Growing Relationships

I'm sure many of you remember the story of Eric Gitonga, our first official sponsored child in Meru. I met him after learning that he'd been sent away from school, unable to pay his fees and out of resources. Using money that well-wishers had sent with me to Kenya, I paid his debt and was also able to pay for his final year of high school. Eric was #1 academically in his class, a young man with much promise.

Today he is a third year student at Moi University studying engineering. We hear from him now and again, though like all boys away at college, he is very busy. Today he took the time to send us this little pearl of wisdom someone had recently shared with him.


FOCUS ON YOUR SOUL

If you truly want to break through your addiction to mediocrity, your recovery must be spiritual. It doesn't necessarily involve going to church. That is good, but without a personal relationship with God, churchgoing is empty. Focus on what your soul hungers and thirsts for: to relate to God. Bishop TD Jakes

He's right. We do appreciate these words. But even more important, we cherish the growing relationship that is forming between Eric and our family. This is an example of what we hope for folks involved in Cherish Ministry to Meru. I hope that you will take the opportunity from time to time to drop your sponsored child a line using address provided in the column to the right of this post.

PLEASE do not be discouraged if you do not hear back right away. Mail coming out of Meru is a different story than mail being delivered to Meru. Many of your kids don't have writing materials at home, let alone stamps. The Hope Guardians do their best to facilitate letter-writing, but just like all-American kids, some of our young Kenyan friends are better than others at correspondence. I hope this won't discourage YOU from writing.

And do remember....when you help a youngster get through school, you are giving that youngster hope, and a chance at a very different sort of life than the one he or she will have without an education.

May God bless each one of you with a healthy and prosperous new year.

Sharon