 families on a daily basis. But when he went on a trip to Monterrey, Mexico, to see his sponsored child Luis, he became the student.

"I speak very little Spanish and [Luis] doesn't speak any English, but we talked all day," he said. "You know, "Rocks, Paper, Scissors" is universal. It was more about him teaching me."

Father Lee has been sponsoring Luis, 9, through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) since April 2007. The two have grown to know each other through letters and photos. He tries to write Luis every other month. During a March mission awareness trip hosted by CFCA, the two met face to face for the first time.

"I've always had a great passion for caring for God's little ones, especially those who are less fortunate," Father Lee said. "So when I had the opportunity to begin sponsoring through CFCA, it seemed like a logical place to effect change in at least one child's life."

The pieces fall into place

When Father Lee learned of the mission awareness trip to Monterrey, he jumped at the chance to go. Most sponsors don’t visit their new friends only a year after beginning sponsorship. However, this trip marked more than just the opportunity to meet Luis.

“I wanted to do something for my own Lenten prayer,” Father Lee said. “Because I believe in what CFCA is doing and I wanted to endorse it even more strongly, I thought it was important for me to see it,” he said. “I wanted to experience it.”

The only obstacle was finding another priest to fill in for the weekend that he was gone. CFCA sent a priest to celebrate weekend Masses and speak about sponsorship while Father Lee was in Mexico.

“It was the perfect trade,” Father Lee said. “It adds credibility. While CFCA was in my parish, I was visiting my sponsored child.”

Father Lee said that a CFCA presentation at Holy Family, his previous parish in Lincoln, Ill., was a good experience for parishioners.

“Part of what the CFCA program does for people is it gives them the opportunity to break down some of those barriers between peoples of different countries and nationalities,” Father Lee said, “and at the same time, effect change in someone’s life.”

‘It was remarkable’

On the week-long trip, Father Lee met Luis and his family and saw how his sponsorship was impacting them.

“It was a very powerful experience,” he said. “Meeting Luis and his family and experiencing their sense of gratitude and affection, and their deep faith, it was remarkable.”

While they were visiting, Luis called Father Lee “Padrino.” Father Lee learned through a translator that this is what the children call their sponsors.

The translator went on to explain that padrino means “godfather” in Spanish. After experiencing Luis’s world and his gratitude, “godfather” now has a more profound meaning for Father Lee. He still gets a little emotional thinking of the meaning behind that word. Father Lee sent the family a letter almost immediately upon his return to the United States.

“And I wrote to Luis’s mother, ‘As you must have been able to tell, it brought great joy to my heart to have a new godson.’”

CFCA Mission Awareness Trips

Sponsor a child in Mexico

Read more about CFCA's work in Mexico

Sponsors moved by the lives of sponsored families in Nicaragua

Ed and Lynda Quistorff with their sponsored friend, Cruz, during a recent visit to Nicaragua.

Reprinted with permission from The New Wine Press, the monthly newsletter of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, Kansas City Province. Ed and Lynda Quistorff are lay companions of the order, and members of Sacred Heart Parish in Warrensburg, Mo. They have been CFCA sponsors for 10 years.

The welcoming banner in one community read, “You are the gardeners who make our souls blossom.” Ed and I recently visited Nicaragua as part of a Mission Awareness Trip sponsored by the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. Along with 21 other sponsors from across the United States we made the journey from winter to summer, from our comfortable homes to hotel rooms, from one culture to another, in order to meet our sponsored friends and their families and to learn a little about their lives, hopes and dreams.

Our home away from home was a hotel in Managua, with one night in another hotel in the far north of Nicaragua. After our arrival, we were divided into small groups, each with a translator/guide. Every morning we were awakened at 5:30! or 6:00! to gather for prayer and and an overview of the day’s activities. Following breakfast we traveled by small bus and large van to visit one of the subprojects. The trips, although long, were on good roads—with only one exception.

Everywhere we went, we saw people walking—to work, to get water or to collect
firewood. School children, distinguishable by their white shirts and dark trousers or skirts, walked from several blocks up to nineteen kilometers to attend their classes. The drives took
us across broad valleys and over mountain roads, past rivers, lakes, and acres
of coffee beans laid out on plastic to dry.

Experiencing the joy of CFCA communities

Upon our arrival at each subproject, the sponsored children and elders and their families greeted us warmly with smiles and applause.

On two occasions we celebrated Mass to begin the visit. Greetings, music and dancing followed. The young children (in one case little girls who obviously loved the dance and little boys who weren’t so sure about the whole thing) danced first. They were followed either by older children or parents performing folk dances. Children presented dramatic skits; fathers played music. The mother of a young girl recited a poem about the beauty of Nicaragua; a father read a long testimony he had written. The mood was festive! Following the presentations, a snack was served and introductions began with handshakes, hugs and kisses.

Ed shook the hand of one young boy who greeted him solemnly in English, “Good afternoon.” At each subproject some of our group met their sponsored children.

Visits to homes deepens reality

When the festivities were completed, we visited different people in their home—in small groups. The houses are primitive, most often one room with an earthen floor and a tin roof.

Possessions are few but precious. Each hostess (the men were usually away at work) described her situation and visited with us, showed us the garden, the house, and talked about the children. Our group was privileged to meet a variety of people. The first was a married couple with three children. Because it was Sunday, both parents were home. This couple works in a cigar factory and earns $12.50 (each) per week.

Their small house is owned by the wife’s father. Mom attended school up to the seventh grade, Dad only the second or third. They have several pieces of furniture including a sofa and a hutch to store their belongings.

Next we visited the owner of a coffee plantation. Theirs is a success story. They have been
able to buy several acres and to build a multi-room house. Their seven children are mostly grown, and they have been able to hire a man to help them. They look forward to running water coming to their mountain village, although it may be two more years.

Our third visit was with 2 families who were relocated to a project just before Hurricane Felix. Each family was given a small plot of land, but only substandard building. supplies—leaving them mostly on their own to build. The first woman’s husband works away, so she is alone with the children much of the time. The second is a grandmother who cares for her two teenaged and orphaned granddaughters and a very young great-grandson. Their belongings are sparse: two beds and several chairs.

Our final encounter was with the owners of a small banana plantation. The husband works away; the wife babysits and does housekeeping. Their home has two rooms and a small kitchen. Of course, the highlight of the week for Ed and me was meeting our sponsored child. After ten years, “our” Cruz is no longer a child but a young man in his third year of high school. The awkward feelings at first meeting gave way to conversation as best we could with our limited Spanish and Cruz’ limited English—and the assistance of the translator. Cruz’ solemn face on the first day gave way to broad smiles and a relaxed demeanor on the second. We are the proud sponsors of a young man who was first in his class in grade school and has an 89% average in high school It was very difficult to say goodbye. As the banner proclaimed, we are indeed the gardeners—and it works both ways.

The sponsorship garden

Our monthly CFCA contribution offers if you will the fertilizer of hope in the lives of these good people, by providing food, medical and dental care, and education—which in many cases would be nonexistent but for sponsorship. Parents too can have their dignity restored through local job training, literacy programs, and ccommunity and family building. The seeds we plant are watered by our prayers and correspondence and support.

Our sponsored families also tend the gardens of our hearts and lives. They prune out any remaining presumptions that people who live on earthen floors live in squalor. They pull out by the roots the weeds of ignorance that judge the poor to be lazy or irresponsible. They untangle the vines of avarice as they share from their small substance—like the man who gave two oranges from his trees to each of us in gratitude for the gift of sponsorship in the life of his aged wife.

Ed and I expect to be sponsors for the rest of our lives. If you are already a sponsor, we invite you to consider a Mission Awareness Trip to visit your sponsored friend. It is a experience you will never forget. If you have not heard about CFCA, we encourage you to visit their website and prayerfully consider walking with the poor by opening your heart to a child or aging person. Sts. Gaspar and Maria would approve.

CFCA Mission Awareness Trips

Sponsor a child in Nicaraqua

A moment of truth comes in meeting sponsored friend

Sponsor Mary Teo and her husband Alex visited their sponsored child, Cidro (left), in the Philippines. Mary said the visit caused her to assess what is important in her life.

After 11 years of sponsorship, Mary and Alex Teo of Issaquah, Wash., visited their sponsored child, Cidro, in Legazpi, Philippines.They arranged their visit through CFCA’s individual sponsor visit program. Mary wrote this account of the experience for her church bulletin. It has been edited for our Web site.

When I first signed up to sponsor a child through CFCA, I requested a child most in need and let God take care of the rest. I never really had any plans to visit my sponsored child. It was my husband, Alex, who suggested we go. I was excited and terrified all at once. What would I say? Would he understand? What if he didn’t like me?

The morning of “truth” was upon us. At the airport, the child I had previously seen in pictures was right before me holding a welcome banner and some homemade leis along with Natz and Andie, two CFCA social workers. Natz joked that Cidro had practiced saying “Good morning” all the way there, yet, he was speechless.

At the office in Tabaco City, we were greeted by Cidro’s parents. The social workers explained that the next stop would be a Thanksgiving Mass and a program put on by the children. Natz said they wanted us to say a few words as well.

He just wanted to be near me

On the way to the church, I tried to focus on Cidro. When I saw he didn’t have a Mass booklet, I leaned toward him so he could read with me and he immediately snuggled up. I realized that he just wanted to be near me.

During Mass, I prayed that God would ease my fear of public speaking and give me the words to speak. Apparently, God picked this time to show his sense of humor. I had a pretty good opening sentence because I had practiced it in my head, but then I went blank. Alex stepped in and said a few words of thanks and then we sat down.

We watched several dance routines by the children. CFCA teaches all the kids to dance as a way for them to gain confidence and self-esteem. Alex, Cidro and I sat while they took pictures of us with all 500 kids and adults. CFCA truly understands the meaning of “no child will be left behind.”

I realized how much my sponsorship meant

The next stop was Cidro’s house, a small cement block structure. We were celebrities, greeted by cheers, wide-eyed stares and, of course, a welcome banner. The neighborhood kids peeked in the windows as if it were the Today Show. The few rooms were bare with the exception of true necessities. They sleep on the roof where it’s cooler, or on the living room floor. If they are lucky, they have a fold-out cot.

I met older brother Martin, one of 11 siblings, who wrote all of Cidro’s letters when he was too young to read and write. Cidro pulled out a manila package, old and wilted from the heat, and inside was every letter I had written, every card I had sent, and several pictures of me. I realized just how much my sponsorship had meant to him. We sipped on fresh coconuts and took family pictures. The social workers were a true blessing. They are fluent in English and provided a good bridge to the language gap.

The time with Cidro had its ups and downs. I assumed that other sponsors immediately had connections to their sponsored child. I worried that I was a disappointment. Later, Cidro told us how much he loved having us and made us promise to come back.

Visit made me take a good look at my life

At the airport the next morning, as we took pictures and waved goodbye, I felt guilty that I didn’t think our hotel room was luxurious enough. It lacked free toiletries, a hair dryer, hotel stationery and a pen, mail service, extra pillows, and the hangers didn’t even match.

They were all so cheerful with such a simple life. Even Cidro’s family was happy in their little cement house. I suppose it’s something for us to strive toward.

My visit with Cidro made me take a good look at my life and what was important to me. I was thankful for the experience and enjoyed being part of his life, even if it was only for a short time. I am also proud of the contributions I have made in his life so far. I will continue that support so that he and his family might experience a better life.

CFCA Mission Awareness Trips

Sponsor a child in the Philippines

Read more about CFCA's work in the Philippines

Volunteer delays long-awaited return to Kenya after recent unrest

CFCA volunteer Paula Appleton posed last summer with Joseph (left) and CFCA-Timau staff member Patrick Dereba (rear) shortly before she returned to the U.S.

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

—M. Scott Peck

Paula Appleton said it was a desire to “fill a void” left by her husband’s sudden death in 1998 that eventually led her to Kenya.

When her husband died three months after being diagnosed with lung cancer, Appleton found herself alone in the five-bedroom house they shared in Pinetop, Ariz., with no idea of what to do. She took a Bible-study class, sought counsel from a priest, and then stumbled upon CFCA at a church presentation.

What began as a long-distance connection to her sponsored child, Immaculate, has matured into a deeply personal and solid bond with the people of Kenya. Appleton is about to return to the African nation to continue working as a volunteer for CFCA’s Timau project. Recent political unrest caused by disputed election results has caused her to delay her departure.

Though the situation in Timau has calmed a bit, Appleton’s biggest concern is getting from the airport in Nairobi to Timau, a three-and-a-half hour drive.

“Someone has to drive in and pick me up,” said Appleton. “If the road is blocked, it will be a problem. I wouldn’t want to put anyone in harm’s way.”

She is waiting for the go-ahead from Sister Joanne Gangloff, Timau’s project coordinator.

A deep connection with the people

This will be Appleton’s second stint as a volunteer in Timau. Her first was from January to June 2007 when she served as a sort of headmistress for Timau’s standard (grade) one-through-four primary school. Her duties encompassed a wide range of tasks, from ordering supplies to monitoring classrooms. Within the first two months of her stint, she knew she would return.

“At first, I didn’t know what I was doing,” said Appleton. “But then I got into a routine. I knew I had to come back.”

She went home to Albuquerque, N.M., last July to attend a wedding. After six months of hiking and visiting family, including her son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons, Appleton is ready to return.

“I miss being there. I feel a real connection with the people of Kenya,” she said.

Appleton is anxious to catch up with some of the friends she made, in particular, two young brothers, Martin and Peter. Their parents died of AIDS shortly after Martin was born. Appleton said Peter and his two brothers went to live with a grandmother who had an alcohol problem and neglected the boys. Martin was put in a home. All five brothers were reunited with an aunt and uncle and their four children shortly before Appleton left last July. The family now proudly owns a new home, courtesy of Appleton’s sister, Bonny, who sponsors Martin.

Volunteering for the Timau project allowed Appleton to see firsthand the benefits of sponsorship, which provides tuition, school supplies and uniforms to children in Timau.

Contributing hope and dignity

Appleton first visited Kenya in 2002 on a CFCA mission awareness trip. After corresponding for three years, she finally met Immaculate, her sponsored child, then 16. Appleton said the experience was “emotional.” After the trip, she decided to sponsor Immaculate’s 14-year-old sister, Purity. The girls are orphans.

In Kenya, Appleton was able to visit Immaculate and Purity, who live in Nanyuki. She saw no sign of tribal conflict when she lived in Timau. Appleton prays they have not been harmed by the post-election violence.

Appleton retired in 2004 from her part-time job as a local postmaster before applying to volunteer with CFCA. She credits her mother for her desire to volunteer and for teaching Appleton about the circle of love.

“I wanted to make a difference and to be of service,” she said. “Manual work is as good as anything else to me.”

Has she made a difference?

“I’ve made a difference with individuals and that’s all you can do,” she said. “I’ve gained a lot more than I’ve ever given by contributing hope and dignity.”

CFCA Mission Awareness Trips

Sponsor a child in Kenya

Read more about CFCA's work in Kenya

Sixteen-year relationship comes to a bittersweet end

The following article by sponsors Robert and Mary Beth Miraldi demonstrates the genuine relationship that develops between sponsors and sponsored solely through correspondence.

Robert and Mary Miraldi recently received a final letter from their sponsored friend Susan.

The letter from the Christian Foundation arrived sometime in late September. We thought it was the reminder notice for our sponsorship payments to support our three sponsored children.

The letter got tucked in our oak desk with our other bills. Finally, we dug it out one night to catch up on payments. It was a farewell letter from Susan, now 22, whom we sponsored 16 years ago, the letter we anticipated now that she had graduated from college with a teaching degree.

This letter, six handwritten pages, was so much more than a goodbye, however. After 16 years, she was writing to say “thank you” -- the kind of thank you that comes from the heart, the kind that lets you know that your support has changed a single life in indelible ways. It was a thank you that brought us both to tears, standing at the counter of our kitchen in our upstate New York home as Mary Beth read and Rob listened.

Susan has been a part of our family since our son, at age 6, saw a television commercial (not the Christian Foundation) and suggested we sponsor a child. We’d always been a little skeptical of such arrangements – of whether a genuine relationship would exist between the sponsor family and child.

Letters nurture true friendship

It soon became apparent that this was real. Susan, who was a month apart in age from our son, would write about her progress in school, her family, her life in Costa Rica. Over the years we shared good news and bad. A close friend of hers died and she poured out her grief. Rob suffered from cancer and we told her how frightening it had been for our family. She shared the births of her nieces, and we shared the milestones in the lives of our two children. She told us over and over how our gifts had helped her family.

It was all done through a translator and over thousands of miles and it was apparent that letters often took considerable time to arrive. But it all worked.

Through her letters and photographs we watched a skinny, dark-haired little girl blossom into a caring, compassionate young woman with a mission to teach and contribute to her community. Susan is truly a CFCA success story, and we are so happy to have been a part of it. It wasn’t easy sometimes finding the time to write letters but, as Susan embarks on a life of self-sufficiency and service, it was clearly worth it.

“You must know that God has written down this act of humanism, solidarity and love towards others that you played for me and my family,” she wrote in closing her letter. “I want you to be satisfied for your effort because you helped cast a person that will do well in her country and in the world, I hope.”

Of that, we have no doubt.

And so our 16-year relationship with a girl we have never met comes to a close.

“I love you dearly, don’t ever forget that,” Susan wrote. We love you too, Susan. And we are proud of you.

View Susan's letter to the Miraldi's

Sponsor a child

Read more about CFCA in Costa Rica

Sponsor Liz Wilkinson lived with her elderly parent in Bilioxi when Hurricane Katrina destroyed their home.

BILOXI, Miss.—Liz Wilkinson lost her home and place of work to Hurricane Katrina and then her elderly father to cancer months later. But despite financial hardships, she hasn’t missed a single month of donations that support a young boy she sponsors in the Philippines.

Wilkinson, a guidance counselor and religion teacher at Mercy Cross Catholic High School in Biloxi, started sponsoring then 8-year-old Daryl in 1997 through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. CFCA organizes sponsorship of some 310,000 children and aging in 25 nations overseas.

Because she was unmarried, Wilkinson decided that paying a monthly amount to support a child overseas “would be like having a child of my own.” She faithfully began contributing $20 each month to help provide Daryl and his family a better life.

Wilkinson lived with her elderly parents in an old Biloxi neighborhood. In the summer of 2005, despite the warnings that Katrina was developing into a powerful storm, her parents did not want to evacuate because they had weathered Hurricane Camille in 1969 with no flooding.

Katrina struck on August 29. At around 6 a.m., electricity to the Wilkinson house went off. Wilkinson watched as strong winds blew down the backyard fence. But the family didn’t feel threatened until three and a half hours later when water began rising to the level of their windows. She and her parents fled to a dry room and prayed for safety.

Water started bubbling through the floorboards of the house. To get higher, they climbed onto a bed but the quickly rising water rose above it. Wilkinson and her father put her mother, who has balance problems, on the kitchen table and climbed into chairs on the countertop themselves.

“The water was too high for my mother to stay on the table,” Wilkinson said. “I got down and pushed one of our leather couches to her. We told her to let herself fall on the couch. Thank God the couch floated. She and our three-month-old Lab floated on the couch for hours.”

Wilkinson described the rapidly rising waters outside the kitchen windows as a “raging white water river.” They decided to flee to the attic but when Wilkinson broke the ceiling wallboard for access, all she could see was sky. The roof and attic of the house were gone.

“Miraculously about five minutes later, I said, ‘Look, the water is receding,’” she recalled. “The water went down quickly…five or 10 minutes and it was gone. But our lives were changed forever.”

The ceilings began to cave in, falling on Wilkinson’s mother but not causing major injury. She and her parents escaped from the house when two of her brothers showed up.

Wilkinson and her parents stayed with her younger brother for two nights. But after oxygen tanks and medical care became difficult to obtain for her father who had terminal lung cancer, Wilkinson and her parents left Biloxi to stay with relatives in South Carolina.

After two weeks, they returned to Biloxi and widespread devastation. Wilkinson’s high school building was destroyed in the storm. However, the school opened in another building about a month following the hurricane so she was able to keep her job.

Wilkinson helped her students cope with the trauma by telling them, “We are learning a new normal, a new lifestyle. We will never live life as we knew it before Katrina.”

Because their home was 22 feet above sea level, the Wilkinsons were told their home was not in a flood-prone area. They didn’t buy flood insurance. They did receive $12,000 in insurance payments for their destroyed roof. Their financial hardship meant they had to live in a small trailer for eight months. Fortunately, they were able to sell their house lot to an investment company, which gave them enough money to purchase another house. Because their home was 22 feet above sea level, the Wilkinsons were told their home was not in a flood-prone area. They didn’t buy flood insurance. The house was unable to be salvaged and was bulldozed.

Along with the house, the floodwaters destroyed the family’s belongings such as clothing and furniture. The Federal Emergency Management Agency did make a payment to the family but it didn’t cover all of the loss.

But some of the greatest losses for Wilkinson were the albums of family photos and photos of her sponsored child, Daryl. To replace photographs of her sponsored child, which were lost in the flood, Wilkinson contacted CFCA and the organization was able to send her new photos.

Knowing that the Philippines routinely is struck by typhoons, Wilkinson said she now feels a sense of solidarity with Daryl.

“Every time there has been a typhoon in the Philippines, I have worried about Daryl and his family,” she said. “I’m in the process of writing him a long letter and telling him all about my ordeal.”

Following the trauma and financial loss of the hurricane, what kept Wilkinson from stopping her monthly payments to help Daryl?

“I know how spiritually rich these people are yet how physically poor they are,” she said. “I realize that … $20 a month does a great deal more for them than it does for us. The best benefit I have of being Daryl’s sponsor is that I am helping someone emotionally, spiritually and physically. Watching Daryl grow into the young man he is today has been a blessing to me. I hope one day to meet him.”

For his part, Daryl, now 18, said he fully expected Liz to end sponsorship after suffering losses from the hurricane but when she didn’t, he considered her continuous help to be remarkable. He said her sponsorship is “God’s blessing” and an opportunity his family will use to have a better life.

The New Year and many people are searching for a resolution that offers meaning and fulfillment. Have you considered sponsoring a child or elderly person through CFCA? Having personally experienced the September 2006 mission awareness trip to Bolivia with 21 other sponsors, I can guarantee that sponsorship brings great personal satisfaction to the sponsor and incredible joy to the sponsored person.

Our group came from varied backgrounds from as far south as Aruba, as far north as Oregon and everywhere in-between. We connected instantly by the desire to meet and spend time with our sponsored children.

Bob Hentzen, president and co-founder of CFCA, and his wife, Cristina, joined us from Guatemala. Bob has the rugged countenance of someone who has devoted his life to fighting world poverty and the social injustices that cause it. He is an eclectic mix: part educator, social commentator, negotiator, folk singer, entertainer and inspirational speaker. He and Cristina commit to a demanding travel schedule attending CFCA mission awareness trips around the world.

Under the direction of Bolivia trip coordinator Eufronia Taquichiri and Santa Cruz Project Coordinator Tamara Quinteros, our group journeyed to CFCA projects in Santa Cruz, Cochabamba and surrounding areas. The Bolivian people greeted us with much fanfare, often showering us with flower petals or offering necklaces hand-strung from giant popcorn kernels. We were treated like visiting celebrities and their outpouring of gratitude was genuine.

We had the opportunity to visit the homes of sponsored children and listen to their individual stories, experiencing first-hand the challenges of poverty. It was not uncommon to see dirt floors and no running water or electricity.

In one area built within two blocks of a toxic city dump, the homes were constructed of nothing more than lumber covered by blue plastic tarp or corrugated metal. Many homes had only one room. Every family had sincere gratitude for the sponsor and saved every item the sponsor sent. Our group later realized how much the sponsored children and elderly treasure not only our financial support, but also our letters and cards.

Never did I dream I would be in Cochabamba, Bolivia, meeting my sponsored child, 12-year-old Lisbeth, and that her smile and hugs would warm my heart in a way I could not have imagined. She is spunky, curious and creative. We bonded instantly. It was like a fairy tale. How rewarding to see her becoming educated and self-confident!

We also had the opportunity to visit the ancianos (elderly). Life is not always kind to the elderly in countries with no retirement safety net. One woman was rapidly losing her sight, but she could still support herself with her sense of touch, weaving brightly-colored baskets with materials provided by her sponsor.

We heard many beautiful stories from the sponsored persons. One in particular remains with me. Orlando is an engineering student who traveled 15 hours by bus on a curvy mountain road just to thank us in person. Though he has exchanged letters over the years with his sponsor, an elderly woman in Florida, they both know she will never be able to make the trip to meet him.

“When she first began to sponsor me, I was a young child,” said Orlando. “I had a hard time imagining how someone who does not even know me could love me this much. I slowly began to realize this was the magic of God’s love, of everything in the world being connected in some way. I no longer think of her as a woman living in Florida, but as someone who lives in my heart.

“There is a saying,” Orlando continued. “‘Kindness makes the face look better.’ As I look at this group of sponsors, I see so many beautiful faces.”

The database at CFCA headquarters in Kansas City contains records of 310,000 sponsored persons but was designed to handle one million. Would you or someone you know like to help reach this threshold? As Orlando said, “Kindness makes the face look better.”

Nancy Clark is a freelance writer and photographer living in Marietta,Georgia. She has sponsored Lisbeth for five years.

People in Kansas City are often surprised to discover that Christian Foundation for Children and Aging is headquartered in the area and has been for 25 years. Dick and Daffy Shaw certainly were when they decided to sponsor a child six years ago after a CFCA presentation at St. Thomas More Parish.

“After Mass, we were talking to people and discovered we had many connections,” said Dick.

Dick and Daffy were acquainted with Bob Hentzen and Nadine (Hentzen) Pearce, two co-founders of the international organization. That day at St. Thomas More, the Shaws sponsored Erlin, a 6-year-old girl from Guatemala. They have come to know her through her letters.

“She is a beautiful child,” said Daffy. “Her father is a farmer. I remember her writing about her concern for the family’s situation because there had been a drought. There have been times when Erlin has had to leave school to help the family.”

In 2004, the Shaws sponsored another child from Guatemala, 4-year-old Celso Danilo, or “Dani,” Dani’s letters are written by his mother or father.

“Dani’s mother told us she was writing on his behalf because ‘he cannot yet for his short age,’” Daffy said. “It’s wonderful to be able to develop a relationship with his parents.”

The Shaws correspond frequently with Erlin and Dani, sending pictures of their three children and eight grandchildren or holy cards in Spanish. Photos of Erlin and Dani are proudly displayed on the wall with family photos.

The Shaws signed up for a mission awareness trip to Guatemala last year, hoping to finally meet Erlin and Dani. CFCA provides sponsors with the opportunity to meet their sponsored children and see the program in action. Unfortunately, health problems forced the couple to cancel the trip.

“We still hope to go once we can get the health issues under control,” said Dick.

Their experiences with CFCA sponsorship have influenced others to become sponsors. Their son and daughter-in-law sponsor a girl from Mexico, and Dick’s former college roommate sponsors a child in Africa.

“I tell my friends if they are looking for a way to do good, give money to this organization because your money goes to the projects,” said Daffy.

The retired couple has made service a way of life. Dick was awarded the 2006 Alumnus of the Year for Outstanding Service from Rockhurst University. Dick is a member of Rockhurst’s Board of Regents and helps raise money or offers strategic or organizational advice. The Shaws are involved with the Serra Club, on organization that assists Catholic seminarians. They taught marriage preparation classes for the Kansas City - St. Joseph diocese for 25 years, worked on Coats for Kids and helped with an inner-city community garden through the Kansas City Volunteers Against Hunger.

“God has blessed us in so many ways,” said Dick. “We want to help in any way we can, and nothing is better than helping kids.”

Jerry Menard, who lives in Bourbonnais, Ill., is on a personal journey to meet the children he sponsors through CFCA - all 16 of them.

Jerry Menard was chosen to receive the 2005 Pilgrimage of Faith Award. The award honors individuals or groups who exemplify CFCA's Core Values in serving the poor.

By sponsoring 16 children through CFCA's sponsorship program, Jerry has certainly met the award criteria:
- Show outstanding commitment to answering the Gospel call to serve the poor.

- Consistently demonstrate personal and professional integrity.
- Recognize the God-given dignity of each person in serving the poor.
- Display respect for others and acceptance of the equality of all persons.
- Exhibit commitment to creating compassionate communities through personal outreach.

Jerry began sponsoring children after his wife died and believes the Lord will help him live long enough to meet each of them. Through CFCA's Mission Awareness Trips, Jerry has visited his sponsored children in six of the seven countries where they live and is planning trips to Costa Rica and Guatemala to meet two of them for the first time.

After tours abroad in the Navy, Jerry thought he had seen just about everything, until he visited his sponsored children in countries like El Salvador, where he learned about their living conditions firsthand. "I have no desire for luxuries; I'd take the visit to the kids any day," said Jerry. "I'm telling you, if I didn't have these kids I wouldn't be here. They keep me going."

The Pilgrimage of Faith Award is presented each year and was established in 1996 following the journey of CFCA's co-founder and president, Bob Hentzen, who walked some 4,000 miles from CFCA headquarters in Kansas City, Kan., to Guatemala to raise awareness of the poor. The first recipient was the late Bishop Raymond Lucker, of the New Ulm, Minnesota diocese.

Sponsorhip Stories

He just wanted to be near me