Life Changing Little Girls

For those of you who know me well or who have read my blog in the past, you probably know I’m pretty obsessed about wanting a grandbaby girl. I seem to mention it on occasion. Ok, more than on occasion, but I’ve already confessed to being pretty obsessed so at least I own it.

Anyway, I have no doubt when I finally get my first grandbaby girl, she will be a life changer. I’m seriously already excited about it, although it looks like it’s going to be a really, really, really long wait. But, that’s ok. I know it will be worth it, and in the meantime, I’ve had two little girls absolutely steal my heart.

I want you to meet Hannah. I wish I had a picture of her to show you. She’s a skinny little thing about four feet tall with the most gorgeous dark chocolate skin you’ve ever seen. And her eyes. Deep dark chocolate, too. The day I met her she was sporting two pigtails with hot pink barrettes – a girl after my own heart if there ever was one. Despite the hot, cramped sidewalk on 53rd Street in New York City, Hannah still flashed me a brilliant toothy smile. And my heart melted instantly.

You see, I met Hannah as Brad and I walked back to our hotel on our recent trip. There she sat on a tiny folding chair in front of a makeshift table proudly displaying her wares. Homemade pictures she had drawn. Her little sister was sitting in a chair next to her. She had pictures to sell, too. With their colors strewn about the table, they were hard at work preparing more art to sell. I’m not sure where their mom was. I pray she was somewhere very close by, keeping watch over her precious little ones on this busy New York street.

When I walked up to their table, Hannah just grinned at me. I admired her work, and she soaked in my praise, but assured me that her little sister was an artist, too. I asked her how old she was, and she proudly said she was 8. Eight!! I told her I’d like to buy one of her pictures and asked her if she’d pick a special one just for me. She thoughtfully looked through the stack, and then she said, “This one is one of my favorites, but it’s three dollars.”

I told her I thought it was beautiful and that three dollars was a very good price for such beautiful artwork. I handed her my money, and she immediately told me how much change she should give me. She knew. She knew how much change. And my heart broke. I shook my head, fighting back my tears, and told her I didn’t need any change. So, she tried once more, telling me to take more pictures instead. I told her the one she picked out for me was the most special, and it was all I needed.

Hannah. A life changing little girl. She’s been on my mind and in my prayers continually. Oh that I could have taken those precious two little girls back to Texas with me.

And there’s another little girl who stole my heart in May 2009. I’ve never actually seen her face-to-face, but I’ve seen pictures. She was almost eight years old when I first saw her face online. I’d read a blog post (click here for the post) written by Melissa Fitzpatrick, daughter of Beth Moore, about being a Compassion sponsor. I’d never thought of sponsoring a child. I really didn’t know anything about it, but I knew instantly that day. I wanted to sponsor a child. I needed to sponsor a child. And somewhere a child desperately needed me. As I looked through the hundreds of pictures, I wept. Each face cried out to me. Each face broke my heart. How could I choose just one? When I came across precious Yogita, I knew she was the one God picked for me. She had the same birthday as Logan.

Here she is now at almost eleven years old.

Here’s the first picture she drew for me several years ago. It still hangs on my bulletin board.

Children like Hannah and Yogita are life-changing little girls. And, my heart truly aches because there are hundreds of thousands of faces just like theirs… children without homes, without enough to eat, without clothing, without good parents, without hope, without, without, without.

But, we can make a difference! Here’s how:

We can pray for these children every day. I encourage you to take five minutes, no matter how busy you are. Click on Compassion’s website. Look at the faces. Pray for each one. Name them by name just as you name your own precious children when you pray.
Sit down with your own children and show them the pictures. It’s a wonderful way to teach your children about loving others.
Ask God to show you how you can help. He has divine appointments for everyone of us.
Consider sponsoring a child. It’s a small amount that makes a huge difference!

Whether it’s meeting a precious little girl on the sidewalk of a busy street or a blog post you read, what matters is that these things don’t leave our hearts untouched or unchanged.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40 NIV84)