From a beauty across the sea to you and me

Unless I have told you, I have adopted a little girl from Honduras...okay so I don't have THAT kind of money, but in a way I have adopted her...I'm sponsoring her. Anyway, her name is Karen Yolani Valladares and she is eight years old.

A few months ago I figured out that I could write her a letter online, so I did. I thought it would be cool, ya know? I didn't know if she would respond, but regardless I wanted this girl to know that I valued her and cared enough to communicate with her. She ended up sending me a little letter in the mail along with a picture. I ate it up :)

At some point recently, I just got to thinking about how I should either write her another letter or send her something...just communicate somehow again. But I have a pretty busy schedule as most people know and I just kinda forgot about it as horrible as that sounds. So to my surprise I received a letter in the mail from her. This is what it said (translated of course):

Dear sponsor Ashley Smith, I greet you with affection hoping you have lots of blessings in the Jesus name. I thank you because you sponsor to me, and I would like to know more about you. What do you do on Easter? I spent with thy family, and I attend church, and we eat fish. What do you do on Easter? Which is your favorite food? Are you married or single, what do you do in your spare time? Do you like animals? I would like that you tell me more about your country; how is the weather and the customs of your country? I tell you that you are in my prayers every day, and I ask God to bless you always. I hope that you pray for me too, and I hope you and me be good friends. May God Bless you always.

Karen

Okay, so I should let you know that during the whole process of reading this letter I was smiling, laughing, and crying. I'm just an emotional mess of a being sometimes. But seriously, it's just crazy for me to think that I am having conversations with my little sponsor girl who lives across the world from me. Not only that, but I completely lost it when I read the last part of the letter. It's just a little weird for me to experience the joy that I get from reading that an 8 year old across the country, who barely knows me and has so much less then what I do, is praying for me and wants to know more about me. It's just a little bit mind blowing.

And then I just got the realization that I don't pray for her everyday, and my heart sank just a little bit. Actually, in all honesty I let my life and busy schedule take away time from the things like that. The things that really matter. But I'm smiling right now, just thinking about how much of a blessing this letter was and how God used this little beauty across the sea to whisper love to me :)